Her chest twisted. Unthinking, she reached out and took his hand.
His skin was cool, the bones beneath too prominent. He stared down at their joined hands as though the world had changed in some impossible way.
*There are other layers to our magic,*he said at last. *Our—we—when we’re young, we have more powers. A heightened awareness of where our elders are. Limited teleportation. We covet all things glittery and golden, as though better to camouflage ourselves.*
“Camouflage? But your—” She caught herself and switched back to telepathic speech. There was no knowing who might be listening in. *You aren’t gold colored.*
*No.*He smiled thinly. *It fades as we grow into our adult scales. And those magical survival mechanisms change, too. No more snipping holes in the fabric of reality and teleporting from one spot to another.*
Francine’s stomach roiled. *Imagine what Harper or anyone else might do with powers like that.*
*How fortunate they only have access to adult dragon scales.*His face darkened. *Perhaps it’s a blessing that—no.*
Her heart fluttered.
He must have been thinking of the hatchling.
She’d assumed he didn’t know that one of the eggs Lance had taken custody of had hatched. If he did—
She dismissed the thought with a grimace. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it. And why would he? They were on their way to rescue what was left of his family. He would not want the reminder of what else he had to lose.
*We’ll stop him,*Francine reassured him.
And squeezed his hand.
The action was so unnatural that her fingers got stuck partway through, clenched around Julian’s.
She peeled them away, one by one, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
“Thank you,” he said softly. He was still looking at her hand. And still frowning.
“How far are we from Antarctica?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I have no idea.”
“But you—” She cut herself off. *You lived there.*
*And when I left, I traveled on the wing, not by boat. I have no idea how long the journey will take.*
“The captain of my ship said it would be a two-day journey to the Peninsula. Longer to get closer to the mainland. Five to seven days.”
“We will need to get closer.” Julian’s voice was quiet, almost lost on the chill breeze that cut across the balcony. “And I expect the journey is easier on the water than over the ice.”
“Easier still by air. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the—some of our competitors fly in. On planes,” she said, and immediately felt like an idiot.
“They would need to know where to land.”
“No, all they would need is a base while they wait for Harper to release the location to the successful bidder. Then they need to find the person who won the auction.” She hesitated, and Julian filled the silence.
“How much easier to do that when we’re all gathered together on one boat, rather than scattered to the four winds.”
*How long until your dragon is well enough to fly?*
He opened his mouth. Reconsidered. Closed it. *I do not know. I have never been this badly injured before.*He shrugged. *But it was only fire. Not dragonsbane. My dragonwillrecover.*
Only fire?she thought, remembering the blast that had almost killed them both. *Will it recover in time?*she asked.
*It will have to. What other choice do we have?*He hesitated. *There is something else we should discuss.*
