“Denise, I need to talk with the queen”, Sasha said.

“She has been waiting for you child”, the dragon said, putting her tail around her shoulders like a hug. “Let's leave.”

They were flying atop of the castle, up from here the fjord visible between the trees. She could see the beach underneath her, where she and Elias had swum.

“Where are you taking me?” Sasha asked, curious as the dragon flew down in a steep landing.

“There is an entrance to our tunnels halfway up the cliff, hidden in the greenery and almost impossible to reach”, Denise said. “You might need to keep your head down, but I thought you preferred this entrance from the underwater one.”

“I do”, Sasha said. “I am not sure I could hold my breath for as long as it would take.”

“No, you wouldn’t”, Denise agreed.

The dragon queen waited for her, her light blue eyes studied her as she tilted her head. The green scales glowed in the dimly lit hall.

“So, the time has come when everything changes”, she said.

“Yes”, Sasha confirmed. “Everything changes. I don’t know what to believe anymore. And I don’t know what to do.”

The dragon let out the tongue, hissing and tasting the air as she came forward. She embraced Sasha in a snake hug, her figure getting larger as she let Sasha use her as a chair, the tail draped around her shoulders.

“Walk me through it”, the dragon asked.

“You know”, Sasha said, shuddering. She felt sick to her very core.

“I don’t know all”, the queen moved from side to side, slowly lulling Sasha. She felt soothed. “And more importantly, I feel your sorrow but I don’t know your reasoning.”

“I feel ashamed”, Sasha confessed. She brought the orb out from within. “All this time. I betrayed Elias for nothing. This was never needed.”

“To what would you have used the orb?”

Sasha knew the dragon queen already knew this, she was just nagging her, coaxing the story and the words needed to be said out of her. Sasha felt the shame burning her, the betrayal she had defended suddenly just an ugly ball of lies.

“I would have killed the king.” It had sounded reasonable. How could she have known?

“And know you don’t?”

“No, or yes”, Sasha sighed. “I don’t know. I pity him, what he has done is beyond awful. I still think killing him would be a valid solution.”

“Then kill him. I can help. This orb will seal his fate.”

Sasha squeezed her hands until she drew blood from her palms.

“I cant. It’s not his fault. It’s the queen’s.”

“Is that so? And what is her crime?”’the dragon snickered, the sound sizzling in the air. The sound hypnotically calming Sasha. The shame loosened its grip around her, with the truth coming from her lips.

“Yes, it's the queen's fault. She took his heart, making him into a monster. Never truly caring for anyone except her. She craved him in the sickest way.”

“Is that so?” The dragon pondered.

The queen sounded genuinely surprised, which surprised Sasha. How could she not have known? She must be as linked to the queen as she was to her. The dragon queen didn’t know her thoughts. It was as she had said, they were linked, sharing the feeling in their heart, not necessarily the heart's secrets.

“I saw the recipes in the tower”, Sasha continued. She still felt the shock when she had understood what the queen doing. “All aiming at bringing back humankind to him, trying to get him to feel compassion. Every single clue points in one direction.”

The dragon hummed, contemplative considering what Sasha had told.

“She had the power of Aaliyah within”, Sasha said. “I bet the queen has used it, years ago and stolen the king’s heart. It has driven him into madness.”

“The knights of Aaliyah were a fearsome few when they were alive”, the dragon nodded.

“They came to visit you know.” She gave a short laugh. “Yes, I can feel the truth in it. It makes sense. You, humans, are an odd race.”

Sasha fell silent. Her thoughts were in havoc.

“Then kill the queen”, the dragon hissed. “The orb is strong enough.”

“I have considered”, Sasha answered truthfully.