But I knew if they captured us again, we would not be able to escape a second time. If they even let us live.
“Faolan!”I screamed, feeling the tug as they began to pull us in.
“Don’t let go,”he managed through the pain he was undoubtedly experiencing.
He swung his mighty head around, aiming his fire at the other ropes. It felt hopeless, and I sent a prayer to the God of Light that he might survive this. Bellowing his agony at the rising sun, he fought the pull. Before, he was powerless to prevent being drawn in, but he was a dragon now. Far more powerful and twice as stubborn. I could feel his resolve. He would not let them take us again.
He thrashed against the burning ropes, losing some height, then gaining it back. It was a fierce battle he fought alone while I hung on helplessly. Then one wing finally broke free, the burning ropes giving way under the strain of the massive beast, and he flailed and dipped, furiously flapping to force the other ropes to snap.
But there were too many holes. He couldn’t gain altitude like he could before. He was fighting against the damage and the ropes. I clung to him, utterly helpless.
They dragged us down until we were low enough to hear the noises the undead made as they waited for their prey to fall into their waiting arms.
We were done for.
I vowed to kill them all if I got the chance.
I held my breath as we inched closer and closer and then, with a blessed final creak, the ropes broke.
With a terrifying bellow, Faolan turned and rained fire down on them all, setting light to that horrendous weapon before beating his wings clear of the scene.
THIRTY-FIVE
FAOLAN
Getting higher in the sky was more taxing than anything I’ve ever done. It took all my focus and effort to gain a foot. I had no idea if they were following or how close they might be.
All I knew was flying and the pain.
Every beat of my wings brought a new agony, and I didn’t think I could handle another. But I did, over and over, somehow enduring. I fought against the pain to carry us off, Caly, muttering prayers to her God for our safety as she held on for her life. It was the sole thing that kept me going. I could not let them have her. I had to get her to safety.
“Are they still trailing us?”I asked, my fatigue evident even in mind speak.
She twisted on my back, keeping an eye out. “I don’t see them?”
“Good. Hopefully we lost them. If they had a dragon to give chase, we would know it by now.”I wouldn’t allow myself to think about what would happen if they found us again.
Hours passed, and silence engulfed us. We were both on edge, waiting for another attack, too exhausted to process or do more than keep up the vigilance.I began to flag. I wasn’t sure how much further I could really go, not with open woundsstreaming blood. But they’d found us there, where else could they follow?
And how? How had they found us?
My mind was a mess, crawling with indecision.
I flew for as long as I could, using thermals to minimize wing beats where possible. Every league I flew, I lost more blood from the tears in my wings that wouldn’t heal while those barbed bolts were still pierced through. The agony from each beat as the bolts jolted the wounds and the burned rope ends constantly flapped in the wind was enough to bring me down. But the will to keep my mate safe from those seeking to harm us had driven me on. Eventually, though, my body couldn’t take anymore. I had to land, but it would be nearly impossible to find a safe place to rest in the terrain below.
The border between the Night Kingdom and the Desert Kingdom was a harsh and treacherous mountain scape. The peaks trapped the cool, moist air from Night, causing a deadly rain shadow that not only played tricks on the mind but also the body. The climate was more extreme than even the Ice Kingdom we knew so little about, leaving it barren. And dangerous creatures roamed the unforgiving landscape, so most fae avoided this region of the Kingdoms entirely, making it the perfect place for anyone who hoped to escape notice…if we could land and find shelter.
I knew of a place within the cover of the inhospitable range, but going there was a huge risk. Bringing Caly into the territory could enrage those I knew there because of who she was, but we needed to stop. I knew I wouldn’t make it over the mountain range without rest. I really had no choice, but I wasn’t sure how it would go.
Would they be open to us as allies? Their kind wasn’t a trusting bunch. But I carried some goodwill with them. I hoped it was enough to bring the future Queen into their stronghold,but maybe I’d just lost so much blood I couldn’t see sense. Time would tell, and I was out of options. I needed a safe place to recover for at least a couple of days.
“We need to stop for the night,”I said to her mind, my first words after hours of silence.“My wings need to heal.”I had no idea how I’d kept us airborne this long.
I could tell she’d frequently stopped herself asking if I was okay since my wellbeing did not rank higher than our need to fly far, far away from the danger. But I’d felt concern. It was part of the mate bond. She was beginning to feel my suffering, and I knew that would be hard for her to handle. We still hadn’t talked about what we’d done last night, and I wasn’t ready to face the consequences of that yet. But even if we hadn’t faced it yet, the fact was that, as my mate, she knew I was too far gone to go on.
“Where do you think is best?”she replied simply, not questioning the need. She would be a perfect mate if I could have her.
Every conversation we had, she showed more of herself, and while I loved getting to know her, the immense guilt I felt over bonding with her, knowing I’d be leaving, ached in my chest.
