Kastali Dun

Saffra fled the throne room, pushing past the crowd of courtiers ambling towards the dining hall for the midday meal. Court hadn't been a complete disaster, not like the first few times, anyway. Jocelyn fell into step beside her and said, "Well, Desaree went out this morning with Aithlin Naeris and Jassin Orythra. So I don't expect her back for a few hours." Saffra hummed, distractedly. "She offered to fetch you the herbs you needed, so I gave her a list."

"Oh. Good."

Aithlin and Jassin would be protection enough for Des. With Claire gone, her spriten guards had taken to whatever other duties they could squeeze themselves into. Protecting Claire's friends was one of them.

"Still fretting over your vision?" Jocelyn asked, making her blink.

She exhaled. "Is it that obvious?"

"You have been distracted all morning. Might as well just tell everyone so you can come up with a plan."

Jocelyn was right, of course. But their king—their stand-in king—had enough on his plate. She almost dreaded telling him as much as she often dreaded telling the real king. And that was saying something.

She quickened her step, Jocelyn keeping pace. They beat Reyr to the king's tower, where she took up a position near the sitting room to pace. His tower was empty. The servants had all been dismissed under the pretense that the king and queen wanted privacy for the next few weeks. It wasn't unheard of. Everyone probably assumed they were hard at work making an heir—Saffra almost snorted at the thought.

If only they knew...

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed down the guilt that threatened to crumble her facade. Whenever she let it, it reared its ugly head and tried to pull her into a deep pit of depression. This was her fault. The others kept telling her not to blame herself, but because of her, because she'd allowed that servant to lead her astray—

The door opened and Talon strode into the room. She blinked, coming back to herself. No, not Talon, but Reyr. He'd been enchanted by the sprites to look exactly like King Talon, down to the very last scar and the messy head of hair holding his crown. Week after week had passed, and she was still struggling with the contradiction. Reyr was an opposite to Talon in so many ways.

He glanced at her, then changed directions and went straight to the liquor cabinet. A sign that he already sensed what was coming. Or, perhaps, he was buckling under the pressure. Probably both.

"You're doing much better," she pointed out.

He glanced her way. "But? I sense a but..."

She sighed. "But, you're still not grouchy enough. You had no business granting that compensation request without pressing the merchant—"

"I'm trying my best, Saffra," he snapped.

"Ah. There. See? That's much better. Far more in character." Even a little frightening, but she didn't say that last pard aloud.

Reyr's features relaxed. He rocked his jaw from side to side, studying her. When she said nothing more, he snatched his drink and dropped into Talon's favorite armchair. The scowl on his face deepened. If she had not known, she would have believed it, seeing him there.

The door opened to reveal Bedelth and Koldis. Her stomach swooped at the sight of her mate. Their eyes locked before Bedelth gave her a wide grin. "Should have known I'd find you here," he all but purred.

"Bedelth, tell your mate to stop lecturing me," Reyr groused.

"His mate," she said, "is doing what her queen bid of her. I'm the glue, remember? I'm to make sure this all goes off without a hitch."

"Where are Dallin and Verath?" Reyr asked, completely ignoring her words.

"They had that business in the dungeons," Koldis said, striding across the room to take a seat. Bedelth, however, came to stand beside her. His fingers brushed hers in silent greeting, sending sparks up her arm.

She'd forgotten all about the business in the dungeons. After the battle with the Osheans, a number of opportunists had turned to looting throughout the city, taking advantage of Kastali Dun's weakened state. Those caught, were rounded up and punished by example. It kept the city guards and even the king's shields busy.

Jocelyn shot her a look that said, Get on with it!

The door opened again and Prince Feowen strutted in, hand-in-hand with Jeanine. She smiled at the sight of them. "Ah," Feowen said, "not too late for the meeting?"

"There is no meeting," Reyr-not-Talon snapped. Gods, he really was embracing this whole moody-king persona.

"There is," Jocelyn said, "because Saffra has something to tell us." She shot her handmaiden a glare. Jocelyn merely shrugged.

"Then shouldn't we gather everyone?" Feowen asked.

"I suppose we should," Saffra sighed, massaging her forehead.

This was how it had been since Talon had departed. Claire had brought so many of them together. The king, his shields, her queen's guard, and her closest friends. She'd been the uniting factor. After her departure, those who remained had grown even closer. All of them wanted this to work.

"I informed Verath and Dallin," Koldis said.

"Desaree's at the market with Aithlin and Jassin," Jocelyn said.

"That's fine, we can fill them in later," Feowen said. "I'll go track down the others."

Jocelyn poured Saffra a goblet of wine, though she didn't usually drink this early in the day. They got comfortable on the sofa, Jocelyn on her left, Bedelth on her right. He leaned in and said, "Are you all right?" His breath against her ear sent shivers down her spine. She looked at him sidelong and nodded. Whatever he saw in her worried expression made his brows pinch together. He took her hand and laced their fingers together. The action made her heart drum faster.

