Chapter 59
Dain
From the moment we arrived at the keep, all I wanted to do was leave. But now that was finally happening, I felt no relief. Just a strange sense of unease that I tried to redirect as I grabbed everything out of my footlocker and shoved it into my bags. It didn’t go when I did the same for Kael’s possessions and Lorien’s, which should’ve alerted me to what was going on. Just a slight flicker out the sides of my eyes, forcing me to jerk my head around, only to find nothing was there.
Which meant another vision was coming.
I didn’t need that right now. What the hell could my foresight tell me? Kael and Lorien were only in the stockade because we chose to leave them there. If Lance’s plan failed, our dragons could melt the stone walls within seconds, tearing the keep down by its foundations. There was nothing this general, none of the Royal Riders, could do to stop us from leaving, so all I needed to do was wait for the moon to rise before flying the hell away from this place.
With Fern in tow.
My throat worked because it had grown suddenly dry.Muscles tensed, even as I lay back on the bed, perhaps because my mind chose to show me something other than the future. Not a true vision, I couldn’t help but visualise Fern walking around our estate. Sitting in the kitchen and chatting to Elise as Lorien cooked them breakfast. Kael pressing a kiss to her forehead when he returned from feeding the animals. Lance talking to Barry as the two of them came back inside after sharpening ploughshares, not swords, discussing the upcoming harvest. He’d pull Fern into his lap, enjoying her little gasp of surprise, then the way she melted back into him, not pausing the conversation for a second.
And I…?
Try as I might, I couldn’t work myself into this scenario, which somehow helped me finally drop off into sleep. Of course, that was when I saw what would actually happen and it was far less pleasant.
“Let the silver riders go free, sir?” the rider asked Lance with a frown. “That’s not what the general said.”
“Not free,” Lance corrected, the tiny waver in his voice making clear he knew exactly what he was doing. There’d be no returning to the keep after this. “Into my custody.”
One rider shook his head, then pulled out a ring of keys, moving towards my brothers’ cell with some reluctance, but before he could unlock it, the other rider held out a hand.
“On whose orders?” he asked Lance.
“Mine.” That was the lieutenant’s true response, but he quickly masked it. “By order of the general.”
The way the two jailers stood up, slightly frowning, had my vision, my dream tearing to shreds, leaving me blinking into the dark gloom of the dorm, then throwing myself off the bed. My cadet uniform was left to fall to the floor, and I replaced it with my leather armour. A sword strapped to my hip, knives shoved into my boots, the sheath at my belt had me feeling better. Not more than when I hauled all of our bags onto my shoulder and then strode out of the room, past countless other sleeping men, and down the stairs.
Never to return, I vowed.
Tell Viridian and the others that the plan has changed, I said to Argent as I walked into his den.Lance won’t be able to?—
“Couldn’t sleep either?”
That feminine voice was all it took to derail me. Turning slowly, I saw Fern standing in the doorway of the den. Argent chuffed, then slid his head forward, looking for all the world like a cat about ready to wind his body around her legs. As she gave his head a scratch, chuckling at his blatant attempts to prolong the movement, I just stared.
“I couldn’t,” she explained. “My mind wouldn’t stop racing. How about you?”
I might’ve been raised isolated and away from my family, but even I knew it was my turn to speak. Just like before, my Adam’s apple bobbed, but nothing came out. Of course, that was when her smile faded and she stepped regretfully away from Argent.
“Because I admit, I’m a little afraid of what will happen when we leave,” she said, then glanced over her shoulder. “I mean, Auren says there’s no need to be scared because she will burn the world down if that’s what’s required to be free, but I’m a little new to this whole chaos and destruction thing. The law says I’m to stay here for a year to prove I’m worthy, and instead I’m leaving after a few weeks…”
Her hand tugging the hem of her riding jacket down held my entire focus. Those pretty little pink moons of her nails, those long fingers. What would it be like to take it in mine? Would her hand nestle in my palm, forcing me to hold on tight, scared she’d slip away?
“So I should get ready, right? We didn’t really talk through the details. Put Auren’s saddle on and?—”
That was what I needed to get moving. Pushing past her, the faint sound of her splutter was ignored as I strode into Auren’s den. The gold dragon looked up at my approach, her eyes heavy lidded. Her saddle was set down beside her, but it was too big, too weighty for a woman to lift. I had it up and on Auren’s back in seconds, then the dragon rose to her feet, allowing me to set itin place, then tightening the girth strap to ensure it stayed there. I grabbed Fern’s bags, assessing their size and weight before packing them into the saddlebags.
Only for her to follow me.
“Oh.” She always made that strange little sound when people did things for her. Not me, though, and it felt different when directed my way. “Thank you. I’m not sure how I would’ve gotten that saddle on Auren. Perhaps if she put it on her back and then…” Fern shook her head. “Anyway, I appreciate your assistance.”
Reply that it was no matter, I thought. That you were happy to help. Because I was. If she could just let me silently do what I knew I needed to for her and didn’t ask questions, we could’ve gotten along just fine. Instead, I nodded and then went to do the same for all of my brother’s dragons.
When Fern stepped into my path.
That had me pausing, then shaking my head, but when I went to walk past her, she moved to block me again.
