The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Snowdrop and Secret Cove

EIRLYS‘ POV

The walk back to the palace was silent.

I found myself replaying every word, every glance, trying to pinpoint what I’d said, or failed to say, to make him withdraw like this. I wanted to speak up, to fill the empty space between us. But the

words lodged in my throat.

Instead, I cradled the bunch of flowers I’d picked earlier in one arm and held the small snowdrop

stem in the other, gently nestled between my fingers

He walked beside me. He didn’t quicken his pace like he had the last time he’d been in one of his.

moods, but he kept his distance all the same.

I was too afraid to ask him what was wrong, and I doubted he would have explained. So neither of

us said a word.

Until we reached the main entrance of the palace. Orryx, Evander, and Callum were there, and they immediately fell silent at our arrival,

Evander’s eyes fell on the bunch of flowers in my arms. “Those are lovely flowers, sweetheart,” he

said with a warm smile.

I was about to respond, but Kierygan’s voice cut through the air. “She has a name now,” he said, his tone sharp and unyielding. “So you can stop calling her sweetheart.”

I lowered my head, biting my lip at how curt he sounded. When I looked up, I caught Orryx and Callum exchanging strange glances.

But Evander only shrugged it off and turned back to me with a soft smile. “Well, finally,” he said. Let’s hear it, then. What’s your name?”

I lifted my other hand, showing him the snowdrop nestled between my fingers. My voice trembled face. just a little as I spoke. “I was named after this flower,” I said, a soft smile flickering across my

“Eirlys.”

The simple word felt both strange and comforting in my tongue, like it belonged to me at last.

For a moment, there was only the quiet, the gentle Hush of the room holding my breath in its hands. Then Evander let out a low, delighted whistle. “Eirlys,” he repeated, his smile warm and approving. “It suits you. We should celebrate this.”

I glanced at Kierygan, hoping for a nod, smile, or any sign of approval. But his expression stayed

the same.

“Take her back to her room when you’re done celebrating,” he said, his voice clipped, before he

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(Chapter 18 Snowshop and Secret Cove

turned and started toward the staircase.

Clam

I watched him go, my smile fading like a candle flickering out. A soft chuckle broke the silence. It was Orryx, his eyes kind as he leaned against the doorframe. “Don’t mind him, Eirlys,” he said lightly. “Dragons are naturally moody.”

“Especially the old ones,” Callum added with a playful grin, earning a snort of laughter from

Evander.

I offered a shy smile to Orryx and Callum, though my gaze still lingered on the staircase where Kierygan had disappeared.

A soft pang tugged at my heart, but I forced myself to focus on the warmth of those around me. Evander, Orryx, and Callum, they all looked at me like I was someone worth celebrating.

It was Callum who finally cleared his throat. “I’ve got an idea,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed. “We’ll go down to the village. There’s a bakery there that makes the best

sweets in Solmere.”

My eyes widened. “A bakery?” The thought made my stomach flutter in a way I didn’t quite

understand.

Callum nodded, a faint grin pulling at his lips. “Yes. And you can pick out any cake you want,” he said. “Consider it a peace offering… for what I said about Ashteryn. I didn’t mean to upset you, it was supposed to be a joke.”

I frowned in confusion. “A joke?” I asked. “But… I was told jokes are meant to be funny. Yours was

not.”

For a moment, there was silence. Then laughter burst from all of them. It left me blinking, confused. They were laughing, and I hadn’t even tried to be funny.

“I like this girl already,” Orryx said, shaking his head in amusement.

Callum gave me a light pat on the back. “I think you and I are going to get along well,” he said,

grinning.

MORWENNA: Secret Cove

The wind howled outside the cave’s mouth, salty and cold, but the walls of the Secret Cove kept the worst of it at bay. A small fire crackled in the pit between them, its light flickering across the damp stone and catching on the burn scar that stretched from Malric’s left temple to his

cheekbone.

He paced the length of the narrow cavern, his boots grinding against loose gravel. His eyes. glowed faintly in the gloom. From the shadows, Morwenna watched him, her expression carefully

Chapter 1 Snowdrop and Secret Cove

unreadable.

“It’s been weeks, Morwenna,” he snarled, his voice low and ragged. “We’re still nowhere near taking

back the girl.”

Morwenna shifted her weight, the hem of her midnight cloak brushing the stone floor. “We’ll get her back,” she said coolly. “I already have something planned.”

Malric shot her a sidelong glance as he settled into a chair against the cavern wall. “I’ve been

hearing the same promise for days, and still, nothing,” he said, leaning back with a faint snarl. “If

only you hadn’t been so hasty to flee without the girl as I ordered, we wouldn’t be holed up in this

cursed cave.”

Morwenna shifted her weight, the hem of her midnight cloak brushing the floor. “The tower was

burning, Malric,” she said. “And that dragon’s men were swarming in. You know very well I can’t

apparate in or out of the tower. You made me design it that way, remember?”

She crossed to a nearby settee in front of the fire and settled herself, letting the silence wash over

them. Only the hiss of the fire and the distant crash of waves could be heard.

Morwenna’s gaze swept across the stone walls she had so meticulously prepared. In the days.

since their flight, she had worked tirelessly–carving protective sigils deep into the rock, weaving

illusions and veils of magic that would fool even the keenest senses.

Even an invisible dragon gliding overhead would find no trace of them here.

And she had not stopped there. Morwenna had transformed this damp, hollow refuge into. something livable–a haven of sorts, with furniture and clean bedding, stores of dried herbs, and rough shelves stocked with supplies. It wasn’t the luxury of Malric’s stolen castle, but it was safe

and sufficient.

Morwenna sighed and met his furious eyes. “Look, none of us expected the attack that night,” she said calmly. “Least of all did we expect that a Drakemont dragon had survived. And one that could

vanish from sight.”

Malric’s gaze flicked up at the mention of the name Drakemont. “That dragon is a mistake I can easily correct… If only we had the girl.”

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