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The tears released down my face, splashing toward my feet.

“It’s not like that!” Damian shouted, making eye contact with me. His eyes were so dark I feared he made deals with the gatekeeper ofHaxnau4 themself. He started walking toward me, his hands outstretched.

“No! It is exactly like that!” I said, putting my hands up as protection from him. “I can’t believe that this was all a lie,” I said, thinking of what was developing between Damian and me. “You never cared about me. You just used me to get what you wanted. You never actually wanted to protect me. You were protecting my golden blood to get your end of the bargain. I paused, then whispered, “You promised to protect me, Damian. With what you did, you might as well have killed me.”

“No! Aurelia! It’s not like that!” He took a step closer to me.

“Don’t touch me!” I yelled at him, demanding that he get away from me. He was no better than the men he had killed. “You’ve lost every right to be around me or any Scalekind. You’re the monster here, Damian.” My heart shattered like glass shards, the glass scraping across my ribcage as I saw how my words struck him deeply. I couldn’t believe that I ever trusted him. A human trying to help me? I was an idiot for ever believing him or letting him come remotely near me.

I pushed the pain away as soon as it came, realizing that I had to find the dragon egg. Turning around, I knew I was so close. I just needed to touch it and make all of this go away. I just needed to have it in my grasp to wish that the Deathlies never happened, to wish them away. But would the rashness of my words wish away this quest? The chance for me to become queen? Me having met Damian? My heart surged a fraction of a heartbeat.

My arms outstretched, reaching toward the egg that only I could see. Only I could save the kingdom. My thoughts further raced, running in venomous circles as something hit my back. Pain jolted through my spine, an excruciation sensation.

I was hit with such a force that it sent me to my knees, my heart throbbing as it pounded maliciously in my chest. My ears rang in response, unsure of what just happened.

The egg was right there.

My body was frozen in shock. I gasped, sucking the air into my lungs. What had hit me? The pain was stinging, flooding my body with nerves that I couldn’t shake free. It was so overwhelming that I could feel each beat of my heart as I processed that something was wrong. It felt like I was dying, the blood draining from my body. The pitter-patter of each droplet reaching the ground. It was as if time had stopped. Everything was in slow motion.

My hands reached for my back, and there was an arrow. It was sticking out, and I could feel the feathers so lightly on the ends of it, tickling my fingers.

I was shot.

Still holding onto the arrow behind me, I yanked it and pulled it out, screaming fiercely. I knew that this was the end. I was meant to die on this quest. I just didn’t think I would die before being able to reach the egg. I was going to meet the gatekeeper ofEzu. Lying on the floor panting, unable to move a single muscle, I thought of everyone I was going to meet at the gates ofEzu.MaybeLaneux5? What would meeting a dragon’s spirit be like? Would it be his actual body, or just spirit?

I couldn’t see what was happening with the men, but there was a commotion. There was thrashing, fighting, yelling, and other noises that I couldn’t pinpoint or have the energy to find out for myself.

My eyesight was blurry and hazy. My hearing became muffled.

I fell from my knees onto my back, staring up at the sky. I tried to crane my head to see what was happening. An echoing scream erupted through the air, making it sound like someone fell off the cliff.

Did they fall off, or were they pushed?

Was it Damian? Was he okay?

My vision was completely black, and then my hearing faded into a dark sea of nothingness.

I was going to die.

1.Ezu (Eh-ooh): Heaven

2.Nas: No

3.Raicena (Ray-say-naw): Relic

4.Haxnau (Hah-nah-woo): Hell

5.Laneux (Law-neh-ooh)

Chapter forty-two

DAMIAN

“Aurelia!” I cried, her name escaping my mouth, realizing the mistake I had made. I was mad at myself for not telling her sooner. She deserved to know, and I was stupid to hide that from her. She knew I needed a Scaleborne, but I didn’t tell her why or by whom. I was stupid to believe that he wouldn’t show up. Her face showed disappointment, and the gold in her eyes stopped flickering momentarily. The heart I didn’t know I had until I met her stopped beating.

She turned around, and that was when I knew I made a grave mistake. One of the men raised his bow, nocking the arrow to the taut string, aligning it with the center of her figure.

As if in slow motion, I roared with rage, hoping to stop him in time. My leg lifted, kicking him hard in the gut, making him fall off the cliff, screaming.