The Dragon's Scale (COMPLETE, EDITING)

5.1 || A Tale of Sacrifice

"I'll tell Mom it's my fault." Josh scooped up Eli, gritting his teeth against the pain, and deposited the squirming kid back on the bed.

"Mom!"

Wincing at Eli's wail, Josh walked out of his room. An angry voice cut off, followed by insistent shushing.

"Mom!" Eli yelled again.

There was a flurry of movement downstairs. "—stay here," his mom ordered.

"If he's awake, we need to—"

"I said stay here!"

Josh's stomach flipped as he approached the stairs. First Mara's voice sang through him, leaving butterflies in its wake. Then the desperation in his mom's voice caught them all and crushed them a moment later.

His mom appeared at the bottom of the stairs at the same time Josh started down them. Her hair stuck up in spots and her face flushed red, but her eyes remained resolute as she looked up at him.

"Joshua, what are you doing out of your room?" she asked, her voice slow and steady.

Rather than answer, Josh continued down the steps. His mom hurried up to meet him half-way, placing a hand on his chest to stop him. He glanced to the side, but he hadn't made it down far enough to see the lower floor.

"Josh, you need to stay upstairs. We're—"

"What?" Josh demanded, returning his focus to her with an annoyed glare. "What are we doing?"

She bit her lip. "Your father and I are discussing things that you don't need to worry about—"

"He decides that, Joanna. Not you."

Mara's voice again, this time using his mother's name. Josh searched for her even if he already knew he couldn't see her.

His mom turned toward the living room below with a scowl. "He doesn't know enough to make that choice."

"He already did," Mara said before Josh could speak. "He completed the bond."

"Because his life was in danger, just like it would be all the time if he went with you," his mom bit back. "And the bond can still be broken."

They know. Josh had gained a sneaking suspicion ever since talking to Eli, and now his mom confirmed it. Before he could demand answers, someone else spoke up.

"I thought you would be the last person to suggest a Sage delve into your son's soul."

His mom flinched at the words. This voice was new. A guy's voice, so probably the person Eli had mentioned his mom and dad arguing with at the store.

"Watch what you say!" his dad snapped from somewhere in the living room.

"That wasn't necessary," Mara added.

The guy scoffed. "Neither is this argument." He somehow managed to sound exasperated and uncaring at the same time. "We've talked in circles for an hour now, but that doesn't change anything. This is a choice for the soul-bound to make, not the worried parents."

"He doesn't know," his mom stressed.

"No, I don't," Josh said, finally speaking before anyone else could. "But I want to know, and that's my choice."

His mom whipped her head toward Josh. She glared up at him while he stared down at her. When he didn't waver, her anger shifted into something much more unsettling: desperation. Her shoulder drooped, and she glanced away, but not before he saw the tears forming in her eyes.