Page 56 of Exquisite Monster (Dragons of Viria #2)

KATALENA

This crater felt familiar.

Though there were no trees and no river, it wasn’t much different from the one we’d visited with Idroal.

A stone taller than five men stood tall in the center, jutting from the earth like one of my darts in a piece of wood.

The top was jagged and cracked, and around it…

large boulders that were clearly part of the broken stone.

We met the rest of the group in Zastea before flying up the coast. Their retrieval had been less eventful than ours, and like Dalas, when Arris heard what happened he swept Isaelle into his arms while his friend watched.

I gave them the privacy they needed and rested with my dragons as they slept a few fitful hours.

The afternoon sun was waning as we laid out all the pieces of the sheyten near where it had been broken.

The side of the central stone looked like a second star had crashed into it and punctured a hole.

Sharp and faceted, but with clear edges.

No dust, just like they’d promised. Everyone scattered to fetch food and relieve themselves before we started mending the world.

“You know, this isn’t so far from Rensara,” Zovai said, coming up behind me.

“I know.”

“Do you miss it?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I would like to know how my friends fare, and if my departure impacted their lives . But it never truly felt like home. Now I know why.”

“Now you know why.” He kissed my neck softly, just above the chain of my necklace. “I wish I could have met your grandmother. Without her, we would not be here. You might have hated us. You might not have tried to touch me.”

I slid my hands over his where he held me. “She’s found her peace in the stars. So one day you will meet her. But not yet.”

“Not yet.” I felt his smile.

“Here.” Ravi appeared with metallic chunks in his hands. “To bind it together.”

I blinked. “Did you find that?”

“I did on the way. Easy enough.”

The other humans stared at him in shock. They didn’t know about dragons’ unique abilities, and now wasn’t the time to explain .

I wrapped my arms around Endre’s waist. “How do we do it?”

“It’s mostly theory,” Idroal said, “but… we should have to do very little.”

They took a large piece of what looked like silver from Ravi and approached one of the large boulders. “Your Highnesses, it should be one of you.”

My hands flew to my stomach at their sudden sickness. They felt about unleashing their fire like I felt about the underground. My fear was still dire, but it wasn’t a part of me.

Sirrus stepped away from everyone and shifted. I stared at him sparkling in the sun. He was so fucking beautiful.

He laughed softly in my head and flared his wings, which only made them glitter more. I will always show off for my mate.

Idroal placed the chunk of silver on top of the boulder, and Sirrus unleashed his flames.

As soon as they touched the shattered fragment, a familiar hum began. It felt like the sheyten I already knew. The boulder the size of a horse shuddered and lifted into the air and moved into place on top of the broken stone.

“It’s working,” Isaelle said, voice full of awe.

I closed my eyes against the flash, and when I could see once more, there was a thin, shimmering line where the crack had once been.

Everyone moved at once, pairing bits of silver with broken pieces both big and small, and one by one Sirrus fired them.

Even Varí did his part. The sheyten called to its own and every piece fit like it had never been damaged.

Though we would always be able to see the cracks and remember its history.

The last tiny sliver cemented into place with a glimmering spark.

“It is complete,” Idroal called.

Every head turned and looked. The stone itself looked whole. Its surface was smooth with the occasional divot and marking. If you didn’t know the power it could hold, it would seem like a mere marvel of nature and nothing more. But it didn’t hold any power yet. I could feel it.

“Your Highness?” Idroal looked at Sirrus. “Will you?”

Fire glowed in his throat before he released it in a single stream aimed at the heart of the break.

More pure, dazzling fire than I’d ever seen him release.

The flames took on a life of their own, curling around the sheyten like a cloak, growing and morphing to coat it like a second skin before snuffing out all at once.

The world went profoundly silent for the length of three heartbeats. A force so strong it felt like gravity pulled us toward the rock, and boom . A silent crack of power hurled us outward .

No one but Sirrus remained on their feet.

Sound rushed in, and I gasped. That nearly silent resonance I recognized from sitting near the sheyten was here. It worked. The stone was healed.

