YARIS

Dragon fire is hot. Hotter than anything I have ever encountered in my lifetime and as it encompasses me, the heat makes my eyes dry and the roaring almost deafens me. Yet, the thing I hear most clearly is Ruin's screaming. Gods, the screaming. It is like he has yanked his heart out and now he wails as nothing is left of him. I want to make it stop. I have to make it stop and now, instead of terror, I feel rage. Rage at how this dragon has stripped Ruin of any dignity and terrified my mate and does not seem to care.

I managed a moment before the fiery wrath to put up my shield and it seems to be holding just fine. How, I am not sure, but I do not have time to be picky.

I have not truly tapped into my Fae magic for a very long time. I usually tap into the magic around me, playing it like a harp, but I do not tap into the magic within me. Not only is it a more finite resource, but it is so distinctly Fae that it is easily identifiable. But I still feel it—it is why forests are loud and spirits pester me endlessly. It is why I know things about the environment before anyone tells me. But to actually cast it?

I have avoided that for so long that I worry I cannot use it, but right now, in this dire moment, I need it and reach for it. I always feel the spirits around me, my natural charisma pulling me towards them. It is part of my nature. Down here, in the earth, there is the water, the lake, and that might buy me time.

You are so beautiful and powerful, I soothe the waters as Ruin's screaming becomes unbearable, you are magnificent, but the fire thinks it is better than you. It wants to burn your shores and hurt your cave. It is so hot you will evaporate. You should put it out before it takes over.

The lake had been quiet, sleepy, but is now up and alert. I feed it some of my very hardy magic. It has been long enough that I do not quite remember what this exchange is like, and I reflect that perhaps I had fed it too much as the water rises in a huge wave and explodes. It hits the roof with a roar and sweeps towards the dragons. It is large enough that the others are quickly soaking and struggling a moment later as the fire chokes and vanishes. There is not one of us who is not drenched to the bone.

There is a shocked silence. Magnum, Shatterjaw, and Ruin were knocked on their asses and are gaping at me like I have grown a third leg. The look of utter astonishment on Forbearance's face is extremely satisfying and, somehow, I am still standing, though I pant like I have run ten miles and it certainly feels similar to that.

The others get up and suddenly, a strange sound fills the cavern. I worry it is rage, but Forbearance is laughing and so is Virtue, the two of them nudging each other. The water will still yield to me, so I wonder about slapping them with a wave again, but instead, I gaze at Ruin who is gazing at me. He looks thankful and devastated and angry. Shatterjaw is helping him to his feet, and he pushes her away before bounding to me with the energy of a teenager. I catch him in my arms, holding him tight and whispering assurances that I am fine and alive and well. He sobs into me for a few minutes as I rub his back and then glare at the dragons.

"Listen," I say severely, all feelings of reverence completely gone. "You can do what you wish with me, but if you make him scream like that again, I will use ice next time and it will pierce your thick hide and make you bleed."

Shatterjaw rubs her face, mumbling something about suicidal Fae and Magnum grins at me like an idiot. Does he think this is funny?

Forbearance snorts, clearly amused .

"Worry not, little one," he says. "That was merely a test. You Sunbeams are the only Fae able to shield yourselves from dragon fire. I had to make sure it was you."

"There were other ways to do that," I snap. "Ruin is right. You are dicks."

Forbearance laughs again.

"Please. You cannot deny me a little fun with the first Fae I have seen in a thousand years."

I huff.

"Not when it comes at the expense of my—" I stop and shift. It is enormously hard not to say it, but I cannot call him my mate for the first time in front of everyone. He deserves better. "—my lover."

"Well," Forbearance shifts and dries himself out with some heat magic. "You are certainly Fae, and you are certainly a Sunbeam."

I huff irritably. I am about to speak up when Ruin speaks instead.

"I don't care if you're a dragon," he says gruffly, glaring at the massive creature. "You do that again and I'll kill you."

Forbearance chuffs in amusement.

"Killsyn said you were fierce," he says with what I think is a grin. It… sort of looks like one, at least. "But it is noted, rider."

Magnum laughs and Shatterjaw seems unable to know what to do so she nudges him with a glare. I am certain this is all very strange for her since she grew up being told how much dragons should be revered and now, she meets them like… this.

Ruin seems to be recovering but he still holds onto me like a spider on its web.

"Well," he clears his throat. "What do we need to do? And how are you here?"

Forbearance gazes at me as if I am the greediest thing he has ever seen. I am sure he expects me to squirm, but I am still too enraged to even twitch .

"We are the only dragons in this realm," he says after a moment, shifting to Ruin, but with not nearly as much intensity. "We are here due to the sacrifice of our brethren, so that we may remember and give instructions on how to free all of us. We are here for you, dragon rider, and qyr'gu, to guide you in the direction of breaking the curse so that we may claim what is ours."

"Well, that's vague as shit," Ruin counters irritably. "Sparks is this way too, for fuck's sake."

Forbearance and Virtue exchange a look, obviously puzzled.

"Who is… ‘Sparks'?" Virtue asks cautiously, her musical voice soothing in a way that Forbearance is not.

Ruin straightens but stays pressed to my side.

"My patron. Dragon, I mean."

There is a pregnant pause.

"You call… Killsyn ‘Sparks'?" Forbearance asks, baffled.

