The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Fractures

EIRLYS’ POV

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I wasn’t sure how long I lay there in the grass, unmoving, eyes fixed on the sky-blue, vast, and painfully indifferent. My shoulder throbbed with every shallow breath, and for a moment that felt

endless, I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even move.

My body refused to listen. All I could do was stare upward and try not to cry.

The earth beneath me smelled of crushed grass and sun-warmed soil, with a faint trace of horse still lingering. Blizzard’s hoofbeats had long since faded, vanished into silence. But the ache from the fall lingered, sharp and deep, echoing in my bones like a bruise that hadn’t yet formed.

I tried to move… just a little.

Pain lanced through my shoulder, sharp and blinding. A scream tore from my throat before I could

bite it back.

“Don’t move!” Solara dropped to her knees beside me, her voice suddenly sharp with alarm. “Eirlys,

stay down. Don’t-just stay still.”

I clenched my jaw, fighting the tears threatening to break loose, willing them back as if that alone

could make the pain subside.

“I’m going to call for help,” she said quickly, her hand brushing my forehead. “Just stay still. Please.”

But before she could take another step, a gust of wind swept over us-sudden, powerful. The grass rippled, stirred by something more than breeze. Then came the sound of heavy wings overhead, and the pounding of footsteps fast approaching.

“What the hell happened?” Kierygan’s voice cracked across the field like thunder.

A breath later, he was at my side, crouching low, his eyes wild with barely-contained panic. Sweat traced a line down his bare chest, glinting as it slipped over the hard cut of his torso.

Solara stood frozen for a beat. “The horse just… acted out,” she said, shaken. “Like something spooked him. But I was guiding him the entire time!

“Blizzard?” Kierygan’s voice tightened with disbelief. “He’s never done that before. He’s gentle.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned to me. “I’m taking you back to the palace,” he said, already

sliding his arms beneath me.

But before he could lift me, another voice rang out calm, clear, and firm. “Don’t.”

Evander.

He appeared as if drawn by the wind itself, materializing beside us with his usual uncanny grace.

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Chapter 32 Fractures

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Don’t move her,” he said, already kneeling to examine me. “She might have a fracture. Shifting her

now could make it worse.”

Kierygan froze, arms hovering inches above me, fingers twitching with the urge to act.

He brushed a few strands of hair from my face, his voice low. “Where does it hurt?”

I hated how useless I felt-pinned to the earth by my own body while three people hovered like I

was made of glass.

“My shoulder,” I managed, each word straining through the pain. “And my ribs.”

“I’ll fetch Danaiah,” Evander said.

Before I could blink twice, he vanished-and just as swiftly reappeared with Danaiah in tow. She staggered slightly as Evander released her.

“I will never get used to phasing,” she muttered, then fixed her gaze on me.

Danaiah didn’t waste a second. She dropped to her knees beside me, her hands already glowing with healing light. The warmth was immediate-gentler than I expected-as her fingers hovered over my ribs, then my shoulder.

“Multiple fractures,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “Cracked rib, dislocated shoulder. No spinal damage. Good.”

The magic seeped deeper, thick and soothing like warm honey. I could feel the bones knitting beneath her touch, the ache pulling tight, then gradually ebbing like the tide rolling back. I gasped softly when everything settled back into place.

“There,” Danaiah said at last. “You’ll be sore, but the worst is over.”

She helped me sit up slowly, one hand steady at my back. Evander let out a breath, relief flickering across his features. But Kierygan’s head snapped toward Solara.

“Callum spoke highly of you,” he said, voice like cold steel. “If I’d known you couldn’t even handle the reins, I wouldn’t have entrusted Eirlys to you.”

Solara didn’t flinch. She met his gaze head-on, her voice cool and controlled. “I did nothing wrong, Your Highness. I’m a wolf-my senses are sharper than Blizzard’s. If something had distressed

him, I would’ve felt it.”

Kierygan’s jaw tightened, fury still simmering behind his eyes.

Before he could say more, I spoke-jumping into Solara’s defense. “She’s telling the truth,” I said, surprised by how steady I sounded. I glanced between them, heart thudding. “One second, he was

calm. The next… he just jerked. Like he saw something and was spooked.”

Kierygan’s gaze flicked to me. He didn’t speak-but knew it wasn’t enough. The anger hadn’t left

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Chapter 32 fractures

him. Not even close.

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“I’m sorry,” Solara said after a beat, her voice tight. But I swear to you, I wouldn’t have let her fall if there was anything I could’ve done to stop it.”

Evander rose to his full height, brushing dust from his coat. His gaze lingered on Kierygan. “Well,” he said, his voice smooth, clearly aiming to diffuse the tension, “pointing fingers won’t mend bones. Eirlys is safe. That’s what matters.”

Feeling the strength return to my limbs, I tried to rise. But before I could even plant my feet, Kierygan moved. In one fluid motion, he bent and scooped me into his arms.

I blinked up at him. “Wait,” I protested. “I can walk.”

He didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at me. His eyes were fixed straight ahead as he started walking, the others falling into step behind him.

“Move your head, Eirlys,” he said flatly. “I can’t see ahead.”

I swallowed hard and tried to lean back, but it felt awkward. Not to mention uncomfortable.

Then his hand came up behind my head, firm and steady, guiding me gently until I was pressed against his bare chest.

I said nothing after that. I didn’t dare. I simply let myself rest against him as he carried me toward the palace-the scent of pine, leather, and fire clinging to him, his heartbeat steady and fast

beneath my cheek.

We hadn’t even reached the main archway when a shadow peeled away from one of the stone pillars. It belonged to the last person I wanted to see. Mirael.

She stood waiting, arms crossed, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes flicked from Kierygan’s face to me in his arms-then back again.

“Well,” she said, voice smooth as glass. “What happened?”

There was no concern in her tone. Just curiosity, dressed up as care. Her gaze landed on me with

the faintest curl of disdain.

Evander stepped in behind us, emerging from the shadows with his usual effortless poise. “A minor accident,” he said, brushing invisible dust from his coat. “Blizzard spooked. Eirlys took a fall.”

Mirael arched a brow, her lips curving into a slow, glacial smile. “Ah. Of course. How… unfortunate.”

Then her eyes slid to Solara, who trailed a few paces behind, her jaw set tight.

“Funny,” Mirael murmured, her voice light but laced with thorns. “I was just telling our tutor to do a better job. And now look-our precious Eirlys ends up broken on the grass.”

Solara said nothing at first. She lifted her chin, the fire behind her calm gaze unmistakable.

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4 Chapter 32 Fentures

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“Stop, Mirael,” Evander said mildly, though his eyes were far from amused. “You weren’t there.”

Mirael’s jaw ticked, but her smirk didn’t budge.

“Or were you?” Solara asked, suddenly stepping closer. Her tone remained pleasant-dangerously

1. “Illusion’s your specialty, isn’t it?”

Mirael folded her arms. “What’s your point?”

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