The Other Past

The Other, a silver dragon mourning her dead mate, discovers her egg has hatched while she was hunting the young fae she believed stole it. She finds the fae protecting the nest from doomquills and rescues them both. The fae, refusing to leave the nest, demands The Other fly her into the sky, and during an extraordinary flight near the moons, they form an unbreakable dragon-fae bond.

The chapter opens with The Other in a rage, having sensed life returning to her egg after she imbued it with her own silver essence. A young fae stands guarding a snow nest against attacking doomquills, armed only with a dagger despite her fear. The Other, stirred by protective instinct, intervenes violently, incinerating the predators. As the dragon investigates the nest, she discovers her hatchling—a silver female—emerging from the broken egg, tended by a pale-haired male fae who sobs with remorse for having taken the egg. The young fae who defended the nest clambers onto The Other's back between her shoulder blades and demands flight, screaming "Shuile!" repeatedly until the dragon relents. During an intense aerial journey through mist, storm, and toward the luminous ribbons near the moons, the fae sings a haunting song that mirrors the ribbons' movements. The Other, for the first time in her existence, yields to another being and opens herself to bonding. Through their newly hatched connection, The Other experiences the fae's moral strength, fierce love for her blood-kin, and the profound sadness over the hatchling's malformed wing. The chapter closes with The Other understanding that she and her "Precious Little One" were always meant to be joined.