Seven devils, a dragon. I’m greeting a godsforsaken dragon. What if she eats my hand? What if she eats my baby? What if she eats me?
Her panic rose to a crescendo, but she managed to perform the correct movements. Palm toward Ferrah. Hold still. Then breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Ferrah rose from her haunches and took a step toward her.
Mareleau nearly lost her nerve and leaped back, but Ailan warned her to hold her position.
Ferrah stepped closer again. Then again. Her tongue flicked in and out with every step until it glanced over Mareleau’s palm. She shuddered as it tickled her skin.
Gods, those teeth were close.
Too close.
Ferrah held her gaze for several uncomfortable moments.
Then, with a ground-shaking huff, Ferrah bounded off, feathered wings pressed close to her sides.
Mareleau’s gaze whipped to Ailan. She expected to see disappointment on the other woman’s face, but instead she wore a wide grin.
“You see?” Ailan said with a chuckle as Uziel sniffed the side of her head, his breath blowing Ailan’s black hair in messy streams. “You’ve earned her respect.”
“Thatwas earning her respect?”
“That was more than my brother ever managed. She’ll listen to you now. Somewhat.”
She couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. A secret side of her had hoped she’d earn more than just Ferrah’s respect. She’d hoped maybe she’d bond with the creature too. Succeed at what Darius had failed.
“You’ll have plenty of chances to bond with a dragon in the future,” Ailan said, as if she could read Mareleau’s thoughts.
Mareleau opened her mouth to deny such hopes when movement rippled at the mouth of the cavern. The telltale swirl of color warping the air foretold Garot’s arrival. He stepped out of his vortex and folded into a bow at once, hands open at his sides. “Forgive my intrusion, most honored ones.”
Mareleau thought the gesture was for her, Ailan, and Noah, but when he stood, his gaze darted from Uziel to the little beasts who hissed at him from their perches.
Finally, he faced Ailan. “I have an urgent update. Cora has returned, and she’s asked to speak to you at once.”
50
Cora waited in the empty tribunal room, where Garot had brought her. The room was even darker than it had been the last time she was here, as the brightly hued butterflies were nowhere to be seen. The only light came from the dim sconces that lined the curved walls. She wandered the circular floor, her muscles tense. Every minute she was here were several lost in the human world, and she’d already lost close to an hour.
She’d followed the agreed-upon protocol, entering El’Ara discreetly through the tear. There she’d been greeted by the drawn blades of the soldiers who now patrolled the fae side of the tear. After that, she argued over the urgency of her visit, which had been a headache even with the translation charm on the bracelet Fanon had given her. In the end, she’d worldwalked straight to the woods outside the palace, where Garot intercepted her.
She still didn’t know exactly how Garot could locate her so easily. The first time she’d come to El’Ara, he’d told her about the triggers that were woven throughout the land, explaining that was how Satsara had come to meet Tristaine. Yet Cora hadn’t learned more details than that. How did the triggers alert the Elvyn? How did they know the exact location where the trigger had been set off? It was yet more confusing fae technology, much like the impressive bathtub with its drains and faucets.
The door opened to reveal Ailan. And then…
“Mareleau.” Cora hadn’t expected Ailan to bring her, for she’d requested to speak with Ailan alone. Nightmare flames emerged from her memory at the sight of her friend, along with a burning well of guilt, shame, and bitter rage. Her confession echoed in her head.
It should have been her.
She breathed deeply, neither burying the emotions nor trying to push them away. Instead, she let all those feelings move through her without judgment.
When they passed, her body felt lighter.
Mareleau’s expression brightened with a grin, and she met Cora in a one-armed hug. The other arm cradled Noah’s sling. Cora sank into the embrace.
