first, Tauran couldn’t figure out what was so fascinating about the scene. Surely, the riders had seen their dragons interact, before. But there were far more dragons than just their own gathered in the court. Larger wild dragons mixed in between them, one or two for every guard dragon.
“Is that…” Kalai’s voice trailed off when Jasper returned to them, all smiles and starry eyes.
“They found their families!” Jasper said, voice cracking with excitement.
Tauran’s breath caught. Of course. It was obvious, now. The recruits’ dragons had been stolen as babies. The very reason the wild dragons had been attacking Valreus over and over was to get those babies back. And here they were, no longer babies, but finally reunited with the families they’d lost.
Tauran swallowed an unexpected lump in his throat. This was how dragons were meant to be. Happy, free of bounds. A soft rumble made Tauran look beyond a dark brown dragon to a pair of fawn stateras, one larger than the other. The wild dragon folded its wing over Flora’s back and nuzzled the side of her face. They sniffed each other, nose to nose. It reminded Tauran of Leyra and Ibi-shao on the cliffs by the sea, embracing in the same way. The guilt he felt for her death still hadn’t faded. He’d carefully boxed it into the corner of his mind where his memories of Itana rested, a corner only he and Kalai had access to. It was easier that way.
“It’s a beautiful night.”
Emilian’s voice startled Tauran from his thoughts. He stood a few paces behind them, arms folded behind his back, a pensive look on his face. The fatigue was still clear in his eyes, but the haunted tension in them was gone.
“I thought you were meant to be resting,” Tauran said, although he couldn’t hide his smile.
“I am,” Emilian said, the corners of his lips curving upward faintly. “Don’t tell Catria. I saw you arrive, and I wanted a moment to talk.”
“What about?”
“The Executioner. Or Ibi-shao, as I should call her.”
Tauran tensed. “Emilian, I—”
“Haven’t you wondered where her body went?” There was a strange glimmer in Emilian’s eyes.
Tauran blinked. “Say again?”
“Her body, Tauran.” Emilian tilted his head. “Ibi-shao matched Excellor in size. How do you think Falka managed to move her body out of Lavender Square and bury her in the time between your capture and the volcano eruption?”
A shimmer of hope sparked to life in Tauran’s heart. He searched his mind frantically for a logical answer to Emilian’s question, but found none. “He couldn’t have,” he whispered.
Kalai grasped Tauran’s hand with both his own, looking between them. “She’s alive.”
“Falka told everyone she died in the square, but I don’t think it’s true,” Emilian said.
Tauran tilted his head back, gazing at the stars. Fate seemed to want to scatter Tauran’s emotions one last time, although this time, he didn’t mind so much. “If that’s true, where is she now?”
“I don’t know,” Emilian said. When Tauran met his eyes again, he was smiling. “How did the world’s largest titan disappear from the middle of a city of thousands? I can’t answer that, either. I just thought you deserved some peace of mind.”
Tauran released Kalai’s hand briefly to pull Emilian into an embrace. Tauran hadn’t told Emilian that Valeron was dead. He wouldn’t, yet. Emilian deserved to rest for a few more days. “Thank you.”
Emilian bid them goodnight, and Tauran wrapped his arm around Kalai’s shoulders and turned back to the training court with a weight lifted from his chest. The dragons had calmed, mothers grooming daughters and sons, siblings sitting close together.
Tauran thought about his own mother, who’d told him she loved him endlessly, and who he’d refused to see for so many years. Kalai rubbed gentle circles at the small of his back.
Jasper returned to Tauran’s side. “What happens now?” he asked, looking up at Tauran with trusting blue eyes.
It was the same question Kalai had asked him, but this time, Tauran knew the answer. “The guard will change,” he said. He released Kalai and stepped into the training court, facing the gathered group of former recruits. “Listen up!”
The court quieted.
A part of Tauran still sought Falka's approving gaze in the crowd. Instead, soldiers and recruits looked back at him, seeking the same authority in him that Tauran had sought in Falka. It would take time to get used to. But at least he wasn't alone. Tauran looked over his shoulder and met Kalai's eyes.
Kalai smiled and nodded.
“We have a lot of work ahead