Chapter Twenty-Five

Breathe slowly, the Eye said. Deeply. Count to seven. Now exhale to seven. Good. Focus on your breath.

It was just before dawn and Aras was still asleep in our bed, his ebony hair clinging to the sleek fur of his face. I was sitting cross-legged on the rug beside the bed, and I couldn't help admiring him for a moment. I loved the sprawl of his big body and his scent soaking into my sheets. But I couldn't get lost in him. I needed to focus on letting a piece of the Goddess into me.

Relax the muscles of your scalp, the Eye said. Feel them smooth. Now, your forehead.

The Eye went down my body, telling me to relax each muscle group. Surprisingly, it worked. Simply focusing on the task helped me accomplish it. By the time she was done, I was so relaxed that I couldn't feel my body. In that relaxed state, the Eye's next words didn't shock or scare me. They fell into the calm pool of my mind like a pebble, barely causing a ripple.

I will enter now. Try not to resist, the Eye said.

I felt her presence gather. It felt as if it gained physical weight, growing heavy in my head. That heaviness spread. I felt it branch out like a web through my body and where it went, I came awake. But not to myself. I was still relaxed, sprawled in my mind much as Aras was in my bed. Prone. Watching as another took control of the thing that was most mine in this world—my body. But as the Eye's consciousness took over, I remained calm. The weight of my responsibilities was hers now. I hadn't considered how that would feel—how freeing it was.

And then the Eye gathered her power. I gasped. No, she did. My body did. Air entered my lungs along with magic. It shimmered through me. Fire, but as different from my Fire Magic as Earth was. This was magic beyond that which my body could hold. And yet, the Eye's consciousness made it possible. Because I did not truly hold the magic. She did. She merely channeled it through me, drawing it from the jewel to work harmoniously with the magic inside me.

Very good, the Eye said. I've got you now, Lyrandir. Together, we shall find me.

The shimmering became a tingling. A burst of heat. An explosion of consciousness. My consciousness traveled with hers, taken along for a flight out of my body and past the open balcony doors. We surged across the city of Renris faster than I'd ever flown. Shooting like an arrow. Faster than that. A falling star. Land swept by underneath me in a second. Then we were out over the Morilren Sea—the kingdom ruled by King Vaxarion.

Water became a blue blur. I felt it then. The burning light pulling us, urging us on. The Eye's home. Her source of energy. The Fire of the Goddess. It was there, just ahead. On that pathetic little ship. A fragile thing of wood, metal, glass, and cloth. Not worthy of Ensarena's Eye. Her power could destroy it in a second.

I saw the Neraky pirates on deck—saw the man who was their captain. Words came. Knowledge gleaned from casual conversations. Captain Tengven. The Lu-Ken. Bordae Sea. I knew so much in an instant. Saw so much. And there, beneath layers of wood, was a glow. The Eye took us down, down, down. Into the ship. Into a box. And there it was. Our treasure. Her home. My salvation.

I targeted it. No, she did. Who was I? The tingling in my veins increased even though I wasn't in my body to feel it. Like a limb lost and slowly regrowing, I felt the burgeoning of my body. Felt it awaken. Call me. The Eye pulled us back, but as she flew our consciousness over the sea, I started to tremble. Mentally. Reality shifted around me. I was pure energy. I was a Dragon. I was a piece of the Goddess. I was King. I was magic. Back and forth my mind swung, reaching for something stable to latch onto. Nothing came.

I was back. In my body. This was me. Or was it? How do I breathe? I gasped in a breath as the Eye gave up control. I could hear her speaking into my mind, calling to me, but she was not me. I was not her. I was a man. A Dragon. And I was screaming.

“Ly!” someone shouted as they shook me.

My mind shattered. That bitch hadn't warned me that this was a possibility. She was screaming, but I was louder. Everything vibrated. The entire world shook. My head burned. I pounded my hands against it. Hands. What were hands? Should they have claws or nails? And then colors burst before my eyes. They formed a face. I knew that face. Loved it. Handsome and yet primal. Fur and fangs, but also a proud nose and a strong jaw. What was his name?

“Aras,” I gasped. “Aras.”

My mate. My heart knew him. There was only him. No world. No war. No kingdom. Just Aras. All I needed. I pressed my hand to his chest and felt his heartbeat. Strong. Like his grip. He still held my shoulders. Other men were nearby, but I couldn't focus on them. My mind still hurt. Still reeled. I was a Dragon. Dragon. King. Mate.

“Aras,” I said again.

“I've got you, Ly,” Aras said and cradled me against his chest. “I have you. You're all right.”

With my cheek and hand on Aras's chest, my mind started to right itself. It still felt bruised, but with his arms around me, it healed. I knew where I was. Who I was.

And where we must go, the Eye said.

Fuck you! I roared at her in my head. You didn't warn me about this.

You wouldn't have done it if I had, and it had to be done. I acted as quickly as possible and relinquished control as soon as your consciousness was back in your body. You cannot fault me for doing what will ultimately aid you.