"Yeah. So what? Why do you care? I didn't know his real name until just now," Ruin says gruffly and the dragons start to… chuff. I suspect it is more like chuckling and it certainly sounds like it after a minute. I raise an eyebrow, but Ruin grins and so does Magnum. Shatterjaw's mouth twitches rebelliously.

"You… do know that he is one of our most talented, capable generals, correct?" Forbearance says with a snort. "I imagine he is not pleased."

Ruin shrugs.

"Whatever. I'm not one for formalities and I was eight when he bonded with me."

Virtue pauses and… frowns? It is difficult to explain how a dragon frowns.

"He… should not have done that," she says, sounding miffed. "We dragons usually wait until our riders are at least twelve or thirteen. So young is unheard of."

Ruin shifts uncomfortably and looks at the ground.

"I… would be dead if he hadn't," Ruin says softly. "But th at doesn't matter right now. What matters is you telling us what we need to do."

I want to hear more of his story, but he is correct—now is not the time.

Forbearance gathers himself and nods.

"Yes. You need to break the blood curse."

Laughter bubbles out of me.

"What? A blood curse? Fae do not use blood magic," I say confidently, and Forbearance looks at me wearily.

"How old are you?" He asks after a very awkward pause, and I am sure I am about to learn things I would rather not.

"… 947," I say uncertainly, feeling strange since I was the only one who laughed. "I was born after the whole… thing."

Forbearance seems to consider.

"Which child are you?"

"The youngest," I say, feeling smaller and smaller still.

"Ah," he shifts. "You were born some years after the incursion then."

"Yes, that is correct," I swallow. "Why?"

Forbearance sighs softly.

"Fae did not know blood magic until human dragon riders taught it to them."

I cannot say a word—they have all been stolen from me in one breath and I simply stare, unable to understand.

"… what the fuck?" Ruin gapes at them, astounded. "Why would they do that?"

Forbearance looks grieved.

"I do not know. I used to think it was the charisma that Fae inherently possess, but… I do not think so anymore. I think it is merely there are some scheming dragons just as there are some benevolent ones. This is true for every group, I believe—there are good people and bad people. And who is to say how it will turn out?"

"Then what?" I explode, furious, but I am not sure with whom. "They taught us and then what? "

"Then Monarch Sunbeam was especially adept at it," Forbearance says quietly. "Blood magic is a tricky thing—the older a subject, the more precious a subject, the stronger the bond, the more powerful the magic. Fae are old, ancient even. Your father, he… do you know much about your older siblings?"

My head spins. I do not like where this is going.

"I… had six older siblings who… died in the… but he would not. My mother would not let him. That… no," I shake my head. "That cannot be true."

"There are five banishing pillars in the world, Yaris Sunbeam. I do not know what happened to your sixth sibling, but I can tell you with certainty that five of them were sacrificed so that the pillars could be erected and keep the dragons away."

Forbearance's tone is severe, damning, certain. I breathe too quickly and too shallowly and somehow end up with Ruin putting my head between my legs as I double over. Everything is spinning and I am only vaguely aware of vomiting all over the ground. I feel betrayed, weak, disgusted, furious.

My siblings' death is always portrayed as a great tragedy, a reason why the dragons had to go, a worthy sacrifice for our cause. Not… not this. Fuck. They were sacrifices and I just did not know it was that literal. Were they scared? Did they go willingly? Did the man who fathered me feel any grief as he slayed them?

I have always known my family is fucked, but this is truly something else.

I realize that everyone is deathly quiet now that I have finished vomiting and Ruin is rubbing my back. After a very long moment where I wrestle myself down into calm, Virtue speaks again.

"I see… you did not know," she says, stating the very, very obvious.

"No!" I snap. "Absolutely not!"

But it makes me wonder who does know. My mother? My stepfathers? My stepmothers? My fucking siblings who have always treated me like I am an outsider, a gnat, a thing to be ignored?

Forbearance sighs.

"I am sorry. I had assumed—"

"—that what?" I want to roar but all I can manage is a furious whisper. "That we Fae are all cozy with each other and spill everything? That my family is honest about what happens? That I am in the fucking inner circles because I am a prince? Which is it?" I rage and stagger away from Ruin, pointing an accusing finger at them. "Just as I do not know shit about dragons, you don't know shit about Fae. You do not know anything about how we operate and the social and cultural implications of being… me! So do not even try to excuse it."

Forbearance sighs as if it is difficult to be him.

"You are correct. My apologies. We have much to learn from each other, but not now, I think."

I huff.

"Just tell us what to do."

"It is simple—the only thing that can break the blood banishment is the blood of another Sunbeam and that of a dragon rider," Virtue says, soft and patient as ever.

I huff. Of course I have to die now. Great. This just keeps getting better and better. But wait. Does that mean Ruin…?

I shake my head.

"There has to be another way—" I start.

"—are we going to die then?" Ruin asks in an oddly calm voice and that makes me panic a little.

"What?" Forbearance scowls. "Of course not. Just some blood. Not all. Virtue and I are spellmasters. We make spells that others can use. It is why we are the ones here instead of others. We have spent the past millennia coming up with a counter spell. But you will have to go to each pillar, both of you, and break them down."

Ruin nods and I admire—and am a little jealous—that he is so put together whereas I feel like a small puff of wind could knock me over and I would not be able to get back up.

"Very well," he says with burning confidence and a tragically searing smile. "Teach us."