“Such silly mortals, inventing titles that mean nothing.” Daigen straightened his spine. “Oh, you are a Baron? Allow me to cower in the presence of your golden pins! How is that going to stop the unyielding leader of the Hytons? Or his army?”
I furrowed my brows. “I have my own army! Bloodstone has dozens of soldiers—”
“And Duke Hyton has Fraleigh.” Daigen’s eyes turned deadly.
I swallowed. The Dukedom did not kneel to the Great Sorceress of Nordingaard out of mere respect. If the legends were true, Fraleigh could wipe out the Bloodstone army with just a sweep of her arm.
And if Fraleigh was truly that powerful, how could the Hytons have enslaved her in the first place? Nothing was adding up.
“You really think an army of mortals would make any difference when an army of giants couldn’t?” Daigen said. “If you have any hope of freeing the prisoner in the golden palace, your magic has to get stronger than this.”
I was starving for answers and Daigen was only feeding me crumbs. It went against every instinct I had, but if I were going to save Riyan, all I could do was follow each order blindly…
…even if it meant stepping off the edge of a cliff.
I let out a breath and tried to wake the white flame around my heart. I raised my hands and took a deep breath, trying not to shiver as I closed my eyes.
The tears sparkled like tiny beads in the air all around me. I could sense them even farther than my eyes could see. They were in the trees below the ledge. They frosted the rocks beneath my feet. I even sensed them inside the goats further up the craggy rocks.
Each tear vibrated softly. Waiting. Listening for my next command.
I closed my eyes and took in a breath, letting a few tears into my chest. Then I let them out slowly.
The crystal radiated warmth against my neck. The flame around my heart lit up with a calm, quiet energy.
Daigen’s voice, smooth as ice over a pond, appeared behind me. “What do you want,Litlnadr?”
I took in a breath again, and I smelled the faint scent of Riyan that lingered on my cape. Nectar and wheat. Lilies and sunshine. Jam-filled buns and moonlit dancing. A comb through my hair. An arm to snuggle against. A broken bed and a mended heart.
Each memory was comforting, but tainted. How much of my memory was influenced by Fraleigh’s enchantment and how much of it was real?
I let out a cool breath. “I want to know what was real.”
Warmth pressed against my neck—my Nordingaard crystal was glowing. I had found my heart’s desire.
Daigen’s hand rested gently on my back. Wings ruffled against my hair on both sides.
“Then go to the fortress,” he said.
I let out a breath and took a step off the ledge. Wind screamed around me and my eyes popped open.
My magic had failed. I was falling.
Cold tears streamed from my eyes as I plummeted toward the trees. The ground grew closer and closer.
I was going to die.
Suddenly a hand snatched my cape and sparkling magic swallowed me. I gasped as my feet found purchase on grass and my head spun.
Daigen’s horrible laugh cut through my ears.
I whipped around and my fists ached with how hard I clenched them. “You let me fall to my death!”
“No, I didn’t.” He folded his arms. “That was an exercise in trust, remember?”
My arms shook as I wiped away the frightened tears from my cheeks. “I was dead…I was falling…”
Daigen grabbed my chin and forced my eyes up to meet his. His touch was cold enough that I stopped shaking. “You’ll step through the air when you want something bad enough that you’ll split the fabric of the living world for it. Until then, you can trust that I willneverlet you fall.”
