Beneath that lie was a mountain of others she’d told.
She’d lied to the inquisitors and claimed to know nothing of magic. It had earned her her place as princess, solidified Dimetreus’ throne, but where were the fruits of such efforts now? Dimetreus’ council still didn’t trust her. Or him, for that matter. He’d lost his right to rule, was forced to abdicate according to the terms of an alliance that was supposed to be built on trust.
More recently, she’d lied to Teryn and told him nothing was wrong the night she remembered the curse, and he’d gotten possessed by a dead sorcerer.
She’d lied to Lurel. Told her the tower library wasn’t dangerous. The girl was now dead.
She’d lied to the Forest People, kept her royal identity a secret. In later confessing the truth, she’d earned their distrust.
Lies upon lies upon lies.
She used to think they protected her. Saw them as a necessary precaution. But now she found they were circular. Perpetual. Simply a way to delay the inevitable.
Mother Goddess, she was tired of it.
She held Fanon’s gaze, matching his glare with one of her own.I am the very thing you fear. The confession was perched on the tip of her tongue, moments away from leaving her lips, when Etrix stood between them.
Hands grasping the other Elvyn’s shoulders, Etrix forced Fanon back a few steps. “You said the Veil is intact, Fanon. No worldwalker can move through the Veil. You know this. Even if it had been torn, there was no guarantee a worldwalker could have gotten through.”
He pointed a condemning finger at Cora. “Then how is she here?”
Valorre reared back and managed to lift off the ground, hooves flailing, before Fanon’s magic brought him crashing back down to all fours. He let out an enraged whinny, but it was drowned out by a piercing screech that shattered the air in the distance.
Cora’s blood went cold. She glanced at the sky and saw a familiar shape—the dragon—soaring toward them. Fanon shook loose from Etrix’s grip, but instead of rounding on Cora, he faced the oncoming dragon. “Damn it, Ferrah, you unruly beast,” he muttered.
“She wants the unicorn,” Etrix said.
Valorre thrashed and neighed, but Fanon’s restraints refused to give.
The dragon circled overhead, then began her descent.
Cora took a few steps back, angling closer to her unicorn companion. “What does she want with Valorre?”
Etrix’s expression turned wary. “Like I told you, she’s been seen chasing his kind through the Blight.”
He didn’t elaborate, but she feared the worst. She doubted the dragons only gave chase.
As the dragon drew nearer to the ground, Cora got a better look at the creature. She was massive, her sinuous body and tail the length of at least ten horses. Her scales were an opalescent white that glinted pink, blue, and purple in the rising sunlight. Her enormous wings were comprised of white feathers. Additional feathers framed her scaly face, and from her snout protruded long, trailing whiskers. Her eyes were a deep shade of violet with black slits for pupils. She landed with an earth-shaking thud several yards away.
Valorre quivered, ears twitching back and forth.I remember her. Do not like. Not friends.
The dragon took a darting step forth, but Fanon leaped forward too, hand outstretched. “Ferrah,” he said, voice a deep growl. “Stay back.”
To Cora’s surprise, the dragon obeyed. Or was it Fanon’s magic that held Ferrah at bay? The creature swiveled her neck to the side to get a look at Valorre. Her forked tongue flicked out of her mouth, carrying a hiss of steam.
Fanon spoke again, tone firm. “Stay. Back.”
“Fanon,” Garot said, wide eyes locked on the dragon. “The human said she arrived on the unicorn?—”
“Let us not debate the human’s lies until we’ve sent Ferrah back to the caves.”
“Yes, but what if this has everything to do with Ferrah? What if the human is telling the truth?”
Fanon kept his gaze on the dragon a few beats more, then slowly shifted his eyes to Garot. He spoke through his teeth. “In what way?”
“What if unicorns can cross the Veil when no other creature can?”
“How is that possible?” Etrix asked.
