Even if I hadn’t overheard them last night, it’s clear what she means—what Ozias knows, she knows. Instead of putting me off though, I respect her candor. Which is more than I can say for myself. I’m suddenly met with anoverwhelming sense of shame. I open my mouth and the words won’t come. A creeping sensation works its way up my spine, curling around my throat. I’ve felt this before, any time I thought of falling pregnant with Alixor’s brood. Like being trapped. I can’t be pulled from this task simply because my mind likes to conjure an image of the dragon king. I will keep Ninon safe. I will keep my distance from the Sar Dyeus at all costs. I will do what I must.
“No.” The lie tumbles from my mouth. “No dreams.”
Atlanta regards me for a passing moment, then nods. “Good. Let me know if they return. I’m somewhat of an expert in…bad dreams.”
“Of course.”
Satisfied, Atlanta nods again. “I’d like to show you both something before you rest, if you’re interested.”
Ninon and I exchange a quick glance and nod our approval.
Atlanta leads us through the Realm, but instead of bisecting the main square to the Alcazar, she takes us westward. Here the trees are dense for a good kilometer before they thin out again and we’re met by a towering rockface wall that looks as if it was pulled from the ground and flattened at the top. Every few meters there are arched openings to the Sere beyond. Along the edge of the wall is a steep staircase that looks as if it leads to a structure perched atop the high wall.
"What’s the point of a wall if you’re going to have so many openings?” I ask.
“The openings allow us to send our people out to hunt and for Nevobans to enter” Atlanta explains as she begins her way up the steps. “Plus, it has an added benefit of providing vantage points around the Realm to keep an eye on what goes on beyond this place.” I suppose that makes sense. It’s not like a wall would keep out a hoard of dragons anyway.
As we climb, Ninon’s breathing becomes heavy.
“You all right?”
“Yes,” she sighs. “I’m tired after last night, but I’m fine.”
Ahead of me, I see Atlanta looking back at Ninon, her face taut, but she doesn’t suggest stopping. “I think what you’re about to see will be of particular interest to you, Ninon.”
The promise of intrigue perks Ninon up and she keeps up better after that.
Wind sweeps our hair back as we reach the top, the Sere awash in gold as the sun rises from its resting place. Long shadows of the rock monuments and large wooden structures I’ve never seen before rake the ground.
“Those are Dyeus’s battlements,“ Atlanta informs us.
“The ones closest to Nevoban’s hunting grounds are not nearly as large as those,” Ninon says and we exchange a glance.
“Have you ever seen these from Dyeus?” Ninon asks me.
I shake my head.
“You wouldn’t have,” Atlanta informs us. “Like our concealment to keep them from seeing our fortress, they use an additional concealment barrier to shield us and their encampments from view so the Nevobans can’t witness who we truly are and what they do to us. The small bases you see make it seem like Dyeus is so powerful it needs little to control such an impressive enemy.”
I huff my annoyance at the effectiveness.
Atlanta continues. “They move their units in erratic patterns, typically during the day, attempting to keep up with the exits Ozias creates in the barrier around the Realm. They use any chance they have to ambush us.”
“Exits?” Ninon questions before I get the chance.
“We need the draconem who can shift during the day to go out and procure meat and fish. If they pass through the barrier, they’ll trigger the curse, so in order to let them continue shifting at will, Ozias erects specific entry and exit points. Lately though, Dyeus has gotten more aggressive in their movements, and too many of our people have been trapped out there.”
Understanding dawns on me swiftly. “For Dyeus to take and turn into soul collectors.”
Atlanta nods. Then, another thought occurs to me. “Why didn’t Ozias open the barrier when he brought me here?” If I didn’t trigger the curse when I entered, then wouldn’t I be able to come and go as freely as those who hunt?
“You needed to cross the barrier to destroy the mark and release your dragon. Even if you hadn’t wanted it released, Ozias was doing too much when he brought you in for that to have been an option. It was a race against time, and his magic was already working as a shield to keep you both safe from Dyeus’s ground forces.”
“That’s a lot of trouble to go through to bring me here,” I muse.
“He’s putting a lot of faith in your success.” Atlanta must see the anxiety on my face because she throws me a quick wink. “But no pressure, right?”
“Right,” I agree with a shaky laugh. My head swims with all the information I’ve learned since remaining conscious in my dragon form these past two days. This curse that forces the nightly transformation of the rogues must be stronger than the one the Sar Dyeus places on us Nevobans if it can unleash our dragons, and I can’t help wondering why that is. Especially if Dyeus knows that the Nevobans escape here from time to time, which they must if they’ve crafted such lies to keep us away from here.
