Wind whipped around us. Elara clung to my waist, Veyna to her, before Kaelith’s voice filled my mind.
Hold on, little storm. I’ll take us home.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Kaelith’s wings stretched wide, catching the rising wind as we climbed higher, farther from the rotting shores of the Blood Isle. Elara clung to my waist, and Veyna knelt behind her, silent and tense, her lavender eyes scanning the clouds as if she expected them to open up and devour us.
That was when I felt it.
A shimmer of magic curled around us—warm, radiant, protective. It wrapped around our bodies like silk, but thicker, deeper, more ancient than anything I’d ever touched.
“What are you doing?” I asked Kaelith, confused by the sudden surge of power.
Your sister’s magic is dark,she said quietly, her voice echoing in my mind like a hum of thunder.It’s the only kind she knows. If the wards detect her taint, they will reject her—possibly kill her. I must shield her until we pass the outer ward.
My throat tightened. “Thank you,” I whispered aloud.
Kaelith didn’t answer with words. Her wings angled and we descended, skimming the sea until the familiar cliffs of Warriath rose ahead. As we crested the final ridge, the Ascension Grounds came into view, and chaos had already claimed them.
Dozens of dragons lined the grounds. Healers moved swiftly. Riders dismounted in tight groups. Someone shouted for a status report, and two lieutenants sprinted toward the barracks.
Then I saw him.
Zander.
He stood beside Hein, both of them statuesque as we approached. But where Hein’s eyes blazed with restrained fury, Zander’s gaze darted between me, Elara, and the unfamiliar girl seated behind her.
His eyes met mine, and I knew the questions were already forming.
Kaelith touched down with a powerful thud, wings folding as the last trace of her magic shimmered out of sight. I dismounted first and helped Elara down.
Zander took a single step forward, his hand reaching instinctively toward his sister. His voice was soft but ragged with emotion. “Elara…”
She ran into his arms.
He caught her, pulling her against his chest, burying his face in her hair. Her small fingers curled into his tunic, and she whispered something I couldn’t hear.
Then his gaze shifted—to Veyna.
To the bruises on her face. The quiet storm behind her eyes.
To me.
“You went alone,” he said, barely more than a breath.
“I had to.”
His jaw tightened as Hein took a single step toward Kaelith, his massive form tense with held-back rage.
Not now, Kaelith warned him, her tone deadly.We all did what we had to do to bring her back.
Hein hesitated, the muscles along his jaw twitching before he glanced away. His wings flexed once as if to shake off the frustration simmering beneath his scales. I knew that wasn’t theend of it. Kaelith might’ve spared him in the moment, but that conversation between mates was far from over.
Zander released Elara gently, his hand brushing back her hair before turning his full attention to me. His gaze held concern, and something else, something bordering on disbelief.
“What happened?” he asked, voice low but urgent. “Why did you go alone?”