I certainly . . . I groaned aloud as things snapped in my mind, clicking in and out of place.

“Lyrandir!” Aras had me in his arms and carried me to bed. He laid me down carefully, then shouted at someone, “Get a physician!”

“No!” I waved a hand blindly. “I'll be fine. I just need a moment.”

“Ly?” Aras bent over me. “What's happened? How are you hurt?”

I struggled to come up with an explanation.

Tell him about me, the Eye urged. It's time he knew.

I glanced at the other men in the room—my knights. They were now supplemented with Dragons from the army. The Dragons were looking back and forth between me and my mate, their eyes wide and worried. The non-Dragons were even more baffled.

I'd have to explain to them as well, I said.

Poison! the Eye exclaimed.

What?

Tell them you were shot with a dart.

What?!

A poisoned dart. Through the balcony.

And where is this dart?

You burned it! Tell them, then send them off after the assailant.

It wasn't a terrible idea. And it would explain the screaming. So, I said aloud, “I was attacked. Go! Now! Find them! They shot a dart through the open balcony. I was poisoned!”

The knights scrambled off as Aras spun to look at the balcony. Then he scanned the room.

“Where's the arrow?” Aras asked.

“Not an arrow.” I groaned as I sat up. “I said it was a dart. Very small. I slapped it, thinking it was an insect, and burned it.” I grimaced as if irritated at myself. “I burned the damn evidence.”

“It has to be someone from Vacrond.” Aras helped me swing my feet over the edge of the bed. “Maybe you should rest a little more.”

My mind still felt foggy, but at least I could think clearly again. With that clarity, the pain in my body faded. I stood up, tested my footing, and took a step. A flash of zooming across the sky filled my head, and I swayed.

“Ly!” Aras steadied me. “I think you should rest. You've just been poisoned. Even Dragons need some time to recover from that.”

I sat back down. I hadn't been poisoned, but I wished that was the case. I would have healed faster from it.

We need to go! the Eye said.

I groaned and laid back.

Now!

Shut the fuck up ! I roared in my head. You fucking did this to me!

The Eye went quiet. Blissfully quiet. And still, lights went off and on in my mind. My body went into spasm. A tingling spread over me. I snarled and bared my teeth. Curled onto my side. Groaned.

“I'm here,” Aras said as a pair of warm arms wrapped around me from behind. He pulled me against his chest. “Just breathe, Ly. Focus on your breath.”

It sounded so much like what the Eye had bid me to do that I snarled again.

“Shh.” Aras was utterly unaffected by the snarling. He nuzzled my cheek. “It's all right. I'm watching over you. You can relax your guard.”

Relax, the Eye's voice came again, but this time in my memory. At least, I thought it was a memory. Hard to say.

I growled and made rumbling sounds as I shook my head. I had to get it clear. If I could just shake the crazy out, I would be fine. And no, it didn't occur to me how crazy that sounded. I was fighting my way back to sanity, clawing up to ledges where I could take a few breaths before starting a new climb. I had fallen so far. So deep into nothingness. Into her. And that had just been a few minutes. Divinity, even a small portion of it, was not meant for the minds of Dragons.

“Your Majesty!” a few knights rushed into the room. “Sire, we couldn't find any trace of an invader, and the guards on the walls swear nothing has gotten past them. The assassin must have been a professional.”

“It's all right.” I sat up and climbed out of bed, ignoring Aras's protests. I couldn't address my knights while I lay in my mate's arms. Gathering my strength weakened my mind, but I did it and strode over to them as if all were well. “I know who was behind the attack. Truly behind it.”

“Fucking nobles,” one of the Dragon knights said. “I'll bet they hired a local. Most likely a Raltven. That way, they couldn't be traced to it, even if the culprit were found.”

“It's enough to know they're desperate,” I said. “And the assassin wasn't professional enough to know that Dragons can survive a poisoning. Although, it was an impressive poison. I still feel some of the effects.”

“Shall I fetch the royal physician, Your Majesty?” an Argaiv knight asked.

“No. No. There's nothing he can do.” I waved that suggestion away. “Truly, I'm recovered. Just tell the Commander to double the guards on the walls for now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The knights bowed and left the room. By the time the door shut, I felt stronger. I turned to face Aras. He was scowling at me.

“I'm fine,” I said. “Thank you for . . . everything, Aras.”

My mate stood up and came over to me. He stared into my eyes, then down my body. “Are you sure you're all right?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat, then glanced at the sky. The sun was up, the morning growing late. “And I have meetings. City matters. Will you attend me for lunch?”

“Yes, of course,” Aras murmured, still staring at me. “Ly—”

I kissed him, then strode into my dressing room. Only when the door was closed behind me did I shake my head again. “I am a Dragon,” I said to my reflection. It helped to stare into that full-length mirror. “I am the Dragon King of Gavemor.”

Yes, that's who I was.

And you need to gather some of your fellow Dragons and head across Morilren toward the Bordae, the Eye snapped. Now, Your Majesty!