He’s standing at the edge of the cliff, where the waves crash against the rocks.
Leaving Galeia beside Cailey, I retrieve my hammer and step quietly through the trees out into the open. The glow my power makes is subdued but no less powerful.
It feels as if the more familiar I become with the force within me, the more I can control its visual effects.
To reach Erik, I pass by the rock that sits near the cliff’s edge, getting a closer look at its structure. As I estimated, it sits at my waist height, has both flat and curved sections across the top, and is wide enough that it takes several steps to pass by.
Erik is aware of my approach because he turns slightly in my direction, but he doesn’t say anything.
I settle in beside him, letting the silence sit between us. It’s an unusual sort of non-silence, since it’s filled with the crashing of waves while also, somehow, feeling calm.
He finally speaks, his question low and soft. “What if I was meant to die on that mountain?”
All of my calm flees in an instant. I fight to keep the shock from my voice. “Erik?”
What could possibly make him ask such a thing?
“War is in my blood.” He finally turns fully to me, his gray eyes shadowed and his jaw tense. “You have been my anchor since my family died. What will I do if there is peace?”
I want to tell him that the idea of peace is so far out of our reach that I don’t believe we will ever attain it.
I want to tell him that even if we find peace, darkness will never end. Life will always hold battles for us.
But more than anything, I want him to know that there is no peace for me withouthim.
Before I can respond, the sound of wings reaches me—too many for either of us to ignore.
Erik spins to the sound, and I do, too, easily making out the thunder of dragons coming our way.
I count ten dragons, all approaching fast.
Chapter 40
I’m immediately on my guard.
The dragons soar through the air above us, heading out across the ocean before circling back and landing in what looks like a well-practiced cascade.
None of them has a human rider, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad sign.
I make out Torva Viridia’s form among them. She is the forest dragon who flew us to the mountain. She and I didn’t exactly part on good terms—I threatened to give Milena’s body to the fae, at which she snatched up the body and flew away—but I hope Torva has realized that’s what I wanted her to do.
Graviter lands first, his golden scales catching the moonlight. Torva Viridia is right behind him. Then Vargo Vanem. Followed by seven other dragons whose names I don’t know, each one settling down on the grass. Even in this vast clearing, they take up a lot of the space.
Graviter takes cautious steps toward me before stopping a solid twenty paces away.
Without thinking, I’ve gripped my hammer more tightly, and my power spills more brightly around me. Erik hasn’t reachedfor his sword, but the tips of his claws are visible where he stands to my right.
Galeia is currently hidden in the forest with Cailey. The dragons don’t give any indication that they can see or sense her, but I’m prepared to defend her with my life if she emerges and they react badly to her presence.
Graviter can’t miss our defensiveness, but he remains subdued.
“Asha Silverspun.” He greets me formally, dipping his head in what appears to be a bow. “I have come to make amends. If you will let me.”
I consider each of the dragons carefully. Graviter is their king. For him to come to me like this…
“How?” I ask him.
How does he intend to make amends?
