The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Fragments of a Star

KIERYGAN’S POV

Evander phased back to Ashteryn’s cottage, while Ulyanna and I made our way there on foot. As soon as we stepped inside, we were greeted by the thick scent of smoldering coals and molten metal hanging heavy in the air.

Ashteryn was already hunched over his workbench when we arrived, his massive hands moving with a peculiar, practiced grace.

Eirlys sat before him, her hand resting on the table as Ashteryn peered at the bracelet encircling her wrist through a magnifying lens. He didn’t even glance up as we entered.

“About time,” he rumbled impatiently, his voice low and gravelly.

I arched a brow, amusement flickering in my chest. “I didn’t realize we were late for an

appointment.”

A faint smirk ghosted across his face as he lifted a small object from the cluttered table. It was a shard of something dark and silvery, pulsing faintly with light, like a sliver of moonlight caught in

crystal.

Ulyanna stepped forward, her brow furrowing as she peered at the object. “What is that?” she

asked.

“This… Is a fragment of a star,” Ashteryn said, his voice almost reverent.

I frowned, moving closer to get a better look. “A fragment of a star?” I echoed. “How in all the hells did you get that?”

He straightened then, finally meeting my eyes. “I was on my way to the black market in Ylvarria, looking for rare metals,” Ashteryn said. “But then…. I felt it. A hum, like it was calling to me. I followed it, and it led me straight to Val Thirael.”

Ulyanna’s eyes widened. “You what?” she said, disbelief in her tone. “Val’Thirael is a plague zone. You could have been infected.”

Evander stepped forward and pulled up a stool to sit on, a lazy grin on his lips. “Orcish blood has high immunity to most poisons and toxins,” he said ightly.

“Damn right,” Ashteryn agreed with a nod. “And I always carry a talisman. I wasn’t about to let a few stray fogs and mists take me down.”

I crossed my arms, fixing Ashteryn with a steady gaze. “Alright,” I said. “Show us why you summoned us here.”

Ashteryn gestured to Eirlys, who had kept her head down the entire time, silent and withdrawn. She

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Chapter 24 Fragments of at Star

lifted her wrist and placed it on the table, the bracelet glinting dully in the lamplight.

“I’ve been trying to recreate Eirlys‘ sparks,” Ashteryn said, his massive hands deftly lifting the star fragment in one hand and a rough piece of rock in the other. “I wanted to see if it could be replicated–and what might make that strange metal react.”

He struck the star fragment against the rock. At first, there was nothing–just a dull thud and the faint scrape of metal. But Ashteryn didn’t stop. Again and again he struck until finally, with a sharp snap of energy, a flicker of light flared.

None of us could believe what we saw next.

The light from the spark didn’t simply fade–it was drawn in, sucked into the black metal of Eirlys‘ bracelet as if the metal itself was starving for it.

For a moment, no one spoke. The silence was almost tangible, thick with the weight of what we had just witnessed. Then Ulyanna spoke, her voice low and calm. “Do it again,” she said.

Ashteryn didn’t hesitate. He struck the mineral against the rock once more. When the spark finally flared, the bracelet drank it in hungrily, the dark metal pulsing faintly.

Ulyanna’s brow furrowed. “I can hear it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “The hum. I’ve heard it before–somewhere.”

Ulyanna’s eyes were distant as she focused on the bracelet, lips parted in thought. The silence stretched between us until, finally, she spoke.

“The blight,” she said slowly, her gaze sharpening as she looked up at me. “It’s the same resonance. When the blight tries to eat away at the wards, it hums like this.”

A cold weight settled in my chest. “Do you think Malric or Morwenna could be behind this plague?”

ith tension. I asked, keeping my voice even but tight

Ulyanna shook her head, her expression grave. “No. I don’t think so,” she said firmly. “Malric is many things, but he’s not subtle enough to create something like this. Morwenna might be a witch, but this… this is beyond her reach. This is older… deeper”

Evander stepped closer, his hands in his pockets, his gaze flicking between us. “If they wanted to create a plague,” he said, his voice calm but tinged with something harder, “they wouldn’t put it in Vargheim. They’d aim for Altierra. Malric has no reason to poison his own kingdom.”

My mind raced, trying to find the pieces, but nothing fit together. If it wasn’t Malric… then who?

gems seemed

I looked at the bracelet on Eirlys‘ wrist, the black metal still faintly pulsing, and the gems to come alive now that an energy had been stored inside them. A cold thought settled in my gut.

Could Malric be working with someone–someone more powerful, more dangerous? Or was this an entirely new enemy altogether?

Chapter 24 Fragments of a Star

Claim

Ulyanna snapped her head up to me. “I need to go back to Silverpine,” she said, her voice quiet but resolute. “If there’s any connection, we might be closer to understanding Eirlys‘ bracelet.”

Then she stepped toward Eirlys and placed a hand under her chin, tilting it up so their eyes met.

Perhaps we might even find out what you are.”

Evander pushed off from the workbench, his lazy grin gone. “I’ll see what I can find in the archives,” he said, already moving as the air around him shimmered. With a flash of light, he vanished.

Ulyanna vanished immediately after, her form twisting into nothingness.

After Evander and Ulyanna vanished, only the three of us remained in the workshop. The silence

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