“You did good back there.” The sincerity in Cass’s voice draws me back up onto one elbow, my brow lifted in question. “I should have told you before, and I didn’t. I’m making sure you know now. For all the shit I like to give you, I trust you with my life. And so does she. You haven’t let either of us down, and I guess I wanted to make sure you knew that.”
I smile as my chin drops to my chest. “Thank you, Cass.”
He salutes me before folding the map back up and tucking it into his pocket. “Tomorrow, we’ll get this dragon glass, and then we’ll head home.” I lie down again, my eyes fluttering closed. “And then I’ll return to my sword fighting activities, and you can go stare into a dark corner or do whatever it is you enjoy doing.”
I don’t bother letting out the retort that surges up my throat, instead keeping my grin plastered on my face as sleep finally creeps in on the edges of my mind.
“Damn it!” Elora’s shout into the wind makes my shoulders hike up towards my ears, my feet sinking more deeply into the sand as I spin to check our surroundings. Though I doubt I’d miss a fuckingdragonif one were to show up, my heart races as fear creeps up my spine that one is hiding nearby. Watching us. “Ithasto be here!”
“Maybe we should keep our voices down—” The look she shoots in my direction snaps my mouth shut, and I raise my hands in surrender before turning to look at Cass. “Any luck?”
“Oh, I’ve found a bunch of dragon glass. I just figured I wouldn’t say anything.” He lifts his head to narrow his eyes at me, the wind blowing strands of his hair loose from the bun that holds half of it up.
Blowing out a breath, I turn my attention to a part of the beach we haven’t combed through yet, the sound of waves crashing behind me drowning out more of Elora’s curses. I understand her frustration. In theory, the creation of dragon glass makes sense. After all the millennia of dragons living in this kingdom, surely somewhere in that time, a dragon had used its fire here on the beach. Had melted the sand only for the cool ocean water to then immortalize it as glass. It made sense, and yet to not have it recorded in any of the books Elora had read? To not have it mentioned as frequently as dragon stone is? That only leads me into further believing that it only exists in our imaginations.
“I’m going to check farther in, by the caves,” Elora says as she passes, her brow furrowed in a scowl. I watch as she makes her way through the sand to where the base of the onyx mountains meets the beach. Another gust of wind carries with it the hint of something hot and foul, not quite decay but close. Just as quickly as I pick up the scent, it’s gone, leaving me to wonder if my exhaustion is playing tricks on me. My magic stirs in my chest, the urge to call on it making my fingers flex. Instead, I turn and follow her, the looming mountains ahead casting a long shadow over the beach. She spins to face me as she begins to walk backwards. “Every second we spend here is putting us in danger, and if it’s all fornothing, I’m going to scream.”
“Cass and I chose to come with you,” I counter, slowing my steps as my eyes catch on the opening of one of the caves carvedinto the mountains behind Elora. Only a small sliver of sunlight illuminates the first foot or so, leaving the rest in total darkness. “And Bahira and Nox agreed with the plan. You didn’t make this choice alone.”
“I know,” she says, her hands coming up to play with her braided hair. “I just thought we might get lucky. That we’d arrive at the beach and see it gleaming in the sand like little beacons of hope.”
I huff out a laugh. “If only it were that simple. At least we have this view today,” I say, eyes lingering on her before I gesture to the dark peaks behind her.
“Ah, yes. The notorious fae mountains. Known for their majestic one note color and their—Ah!” Elora trips, sprawling in the sand as her glasses go flying from her face. The back of my hand moves to cover my mouth, attempting to hide the chuckle that breaks out anyway. “Asshole!” she shouts through her own laughter, sitting up as she reaches for her glasses. “You know, I thought you were this sweet and attentive man, and you’re just—”
When she doesn’t continue, I cock my head, my hands bracing my hips. “I’m justwhat?”
“Dragon glass.”
My eyebrows fly towards my hairline. “Can’t say I’ve been compared tothatbefore—”
“No, you idiot.Look.” Moving onto her hands and knees, Elora leans over something glistening in the sand. I close the distance between us, squatting down on the balls of my feet.
“Cass! You might want to get over here!” I shout, excitement bubbling up inside of me. Our fingers grip the smooth edges of the glass, lifting it up to reveal its full expanse. I’m surprised to find it’s an oval shape, twice as long as it is wide. Its weight is considerable, and at about a half inch thick, it is sturdy enough to not easily break.
Sand flies as Cass comes to an abrupt stop in front of us, his eyes wide. “How did you find it?”
“I fell on it!” Elora’s excitement makes him smile, and he kneels and brings part of the glass over his knees. “How are we supposed to transport a piece this big?” she asks, looking to me.
At least a few feet long, the glass would be impossible to carry easily, especially while on horseback. “We’ll have to break it.” It’s something that would have to happen regardless, as the Mirror’s frame is at least six feet tall. In order to cast glass for something that height, we’ll need to see if we can find a few more pieces. I move to voice as much when Cass lifts his hand over the glass, calling his blue magic to his palm. “What are you doing?”
“The whole point of getting the glass was so that we would have something that will work as dragon stone does. Something that can hold magic when broken and still allow a reflection. Before we go about collecting the glass we find, we need to make sure it has those properties.”
“It makes sense,” Elora chimes in, her fingers dragging over the glass’s smooth surface. “Try it.”
Cass looks to me, and I nod, watching as he turns his hand over so it is hovering above the glass. “Here goes nothing.” His magic floods the glass, the center of it glowing blue as it begins to work its way out towards the edges.
“Not too much. We don’t know if having your magic in it will inhibit Nox from being able to get the Mirror working again.”
Cass nods at Elora before he lets his magic fade away, the air thick with the feel of his magical signature. My own churns within me, and a quick glance at Elora—her skin covered with goosebumps—tells me hers is likely doing the same. We watch as the magic stabilizes within the glass, and once a few minutes pass, we are confident that it’s been imbued, much to Elora’s delight.
“Let’s take it over to those rocks.” We stand at Cass’s suggestion, lifting the glass and carrying it to a collection of jagged rocks at the entrance of a cave. “We’ll drop it here and see if it holds the magic within it. That should at least confirm if it is worth bringing home.”
I guide my magic out like a shield around my body, Elora and Cass following suit to protect themselves from any shards that might break away. Centering the piece over the rocks, we count to three and release it, watching through the yellow haze of my magic as the glass hits the rocks and immediately breaks, thankfully creating bigger chunks and only a few smaller shards.
Blue still glows within the broken pieces, prompting Cass to smile wide as he pumps his arms in the air. “We did it! We—”
A shadow drifts over the beach ahead of us, wide enough to leave no doubt as to what is casting it. Cass is the first to move, ushering us into the cave as the sound of beating wings cuts through the air, the deep rumble accompanying making my blood chill. Our boots are slick against the black stone as we climb, the scent of rot thick in the air.