Feowen returned with the remainder of Claire's guard. They took up positions near the wall to observe, Jeanine with them. Feowen, on the other hand, planted himself in an armchair. A few moments later, Verath and Dallin appeared. They grabbed open seats.

Bedelth squeezed her hand.

"Well," she said. "I've had another vision."

"I gathered as much," Reyr drawled. He said it so like Talon would have, that she had to blink at him.

"Right. Uhm. So, just as we guessed, Kane is making a play against us. I think he believes that with Claire gone, Talon is weakened—you're weakened, I mean, since you're supposed to be Talon—"

"What exactly did you see?" Reyr said, impatiently.

"Don't interrupt her," Bedelth growled, a challenge in his gaze. Gods, mates were so overprotective.

"He's collecting the stones he previously hid away from us—or he will be, soon."

"But, what would the point of that be?" Dallin asked.

"Because he wants them under his protection, most likely," Koldis mused.

"Right, but doesn't he need all five if he wants to use them against us?" Dallin pointed out.

"Could he be making a play to steal the ones hidden in the forest?" Elyon Marquin asked from where she stood against the wall.

Feowen looked thoughtful. "I wonder if my sister has seen this." Koldis perked up at the mention of his mate. Taylynn had left weeks ago to check on the hatching grounds with Fright. There were already eggs warming in the sands, hidden in the mountains south of the Gable Forest.

"Regardless of what she's seen, I think we need to take my vision seriously," Saffra said. "We don't want Kane to have even a single stone. I know we've worked with Claire before she left to pin-point their locations. I think I have the remaining details, from what I've seen to find them."

Reyr-not-Talon blinked. Gods, it was just so damn strange to see him like this. "Are you suggesting that we send someone to retrieve them?"

"I'm suggesting that you send me to do it," she said.

Nearly everyone in the room began protesting at once. "You cannot be serious," Reyr said at the same time Koldis said, "That could take months." Then of course Feowen brought up the unicorns, and how the sprites had ways of moving quickly—more quickly than dragons could fly. So, it ought to be them who set out.

"If you think I'd let you do this alone—" Bedelth growled into her ear.

"I don't," she all but gasped at the feel of him so close, at the warmth that spread over her. "I was hoping you'd be with me."

"Oh." A slow smile crept over his face. She felt heat rising to cheeks. The others were still arguing. "I think I'd like that. An adventure, just the two of us—"

The room fell quiet.

"You will not be going," Reyr said.

Bedelth lifted his brows in challenge. The two of them had been at odds lately. Probably because she'd been inserting herself into Reyr's business more than usual. He had a persona to uphold, after all. "I'd like to know why you think my mate unfit for this task," Bedelth demanded.

Reyr expelled a long, suffering sigh. "I need you here, Bedelth. We—"

"You have Talon's other shields," Bedelth pointed out. "You have Claire's guard. You really don't. Much as you think you can't do this, Reyr, you can."

"What about the unicorns?" Feowen said.

"They were dismissed and have returned to the forest," Jeanine said, piping up from her vantage point.

"Right but—"

"We'd have to travel to the forest first," Bedelth pointed out. "To retrieve them. We'd need an envoy to lead us to wherever they are. Who knows if they'd be willing to carry us. Saffra alone has seen the places where the stones are hidden, the landscapes and terrain. We can pinpoint that to the guesses we've placed on the map, and go searching. It could take some time, regardless."

Feowen exhaled. "You're right. Besides, we should be here, in case our queen returns."

Saffra chewed on her lower lip. "As long as Bedelth is willing to fly me, then I am going."

"I am more than willing," he teased, sending her a flirty look.

Reyr huffed, as if to say, mates, with exasperation. "Fine. If you insist on doing this, I'm not exactly your actual king—"

"But you are, while Talon is gone," Saffra pointed out. "So, we'd rather have your blessing."

"Yes. All right. This is important. So...I give you my blessing to go."

***

"You're really going all by yourselves?" Desaree chided, after she'd returned from the market and heard of their meeting. She had deposited a basket on the table, laden with rare ingredients that Saffra needed for some of her brews. Saffra sifted through it while they talked. "Verath and I should be going with you."

"You're needed here," Saffra said, though that wasn't necessarily true.

Desaree hated being left out—she knew that. But..."I want this time with Bedelth, just he and I. I know it's selfish. That I shouldn't even be thinking of myself during a time like this. During a situation like this. The stones are our priority, yes. But, I want some time for the two of us to solidify our bond. Not—not like that. Don't look at me like that."

"You're still intent on waiting?" Desaree asked, staring at her with disbelieving eyes. It was easy for her to judge, seeing as she and Verath weren't mates, and had been enjoying each other's beds for a while now.

