Delaynie whined. She pressed her nuzzle against his shoulder.
Quentin gripped her chin. “Youcanshift back…right?”
She blinked at him slowly, ears pinned against her head, and whined again.
“She probably doesn’t know how.”
Quentin whirled, drawing a dagger from his baldric. Delaynie growled, wet hackles rising.
A familiar figure watched them from the bank of the stream. Quentin would’ve wondered how they’d managed to approach so quietly, how neither he nor Delaynie had noticed they watched until they spoke.
He would have, if it were anyone other than Krilene, the Goddess of the Sea. She leaned against a tree, pale hair tossed over her shoulder, golden armor gleaming. Her seafoam eyes sparkled with curiosity, darting between Quentin and Delaynie.
“I must say,” the goddess continued. “This is most definitelynotwhat I was expecting. But I do love surprises.”
Chapter 78
Mariah dropped her bag onto the grass of the cliffside knoll. She knelt beside it, carefully slipping her dagger into one of the pockets. The black dragon wings gleamed in the afternoon sun, almost mocking.
Not for the first time, she wondered how she could have been so blind.
Mariah shook her head. It didn’t matter. Not anymore. There was no point dwelling on the past; not when the future yawned before them, daunting and ominous.
She supposed she could’ve shifted and left the dagger strapped to her thigh, as she had in the past. Somehow the magic of the change always preserved the things she wore. But knowing now what this truly was and not understanding exactly how her god magic worked, she didn’t want to risk it.
Two more thuds sounded in the grass beside her. Andrian and Matheo adjusted the weapons strapped to their bodies, loosened after their climb up the cliff. That was one thing Mariah would not miss about Eyarfell: all the climbing. Yet there was nowhere else in the city where two dragons could take flight.
Shewouldmiss the beauty of this place, though.
“Are you sure about this, Mariah?” Callamus waited at the edge of the cliff, indigo hair blowing lightly in the breeze.
“What isn’t there to be sure about?”
Callamus crossed his arms. “You go alone. No army, no allies. Only two of your Armature. I will stand with you, but that is all you have. I would counsel you to wait, even though I know you will not.”
“You’re right. I won’t.” Mariah stood, hands tightening into fists. “I waited too long before and lost my mother because of it. I won’t be making the same mistake again.”
Callamus sighed, and though he looked like he had more he wanted to say, he simply nodded.
Mariah faced Andrian and Matheo. Andrian’s longsword was secured across his back, another blade belted at his waist, more daggers on his thighs. A bow and quiver were secured tightly to Matheo, a curved sword at his hip. Their armor was lightweight yet solid, the kind perfect for both travel and war.
They looked like warriors. Theywerewarriors. They were her friends, her partners, her guards. One of them was a love she’d never thought was possible.
She wished all seven were here, but she was happy to at least have them.
“I suppose it’s time to—” Footsteps crunched up the path, halting Mariah’s words in her throat.
Signe appeared over the rise, cheeks flushed, long black hair flowing in the breeze. Matheo straightened, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Decided to join us after all?”
Signe glanced at Matheo with a smile, though there was a certain sadness to it that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You don’t want me with you on this; trust me. I am no warrior.”
Matheo’s smile fell and he opened his mouth, then closed it. “How’s your grandmother?”
“The Oracle is recovering, but she still needs me.” Signe swung her violet stare back to Mariah. “She reminded me of something, actually. Something I need to tell you about before you leave.”
Mariah cocked her head, curious. “There’s always something more with you, isn’t there?”
Signe’s mouth twitched. “I’m a seer. It’s what I do—tell people things they don’t want to hear when they least want to hear it.”
