Stone reeled back. “I’d rather choke.”
She laughed into her mug. “We can make that happen.”
“Oh?” Stone leaned forward. “Is that a promise or a threat, Commander?”
“Would you two shut up?” Birdie snapped. “Some of us are trying to think.”
Stone tsked. “So unprofessional.”
Aesira scoffed. “But you’re the one–”
“I have a question,” Nora interjected. They all paused and for a moment it seemed the entire place silenced. Nothing but the soft clinking of the hanging gears above them. “If there is nothing left of Ravki, why is it so dangerous? You make it seem forbidden.” Like an exercise they’d practiced a dozen times before, the three Odega’s turned to Stone and waited for his answer.
He chewed his bottom lip for a moment, glanced beyond Aesira, then settled his gaze on Nora. “The journey can’t be an easy one,” he said, much quieter than before. “If it truly lies where the maps indicate, whose to say what kinds of beast might be roaming.”
“Then why would anyone travel there?” Aesira pressed.
“Because there are other rumors as well. Not just of beasts.” Stone settled back in his chair. “Rumors of magical blades left untouched from the war a century ago. Rumors of plants that only seem to grow there–some say they contain cures for certain diseases. Other rumors say they give magic, even to humans. And then, of course, rumors that dragons still thrive there. Hidden in the mountains.”
“What good would finding one of those be?” Nora asked between mouthfuls of fruit.
“Save some for the rest of us, sweetheart.” Patch snatched the bowl from Nora, popping a piece of dried stone-fruit in his mouth.
“No.” She stole the bowl back but didn’t hide the smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.
Bee snatched the bowl from Nora and ending her and Patch’s back and forth game. “Finding one ofthose," she said, "wouldn’t bring us any good. If something like that exists and hasn’t been seen for centuries, there’s a damn good reason for it.”
Aesira could admit she hadn’t taken the time to know Desmond well. They only spoke on a few occasions but her sister had told her more than enough. Desmond was kind and thoughtful. He doted on Kamari’s every step and never once pushed or pressured her.
They fell in love as naturally as two people could, according to her sister. She couldn’t connect the missing pieces. Why would Desmond leave on some ridiculous quest to find magic or dragons? Why would he leave Kamari to fend for theircountry alone? Especially this close to Naming Day. Why wouldn’t he tell her or bring a crew of his own?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. It didn’t make sense, and she loathed the fact that she’d been handed a riddle she couldn’t solve.
Birdie sighed. “Some people who still believe in the old ways believeyou know what'sto be healers. Life-givers. They believe their presence is what made the world.”
“That’s absurd,” Aesira said, shaking her head. “Celestria would smite you if she heard that.”
“Celestria doesn’t give two shits about us,” Birdie said, her eyes narrowing. “She’s proven that all our lives.”
Bee wrapped her arm around Birdie’s. “The rumors I’ve heard are that the world we know wasn’t always this way,” Bee said. “According to some, there were places where water ran freely. Where trees grew to the heavens and food from the ground. There was even something calledseasons. Periods of time when the weather would change. The sun would trade for rain. The rain would trade forsnow.”
“Snow?” Nora cocked her head to the side.
“Like water, but colder,” Patch said through a grin.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Nora said.
“Well you wouldn’t have,” Stone said, standing from the table. “It’s not taught and any textbook with the mention of”—he mouthed the word dragon again—“has long been burned. Except, it would seem, for the one your brother-in-law was hiding. He had to get this imagery from somewhere. Maybe he was made of more secrets than the queen realizes.”
Nora leaned around Aesira to get a better look at Birdie and Bee. “And how do you know all of this?”
Bee shrugged. “I don’tknowfor sure,” she said. “When you run in the desert, you meet all kinds of people. Scammers, drifters, even royals want their fill of drugs.” She smiled behind her mug. “Anyway, they liked to tell stories and I liked to listen.”
“The point is,” Stone continued, “we have a direction. A path. My dream last night showed me a route that would get us to Ravki in just over a week.” He pointed to the map again. “If you’re with me,” he said to Aesira, “the queen will want an update.”
Bring him home, at any cost.
“I’ll send a hawk,” Aesira said. “To let her know.”