"Bedelth, like Koldis, is trying to be honorable. They both want to wait until the king amends the laws before they take mates...officially speaking."

"Ugh, but how can you stand it?!"

"There are..." Saffra's cheeks warmed. "There are plenty of other things we can do."

"True." Desaree's eyes glittered with mischief, and a knowing smile spread across her face. "Well then, I suppose the two of you will certainly enjoy your alone time."

Saffra snorted.

Jocelyn bustled into the room, a stack of clothes in hand. Her face was hidden behind it, but her muffled voice carried as she said, "Quit being a bad influence on her, Des. She needs to stay focused. They need to find the stones."

"Yes, yes," Desaree said, waving a dismissive hand. "She'll find some stones all right."

There was a gasp, then the pile of clothes in Jocelyn's arms tumbled to the floor as they all burst into raucous giggles. They all moved to collect everything, and spent the remaining time together speculating.

Jeanine joined partway through, to keep them company. "How long do you think you'll be gone?" she asked.

This was one of the things that left her with misgivings. "I really don't know. Could be a month, two, six? Do you think...do you think Claire will be angry with me for leaving you all, when she asked—?"

"Oh, stop!" Desaree said, chiding her. "We all know how important this is. Even Claire—"

"She was going to treat the task as a honeymoon," Jocelyn pointed out, trying to lighten the mood.

"Regardless," Desaree said, "Saffra has seen the locations, even if there wasn't some kind of written signpost saying 'blue dragonstone here' with the name of a cave...or what have you."

"You're the only one who can do this," Jeanine assured her, helping to calm some of the turmoil in her stomach.

She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Hopefully I can be quick. But, until I return, I'm relying on the three of you to keep them in line, yes?"

Jeanine let out a very unfeminine snort before shooting Desaree a knowing look. "That shouldn't be an issue, since we've got at least two of them wrapped around our fingers."

"Exactly," Desaree agreed.

***

Dinner that night was held in the king's tower dining room. They decided on a more intimate affair as a way to bid her and Bedelth farewell. Servants filled the table with platters of food, and they enjoyed a small feast. Sprites, drengr, and humans alike ate in companionable comfort. Though the sprites only partook in the non-meat options, of which there were plenty.

Their meal wasn't anything like it could have been, had Claire and Talon been present. Their absence cast a dark shadow over all of them. But they tried to lighten the mood with stories and jokes. Bedelth often reached for her knee under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

She was both nervous and excited for the journey to come. Usually her visions were things she relayed to others, but didn't act upon. This one was different, and she was going to help everyone by playing her own part in their fight against Kane.

Her eyes collided with Desaree's, across the table. Verath leaned in and whispered something in Des's ear that made her grin. Saffra couldn't help but smile in return, at the sight of them—

A clanking filled the room as Reyr-not-Talon used his cutlery to gain their attention. "I would like to propose a toast," he said, his voice solemn. He stood and lifted his goblet. The rest of them followed suit. "You cannot choose your blood, but you can choose your family. I have found mine. I would fly into battle with every single one of you." His eyes flicked around the table, holding each of them captive. Even the sprites. "So, to family found and family kept. To fighting for a world free of a sorcerer who would try to yoke us, to Saffra's quest to regain the missing dragonstones, and to our king and queen, wherever they may be, whatever they may be doing, may they find their way back to us."

"Hear, hear," they all echoed, clinking their goblets before drinking deep. Every eye in the room was glossy with emotion. Saffra blinked away her welling tears and caught sight of Desaree doing the same. Jocelyn bumped her shoulder in solidarity, offering a quick, reassuring smile. Then, Bedelth squeezed her hand. She was surrounded by so many people she cared for, even loved, Bedelth especially. Reyr-not-Talon was right. A person couldn't choose their blood, but they could always, always choose their family.

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Dear Reader,

I love treating my characters like chess pieces. No, I don't play chess, but I did when I was younger. Anyway, Saffra is my latest chess piece and I'm moving her into place. Because this is the second to last book in the series, it is time to start wrapping things up. Thus, it's time to get this ball rolling! 

The next chapter is also from Saffra's POV. 

I truly enjoyed reading everyone's comments in the last chapter / prologue. I'm glad I surprised so many of you with Irelia! 

See you next week!

--Mel

ps. I've been getting a lot of questions about purchasing physical copies for the Dragonwall Series. Just a reminder that this series is under an exclusivity contract with Wattpad until September 31st 2024. Physical copies of Talon will go on sale after that, October 1st 2024. Subsequent copies to follow 2-3 months apart. The preorder campaign for Talon the Black is open on my Website for the gold foil special edition and everyone who orders there will get a Claire art print :) If you want to be kept up to date on this, subscribe to my website newsletter at authormelissamitchell.com which goes out monthly.