Skylar?Astrid’s voice, and Skylar looks over as she comes up alongside.
The king and queen have arrested Zryan?Even in her mind, it sounds incredulous.
Astrid lets out a moan of distress, as Mjolnir slants in the air, turning left. He seems to have a specific destination in mind.
Why would they do that?she asks Astrid—who doesn’t seem as surprised as Skylar thinks she should be.I know he’s a rebel, but he’s their son—there’s no way they’ll hurt him.
He’s not just a rebel, Skylar. He’s their leader.
Skylar swears under her breath.Where did they take him, Mjolnir?
But in the pause between question and answer, she thinks she already knows. And when Mjolnir confirms it, bile coats the inside of her mouth. Because of course he’s there, of course it would come to this.
Skylar! Where is he?
She says it out loud, so Bastet and Kaida can hear, too. “The Heart, Astrid. They have him at the Heart.”
54Astrid
“Not much farther,” she murmurs to Bastet. She can feel him slowing, sense the weariness as each beat of his wings becomes more labored. Her body objects to the smallest movement after flying through the night, and the last vial of healing solution hasn’t helped the feeling that she’s been battered by a dread of dragons.
They’re at the very north of Sarkan’s Pass, the Heart ironically housed not far from the Arturean border, but the vast canyons here are so wide and so deep, it’s almost impossible to pass over the border on foot. Bruma and Ziva are still patrolling the skies, but Mjolnir had guided their group under cover of darkness, and even had them detour over the Doelstrum Straits on the north-west coast to avoid the water and solar dragons.
Astrid reaches out with her Gift, searching for a link to Zryan, but all she can sense is the cool ash of Skylar and the soft kiss of dusk that is Bastet—the two parts of her soul that sit outside of her body. She and Skylar haven’t had a chance to talk about it, about anything really, not with the urgency with which they’ve been flying to the Heart. To Zryan. Her lungs seize, as they do every time she thinks of him. They won’t hurt him, she’s sure of it. Even if the king wanted to punish his son for his rebellion, the queen would never stand for it—she loves her son and Astrid is relying on that.
We’ll land down there, Skylar says, and Astrid shivers, wondering if she’ll ever get used to someone speaking inside her mind. Astrid can just about see Skylar point from where she sits, little more than a dot, on the back of Mjolnir. There’s a particularly craggy area with crevices deep enough to fit a full-grown dragon, thirsty-looking trees dottingthe landscape.Mjolnir says there’s an entrance to where they’re housing the Heart about an hour away on foot. He doesn’t want to risk flying closer until he has to.
What do you mean “until he has to”?
He’s going to distract the dragons, keep the focus on him so we can slip in unnoticed. She can hear the tension in Skylar’s voice. Two dragons versus one isn’t great odds, even for Mjolnir. She throws a prayer up to Sqaõi just as the last few stars disappear from the early morning sky, asking the Goddess to protect them. It can’t be they survived the duel only for them to die on this rescue mission instead. She pulls out her trusty tincture and swallows the last of it.
Her stomach leaps as Bastet descends sharply. A few moments later they land, hard, her bones rattling. She jumps off him. “Don’t lie down yet. You need water.” There’s a stream nearby, but Bastet’s already sprawled on the ground, tongue lolling out of his mouth.
FOOD,ASTRID. IFEARIMAY PERISH.
Kaida bounds over and Astrid waves her down.
“Careful, careful, Kaida. Bastet is very tired, so you have to be gentle.” The dragon is almost as big as Bastet now and completely unaware of her own strength.
Kaida chirrups happily before curling against his belly and immediately falling asleep. Oh, to be young and unburdened.
“How’s he doing?” Skylar is carrying a large fish of some sort and Astrid frowns at her. “This is for B. Mjolnir caught it.” She chucks it to Bastet, who greedily begins gnawing away at it. Astrid holds a hand up in thanks to the thunder dragon, but he doesn’t notice, reptilian eyes focused on the heavens above him.
“Yeah, he’s okay.” Astrid lowers her voice. “I’m just worried about him being spent before we even get inside there. We’ve no idea what’s waiting for us.”
“I know.” Skylar’s eyes dart to Kaida. “But we can’t waste any time either if we’re going to save your boyfriend.”
Astrid snorts. “He’s your brother.”
“Yes, but he’syourproblem. I’m only here for you—little brother can look after himself.”
Astrid finds herself taking Skylar’s hand, the action so natural andcomforting, she wonders how she never realized before that Skylar was her mate. Skylar doesn’t pull away, just squeezes her fingers as they start walking toward the stream.
“I never knew mates could be…” Astrid begins, not sure how to put it.
“Not into banging each other?” Skylar says, and Astrid laughs.
“Sure, let’s go with that. But it explains Nyx and Aeloria now.”
