“This map,” Ash said, keeping her tone neutral, “does it account for what’s been happening here lately, weather-wise?” She pointed to the wobbly lines marking the mountains. “Because that’ll affect airflow in this section.”
Rhaedra’s cool gaze flicked over her as if she were a buzzing insect. “This is sufficient. We stake out everything. Nothing is left to chance.”
“Fair enough.” Ash glanced around, picked up a piece of chalky stone from the ground, and crossed to a smooth stretch of dark wall. The air still felt taut and unstable, the same pressure drag she’d sensed since they’d arrived. She sketched quick strokes, marking the routes she’d seen on the faded map and the subtle shifts in air currents she’d sensed outside—the kind that could smother flight.
She could feel Race’s curiosity.
It’s a climate map,she said through their mind-link, relieved to finally be useful in the only way she truly trusted.And I know my stuff.
Silence spread through the cave, broken only by the crackle of flames.
“This is whatIwould want before heading into those passes,” she said to them, without looking at Rhaedra.
“Chalk on stone doesn’t change strategy,” the woman shot back.
“Let her finish.” Varkyn straightened, his gaze flicking between them, then pinning on Ash’s work.
Race folded his arms across his chest, letting her handle it. Her heart swelled at his quiet trust.
“We are dragons, not hindered by mortal limitations.” Rhaedra’s voice dripped with disdain. “Our maps are a guide?—”
“Even immortals can fall from the sky.” Ash managed a cool smile.
She crossed to the rock seat, grabbed her parka, and glanced at Race. “Take me to the highest peak near Gildershard Mount. I can read the patterns better from there.”
Rhaedra’s low gasp cut through the air at the audacity of her request to a royal, or maybe at Race’s immediate nod. Her cool gaze flickered between them, then returned to her own maps, dismissing Ash entirely.
Ash stifled a snort as she pulled on her outerwear and zipped up. She had more pressing concerns than a she-dragon’s bruised ego. There were children to save, and her expertise might mean the difference between success and failure.
Outside the cave, Race wrapped his arms around Ash, breathing in the grounding scent of her skin and the faint smoke that clung to her hair. “You okay?”
She nodded, pulling up her fur-trimmed hood. “Wish I had my kit to get a proper reading. Let’s see if I can get even a rough estimate of what the pressure is like here, shall we?”
“You are a Storm Summoner, Ash,” he said softly. “Just call upon what you need to know.”
I am, aren’t I?
The corner of his mouth tipped up at her sassy reply. He dematerialized them, and a breath later, they reformed on a narrow plateau high on the mountain, clouds swirling like ghosts around them.
She shivered, her breath misting white. “It’s freezing here.”
He put a palm to the small of her back, letting his heat seep into her. “We’re in the colder north, still some distance from Gildershard Mount, but safer.”
“It’s fine,” she murmured, her gaze sweeping over the desolate stretch of snow and stone. Then her eyes fluttered shut, lashes dark against her reddened cheeks.
Race watched her breathe as she opened herself to the elements…
And guilt slid through his gut, as cold as the icy wind lashing their bodies.I lied to her.
This morning, the first stirrings of the rut had spiked. He’d taken the potion Hedori usually procured for him to dull it, but the vial was near empty.
Now, every breath of her scent clawed at his control.
Ash shivered, bringing him back to the moment.
Her brow furrowed, her body tilting forward as if the mountain itself was leaning close to whisper to her. He grasped her by the waist, supporting her. Then her eyes snapped open, and she gave a little nod.
“It’s like I thought—the pressure’s dropping faster than I expected.”
