The men glanced toward the dragon as Igliana swooped down, talons extended, and plucked Syla from the edge of the bluff. Though Syla had expected it, it was still terrifying when those talons tossed her, and she barely kept hold of the amphora. The pack with the ore and orb slumped to one side, and she almost lost her medical kit as she fought to keep everything else. It was far more Igliana’s magic than any graceful maneuvering in the air on Syla’s part that allowed her to land on the dragon’s back. Before she could use her power to anchor herself, Igliana’s magic wrapped around her, holding her in place, and they flew away from the cliff.
Syla looked back toward land, toward the battle, but too much rain spattered her spectacles for her to see well. With the dragon flying swiftly out to sea, the men were already indistinct against the trees.
I love you, Vorik,she thought as Igliana carried her away.
Even if he couldn’t hear the words, she hoped he knew.
Vorik kept an eye on his brother as they watched the orange dragon depart with Syla on her back. As strong gusts of wind battered them, Igliana’s wingbeats faltered, but she didn’t hesitate to continue out to sea, determined to carry her rider away, whatever the weather.
Vorik and Jhiton had stopped fighting when she’d swooped down, Jhiton spinning toward the dragon and raising his blades, probably not certain if Igliana would pluck up Syla or try to end his life. Vorik had taken the opportunity to back away. Withsweat and rain running down his face and making his hands slick, he wanted no more of the battle. Further, his leg throbbed where his brother had cut him. But Syla had gotten away. That was all that mattered.
Jhiton shook his head, looked at Vorik, and lowered but didn’t put away his swords. “Are we done?”
“You tell me.” Vorik wiped his face with the back of his sleeve but also didn’t sheathe his weapons. He hadn’t been fighting with everything he had, but it had seemed like Jhiton had been, that his brother might have killed him, the ultimate punishment for going astray.
Jhiton looked hard at him for a long moment, then wiped his blades and sheathed them. “I don’t know what to do with you, Vorik.”
“You could demote me.”
“How wouldthathelp anything?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be directly under your command.”
“No, you’d be tormenting some poor captain who would then report all your shenanigans to me.”
“Were you going to kill Syla?” Vorik asked.
Surely,Jhitonwas the one in the wrong here.
Jhiton eyed him. Vorik realized he hadn’t yet sheathed his own weapons.
“If I say, yes, will you run me through?”
“If I tried, I doubt I would succeed.” Vorik sheathed his blades. He’d never had any intention of killing his brother. All he’d known was that he had to stop Jhiton. “You’re still as fast and deadly as you always were.”
“You’re a strong fighter as well.” Wind gusted, managing to snap Jhiton’s cloak even though it was sodden. He looked out to sea, but Syla and the orange dragon had disappeared. “I intended to recapture her and return her to the cave.”
“So Chieftess Shi could arrange her death while we were back in the Kingdom.” It didn’t come out sounding like a question, and Vorik realized he believed the words. It wasn’t so much that he thought their tribal leader a heinous criminal. It was more that Shi had less reason to care about Vorik and his potential broken heart than Jhiton did.
“I don’t know what Shi would have done. Neither do you.”
“It was a risk Syla wasn’t willing to take.”
Jhiton snorted and walked into the trees. He flexed his hip, rotated it, then unbuckled his weapons belt so that he could sit on the ground, a boulder somewhat sheltering him. Vorik might not have drawn blood in their battle, but he felt a modicum of satisfaction that he’d at least caused his brother to develop a twinge in his hip. A small victory.
“You’re not going to chase after her?” Vorik asked.
“I already asked Ozlemar to come get me. He said he’s not going to fly in this weather.”
“Dragons. So persnickety.”
“Indeed.”
Weary himself, Vorik joined Jhiton in the shelter of the boulder. Reminded of a time after their father had passed when they’d sat back-to-back, alternately watching the sky and looking out at a stormy beach while grieving, he assumed that position now.
“How’d she get past the guards and out of the cave?” Jhiton asked.
“I don’t know.” Vorik shrugged, though he’d seen the men sleeping atypically hard when he’d passed.
