“Aren’t those two of the—”
“Of theFour Dragonsyour mother said I needed to win the battle? Yes. They are.”
Asher’s every muscle tensed when I called the seerhis mother,and I internally cursed. “I’m sorry. I won’t call her that again.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“I guess we are back to square one,” I mumbled.
Fuck me.
“Forgive me, Braxton. When we arrived this morning, Ardor and Knight were here,” Imogen explained the second we reached her, realizing the same thing I had. “I know you need battle-ready Dragons, but they claimed Charlotte and Quinn, and I couldn’t stop it.”
“I know.”
“But before, you had three experienced Dragons out of the four. Now you have one.”
Tharion, now I only had him.
“I’ll just have to find two more.” A concerned breath sank my chest while my mentor and Asher exchanged a loaded glance.
“We could go hunting tomorrow morning. I have no doubt you can find more,” my commander and brother offered, but Imogen shook her head.
“Not ones who have been in battle. The other two who fought with the Harbinger of Justice are dead for a reason. Azazel killed them. Fighting him will be no easy feat.”
“I will figure it out.” My jaw strained with the words, but there was nothing I could do.
Sure, Ardor and Knight would still be in the fight, but not with me. The fact thatIneeded four Dragons was possibly the most important part of the Truth Teller’s decree.
Pushing my predicament aside, I nodded towards my guard, who began dismounting the moment they noticed me there. “How did they do?”
“Marvelous, darling. They are naturals. It is like they were born to fly.”
That brought a chuckle out of me. I was glad that at least one thing was going smoothly.
“Gather fast, it’s time to get you fitted,” Asher ordered, waving the guard to us.
My head lifted just as Ardor and Knight took flight, knowing the training was over and it was time to leave. Their gazes connected with mine, and a wave of overwhelming emotion coursed into me from them.
“Thank you, Devenish Prince,”Ardor whispered into my mind, my heart filled with the same emotion both she and Knight felt.
“We are no longer alone…”Knight added just before they entered the honeycombs.
My throat burned when their emotion receded into my core. How long had they been alone, waiting for me to return, waiting for a Soulris to claim? They deserved this, and I would do whatever it took to make sure their new bonds survived long after Raithian was gone.
They wouldn’t die in that battle like Storm and Nocte had.
When we got to Skylar's shop, we found her with five more people in the forge. I had no idea she had helpers, but it was nice to see there were others who shared the kind of magic she wielded and that her particular race wasn’t extinct.
In all honesty, I didn’t actually know how her abilities worked or came to be. All I knew was that she belonged to a special race of women who could forge magic into metal. My father’s sword had been made by them… and now that I thought about it, probably so had his ring.
Noticing our arrival, Skylar set down the hammer, removing her protective helmet and cleaning up with the wet towel before coming to our side. The five women behind her continued pounding into the smoldering steel they were shaping, a few pieces looking like the shoulder part of the arm shields our Elevated Warriors wore.
“Hey, Skylar.” I offered her a smile when she stopped before us, resting her elbows on the counter.
“I already told you to call me Larie. All my friends do.” She winked, briefly glancing behind us. “Oh, you brought me more good-looking men and women, I see. I love it when you do that,” Skylar teased, greeting Asher with a kiss on the lips.
“I have.” He winked too. “Let me introduce you to Aaron, Harvey, Louis, Charlotte, Quinn, and Edward. Braxton’s new guard.”
