Page 201 of Salt in the Seas
Aeliana nodded. “She never even went to Myndren.”
Orra’s eyes fluttered closed, and Aeliana suspected the other woman felt debilitated by her pneumatic blindness.
“We need to get my mother to safety. But we also need to keep Durriken from being branded again. If Mayvus has his blood…” Aeliana trailed off, thinking of the way Mayvus had branded Durriken a second time. It hadn’t been as strong as the first since Mayvus hadn’t waited for Summer Solstice, but that only gave Aeliana more concern that Mayvus wouldn’t wait for the perfect time if she had more of his blood again.
Orra frowned. “Isn’t that why you kept the brand?”
Aeliana glanced at Durriken, who gave his rumble of assent before lowering himself to the ground and resting his head on his paw. “We’d like to have our tether sealed instead.”
Orra’s eyes widened, and she reached for Aeliana’s arm, placing her other hand on Durriken’s wing. “You’ve started growing a tether?” She closed her eyes and let out a rush of air. “Oh, yes—and it’s already strong.”
The lingering nausea from their flight was replaced by a warmth in Aeliana’s stomach that spread out to her limbs.
“And you want me to seal it.” Orra opened her eyes, the smile on her face oddly bright despite the tension spreading out from the palace.
“Do you have the strength for it?” Aeliana asked.
Orra hesitated, then nodded. “I’ve been holding back my power for a moment like this. A moment when only my power could change the outcome. I didn’t know what it would look like, but I suspect this is what I’ve been saving it for.”
Aeliana sensed Durriken’s relief alongside her own.
“Quick,” Orra instructed. “Cut out the brand.”
Aeliana wasted no time using her dagger to peel off the layer of her skin that held the inky blackness she despised. As blood trickled out, she was reminded of her past and the blood magic she’d been used for, but for once there wasn’t even any pull she needed to resist.
Even though Aeliana healed herself while she worked, her vision blurred with the pain, and the task became too difficult to complete on her own. Orra took over, ignoring Durriken’s grunts and growls filling the air as he dropped to the ground. He licked his remaining front paw even though no visible wound was present, merely a fading mark.
This time, when the brand was gone, Aeliana didn’t feel the same sense of loss that she’d felt with Gaeren, because the faint tether that joined them remained, like a string waiting to be plucked to ring out a note of hope.
She placed her freshly scarred palm over Durriken’s paw and closed her eyes, relishing the way the small string connecting them held a purity that had previously been tainted by the brand. The longer she stood there, the thicker the string seemed to grow, and the more stable their connection.
Orra placed her hands on each of them once more, and a light laugh escaped her lips. “Perhaps sealing your tether won’t drain as much magic as I thought. Its roots grow deeper. Its foundation is already stronger without the brand.”
Even so, Aeliana sensed the heat of Orra’s power rushing through her soul—a burning sensation that gave her a new appreciation for Orra’s identity as a Star. The other woman might not consider herself to be one anymore, but this kind of power could only come from something beyond this world. Tears poured down Aeliana’s cheeks at the honor of being given this gift from the Stars she’d once worshiped. She supposed it was a gift from the Sun being given through Orra, but that was something she would have to ponder later, when her mother’s life wasn’t hanging in the balance.
With the heat came flashes of understanding, the hint of a lonely and lengthy existence, waiting and losing hope for its end. The love of her own family grew tenfold as she sensed Durriken’s love for his, a taste of what a family bond could be. As she pictured the ruby and onyx scales of his mate and the golden hues of his hatchling, she felt like she’d known them all her life, which now felt tiny and insignificant in the shadow of his hundreds of years. She’d thought him ageless, but now she sensed he was not just old in half-light years—he was old for a dragon. Maybe even dying without his family.
A coolness followed on the heels of the burn, and a thick rope seemed to replace the tiny thread joining her to Durriken. When her vision cleared, Durriken’s fiery eye stared back at her with a wisdom and understanding she felt reflected from her soul. She sensed a closeness to him that surpassed friendship or even the bonds of family.Something undefinable that made her want to wrap her arms around him, despite his terrifying maw.
Instead, she bent her forehead to the tip of his nose, and he huffed out the slightest puff of warm air that enveloped her like a hug. Daisies bloomed all around them, and her laugh came out as carefree as a child’s.
“The tether might be too strong at first,” Orra murmured, her voice sounding frail. “But it will settle as you grow into it. It’s not ideal to have a new one just before confronting Mayvus. But it’s better than having none at all.”
“Can she still brand him?” Aeliana asked.
Orra hesitated. “She can try. But he should still be able to resist even without your brand.” Orra stepped back, almost tripping over her own feet. Her face paled as Aeliana reached out to steady her, but even more startling were the fresh age lines on her face.
“Are you sick, Orra? Was it too much for you?”
Orra shook her head. “I’ve been fading for a thousand years. It’s a natural decline. One that I brought upon myself.” She turned and stumbled back toward the main building of the palace.
“Where are you going?” Aeliana called after her.
“I have to prepare. If Mayvus is coming, so are the Stars.”
CHAPTER 78
Aeliana placeda hand on Durriken’s snout. “I have to go find my mother.”
