I can’t help my nostril flare, but saying no would probably be unreasonable.Fine.
I’m a little worried that I’ll have trouble opening a portal—who knows what dying and coming back might do—but it’s easy.Easier than I recall it being, even.Itdoesopena few feet off the ground, but all of us can fly, so it’s fine.Perhaps it’s easier because I made such a small one.The last one I made had to admit thousands of blessed across an immeasurable space.Come.
Liz peeks around the edge of the portal, her eyes widening.
Is it alright?
She inhales slowly and then exhales.“It’s fine.I’m just—I really hope this works.”
I should be enraged.She convinced all of us to trust her, and now she’s expressing fear.My people’s lives are at stake, but I can sense her honesty, too.She believes this is the best way for us and for the humans, so I can’t fault her for pushing even with her doubt.
She squares her shoulders, and her wings spread out behind her.She’s still a soft, strangely-shaped earth child, but she’s growing on me.
Not that I’d ever admit it.
When she jogs a few steps and leaps into the air, her wings beating furiously, Agrippa also takes to the air, following her through immediately.I watched her win several races earlier, so I shouldn’t be surprised she’s a graceful flier, her wings light and quick.Phileas flies through right after, bobbing and lurching like he’s too heavy for his own wings.
Once we’ve all passed, I close the portal and look around.
It’s dark, and it’s still chilly.The human buildings down below appear to be built more densely than they are in Selfoss, but they look more similar than I expected.How will we locate your friend?
Liz frowns.“Something just occurred to me—which means I’m an idiot.”
What?Agrippa asks.
“I was assuming I could walk around and talk to the humans...”Liz shakes her head.“But I havewingsnow.”She says a strange word under her breath and drops to the ground, kicking her feet out in front of her and dropping her head in her hands.
The strange thing is how her frustration makes me feel.Instead of being angry, or frustrated myself, I feel...Something I’ve never felt before.I want tohelpher.
And there’s nothing I can do.
I feel helpless.
Something I don’t like at all.
6
Liz
All I need to do is borrow a cell phone.
Once I’ve looked up the number for Blakfyre Games, we’ll be fine.I can have Norm come meet me anywhere, I bet.
But how am I supposed to get a phone, looking like this?I’m exhausted.I’m scared for my siblings.I’m terrified all the dragons will die, and it’ll be my fault.
And I’m even more scared that I’ll fail in finding humans and they’ll basically attack, only it’ll be all over the world, ensuring humans die by the millions and blessed too.The stakes are so high, and it feels like they have been for months, now.I want to cry.
But I also really, really don’t want to cry in front of Axel.I remember him being so frustrated by the weak and whiny humans, but here I am, bawling all the time.I can’t seem to help it.
I do the best thing I can think of and wrap my oversized white wings around myself like a feathered curtain and try to be as quiet as I can while I have my mental breakdown.
What do we do?Phileas asks.Is she broken?
They could at least ask on a private channel where I can’t hear them.
I’m not sure,Agrippa says.Maybe she’s hungry.
“I’m not hungry.”I clench my jaw, wipe my tears, and force my panicked hysteria down where it belongs, deep inside my gut, motivating me.I wipe my face on my white tunic.“Freya, you idiot.If you can hear me, shame on you.What kind of woman sends another warrior out into the world in a white tunic?”Even looking down at myself, I can see that it’s already covered with grime.
