“Shadrie paid me a little visit,” I replied. “Daena was meddling with Bechora’s bond to Zypher, but I decided it was better to use her actions to keep Bechora away from me. As much as I loathe the female, she practically handed me a new tool to keep my mate safe on a silver platter.”
Dante arched a brow at me and frowned. “If you say so.”
“I do,” I drawled, tilting my head toward the decoded message as he plopped into the recliner. “Linoran’s message. Coordinates with today’s date and a time.”
Dante leaned forward and scanned the page. “Some seriously short fucking notice.”
“I agree, but we raised my father’s suspicions when we helped the sphinx. Linoran likely couldn’t get this message to us any sooner.”
“Good thing I found the fucking dragon. It would take us hours to get there without him. As it is, I’m already losing out on my beauty rest with the time being after midnight.”
“You found Thrackborne?” I asked, turning my gaze toward my friend.
“Yeah, the grumpy lizard was holed up in some secret archive. I had to bribe a few brownies to tell me where he was. No clue what he was doing down there. I didn’t even know the place existed.”
“Make sure he knows when to meet us. Whatever is going down at this location is important.”
It was a quarter to midnight when Dante and I arrived at the clearing in the woods on campus. Caulder was already waiting, his arms crossed over his chest, scowl etched on his face.
“Dante tell you where we’re heading?” I asked.
Thrackborne nodded before stepping back and undressing so he could shift into his dragon. Once his shift was complete, I climbed onto his back. Dante shifted into his gargoyle form, his stone wings beating against the night air as he rose to settle behind me. Caulder growled low, a puff of smoke leaving his nostrils as he snapped at Dante.
“Really? You’re going to make me fly the whole fucking way?” Dante grumbled. “Aren’t professors supposed to care about the well-being of students?”
Caulder blew out another puff of smoke with a grumble. His wings snapped wide, and he launched us into the air. Dante followed, complaining about favoritism and threatening to file a formal complaint with the dean. The dragon ignored him as he angled his wings toward our destination.
Worry coiled in my gut as we flew across the realm. When he angled his body toward the ground and I spotted the nearly empty desert below, I let myself relax a fraction. A small shack stood in stark contrast to the sand stretching beneath us. There wasn’t the shimmer of magic to indicate illusion. Another strong sign this wasn’t a trap laid by my father. Caulder landed with a thump that made the shack tremble. I eased myself to the ground so he could shift back to his human form. Dante, for all his grumbling, was silent as he stalked forward to meet us, hand outstretched with Thrackborne’s clothing.
“I don’t sense anything amiss, but be on your guard,” I clipped before knocking on the door of the rickety building.
It creaked open to reveal a slim, dark-haired fae male. His irises were shot through with lines of white, the mark of a strong seer. He motioned for us to come inside, shutting the door quickly behind us.
“I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but I’m not sure it is.” He grinned.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“Geordalis Caelthir Fenrithiel,” he said with a slight bow. “I believe you three are familiar with my half-sister from the academy, and since you are, I shall allow you to call me Geordie, as all my friends do.”
“There are no Fenrithiels enrolled at the academy,” Thrackborne’s gravelly voice rumbled.
The fae smirked and shrugged. “Never said there was.”
Dante chuckled, causing Caulder to scowl over his shoulder.
“Why are we here?” I demanded.
“You’re here to receive a warning. War is coming, and you will be forced to openly choose a side. I believe your gargoyle friend and dragon companion already received such a warning from the sphinx. And yet none of you are moving as fast as you should.”
“Damnable seers, always speaking in riddles,” Caulder growled.
The fae, Geordie as he’d asked to be called, simply grinned. “You know if we spoke in direct terms, the future would shift.” The smile fell, and he turned to me. “You won’t be strong enough on your own, Princeling. Not even with these two. You need to accept this is her fight too. Stop fighting what you know to be true.”
My heart plummeted to my stomach. He hadn’t needed to say it aloud—his vague references were enough to tell me he was talking about my mating bond. “I can’t. You know what will happen if I do.” The words left me in a breathless whisper.
Sadness crept across his face, and his shoulders curved inward as if the weight of what he foresaw was too heavy to bear. “Old, forgotten magic is rising. The king gathers his generals in secret, teaching them the whispered spells of the elves. Your future, my prince, is splintered into too many paths and will remain so until you choose for good. There is still time, but it is quickly running out.”
“So just tell him the path to take, fucking hell,” Dante snapped.
