Teryn’s mind went blank and he nearly huffed a laugh. He’d been foolish to hope. The last of it drained from his body as Alden finished her report, detailing how they’d found the spy’s body in his cell, how his face had been beaten nearly to a pulp.
Teryn replied with a calm he didn’t feel, agreed with her conclusion that the spy had been purposefully silenced after revealing information about the naval fleet. When she left, he faced the parapet once more and pounded a fist upon the stone crenel.
He was supposed to solve problems. He was supposed to protect Ridine while Cora was away. Instead, he’d lost their only asset to help them gain intel on the enemy. And worst of all, if the spy had been silenced in the dungeon, that meant something far worse.
There was a traitor somewhere in the castle.
32
For three days, Cora and her companions searched for the tear, traveling mostly at night. This, of course, was to limit the possibility of dragon sightings. There was no way to know if Darius didn’t already have eyes in Khero, seeking signs of the tear. He already had spies in her kingdom, or at least his Norunian allies did. And now that a third dragon had joined Ferrah and Uziel—proof that the creatures would continue to pour out of El’Ara in search of Ailan and Mareleau—it was even more imperative that they return them to the Veil.
The road was cloaked in predawn shadows and a faint wash of moonlight as Cora rode beside Ailan’s wagon. The wagon was pulled by a pair of the Forest People’s horses while Valorre served as Cora’s mount—his idea, for he seemed to have taken a liking to his fashionable saddle. Or perhaps he was jealous of the new horses.
When they’d set out for tonight’s journey, Ailan had insisted they’d find the tear before sunrise. Cora was surprised that the Veil had torn so close to Ailan and not closer to Ridine where Noah had been born. When Cora had asked her about this, Ailan had explained that even though Noah’s birth had caused the surge ofmorathat split the Veil, Ailan was still regent over El’Ara’s magic and would be until he came of age. Themorawas just as desperate to reach her as it was to find its Morkara.
Wings beat the starlit sky overhead, and a dark silhouette rose above the tree line. Cora’s hands flinched, one toward the bow at her back, the other toward the quiver of arrows attached to the saddle. She smothered her defensive instincts to draw her weapons and settled for grasping the hilt of her dagger—the beautiful gift Teryn had given her—as she watched the dragon carry off some unfortunate creature in its talons. From the dragon’s massive size, it was Uziel. He flew over the road to the other side, where the landscape ended in a steep cliffside. His silhouette dipped beyond the cliff, likely to devour his prey upon the beach far below. Ailan had promised the dragons would cease burning crops and stealing livestock, upon her order, but they still needed to feed. Thankfully, they did so out of sight.
I still don’t like them much, Valorre conveyed.Now that I have my memories, I recall my kind has never gotten along with theirs. Too unrefined.
Is that so?Cora stifled a laugh and wondered if all unicorns were as arrogant as Valorre.
What the fornication is he even eating? His prey was almost as large as me.
What I’d like to know, Cora said,is where you got these strange expletives from.
Strange? How are they strange? The sentinels at the castle walls use them all the time in conversation.
Is that what you do when I’m not around? Wander the perimeter and listen in on the sentinels’ private gossip?Cora chuckled.Regardless, I think you’ve misunderstood. The words you use aren’t quite the same as theirs.
Yes, well, I could hardly comprehend what the sentinels’ words meant at first. Once I gleaned their meaning, I decided to use far more concise variations. I’ll have you know that makes me more refined and more creative. I can use better words than shit, crap, devils, and fu—
I get it. You’re oh so clever and refined with your foul language.
Thank you. I knew you’d agree.
Cora rolled her eyes.
I’m nothing like these fatherless sons, he said with a huff at the two horses pulling the wagon, Ailan at the reins.They haven’t a thought in their heads. Look how much taller I am! Look how much faster I can trot!
“No you don’t,” Cora said out loud, tone sharp. “I know you’re faster, larger, and smarter, but you don’t need to show off.”
Valorre mentally scoffed but resisted his urge to race ahead.
Ailan released a soft chuckle from the box seat. “You have a strong relationship with him, don’t you? He’s your familiar.”
“Yes, he is.” Some of her mirth died down. Even after traveling with Ailan for three days, she still hadn’t fully warmed to her. The same went for Mareleau, who often treated the woman with downright coldness. She couldn’t blame her.
Cora cast a glance down the length of the wagon, finding all the shutters closed with no sign of light behind them. Mareleau and Noah must be asleep.
Ailan spoke again. “I imagine it is like my bond with Uziel. The Elvyn don’t call them familiars, as that term belongs to witches, but the connection is the same.”
Cora was caught between curiosity and her steady apprehension of Ailan. She fought past the latter and gave in to the former. “Do Elvyn bond with other creatures besides dragons?”
“No, only dragons, and only the Morkara and their descendants can bond with them. Even so, the dragons can refuse to bond with certain people, regardless of bloodline. That was what happened with Darius. It very well might be what set everything into motion.”
Cora nudged Valorre’s side to bring him closer to the wagon. The road was plenty wide, but Cora’s curiosity made her want to draw nearer. “What do you mean?”
She opened her mouth but didn’t utter a word. Maybe she didn’t know where to start. When she did manage to speak, her eyes were distant, her gaze hovering over the star-dappled sea that stretched beyond the cliffside. “My brother’s jealousy knew no bounds. He hated me from the moment I was born. You know about my brother’s father? The prince who worldwalked into El’Ara and stole my mother’s heart?”
