The female dragons are surrendering. They did not want to battle against a male dragon in the first place. Seeing that they might be killed by their own kind, a thing that almost never happens amongst dragons, they have chosen to surrender, as long as we agree not to kill their riders. We have agreed to such a thing. You have not.
His meaning is clear.
Thank you.
Ebron takes us a short distance from the fortress’s main doors, away from the other dragon riders. We land, with my men around me. Sevrin doesn’t move, doesn’t react to any of it. He just breathes unsteadily. And I know without a doubt that it isn’t wise to go to the fortress, but that Sevrin will die without proper treatment. Tonight. We can’t risk heading home. There won’t be time to save him if we do.
I have to go into the fortress,I tell Ebron.
Will you be safe?
I don’t know.
There’s a long pause.I will be ready if you need me.
I drag Sevrin off of Ebron, and he helps me by lifting his wings and bringing us gently to the ground.
Gareth limps over, sword on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I nod, aware for the first time that there are tears streaming down my face. “I’ll be okay, but Sevrin–”
Lucien comes and crouches beside Sevrin, checking his wounds. “We need to get him help…”
“We have to go to the fortress.”
Alaric comes closer, helping me to lift Sevrin. “Then we go to the fortress.”
“But what if…?”
“We’ll handle it if there are more enemies inside.”
Ebron and his mates don’t seem happy, but they stay put, watching us, knowing that if we need help, we’ll need our dragons close by. But I can’t focus on them now. I have to focus on Sevrin.
He needs to live.
Heneedsto.
24
Harper
As we cometoward the fortress, Lucien and Alaric are carrying Sevrin between them. Once he’d gone fully unconscious, he’d become too heavy for me to carry. There’s a rumble, and we all tense as a flood of dragon riders come out the doors. My men ready their swords, and my entire body tenses, expecting another attack, but suddenly Kaelen Windcrest pushes to the front, and I almost collapse in relief.
The dragon riders of Gore Rock!
“Kaelen!” Gareth greets warmly, lowering his sword.
Kaelen looks ready for a fight. “Your Highness. Now, where are those bastards?”
“Outside on their dragons, and Elder Thorne, the coward, is somewhere in the fortress.”
The scar on Kaelen’s face dances with his narrowed eyes. “We’ll take care of them.”
“Then we’ll take of our injured man,” Gareth says, nodding to Sevrin.
Kaelen gives him a grim smile. “And tomorrow, we hang the traitors.”
I shiver as he shouts orders to his men, and they go pouring outside and around us. The battle might be finished, but the killings certainly aren’t.
