He shifted a little behind me, lowering his head until he pressed his snout against my forehead, a semblance of a kiss. “A name is a name is a name,” he said.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Or does it make all the sense. I’m quite philosophical, as you know.”
“I do?”
“Above all else, pretty, you are Sam. Whatever title you have doesn’t change that. Maybe you’ve grown since last they’ve seen you, but in the end, you’re still the Sam they know. That will never change.”
“I’m scared,” I admitted.
“I know.”
I then gave voice to words that were thick and sticky, clinging to my throat and tongue. “What if there’s no place for us anymore? What if they’ve moved on without us?”
“Then we remind them why we belong with them. To them. For they’re ours, just as much as we’re theirs. They’ll see. In time.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“I do,” he said quietly. “With all of my hearts.”
I looked back down at my pack and the Grimoires I knew were inside.
“You ever going to open them?”
I shrugged. “Don’t know. One day, maybe. But not today.”
“He’d want you to.”
I tensed at that. “Don’t.”
“Sam—”
“Please.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
I laughed hollowly. “Then whose fault was it?”
“Myrin’s. Always him. Never you. You are not responsible for his actions.”
“If I hadn’t been tricked by that bastard Caleb, then we—”
“And that was Caleb. Not you. It was him and Ruv and Myrin. Morgan did what he did because he knew you would do the same for him. He loved you, Sam. More than anything else in the world. Of course he would step between you and the Dark. You would have done the same for him, as you would for any of us. And you showed just how strong you were when you let Caleb go. I know that must have been difficult.”
“I’m not like them. I can’t just… kill. No matter how much I want to. But it was close.”
“I know. I felt it.”
“Stupid dragons.”
He chuckled softly. Then, “You’ll have to. Kill. It’ll come down to it, I think. Either you or Myrin. If I could do it for you, I would. Your heart is expansive, Sam, but it’s also soft. I would carry that burden for you if I could. I have no qualms about eating men.”
“Even though you’re a vegetarian?”
“Even though. I can shit out some bones and flesh if it means keeping you safe.”
“That’s… disgusting. Sweet, but mostly disgusting.”