Elara's POV
I woke up screaming.
Not from a nightmare this time—from pain. My entire body felt like it was on fire. The dragon mark on my arm blazed so hot I thought my skin was melting.
"Stop fighting it!" Ashkaroth's voice cut through my panic. "The bond is trying to stabilize. If you resist, it'll hurt worse."
I opened my eyes to find him standing over me, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness. We were still in his lair, but I'd fallen asleep during our planning. How long had I been out?
"What's happening to me?" I gasped, clutching my burning arm.
"The soul-bond is deepening. Your human body is trying to adjust to having dragon magic flowing through it." He knelt beside me, pressing his palm against my mark. Instantly, the pain dulled. "Breathe. Let the magic settle."
I tried to focus on breathing, but it was hard when every nerve felt electrified. "How long does this last?"
"For some, hours. For others, days." His hand stayed on my arm, warm and steady. "You're lucky. Your Dragon-Speaker blood makes the transition easier. A normal human would die from this much power."
"Lucky," I wheezed. "Right."
Through the pain, I noticed something strange. I could feel Ashkaroth's emotions more clearly now—not just vague impressions, but actual feelings. His worry (which he was trying to hide). His curiosity about whether I'd survive this. His... guilt?
"You feel guilty," I said, surprised. "Why?"
His jaw tightened. "I don't feel guilty."
"Liar. I can feel it through the bond." The pain was fading now, replaced by a strange tingling sensation. "You feel guilty that bonding with you is hurting me."
"I didn't choose this bond any more than you did." But he didn't move his hand away. "Your blood activated it. Not me."
"But you could have killed me when you first broke free. Ended the bond before it fully formed." I studied his face. "Why didn't you?"
He was quiet for a long moment. Finally: "Because you reminded me of someone. Someone who also tried to save what everyone else wanted destroyed."
"My mother."
"Yes." His eyes met mine. "She came to me once, before they sealed me completely. She promised to free the dragons, expose the truth, rebuild everything properly. She had the same fire in her eyes that you do. The same stubborn determination to fix things even when everyone said it was impossible."
"And they killed her for it."
"Yes." His hand finally moved away from my arm. "I couldn't save her. I was already too weakened by the partial seal. I could only watch as they poisoned her, then blamed it on illness. I swore if I ever got free, I'd burn everything they built to ashes."
"But you're not burning everything," I pointed out. "You're letting me try my way first."
"Don't mistake patience for mercy, little Speaker." He stood up, putting distance between us. "If your plan fails, I will burn everything. Every castle. Every city. Every person who benefited from dragon blood."
"Even the children who don't know any better?"
That made him pause. "Children?"
"The young ones. The kids in the streets who've never even seen a dragon, who only know what the nobles taught them." I sat up carefully, testing my body. The pain was gone, but I felt... different. Stronger. More aware. "They're innocent in all this."
"No one is truly innocent." But his voice had lost some of its edge.
"Maybe not. But they deserve a chance to be better than their parents." I looked at him. "Isn't that what you'd want? A world where the next generation learns from the mistakes of the past instead of repeating them?"
"You're very optimistic for someone who was almost executed three days ago."
"Not optimistic. Practical." I stood up, surprised at how steady I felt. "If we kill everyone, there's no one left to rebuild. But if we show them the truth, give them a chance to choose differently—that's when real change happens."
Ashkaroth stared at me like I was speaking a foreign language. "You sound like her. Your mother. She said similar things."
"Good. Maybe she was right."
"She died for those beliefs."
"And I might too. But at least I'll die trying to make things better instead of just burning them down." I met his eyes. "Isn't that more meaningful than revenge?"
For a moment, something flickered in his expression—almost like pain. Then it was gone, replaced by his usual cold mask.
"We'll see," was all he said. "The festival is tomorrow night. We should contact the resistance today, before—"
He stopped suddenly, his head snapping toward the cave entrance. His whole body went tense.
"What?" I whispered. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's here." His eyes glowed brighter. "Someone just passed through my barrier wards."
Fear shot through me. "Guards? Did they track us?"
"No. The wards would have killed guards." He moved toward the entrance, scales rippling across his skin as he prepared to shift. "This is someone with dragon blood. Someone who knows how to pass through dragon magic without triggering defenses."
