“Then let’s land.” I don’t trust Treacher, but I trust my husband to keep me safe. Also, I’m eager to learn everything he knows about Saxon—and Tynan.
While you talk to this man, I will remain in dragon form.If he threatens you, I’ll incinerate him. Send me a signal, if you think I should reveal my true form.
Zogar and I land, as does Ersot, and I watch from the ground as Treacher uses his rope to repel down her side.
The moment his boots strike the ground, he strides toward me. “How did you get off that behemoth without a rope?” If I didn’t know him better, I’d think he was impressed.
“I useZogar’swing,” I tell him.
My heart rate accelerates as the fierce dragon master draws closer. I always thought the man’s eyes were brown, but see now they’re deep purple, almost the same shade as Zogar’s hair. I don’t know the cause of his facial scars, and I wonder whether he got them before or after becoming a dragon rider.
“I’m pleased to see you’re alive.” Treacher widens his stance when he reaches me.
“You are?”
“You seem surprised.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
My eyes narrow. “You never liked me. And you certainly never wanted me to mount a dragon.”
His arms drop to his sides. “I simply believed you were too small to ride.” His wide shoulders rise and fall. “I neitherlikednordislikedyou. I never get attached to rider candidates. Most don’t live very long.”
Somehow, his statement comes off pragmatic and honest, versus cold and cruel.
“How did you find us?” I have far more important questions, but this one will serve as a start.
“Ersot and I took flight, the moment the veil parted.” He glances toward his dragon. “When we saw the behemoth, Ersotspoketo me.” His eyes widen and he leans slightly forward. “Usingwords.” His chest expands as if he thinks he’s the first rider to ever talk to his dragon. “I told him to follow you.”
“You told him…” I see no point in breaking the news that Ersot is female, or that she flies wherever she wants. Ersot is a very large dragon. Her violet tinged scales are decidedly beautiful, but I have no idea how to tell a dragon’s gender.
“Why did the behemoth trap you in the Darkness for so many moon cycles?” Treacher asks. “What did you see there?”
“Again, his name isZogar.” I shift, pausing for a moment to consider my answer. “And, just like the first time I crossed the veil, my time away was much shorter than what passed for you here.”
“So,” his forehead crinkles, “from your perspective, you were only away for a matter of days or weeks?”
I nod, pleased that he remembered and perhaps even believed this detail from the last time he questioned me. “That’s correct.”
He brushes his hand through his closely cropped hair. “I don’t understand how that’s possible.” He frowns. “There’s much I don’t understand these days.”
“For example?” I want to ask about Saxon, about Tynan, but also need to hear his perspective about what’s going on here in general.
“To start, the thrixing klericks have taken control.” His frown is so ferocious, it almost pushes me back. His stance on that subject is obvious. But it could just be because he’s lost power.
“Is Saxon in prison?”
His frown deepens. “Fuckers locked him in a dungeon. Accused him of heresy.” His thick arms fold over his chest again. “I’ve been doing what I can. At least he’s still here and hasn’t yet faced a tribunal. His conditions are shitty, but he’s alive.”
Blood rushes in my ears as conflicting emotions swirl inside me. “And Tynan?”
Treacher shrugs. “Kid flew off. Took his dragon. TookSaxon’stoo. Saxon must have cast a spell on his dragon. She can fly without him now.” He says this as if he’s revealing things I don’t know.
Trying to hide my reaction, I bite my tongue.
“Word is,” he continues, “Tynan’s in Khotor, ruling at the King’s side. But communication between the kingdoms—” he frowns “—theformerkingdoms. All messages go through the klericks. I don’t trust them.”
I feel ill. Treacher has confirmed some of what Surath told me about Tynan. “And you’ve seen Saxon?” I clench my fists, trying to hide my trembling.
“Yes.”
