"The bargain you were supposed to complete." Malphas's voice was soft, almost gentle. "The egg was never meant to be destroyed, Seraphine. It was meant to be claimed. By you. By the heir your grandfather always believed would come. When you bonded with the dragon, you would have gained the power to open the gates of the Under Realm and free his soul."
I thought about the egg. About the moment it had cracked, the light fading, the dragon unborn.
"And now?"
"Now the egg is gone. The bargain is broken. And your grandfather's soul is trapped in the Under Realm forever." He paused. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you find another way." His dark eyes met mine. "There are other dragons. Other eggs. Other paths to power. The Thornwood can be rebuilt. The gates can be opened. But it will take time. Years, maybe. Decades."
I looked at my hands. At the golden tracery beneath my skin, the echo of the egg's magic.
