“You’ve come a long way while I was drowning in whatever land this collar sucked me into,” Reyla said from behind me. She wove among the carts to stand at my side. “I’m not even sure what to call what you just did, that disappearing and reappearing thing.”
“Flit. It’s called flitting.”
“Using magic, of course.” I could barely see her scowl in the dim light filtering in through the dust and grime covering the sole window on one side. “I suspect it takes a different spell than this one.” She lifted her finger and created a light. “At least I haven’t lost the ability.”
“Not at all. You’ll be able to use magic. You need to be trained.” And now I sounded like Vexxion. Should I tell her she was unprepared? Because she was nowhere near ready to face everything inside the castle. Though she had, just from a dreamy state she didn’t appear to remember.
“I’ll ask Zayde to help me when I find him.” Her brow knit. “I still haven’t seen him, though I assume he’s somewhere nearby. That’s the funny thing. I don’t remember much since the Claiming, but I have a map-like knowledge of the castle floors and the aerie, like I’ve been here before in the past, which I know isn’t true.”
Maybe it was implanted in her mind? Drained Nullens appeared to be much too common. Vexxion wasn’t here all the time to protect them. No one wanted them wandering off a cliff, so they must cast a spell to give them the basic skills they’d need to provide useful service.
“Youkilled Delaine,” she said.
I held my finger over my lips. “Keep your voice low. We don’t know who’s listening.”
She peered around, obviously bewildered. “We’re alone inside this shed.”
“Weappearto be alone, but fae have excellent hearing.”
She nodded. “Where can we talk?”
Nowhere.
“I think I know a good place,” I said.
She followed me inside the aerie, right over to Madrood’s stall. When I lifted the latch, she put her hand on top of mine, stilling me. “You can’t do that.”
“We can talk inside as long as we’re quiet. I know there won’t be anyone else there.”
“No, something’s telling me it’s not safe in there.”
I spoke softly near her ear. “Madrood is in this stall. He’s the king’s dragon.”
Her breath caught. “I vaguely remember hearing about a big silver dragon burning people.”
“That’s my buddy, Madrood.” I eased the latch up and opened the gate, slipping through the gap.
Madrood lay on the sand, his snout resting on the netting covering the opening into the valley. He rolled his eyes my way but didn’t turn his head.
“I can’t,” Reyla hissed from the hall. “When I try to step inside, something in my mind shouts no.”
I stepped back out and secured the gate. If my theory about them implanting basic guidelines in a drained Nullen’s mind was true, there must also be a warning about Madrood.
“We could go to my suite,” I said. “Though without Vexxion’s . . .” Vexxion’s threads were not my secret to share.
“I learned some things about him,” she said. “He’s the controller. Did you know that?”
“He told me.”
“He’s the king’s bastard. I’ve heard a few horror stories about Ivenrail Levestan that would sear the hair off your head. He’s bad. Really bad. And Vexxionhelpsthe king. How can you . . .” She shook her head and swallowed back her dismay, tightening her spine and making her voice come out neutral. “You’re collared. You had no choice in that, but I know you, Tempest. You’d never care about someone like—”
I tapped my finger on my lips. “Do you trust me?” Funny how I used the words Vexxion had so many times.
She nodded without reservation.
Taking her hand, I flitted us to the peak where Delaine had pinned me to the ground as an offering for the Lieges.
“Wait here,” I said. I flitted to the woods, to the area above where I was bound, and even to the edge of the cliff, though I didn’t peer down. Seeing no movement, I sent out my magic, seeking . . .
