Page 32 of Realms of Swords and Storms (Empire of Vengeance #3)

Tarshi looked between us, confusion evident on his face. "What are you doing, Livia? Why bring me here?"

I knelt before him, taking his hands in mine. "Because you need to understand what's happening to you. And I can't explain it properly myself. But Sirrax can."

"The dragon?" Tarshi's voice rose in disbelief. "How could a dragon possibly explain what's happening to me?"

I exchanged a glance with Sirrax, who gave a small nod of permission. "Because," I said carefully, "Sirrax isn't just a dragon. He's Talfen, like you."

Tarshi stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. "That's impossible. Talfen are human—mostly human—with demon blood. Dragons are... dragons. Beasts. Weapons of the Empire."

"That's what the Empire wants everyone to believe," I said gently. "But it's not the truth."

Before Tarshi could argue further, Sirrax moved, stepping forward into the centre of the enclosure.

His massive form seemed to shimmer in the dim light, the outlines of his body becoming less distinct.

Then, in a transformation far more fluid and controlled than Tarshi's had been, the dragon's form began to change.

Scales receded into skin, wings folded and disappeared, the massive body contracted and reshaped itself.

Where moments before a huge black dragon had stood, now there was a man— tall and powerfully built, with skin the same deep ebony as the dragon's scales had been.

His eyes remained the same striking gold, his hair falling in long matted white ropes to his shoulders.

Tarshi's jaw dropped, his eyes widening in shock. "What... how...?"

Sirrax approached us, utterly unself-conscious in his nudity. I was used to it by now—clothing was a human concept that Sirrax found amusing but largely unnecessary. He crouched before Tarshi, bringing their faces level, those golden eyes studying the younger man with ancient wisdom.

"Not cursed," Sirrax said, his voice deep and melodic. "Not demon, Talfen. First People, Sky Walkers."

Tarshi shook his head in denial, though his eyes remained fixed on Sirrax's face. "That's not possible. Dragons are beasts, trained and controlled by the Empire. They're not... they can't be..."

"People?" Sirrax finished for him, a sad smile curving his lips. "Empire believe. People believe. Slave beasts. No pity."

I squeezed Tarshi's hand supportively as he struggled to process what he was seeing, what he was hearing.

"The collars," I added softly. "That's how they control the dragons.

The Talfen. They force them into their dragon forms and keep them there, unable to shift back, unable to communicate except as trained beasts. "

Tarshi's gaze shifted to Sirrax's neck, where no collar restricted his transformations. "Then how...?"

"Livia," Sirrax said simply, affection colouring his tone. "She freed me. Bonded mate."

"All this time," Tarshi whispered, realization dawning in his eyes. "All this time, I thought I was becoming a monster. But I was actually..."

"Blessed."

"But why would the transformation be happening now?" Tarshi asked, looking between us. "I'm twenty-three. If this is natural, why didn't it start years ago?"

"Takes time," Sirrax explained. “Not grow fast, like human. Slow. Human blood also slower."

Tarshi absorbed this, his brow furrowed in thought. "So when I change... when my hands become claws, my teeth sharpen... that's not a demon taking over. It's just... me? My… dragon form?"

"Yes," Sirrax confirmed. "You fight change, painful."

Hope flickered in Tarshi's eyes. I watched him carefully, seeing the struggle on his face as he tried to reconcile everything he'd been taught to believe about himself with this new information. It was a lot to absorb, a fundamental rewriting of his identity.

"You're not a monster, Tarshi," I said softly, drawing his attention back to me.

"You never were. You're Talfen—a member of an ancient, powerful race that the Empire has tried to destroy or enslave.

What's happening to you isn't something to fear or hate.

It's something to embrace, to learn to control. "

He looked into my eyes, vulnerability and hope warring in his gaze. "You knew," he said, not an accusation but a realization. "How long have you known?"

"Since Sirrax and I bonded," I admitted. "But it wasn't my secret to tell. The knowledge is dangerous—the Empire has killed to keep it hidden. I wanted to tell you, but... honestly, you were pulling away from me and I didn’t know why and…"

"You weren't sure how I'd react," he finished for me.

I nodded, relieved he understood. "You've been taught your whole life to fear this part of yourself. I didn't want to force this knowledge on you until you were ready."

"And you think I'm ready now?"

I gestured to his leg, to the bandage visible beneath his hastily donned trousers. "You're in pain. You're transforming involuntarily. You were ready to leap out a window rather than risk hurting me. Yes, I think you're ready for the truth."

Tarshi turned his attention back to Sirrax, who had been watching our exchange with patient understanding. "Can you really teach me to control this?"

"Can," Sirrax confirmed. "Not be easy. But possible."

"And if I can control it... could I..." Tarshi hesitated, almost afraid to voice the thought. "Could I transform completely? Like you did?"

Sirrax studied him thoughtfully. "Likely."

The implications of that statement hung in the air between us. If Tarshi could shift fully, he could become a dragon—could fly, could experience the freedom of the skies as I had with Sirrax. The thought made my heart race with excitement.

"Would you want that?" I asked softly.

Tarshi was quiet for a long moment, processing everything he'd learned.

When he finally spoke, his voice was steady with newfound resolve.

"All my life, I've been taught to hate and fear a part of myself.

I've been told I carry a curse, a demonic taint that would eventually consume me.

" He looked up, meeting first my gaze, then Sirrax's.

"If what you're saying is true—if I'm not cursed but blessed, not becoming a monster but discovering my heritage—then yes.