“How fast does it work?” I asked.

Arris coughed and pushed up from where he’d fallen. “Pretty damn fast. Look.”

A tree at the top of the crater—which had been dead before—was growing leaves.

I grabbed my bag and ran for Endre, now in his beast form, and climbed on his back. Varí dove into my pocket. “We have to see. We have to see .”

Everyone scrambled, dragons shedding their human skin and the royals mounting. We were already in the air, and…

Green .

Green trees in the mountains and grasses beyond. Endre flew toward Rensara at a speed that stole my breath. Every time I spotted something with new growth, it felt like I’d been struck by lightning. The wind muffled my laugh and dried my tears.

We soared over Gleira, and I saw green plains like I had never seen in my lifetime. It was like a different place entirely.

People swarmed the streets, and beyond the city walls, I saw joyful chaos as the power spread and revitalized the land. It meant life. It meant food. It meant we had a fucking chance.

“How do we tell them?” I asked. “The humans have to know how things were restored.”

Will your father believe you? Endre asked.

“I think he will. And they will send a messenger. I am sure of it. If we’ve already told him and the messenger confirms it? He’ll have no choice. But can we get close enough?”

Hold .

Then, Idroal’s voice. I should be able to reach your father, Your Highness. The ground near Evrítha is not like the desert. It will not be a problem .

“Then let’s go,” I said. “Maybe we can stop some of this.”

My mates and Idroal were with me. The others had fallen behind, but we couldn’t wait. Every second mattered now.

The sun had turned the sky to a blaze of glory when I saw them on the horizon. A dark, writhing mass of humanity gathered along the river that ran from north to south directly through the Bowl.

“Why would they wait here? They can cross the barrier.”

They want to be ready when they enter dragon lands, Sirrus said. And it is not so easy to have armies cross a river .

I’d never thought of it that way.

“And the dragons? I don’t see any. ”

While the barrier holds there is no point. As soon as the humans cross, they will appear .

I nodded. Then we weren’t too late. We could still pull them back. If we could get enough people to listen to reason.

“Can you see the Gleiran colors?”

Yes . Zovai. Close to the center .

Near the hole in the earth I never wanted to see again. “All right.”

Behind us, the last sliver of sun disappeared beneath the horizon.

A silent blast of power rolled through the air like a physical blow. Endre dropped, wings struck still. Fear tore through all of us. “ ENDRE .”

He caught us just before we hit the ground, swooping back up into the air, his beast shaking its head back and forth in anger.

Another blow came, but they were ready, moving to compensate as soon as they felt it.

My body felt bruised from the invisible blows, and I hadn’t even been flying. When I stuck my hand into my pocket, Varí curled around it, holding on tight.

A third blow came.

NO .

Endre cried out, the sound scratching across my mind like broken glass.

He dove for the ground, landing hard. I barely slid off his back before he’d shifted, curling onto his knees with pain.

“Endre?” I collapsed on the ground beside him.

I touched him everywhere I could reach but found no injury. “What happened? Are you all right?”

The ground shook as my other mates landed.

I grabbed Endre’s face and pulled him to me. “What was that? Where are you hurt?”

All he did was shake his head.

He was whole. I would feel if he were in pain, and there was nothing. No injury. Only a sadness so deep I couldn’t explain it.

When I looked back at Sirrus and Zovai, their chests were heaving with breath, and they looked just as broken. Devastated. Their bonds felt dark with a despair I’d never known before.

“What’s going on?” I whispered. “Please.”

Endre finally looked at me. “The sheyten . It’s the sheyten .”

I shook my head. “We fixed it. We healed it. We?—”

“Not that one, Princess,” Sirrus said softly.

Endre swallowed. “What just happened. What we felt…” He closed his eyes. “Each one was a stone.”

“No,” I breathed the word. “No, that can’t be. It’s not possible.”

“It is.” In my chest, I felt no trace of a lie. They knew. Endre opened his eyes, and there was nothing left but devastation. “The barrier has fallen.”

To be continued…

The next chapter in Dragons of Viria will be coming soon!