Unless they were too busy preparing for war.
“Are we allowed to wander around?” she asked, trying not to sound defeated.
“With an escort, yes. I’ve found the soldiers only get stabby when I approach the front door. Would you like to take a walk?”
Elara raised her eyebrows. “Now?”
“Yes, now.”
“I have no idea why your queen sent you here,” Signey added through their bond. That, at least, was still intact.“You make a terrible spy.”
Rosetree Manor was excessive, far too excessive to have been home to only three people. It was situated behind a large fishpond, ringed by thick trees and buffeted by an expansive back garden that was divided into sections. Zephyra waited for them by the fishpond, surrounded by her own ring of escorts; they carried swords and what looked like net launchers, likely so they could ground her if she tried to take flight. As soon as Elara got close to her dragon, she could once again feel the subtle tide of Zephyra’s emotions from her side of the bond. Whatever magic the commander had erected, their proximity to each other was enough to temporarily sidestep it.
After nuzzling them both with her snout, Zephyra reported that Irontooth and the director had left a few hours ago—and that, even out here, she could not reach the rest of the den to call for help.
“All the doors are guarded or locked or both,” Signey told Elara.“They wouldn’t let me see you until you woke up, probably so they could eavesdrop. It seems like we have to play along for now. At least until the director or the commander arrives.”
“The war could have started by then,” Elara sent back.“He could be saying anything about us.”
“I know.”Signey sighed.“I know.”
Instead of going back inside, they joined Zephyra by the pond. She curled her body into a crescent, and they sat against her flank with their legs touching, protected by a line of soldiers from the occasional sunlight that broke through the otherwise gray clouds.
The fresh air should have done wonders for Elara’s anxiety, but not today. Not with Barret Soto’s revelations running through her head. Not with the dread of a second war hanging over everything. Not with her sole means of contacting her family taken away.
She watched the soldiers watch her, swallowing.“Do you think the den is all right? Or would the commander have people watching them, too?”
“The latter seems most likely, but honestly, I don’t know.”Signey picked up a blade of grass and began to pick it apart. Then another. Then another.“If they’re in danger, it’s my fault.”
Elara reached over to take her hands, rubbing bits of greenery off her skin.“Jesper, Torrey, and Azeal are made of stronger stuff than you’re giving them credit for.”
Signey’s lips quirked upward in a faint smile.“Wow, it’s almost like you care for them.”
“I do. I care about all of you.”
And she did. Even with the wall up, Elara could feel the traces of Zephyra’s affections, the whispers of Signey’s respect. The den had somehow become her friends when she wasn’t paying attention, and Langley was not the land of nightmares that she had imagined it to be. It was a country like any other, where the people in power devoured others whole just to gain more, while the people underneath them lived and worked and laughed and loved.
“I never asked you,” Elara said, lacing their fingers together when Signey didn’t pull away, “but you’re Langlish and a member of the Dragon Legion. Even after everything, even with your family on the line, you keep working against the Warwicks. How do you know that you’re doing the right thing?”
“I guess it depends on what you mean by ‘the right thing,’” Signey replied, her gaze lowered.“Before he was arrested, my father always used to say that it’s our job as Riders not just to defend the rights of the empire but also to make sure that the empire is kept on the right side of history. Even before I met you, I knew there had always been somethingoff about our interactions with other countries. And now… Now San Irie is collateral damage in something that was never about it to begin with. That’s not right. Mama and Celyn wouldn’t stand for it, and neither should Jesper and I.”
Do not kiss her, Elara told herself sternly.
“As I said many suns ago,” Zephyra said with so much amusement that Elara worried her stray thought had, in fact, been overheard,“the two of you have the same soul. You both want to fight for something that you truly believe in. You’re both capable of such great things. You’re both an inspiration to everyone around you.”
“Stop,” Signey groaned as if Zephyra were a parent determined to embarrass her.
Elara laughed because she knew the feeling—but her laugh cut off abruptly once a sword was shoved in her face.
“While you’re on the manor grounds, you will speak aloud,” said a nearby soldier. The sword shifted until it was pointed at Zephyra. “Or we’ve been given permission to start collecting dragon relics from now on.”
“All right,” Signey snapped. Only Elara knew her well enough to hear the tremor in her voice. “We’re talking out loud.”
The soldier gave them one more hard look before sheathing the sword. Elara swallowed, looking out at the fishpond with nothing to say. Her pulse pounded in her chest when she noticed that there were even more guards there; had they arrived while the three of them had been talking? Those soldiers were murmuring among one another, assuming that the two girls were paying them little attention. Elara might have started another conversation to distract herself from her stress if she hadn’t heard one of them utter the wordqueen.
“Zephyra,” she sent before saying aloud, “Do you want to tell me how your classes went before I came?”
Signey caught on to the plan immediately, launching into a spiel that Elara could easily tune out. Meanwhile, Zephyra allowed Elara to use her ears, to hear all that she could hear. The world was so much louder to a dragon, but Zephyra was so used to picking voices out of the din that everything hushed except for the single soldier speaking. “… coming to the National Hall for peace talks. I hear that she’s desperate.”
