It’s my turn to shake my head as I resume my pacing in the tight space of the stall.
“They’re going to catch you—”
“No,” I cut her off, slashing a hand through the air. “I’m ahead of them. I canstayahead of them. I can cover my tracks and make it to Feyer. The Horde can’t sense me. I don’t smell like them, which will make sniffing me out harder. If I can stay off their radar long enough, they’ll probably think this is all some hoax and punish the town for making up some bullshit sighting.”
Enslee’s features soften as she studies my face. “Do they have your blood, Ev?” she asks simply, and I can see by the hopelessness floating in her eyes that she knows they do. The hospital took mine while I was unconscious; it’s how they knew what I was. There’s no other way to identify us.
A tear slides down my cheek, followed by another, and I let them drop unchecked as Enslee wipes at her own.
“They’re going to catch you, Ever. They’re going to take you back to Paragon City, to Four Tiers, and they’re going to find out what you are,” she tells me gently, like she knows it won’t take much to shatter me, so she has to be careful.
“They’re going to kill me,” I declare flatly.
Enslee’s tear-streaked face hardens back to familiar steel as a dogged determination alights in her green eyes.
“Not if you can give them a reason not to,” she counters, her tone tenacious. “They’ll know what you are, but they won’t know how or what it means. The Horde is greedy. You can use that, Ever. Use it to gain access to what we’ve been searching for all this time. They have to have records somewhere tracking the Blood Crafters, and if you could find them, access them…this could be fate clearing our path,” she hedges cautiously, like she already knows this line might not be as secure or private as we think it is.
I snort an incredulous laugh. “Fuck fate,” I whisper, and Enslee gives me a brief smile before it falls away.
“Fuck fate,” she agrees, her gaze searching mine. “You can do this, Ever. If anyone can, it’s you. You survived the massacre that killed our kith and our kindred. You survived The Scorch and that run-in with the chimeras. You survived the blood brokers for fuck’s sake. You can survive The Dragon Horde.”
I shake my head but don’t say anything. We just sit there in silence for a moment even though we both know the clock is winding down all too quickly.
“They’re going to kill me, Ens,” I repeat, needing Enslee to really hear me, to truly understand the most likely outcome here and what it means for all of us.
The burn of this truth isn’t as harsh going down the second time. Then again, I was ready to die to protect my family from the Tainted, and now I’ll do the same to protect them from the dragons.
“Even if I can convince The Horde not to slit my throat the minute they find out who I am, whoever helped the wyverns and the sorcai kill our familyisgoing to come after me. They wanted all of us dead for a reason. If it’s King Noctis, like we suspect…”
“If The Horde thinks they can use you, they won’t let anyone hurt you,” Enslee argues.
“Ens, the entire Horde could be responsible for slaughtering the Syphons. For all we know,everydragon clan—the Burners, Thrashers, Channelers, and the other Renders—was involved. We have no idea who to trust.”
“No, we don’t, but you know what to look for. You know how to play the game. So play it, Ever, because I refuse to let this be goodbye. Iwillsee you again. We will ride into the fray together until glory is ours. I command it.”
I huff out a weak laugh at her dramatics and shake my head. “Yes, Your Majesty,” I mock, but there’s no real bite to it.
“You know I always get what I want,” she teases softly, but the tears and the glint of agony in her stare betray her.
I pull in a shaky breath and nod once, doing my best to compose myself. She may not want it to be, but if this is the last time I ever see her, there are things she needs to know, things she needs to do to protect herself.
“You have a snake in your nest,” I offer as cryptically as I can in case anyone else is listening.
Enslee’s green eyes harden. “I know. I’m working on rooting it out, but it’s proving difficult. Any light you can shed on our shadows?”
“Unfortunately, no. But don’t let anyone leave the wards, it’s too dangerous. No missions. No supply runs. Not until the slithering coward is missing their head for selling us out.”
Enslee gives me a solemn nod and pulls in a deep breath. “I don’t want you to go, but you should get a move on. Give those Horde fuckers a run for their money.”
Choking down the sorrow that tries to escape, I harden my resolve and blink back tears as I take in Enslee for what might be the last time. I’ll do everything she asks. I always have, but it doesn’t mean I’ll end up anywhere other than skewered through with a pike before I’m ripped limb from limb and burned to ash for good measure.
“I’ll see you soon, Ens,” I lie, and she smiles and pretends she believes it.
“Soon,” she repeats, her voice cracking under the deluge of anguish I see rising in her gaze. “Spark the flames, Ever.”
“Ignite the infernos,” I answer automatically.
“Ash the embers,” we both say at the same time, a small chuckle escaping us as we finish the chant we’ve exchanged back and forth since we were kids.
