As if Ash didn’t know why.
She almost rolled her eyes. Then she dismissed her entirely.
They reformed in bitter cold, the mountain air stealing Ash’s breath. Race had settled them on a narrow ledge carved deep into the mountainside, shielded by an overhanging ridge. He remained close, his warmth seeping through her thick layers.
“That’s Gildershard Mount.” He nodded at the enormous mass rising from the thick mist below, its peaks disappearing into the gathering clouds.
“How did you find this spot?” she asked.
“Last night. I had to make sure you were safe.”
Emotion welled in her chest, but aware of Attor’s presence, she kept silent. Race’s arm tightened around her, a press of warmth. She wanted to sink into him, to steal one more heartbeat of peace before the chaos broke.
“The cave system’s entrance is there—” He pointed far down the rugged, granite-gray slope. “A crack in the mountain’s eastern face. Once the storm hits, when the eye is over us, you’ll have a clear view of our exit point.”
I’ll tell you when we’re done,his voice brushed her mind.
“Okay.” She turned in his embrace to study his face. In the shifting light, the clouds swallowing and releasing the moonlight, she caught the tension in the sharp set of his jaw.
Be careful, please,she mind-linked with him.
Always, heart-fire.A flicker of a smile. Then he was gone, leaving only a ghost of his warmth and burnt ember scent in the freezing air.
Ash exhaled slowly, her breath misting in the brittle air. The cold bit at her cheeks and her powers stirred, prickling beneath her skin as if in response to what was coming. She let her senses stretch outward, brushing over the mountains’ jagged spines.
Beautiful, yes…but beneath that beauty, rot festered.
The wind shifted, carrying a taste of iron and ice. High above, thin veils of clouds dragged across the night sky, drawn by the same pull she felt in her chest. The pressure in the air shifted, subtle yet persistent, like the first deep note of a storm’s song.
“He’s different with you,” Attor said quietly, his voice almost lost to the rising wind. He stepped closer to the edge, strands of his bound steel-gray hair escaping and whipping in the gusts. “I’ve known him since he was a youngling. Never seen him like this, not with anyone.”
She kept her face carefully neutral. “We work well together.”
Attor didn’t press, but Ash had a distinct feeling he already knew. He nodded toward the valley. “That’s where they’ll enter the mountain.”
Ash moved nearer to the precipice. Thank God, she didn’t suffer from acrophobia. From this height, the valley below was little more than a pale ribbon threading between black jagged stone.
Attor stood at her side, his hands in his pockets. No jacket, no gloves, just a tunic, as if the cold meant nothing to him. “Tell me what you need.”
“Once the storm builds, I’ll have to focus?—”
Thunder rumbled overhead, low and resonant.
Wind slapped against them as the pressure dropped, heavy and insistent. The clouds thickened and stretched. Through breaks in the cloud cover, faint pinpricks of light marked the guard posts along the mountain below. She caught glints of movement—dragons taking wing, their dull-scaled hides catching the stray light as they began their patrols.
Not tonight, you scaled menaces.
Ash lifted her hands. The air currents twisted, resisting her pull. Wind lashed harder around their shelter. Lightning flickered between the clouds, its crackle shivering through her bones like a live wire. She gritted her teeth, coaxing the storm to bend to her will. Rain fell in fat, cold drops, hardening to icy needles in the freezing air.
“We’re in.” Attor’s hand brushed her biceps, his gaze fixed on the valley now drowning in rain. “Guards are down. They’re moving into position.”
Right. Dragon vision.
She nodded, water dripping down her face, not daring to break her concentration. The rain thickened as the low-pressure front pushed in. The storm bucked against her control, wild and impatient. Lightning snarled in the clouds above, eager to strike.
“Hold steady,” she whispered. “Lives depend on you.”
Through their bond, she could feel Race’s sharp, contained focus. He was likely already moving through the tunnels. It grounded her, honing her concentration.
