“The emperor is asking for you.”
“Now?”
“Yes, Commander. A letter has arrived from the country of Mistral.”
I froze. Mistral? Iknewthe wind spirit’s name sounded familiar. If I were more skilled at geography, then I would have recognized it instantly. Mistral was a small country far to the east, across the Modavian Sea, that I knew little about. It was located on the continent of Darkhan, where the Zephyrians originated from.
Talon sighed, but only I could hear it. The wind and the eagles’ wingbeats were too loud.
“I’ll be there directly,” he said.
Baz saluted again, and then his eagle banked and flew back toward the palace.
“I’m sorry to end the flight early,” he said. “Should I bring you back to the pasture?”
“No, I’m going with you.”
To his credit, he didn’t even hesitate in his agreement.
As Neo flew back over the pasture, I could see Shazeera, far below.
“Can you fly a bit lower—just for a moment?” I asked Talon and Neo. “I want to tell Shazeera where we’re going.”
Neo heard me and did as I asked, changing altitude in a gentle descent.
I’m going back to the palace with Talon,I told Shazeera. Altair summoned him because of a letter, and I want to find out what’s in it.
I’ll be here. Just let me know if we need to make a run for it.
Only if that grass gives you magical wings.I sent her an image of us plunging over the mountainside like the Zephyrian goats, and she rolled her eyes.
I’m more sure-footed than some goat.
I felt for the bond between us, relieved that the wind spirit had said it could survive an attack on the Devourer when it was in its weakened state. The stakes were higher than ever to defeat it now, while we could. I never asked the wind spirit if it could even be defeated when it reached its final form.
We would just have to destroy it before it got to that point.
27
Talon
My muscles ached from being so tense—not only from what Zara had told me, but also from having to constantly hold myself back from kissing her every time she turned to look at me. The way she looked at the sky while flying, her eyes shining with wonder, made me wish I could stay in this moment forever. With Zara safely above the earth and everything that threatened her. But when she told me she had eavesdropped on such a dangerous conversation, I had fantasies of destroying anyone who threatened her—starting with Lord Heron. I knew it was only a matter of time before Altair gave in to Lord Heron and the Devourer’s demands for Zara’s power. My need to keep her safe overwhelmed me. Only the possibility that her power might save us from my cousin’s horrible mistake restrained me. I kept thinking of the way Zara had looked after she nearly drowned. Could I really ask her to face such a monstrous evil? But then I remembered the powerful cyclone that had torn us from the sky. As powerful as Neo was, the wind had ripped through him like he was as insubstantial asa songbird. What could that kind of power do against the Devourer? Still, my thoughts warred with each other. I wanted to save my empire from this terrible threat, but I also didn’t want Zara to risk herself.
Zara stayed close to my side as we made our way to Altair’s room, a determined look on her face. The latter was to dissuade me from telling her she couldn’t come with me, but I had no intention of doing that. I knew it was a waste of breath.
When we arrived in front of Altair’s door, I knocked, but there was no answer.Not a good sign,I thought.
The moment we entered the room, I made sure to keep Zara behind me. An ominous atmosphere hovered in that room like vultures circling above a kill.
Altair sat at his desk in almost total darkness. I could only just make out the whites of his eyes. I couldn’t imagine what Zara thought about it, but it was clear to anyone with sense that Altair wasn’t well.
Lord Heron hovered behind Altair’s desk, arms crossed over his chest. I thought again of how Zara nearly drowned because of this man, and my hand twitched near the dagger I kept hidden. It would be so easy to lunge toward him now and slit his throat. He wouldn’t even see it coming.
“My Lord Emperor?” I asked carefully. “What happened?”
He didn’t answer, so I moved closer until I could see him more clearly in the dim light. Without answering, he slid a letter over to me across his desk.
“This is the letter from the messenger?” He nodded. Whatever the letter contained, it couldn’t be good.
