Page 20 of Exquisite Monster (Dragons of Viria #2)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

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KATALENA

I droal smiled, though it was grim. “Surprise.”

“How did you find me?”

They walked forward easily, searching the space behind me, but Gleym wasn’t here yet. “We followed those soldiers once we heard they were coming after you.”

“We?”

They nodded. “We. I am relieved to find you alive, Princess. We weren’t sure.”

“Neither was I for a while.”

Idroal stiffened, and I stepped aside, sensing Gleym behind me. But there wasn’t any shock or distress on Idroal’s face. If anything, it looked like… annoyance?

“I see you’re still clinging to the bottom of the world like moss on a rock.”

“And you’re still meddling in business that doesn’t belong to you.”

A small puff of smoke came out of Idroal, like they were holding back laughter. “Good to see you too.”

Gleym said nothing.

Idroal turned and looked at me. “If I had had a choice, I would have sought you out sooner. I was bound by the Elders not to search for you, the Heirs, or for the little one.” They inclined their head toward Varí .

I looked over at Gleym expectantly, and she rolled her eyes before waving a hand in Idroal’s direction. They smirked. “My thanks for releasing that command.”

“But if you couldn’t look for me or them…”

“Then someone else could. The command did not say I could not travel with those looking for you and the Heirs. Merely that I could not. And coming down this pit, I had no idea you would truly be here. I was simply investigating what might be.”

“Always the master of loopholes, weren’t you?” Gleym said. “Clever words are what you excel at, even now.”

Her tone spoke of history and pain. I looked between the two dragons, suddenly realizing they weren’t strangers. The way they stared at each other said they’d been much more than strangers.

Idroal simply looked at me. “Would you like to leave this place?”

Yes . Very much yes, but I still looked to Gleym. She was the one who’d helped me this whole time, and I was grateful for it, even if we would never be close. When she met my eyes, she nodded once.

“Yes,” I said. “I need to dress.”

“I’ll wait here,” Idroal said. “Gleym and I will catch up.”

Varí and I glanced at each other. Clearly there was a lot more between them than we could know, and I didn’t want to be in the middle of it. So I retreated. Before I was out of earshot, I heard Gleym speak. “One got away from me. But I took care of the rest of the draygs.”

Idroal chuckled. “You want to talk about draygs? After all this time?”

My legs shook as I made my way through the stone rooms, and by the time I’d reached the room with the bath, all of me was shaking.

I dropped to my knees in front of it, tossing the bag to the side and stripping away the robes. I plunged my hands deep into the water, scrubbing the still-wet blood off my hands.

It wasn’t just there, but had splashed on my face and neck. Covered my feet where I had to walk through it. I needed it off me. Off me. Off me . Submerging myself, I used the clean parts of the robe to scrub my skin, singular in my focus until a chirp startled me out of my thoughts.

Varí sat next to the bath, watching. He was still the same subdued color. I realized tears were running down my face. I hadn’t even felt them. There wasn’t much I felt at the moment. Even the relief and joy of finally leaving this place were muted and blank in the face of my new reality.

I’d crossed a line I couldn’t come back from.

It didn’t matter if you always knew you’d cross it. Knowing wasn’t preparation.

“I killed them,” I said quietly, trying to explain.

He climbed onto my chest, forcing me to hold him as he purred. It felt like comfort and a lack of judgment.

“Am I different to you now?”

A small, fierce growl echoed around us, and I smiled. Only for a moment, but it was enough. “Thank you.”

I dressed in the clothes Gleym gave me, marking one final scratch on the wall where I’d kept track of my time. Then I retrieved the leather bag where I’d let it fall to the floor. My grandmother’s locket had never once left my neck, but I touched it to make sure all the same.

Once my boots were laced, I checked the workshop one more time, having Varí store a few more ingredients and some duplicate texts. Empty bottles and the final few cured potions.

After that… there wasn’t anything else I needed .

My heart sped up. I wanted to leave, but I was terrified. Once I left, no one had any idea what would happen. Gleym might be right, and it could lead to my death. All of our deaths.

Idroal and Gleym faced off across from each other when I returned, the air thick with tension.

But not violence. She waved a hand, and darts flowed through the air into the bag.

An abundance of them. Even more than before and more than I could need for a long time.

Varí chirped with joy and dove into the bag, following them.

“Thank you.”

“I’ve done what I can for you. Do your best to stay alive. I’d hate to have wasted my time.”

“And you’d know if she stays alive?” Idroal asked. “Does that mean you plan on involving yourself in the world again?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No,” they said. “But then again, you rarely say anything anymore. Not even to those who could be considered your friends.”

She narrowed her eyes, and beyond the two of them I saw the clutter and detritus that floated in her net of power shudder. “I know more than enough of what happens above. Hard to speak when there’s no one to speak to, Idroal. Unless you’re volunteering to come visit?”

They tilted their head and observed the dragon. I blinked. She broke eye contact first. In all the time I’d spent here, I’d never seen Gleym look remotely uncomfortable. Right now she looked like she’d rather throw herself into the roiling water than stand here for another moment.

Idroal smirked. “That could be arranged.”

Gleym scoffed but stayed silent.

“Ready to go, Princess?”

I nodded. “Yes.” Then I turned to Gleym. “After all you’ve done, you owe me nothing.”

“And yet?”

“And yet I have one thing to ask of you.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she waited for me to speak.

“You cannot release the binding on Endre’s power. I know that. But my mates were commanded not to resist. By Aeghi. I do not imagine any of them will have thought to undo it. If there’s any chance for them to get out?—”

Gleym waved a hand. There was no sensation of magic in the air or sign she’d used any power. Just a simple gesture. “Done.”

My mouth opened, and I closed it again. Nerves danced along my spine. “You’re sure?”

“I am. There is no way to prove it until you reach them, so you must decide if you trust me or not. ”

“Haven’t I already proven that?” I asked.

The dragon raised a single eyebrow. “You have proven you can adapt and survive. But you do not trust me. Nor should you. Do not trust anyone but those with whom you share a soul.”

My mates.

I had no choice but to trust her. Exactly like every day since I was thrown down here. So I would.

Idroal transformed without warning, the large body of their vibrant green dragon overwhelming in the space. Climb on .

My feet slipped on their scales as I climbed up to the dip between their shoulder blades. Gleym watched with no expression on her face. Still unreadable, even now.

“Thank you for saving my life,” I said.

Do not waste it . She spoke directly into my mind.

Idroal launched, making my stomach swoop. And for the briefest moment, I thought I saw an expression of longing on Gleym’s face before we were rocketing upward.

Straight up, fighting gravity, back to the surface of the world.

Finally.