Hein descended hard onto the scorched grounds, his great frame swaying slightly as he touched down. His breath came in short huffs, his wings trembling—not from exhaustion, but from the strain of what he’d carried.
Zander slid off his back, boots thudding against the stone. He straightened with effort, dragging a hand through his wind-tangled hair, and I sucked in a breath.
His face was ashen.
There were deep, shadowed hollows beneath his eyes, his magic a dim hum around him where it usually crackled like fire. His steps toward us were steady, but each one looked heavier than the last.
He was spent.
“Zander—” I was about to move toward him, but a shout from the castle pulled both our gazes around.
“Zander!”
Elara tore across the Ascension Grounds barefoot, skirts hitched, her silver braid flying behind her. Her eyes were wild, wet with tears.
Zander saw her, and stopped. Just long enough to bend, arms sweeping her off the ground the moment she reached him.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was low, hoarse. “You know it’s not safe.”
Elara buried her face into his shoulder, fists curled into his collar. “You pushed too far,” she sobbed. “We almost lost you.”
My heart stopped.Lost him?
I turned, pressing a hand against Kaelith’s warm scales.What is she talking about?
Kaelith’s voice came like a slow, steady drumbeat in my mind.He pushed his magic too far. Past the point of burnout.
What does that mean?
He could have died.
I swallowed hard, my gaze locking on the way Zander’s arms held Elara—tight, grounding. Not just for her.
But for himself.
How would Elara even know that?I asked.
Kaelith’s mind curled with thought.
I do not know.
I gently helped Meri down from Kaelith’s back, steadying her with a hand under her arm. Her legs wobbled as her boots hit the ground, her body still weak from pouring so much of herself into healing Jax.
She turned back and lifted her hand, running her fingers over Kaelith’s scales like she were touching something sacred. There was a hush in the motion, reverent and soft. Her lips parted in a silent breath of awe before she finally turned and made her way toward the healers’ quadrant without another word.
I watched her go, then turned?—
Siergen stood beside me.
Not a sound. Not a single sign of his approach. He just… was there.
But he wasn’t looking at me.
His eyes were fixed on Elara, her small body wrapped in Zander’s arms as she wept into his chest. Zander knelt with her, whispering something into her ear, his hand moving in slow circles along her back, grounding her even as he looked ready to collapse himself.
More dragons landed on the Ascension Grounds. Riders dismounted, some battered, some bloodied, some visibly shaken.
But none of them spoke.
