EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER
JADEN
The wind from the cliffs was sharp against my face, carrying heat from the molten rivers far below, they pulsed and glowed like the heartbeat of a wounded beast, angry and alive. I’d stood here a hundred times before maybe more but today it felt different.
Heavier, Like the air knew I had a choice to make or at least, that’s what the Dragon King wanted me to believe.
My claws pressed into my palms. I hadn’t meant to shift partially, but the tension refused to settle. My breaths came out ragged and hot.
She had summoned us.
Our mother.
The Queen of All Species.
After eighteen years of silence, of absence, Of abandonment.
I let out a dry laugh, no humour in it. It tasted like ash on my tongue, just like the air around me.
We were children when she gave u
