Larylis angled slightly away from Mareleau and reached for something tucked under his jacket. He withdrew the two-taloned collar. “I’ll fight him. I have this.”
Etrix’ eyes widened. “If you have that, then Ailan truly is…”
“I’m sorry,” Larylis said. He may not have met Etrix before but even he could tell Ailan had been important to him. Now whatever frail hope Etrix had clung to was gone.
Gods, Mareleau couldn’t imagine the depths of his grief.
“Fanon urged Uziel to take me here,” Larylis said, “and for me to bring the collar.”
“What of the soldiers inside the tear?” Garot asked. “The wardweavers?”
Larylis’ face paled. “All I saw upon entering were bodies.”
Etrix uttered a string of words the charm on her bracelet failed to translate. He faced Garot. “He’s probably killed the wardweavers. There’s no one to seal the tear once the human queen sends themoraback to us.”
“Ifshe sends it back,” Garot said.
There was no condemnation in his tone, but Mareleau bristled nevertheless. “She will send it back. She’s probably already trying. But if there’s no one at the tear to seal it, she can’t complete her mission, right? She can’t simply push it back forever with nothing to contain it.”
“She’s right,” Etrix said, already retreating. “I’ll take Uziel back to the tear with three more wardweavers. We can’t lose this chance.”
He strode toward the black dragon, who continued to keen and bellow. Uziel gnashed his teeth at the dark-haired Elvyn but let him mount him anyway. Then, in a matter of several pulses of those leathery wings, they were high in the sky.
“Will he get there in time?” Mareleau asked.
“Faster than I would,” Garot said, his eyes still fixed on the map. “My pathweaving doesn’t work in the Blight, but Uziel can reach the tear quickly. If he’ll listen to Etrix, that is.”
Noah began to fuss and squirm, reflecting the panic tightening Mareleau’s chest. She hushed and soothed him, bouncing him in her arms. He probably needed to be nursed or changed, but this wasn’t the best time. They still needed to hide.
A sharp tapping echoed from behind her, and she spun to find Ferrah waiting inside the cave, her talons beating impatiently on the stone beneath her.
“On we go,” Garot said. “Our best hope is to hide deep in these caves. Darius can worldwalk to this location if he has any memories of it, but unless he has distinct recollections of the cave interior, he’ll need to traverse the tunnels on foot. And I don’t suspect he’s alone. My map doesn’t show how many people set off the triggers if they are together in a group, and I doubt he’d be foolish enough to enter dragon caves by himself.”
Larylis nodded. “I’ll wait outside with the guards and halt him with this.” He lifted the collar again.
Garot shook his head. “We should give it to your wife to use as a last resort. If Ailan wasn’t able to stop him with it, I doubt a human like you could. No offense. If Etrix succeeds at bringing a new trio of wardweavers to the tear, and your friend succeeds at pushing themorato us, we can hope to trick Darius into worldwalking back to the human world. He’ll need reinforcements to take down our guards, won’t he? If he leaves after the tear is sealed, we’ll be safe from him.”
Mareleau frowned. “You mean…lock him out and leave him as a problem for the human world.”
“Better there than here.” His tone was so empty. So tired.
Mareleau understood his apathy in the face of such grave odds, yet she couldn’t stand the thought of hiding when their goal was to leave Darius in Lela. For Cora and Teryn to deal with.Ifthey could deal with him.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust their abilities.
Hell, they were all stronger and more capable than she was.
It was more that she railed at the thought of passing this off on them. Staying safe. Small. Hiding. While they continued to fight for their lives.
“Protect our Morkara,” Garot said, his gaze locked on the red light on his map as it disappeared and reappeared on a different petal. “That is your strength and your duty as Edel Morkara’Elle.”
All this time, she’d wanted to believe exactly that. That protecting Noah was her strength. Her duty. Her guiding light. That her magic would bloom and unfurl once she’d learned how to use it the way she yearned to.
Yet that fury continued to burn in her chest. Wrath, rage, and rebellion in one.
Was it her selfish side that hated being told what to do?
Was it her prideful side that always wanted to prove others wrong when they claimed to know who she was? What she was meant for? What she was worth?