My heart stopped. "That's impossible. You said I was the last Dragon-Speaker."
"I said you were the last one I knew about." He glanced back at me. "Apparently, I was wrong."
Footsteps echoed from the tunnel leading into the lair. Slow. Deliberate. Whoever was coming wasn't trying to hide.
Ashkaroth positioned himself between me and the entrance, ready to attack.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was a boy. Maybe fifteen years old, with silver-blonde hair like mine and the same violet eyes. He wore ragged clothes and looked half-starved, but there was no mistaking the mark on his arm—a dragon symbol, glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Finn?" I breathed.
My little brother looked up, and his eyes widened. "Elara? You're alive?"
I started to run toward him, but Ashkaroth grabbed my arm, holding me back. "Wait. Something's wrong."
"That's my brother! Let me—"
"Look at his eyes," Ashkaroth commanded. "Really look."
I looked. Finn's violet eyes were the same as always, but... something was off. They glowed slightly, like there was fire behind them. And when he moved, it was too smooth, too graceful for a sick child who'd been cursed days ago.
"Finn," I said carefully. "How did you find us? How did you get past the wards?"
"Zara told me where to find you." His voice was Finn's, but something about it felt wrong. "She said you freed the dragon. I came to help."
"Zara doesn't know where this lair is," Ashkaroth said coldly. "I never told the old woman. Try again."
Finn—or whatever was wearing Finn's face—smiled. It wasn't my brother's smile. It was too sharp. Too knowing.
"Very clever, dragon." The voice changed, becoming deeper, older. "I'd forgotten how perceptive your kind could be."
"Who are you?" I demanded. "What have you done with my brother?"
"Your brother is safe. For now." The thing wearing Finn's face tilted its head. "I'm simply borrowing his form to deliver a message."
"What message?" Ashkaroth growled.
"That you've been very predictable, Elara Veyshara." Not-Finn walked closer, and I saw its shadow was wrong—too large, too many angles, like something with wings. "Did you really think breaking the seal would go unnoticed? That freeing the World-Breaker wouldn't have consequences?"
"Who. Are. You?" My voice shook with rage and fear.
The creature smiled wider. "I'm what comes after dragons. What the nobles summoned when they realized one angry dragon might not be enough to keep you in line." It spread its arms. "I'm your executioner, little Speaker. And tomorrow, at the festival you're planning to crash, I'll be waiting."
Ice flooded my veins. "How do you know about the festival?"
"Because I've been in your mind since the moment you put on that bracelet your sister gave you." Not-Finn tapped its temple. "Every thought. Every plan. Every secret. I've been watching through your eyes this whole time."
The bracelet. The one Seraphine forced me to wear at the celebration. The one that wouldn't come off.
"No," I whispered, looking at my wrist. The bracelet was still there, silver and innocent-looking. But now I could see the dark magic pulsing through it.
"Oh yes." The creature laughed. "You've been a spy in your own rebellion. Isn't that delicious?"
Ashkaroth roared and lunged, but Not-Finn vanished like smoke. Its laughter echoed through the cavern.
"See you tomorrow, Elara! I'll give your regards to your real brother—right before I kill him in front of you!"
Then it was gone. The cave fell silent.
I stared at the bracelet on my wrist, horror crushing my chest. "It's been listening. This whole time. It knows everything."
"Which means the festival is a trap now." Ashkaroth grabbed the bracelet, trying to pull it off. It wouldn't budge. Dark magic sparked against his fingers, burning him. "Damn it. This is blood magic. Only the caster can remove it."
"Seraphine." My voice was hollow. "She has to take it off."
"Then we make her." Ashkaroth's eyes blazed. "Tomorrow's plan just changed. We're not just exposing them. We're taking your sister captive and forcing her to break this spell."
"But if they know we're coming—"
"They'll be ready. Yes." He smiled, sharp and dangerous. "Good. Let them be ready. Let them see what happens when you threaten a dragon's bonded partner."
"I'm not your—" I started.
"You are now." He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "That thing just declared war on both of us. Whatever happens tomorrow, we face it together. Understood?"
I nodded, too shaken to argue.
But my mind was racing. They had Finn. They knew our plans. And something worse than guards was waiting at the festival—something that even Ashkaroth seemed worried about.
We were walking into a trap.
And I had no idea if we'd survive.