Page 111 of Claim the Light
When Micah explains where we’re going, Leon waves us through, telling us he’ll stay at the entrance in case the others return soon. He’ll make sure we continue to have the space we need.
After that, we pass through the main living area, where we find Zahra and Emika asleep in front of the fireplace. Zahra is half-propped up in a chair, as if she was trying to stay awake.
Emika is curled up in her mother’s lap. Her sleep appears deep and I sense her peace. Until the dragon’s light was restored, old dragon souls were reborn in us, over and over again, and Emika’s dragon was one of the oldest souls. A heavy burden to carry.
The stress of the last week would have been intense for both of them, so we tiptoe past and let them sleep.
At the exit to the living area, Micah takes a lamp from the wall and carries it with us, lighting our way through a series of tunnels until we reach a room that feels colder than the others, like it’s set deep within the ground.
Micah keeps his distance from me, respecting my wishes, but I sense his growing tension every time he looks at me.
I wish I could say something—anything—to dispel his concerns, but it’s taking all my concentration to keep my power constrained.
The room we’ve entered has stone walls carved at regular intervals into rectangles. It takes me a moment to realize that it’s a crypt, and that the large, rectangular box in the center of it is a coffin.
Engravings cover both the coffin and the walls. They appear to be the names of dragons, some in writing I recognize and others I can’t easily read.
One bears the name of Solomon Grudge, Micah’s father.
Micah takes up position against the wall near the door as I make my way toward the round object wrapped in cloth resting on top of the coffin.
Carefully, I unwrap the velvet cover to reveal the diamond within it.
The dragon’s light.
It’s the size of my fist and it gleams gently in the dark.
Its true origins are a mystery. All we know is that it was created in the time of the Vanem Dragon and the Twilight Queen. It was covered in dragon’s gold before it was given to the dragons, so, as far as we can tell, they thought it was made of pure gold and never knew what was really inside it.
Lana expressed a theory that this diamond may have been someone’s heart.
I peer at the stone in the hopes that I can understand its secrets simply by being near it.
The diamond merely glints back at me.
“Why?” I whisper, my desperation growing. “Why would you give me this power?”
The light within the stone flickers.
I reach toward it, passing my hand through the rays that are glinting upward.
The moment I connect with them, light bursts around us.
At the side of the room, Micah gives a shout and flings his arm over his eyes.
I leap backward, terrified that I’ve broken the diamond. Quickly, I adjust the nature of my eyesight so I can see despite the brightness around me.
I gasp.
While Micah continues to shield his eyes, I can now clearly see the silhouette of a man.
He stands directly in front of me, his form transparent enough that the coffin and the stone are visible behind him, but solid enough that I can also make out the details of his face and clothing.
He’s as tall as Callan, his broad shoulders held back and his arms corded with muscles. Clad in black pants that cling to powerful thighs, he is bare-chested and wears a pure-white pelt across his shoulders. It’s held together by a golden chain at his chest. His hair is walnut brown and his eyes…
I’m startled by their color because I could be looking at Callan’s eyes.
My question is a bare whisper as I struggle to breathe through my surprise. “Who are you?”
