Chapter 17: Resolve
>>Aelin
Something inside me stirred, faint but persistent, like a small flame struggling to stay alive against a raging wind. It was painful and fragile, but it was there.
Even as I lay crumpled on the floor, my soul cracked open and bleeding, that flame refused to die. A mother’s spirit. Fierce, unyielding, and eternal. And though I had nothing left to give, nothing left to lose, her words stayed with me, piercing through the darkness that had consumed me for so long.
I slowly sat up
She said Draegon needs me...
The weight around my neck suddenly shifted. The chain that held my pendant snapped without warning, falling onto my lap with a quiet clink. Startled, I stared at it, the small golden locket glinting faintly in the light of the room. My fingers trembled as I picked it up, the metal warm against my skin.
The latch hit the ground and it had opened. Inside was the birth-scale Draegon had given me.
The delicate scale shimmered faintly, a kaleidoscope of muted colors that seemed alive under the dim light. The sight of it stirred something deep within me, pulling memories to the surface I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on. The words of the doctor came back to me, clear as though they had been spoken just moments ago.
’Birth-scales are sacred, because they are taken from the heart. It’s the most vulnerable part of a dragon, given only to one person—someone chosen as an eternal partner.’
An eternal partner...
My fingers brushed over the scale, its surface smooth yet strong. I remembered the moment Draegon had placed it in my hands, his expression unusually soft, his voice low as he told me, "There’s no better promise than this." I had been too overwhelmed back then to fully grasp what it meant, but now... now it felt like a cruel joke.