I want to learn. I want to understand what I truly am. "

Relief and joy flooded through me. I'd been so afraid he would reject this knowledge, that the years of conditioning would be too strong to overcome. I moved to sit beside him on the hay bale, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"It won't be easy," I warned. "The Empire has spent centuries ensuring that knowledge of true Talfen nature remains suppressed. If they discover you're learning to shift, that you know the truth..."

"They'll kill me," Tarshi finished matter-of-factly.

"But they're already trying to kill me for being part of the resistance.

What's one more reason to fear the Empire?

" A small, defiant smile curved his lips.

"Besides, if I can learn to control this, to shift at will.

.. imagine what that could mean for our cause. When can we begin?"

"Need rest," Sirrax said, glancing at Tarshi's injured leg. "Weak. Train when stronger."

Tarshi nodded, though I could see the impatience in his eyes, the eagerness to start this new chapter of discovery. I squeezed his hand supportively.

Tarshi extended his hand to Sirrax, a formal gesture of respect and gratitude. "Thank you," he said simply. "For showing me the truth."

Sirrax clasped Tarshi's forearm. "We are kin," he said solemnly. "Talfen. Brothers."

Tarshi frowned. “Brothers?”

Sirrax looked over at me, and a smile curved his mouth. “Brother mates. When you bond her.”

Tarshi stared, his mind clearly struggling to catch up. “Bond her?” he repeated, his voice raspy. He looked from Sirrax’s serene, smiling face to my own, which I was certain was flaming red. “What are you talking about?”

“He means…” I started, then stopped, unsure how to explain a primal, soul-deep connection that I barely understood myself. “It’s complicated, Tarshi. Talfen customs are… different.”

“She is mate,” Sirrax explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. He pointed a long, elegant finger first at his own chest, then at Tarshi’s. “You. Me. We are her mates. Must bond. To be whole. To be strong.”

Sirrax looked between us, his golden eyes patient, as if explaining something obvious to a child.

"She is alpha," he said, his gaze settling on me with a weight that was both a burden and a crown.

"Strong. Can hold more than one bond. You are mate," he said, nodding to Tarshi.

"I am mate. The bond will make us strong. It will make her stronger."

The words hung in the hay-scented air, heavier than any stone. Mate. It wasn't a term of simple affection; it was a statement of profound, primal connection.

Tarshi looked at me. “That feeling, that pull between us from the start. That was why?”

I nodded, unsure of how he would take yet another revelation, but he smiled and his whole face lit up as he pulled me into his arms. “I knew it. I knew there was more between us that lust. Than even love. We were meant to be together.”

I leaned into his embrace, my head resting against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I knew it too,” I whispered, relief and love making my voice thick. “From the moment I saw you in the arena.”

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes searching mine, the last vestiges of fear replaced by a dawning, brilliant hope. “So this bonding,” he asked, glancing at Sirrax, who watched us with placid approval. “What does it mean? What do we do?”

Sirrax’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

He gestured between Tarshi and me, then to his own chest. "Join.

Bite. Claim her. Heart. Soul. Body. All become one.

Share strength. Share pain. Share life." His golden eyes flickered with a heat that was both ancient and immediate.

"It is the deepest joining. The final trust."

The intensity in his golden gaze was profound, hinting at things I couldn't yet comprehend. But the practicalities of our situation began to reassert themselves. The chill of the stables, the throbbing pain I knew Tarshi must be feeling in his leg, the ever-present danger of discovery.

“We can talk more later,” I said, gently pulling away from Tarshi. “Right now, we need to get you back before a patrol finds us. You can barely stand.”

Tarshi nodded, though the pain in his leg seemed a distant concern to him now. He turned to Sirrax, a look of profound respect and gratitude on his face. “Thank you… brother.”

Sirrax clasped his forearm once more. “Rest. Heal. Then, we train.”

As I watched them—these two men who meant so much to me—I felt a surge of hope stronger than anything I'd experienced since joining the resistance. If Tarshi could master his abilities, if more Talfen could be made aware of their true nature...

The Empire's greatest weapons could become its greatest vulnerability.

Sirrax released Tarshi's arm and stepped back. "Dawn approaches," he said. "You should return to your quarters before your absence is noticed."

Tarshi nodded, rising carefully to his feet. I moved to support him, but he stood straighter than before, as if the knowledge he'd gained had somehow lightened the burden he carried.

As we prepared to leave, Sirrax shifted back to his dragon form, the transformation smooth and elegant, nothing like the painful, partial shifts Tarshi had been experiencing.

Once again, a massive black dragon stood before us, golden eyes gleaming with intelligence that I now recognized could never belong to a mere beast.

Bring again when stronger, Sirrax's voice sounded in my mind. Much to learn.

I nodded my understanding, then guided Tarshi from the enclosure.

As we made our way back through the darkened academy, I could feel the change in him—not a physical transformation, but a shift in his very being.

The self-loathing had been replaced by something like wonder, the fear by cautious hope.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly as we paused in a shadow, waiting for a patrol to pass.

He looked down at me, his eyes reflecting the faint light from a distant torch. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "Everything I thought I knew about myself has just been... upended. It's a lot to process."

"Do you regret learning the truth?"

He considered the question carefully before answering.

"No," he said finally. "Living in fear of what I was becoming was worse than any truth could be.

And if what Sirrax says is true—if I can learn to control this, to use it.

.." He trailed off, his expression turning thoughtful. "The possibilities are... staggering."

I nodded, understanding all too well. I'd had the same reaction when I'd first learned what dragons truly were, when I'd realized the implications for the resistance, for the future of the Empire itself.

"One thing at a time," I cautioned. "First, you need to heal. Then you can begin training with Sirrax."

"And then?" he asked, a hint of his old smile returning.

I matched his smile with my own, fierce and determined. "And then we show the Empire what the Talfen can really do."