Chapter 62: The right choice

It’s always a relief when you can shrug responsibility off, and just live life the way you want.

-Krack

Leenda sat on a rock, her face in her hands as she tried to stop her tears. It probably wasn’t possible, with all the chemicals rushing through her. But this wasn’t her. She wasn’t this emotional.

Krack sat above her, back on his haunches with his wings tucked tight against his back. He hadn’t moved in five minutes.

“So what do we do?” she said.

She didn’t look up. She wouldn’t use guilt against him to convince him to face Athanaric. Besides, he couldn’t face Athanaric. He was still too shaken up, and in a moment of crisis his fear might paralyze him, cause him to blunder.

“It seems,” he said in draegonspeak, “that we’re at an impasse. I’m not willing—and maybe not even able—to do what a noble draegon should do.”

His sarcasm stung her, but she said nothing. She deserved it. All this time she’d thought she was superior to humans simply because she had a draegon soul. But now she saw that superiority was an individual affair, dependent upon how each individual chose to exercise its abilities. Some humans demonstrated superiority over draegons, and vice versa.

“I think I’m done with this,” he said. “I’m going to return to my lair in the mountains.”

“That’s perfectly fair.” She couldn’t fight him anymore. “You’ve already done more than I could’ve reasonably expected.”

He paused for a long time. She still didn’t look up at him.

“I could take you somewhere, first,” he said. “Leave you at a village where you can get food. Or near the caravan.”

What could she do, now? She couldn’t face Athanaric alone, and couldn’t get close to Wrend. Even if she could, she still had no guarantee she could convince him to come with her. Should she abandon her quest and focus on her relationship with her son? Could she, after she’d already sacrificed so much to try and regain her mate?

“Do you want me to come with you up to the lair?”

He huffed and tossed his head from side to side. “No.”

He started to speak further, but clamped his mouth shut. She appreciated that.

“Then take me toward the caravan. You can leave me a ways off, and I’ll walk the rest of the way there.”

“They’ll capture you. You don’t want to wait until things have settled a bit?”

She shrugged. “I’ve probably been going about this all wrong—trying to be sneaky. The best way may be to just talk with Athanaric and Wrend. Lay out my case for them.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Nothing else has worked. Nothing else may ever work.”

Krack considered her for several moments, and nodded as he lowered his head and body to the ground. “Very well, then. Climb on. I’ll take you there.”

Sighing, she obeyed him. In moments he spread his wings wide, and they lifted into the air.