“Airia?” I croaked.
Her eyelids fluttered, and when they slid open, she stared around with puzzlement on her face. “Where are we?”
“Are you alright?”
She sat up and rubbed her head. “Sure. Why are we sitting on a branch?”
“Kerune threw a knife, and it hit you in the chest. You fell off your dragon.”
With a gasp, she pawed at her chest. “I’m not hit. I’m not hit.”
“Let me see.” I peeled back her cloth tunic and peeked beneath, finding no wound. Had I been mistaken? Maybe the hilt hit her, and my eyes played tricks on me, telling me it had hurt her when it only knocked her off her dragon. But the blood coming from her mouth . . . Had she bit her tongue?
“I don’t see anything.” I shook off my confusion. “You’re sure you weren’t hurt?”
“I feel fine.”
“Then we need to get back to the dragons. Don’t let go.” Tightening my grip on her hand, I flitted, landing us on her dragon where she settled.
“Where’s Kerune?” she shouted, staring around wildly.
“They flew toward Bledmire.” Reyla’s horrified gaze meeting mine. “How’s Airia?”
“I’m uninjured,” Airia said. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then let’s get out of here.” I flitted, landing behind Vexxion, and wrapped my arms around him, placing my cheek against his back.
Will he be back?I asked Madrood.
He’d be foolish not to try again.
Then take us as fast as you can to Weldsbane.
Our dragons pelted the air with their wings, flinging themselves above the forest.
I kept looking back, but Kerune didn’t return.
“Are you going to tell me what those things were?” Reyla asked with a frown. The sun lingered on the horizon, stabbing bloody red and brittle orange spears into the sky, giving her blue eyes an umber cast in the fading light.
Drask flapped his wings hard nearby, keeping an eye on both me and the world around us. If he saw anything, he’d sound the alarm.
“Ivenrail gave dregs wings,” I said.
Her sneer rose. “Well, he sucks. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to. I just haven’t had time.”
Shaking her head, she grumbled. “Are you going to tell me how he did it or just let that slide as well?”
I shrugged. “With magic stolen from us Nullens.”
“You’renotNullen.”
“In my heart I am.” And that was where it most mattered. “You don’t care that I’m fae, do you?” Surely, she wouldn’t hold this against me. I hadn’t picked my parentage. I’d defended Nullens all my life.
Back at the fortress, we’d been raised to hate the fae.
Grunting, she turned her gaze forward.
