Maybe I truly did need to lie down.
I flitted to my room, and Drask left my shoulder, flying over to the perch where he could look out the window.
Vexxion wasn’t inside the suite.
Where are you?I asked, though I wasn’t sure he’d hear me. We’d yet to test the distance we could project our thoughts, though he’d suggested it might not be very far. Yet, he’d added, though he hadn’t clarified what that meant when I pressed him.
I’m with the king. Can’t talk,was all he said, his voice sounding strained.
You’re safe?
Yes, I am.
Since I didn’t want to distract him further, I let it go and changed into my leathers. While I was hanging my gown in the closet, I spied the bag I’d used when I left the fortress and tugged it out, removing my wooden dragon Vexxion had carved. My fingertips tingled on something, and I spread the top of the bag, peering inside to see if I could discover why.
I tugged outEmber’s Shadow, the romance Reyla had been reading before the Claiming. Should I try to get it to her? That might help bring her back to the surface.
My well of power recovered after I’d used it. If a Nullen was severely drained, surely their power refilled as well, though I had no idea how long that might take.
While I wanted to see if I could find her now, I tossed the book onto the table in front of the sofa.
I ran through some of the blocking moves Vexxion hadtaught me, then moved onto attempts to shift objects from one surface to another, something I was finding much too challenging. After breaking a vase that toppled onto the floor rather than moving from one end of a table to the other, I gave up. Frustration kept roaring through me, and it had nothing to do with breaking and then having to clean up broken pottery.
Feeling trapped, I needed to get out of the castle for a while.
“Do you want to stay here or come with me, Drask?” I asked as I strapped on more blades than I’d need to take on a dreg attack.
He flew over and landed on my shoulder.
I flitted to the entrance of the castle, nearly running into a fae woman dressed in a gown more appropriate for a ball than lunch with the king.
She gripped my arms tight enough to pinch and snarled into my face. “Filthy Nullen.”
A hoarse, guttural sound shot through the air from behind me, and her gaze lifted. As I was about to pull a blade to wave it in her face, terror filled her eyes. With a yelp, she reeled away from me and bolted to my left, rushing along the wide platform, her skirt fisted in her hands and her heels furiously smacking on the smooth stone.
Gripping the hilt of the knife, I cautiously turned, but I didn’t see anyone around. Had they flitted from here?
When I arrived at the castle, I saw two enormous dragons trapped within the tall double doors, and they remained there. But while the one on the left continued to contort itself in a tortured manner, the one on the right had stilled. Itssmoldering gaze met mine before it joined the other in a morbid dance.
I stepped closer to the doors.
The dragons twisted harder as if they hoped to wrench themselves free.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I wish I could help.”
If they heard me, they didn’t give any indication.
Feeling like a boot was stomping my heart, I turned and rushed away from the castle, weaving around gaily dressed fae lords and ladies on the bridge who thankfully ignored me.
I reached the aerie and paused in the entrance to allow my eyes to adjust to the darkened interior. Two Nullen stable hands strode down the hall with gear in their hands. Each entered a different stall, and the dragons inside huffed.
“Oh, hey, Tempest,” Will said, coming up behind me, another male at his side. “This is Prenton.” He nudged the other guy with his elbow as I took in the guy’s light brown hair, his blue eyes with lashes I envied, and his average build. Like me, he was dressed in dark leathers, the usual uniform when someone worked with fire-wielding dragons.
Prenton bobbed his head, giving me a weak smile. “You’re new here.”
“I arrived yesterday.” Had it only been one day? I felt like I’d lived a lifetime in between.
“Were you assigned to work in the aerie?” he asked politely.
