Chapter 66: Life and Death Bond
"The dragon’s spirit," Tarah breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t quite believe that she had successfully connected directly with the dragon spirit, bypassing both Vulcan’s soul and Ezekiel’s. This bond had been on her mind ever since she absorbed the magical scrolls, kept as a last resort should the need arise.
Taking this risk was a calculated decision, prompted by Queen Dana’s plan to expel Vulcan’s soul from Ezekiel’s body. If Queen Dana succeeded, it would drastically alter the course of events Tarah had foreseen. Ezekiel would lose the power of the dragon, and the opportunity for Devon’s demise at his hand would be compromised.
What she had done was a gamble and a risk, but Tarah felt relieved that she had managed to successfully connect with the dragon spirit directly, without Ezekiel and Vulcan’s knowledge.
’Those two are busy fighting for dominance over Ezekiel’s body,’ she thought, ’so no wonder I succeeded in contacting Ezekiel’s spirit.’
"Why do you want to perform a life-and-death bond, dragonrider?" the dragon spirit asked again, its voice calm.
The life-and-death bond was a very complicated type of bond that neither a dragon nor its rider would want to have. Tarah had learned of the life-and-death bond from the scroll, a technique never before attempted by any of the previous dragonriders in history. It was because the bond would elevate the dragon bond into a deeper connection, intertwining their lives in such a way that if one died, the other would follow suit.
But Tarah was not following the norm. What she was attempting to do was bind the dragon spirit directly into Ezekiel’s body, soul, and spirit.
Tarah’s voice echoed in the deafening silence as she addressed the ancient dragon spirit. "I can see how you’ve grown fond of the host you are using right now. I can also see how you are merging well with the prince’s own spirit with ease. I have this intuition that you prefer to follow Prince Ezekiel’s soul instead of Vulcan’s soul."
As the words hung in the air, Tarah pressed on. "Prince Ezekiel has divine blood and energy flowing through him—a celestial connection like yours to the heavens. Vulcan’s soul must be destroyed, but that doesn’t mean you should be destroyed with it. So why not stay in the Prince’s body?"
The dragon spirit remained silent, its presence looming large in the darkness. Tarah sensed its scrutiny, its ancient wisdom weighing her words carefully.
"You do not answer my question, dragonrider. Why do you want to perform the life and death bond?" the dragon spirit demanded, its voice rumbling through Tarah’s mind.
Tarah drew a deep breath, gathering her resolve. "Because I want to save my brother," she replied, her voice steady and earnest. With conviction, she channeled her visions to the dragon spirit, offering glimpses of Ezekiel’s future and how he would wield the dragon’s power for the greater good.