* * *
Iawoke with a warm, leathery body enveloping mine. Jolting upright, I blinked at where the dragon’s sleeping form curled around me, like a cat protecting its young. Her breathing was slow and even, though her nostrils flared, as if scenting me. I noticed her skin, like mine, was covered in red welts. Guilt flashed through me. She was only hurt because of me.
I looked around the cave. Daylight splashed in from the world outside and revealed the three other dragons sleeping soundly all around me, their scaly bellies pointed up at the stone ceiling. Yesterday—or however long it had been—they’d seemed so impossibly large. But now, in the still quiet, it was clear they were nothing but youngsters. Something in my heart warmed at the sight of them, and magic crackled in my blood.
“Thank you,” I whispered to Aska. She cracked one eye, let out a little huff, and went back to sleep.
I slowly extracted myself from my makeshift bed and walked to the cave entrance. A flock of starlings spun through the air in an elaborate dance, twisting this way and that. The sun beamed down on the rolling hills, and the heady warmth of summer settled into me. My clothes were dry now, but a few painful welts were left behind by the downpour. I’d survived, though.
And now I had to decide what to do next.
“Daella!” a familiar voice called out from somewhere nearby.
Rivelin.
I sucked in a breath and darted inside the cave.Shit.I should have known he’d search here. Had he spotted me? Where could I hide? I cast my glance toward the slumbering dragons. He’d mentioned before he couldn’t get near them. Quickly, I rushed across the cave floor to duck out of sight behind Aska.
But he was too fast. He was there at the entrance of the cave less than a heartbeat later.
“Daella,” he said.
I froze, only inches from Aska. She hadn’t moved, but I could tell by her shallow breathing that she was fully awake now. Would she step in if he tried to drag me away? And did I even want her to? If she tried to protect me, she might burn him alive.
And even after everything, the thought of that felt like a knife through my heart.
Slowly, I turned to face him. His breathing was ragged and his hair was mussed, but he’d never looked more handsome. His rugged form was backlit by the brilliant morning sun, and the sleeves of his black tunic were rolled up to his elbows to reveal his well-built forearms. Those glowing yellow eyes pierced through me, and for a moment, I almost forgot to breathe.
“Daella,” he murmured again. “You’re all right.”
I blinked and reality rushed in around me once more. Shaking my head, I took a step closer to the dragon. “Sorry to disappoint.”
Pain flashed across his stoic face. “This isn’t what you think it is. I’m here because I made a mistake.”
I paused with my boot half a step further. “What do you mean?”
“I was wrong. We were both wrong.” He entered the cave, his hands spread wide on either side of him. “It was Viggo. He set us both up, trying to knock me out of the Midsummer Games. Trying to turn us against each other. And it worked, because I am a fool who can’t see the truth even when it’s staring me right in the face.”
My heart rattled. “This could be some kind of trick, another lie. You can’t come any closer because of the dragons, which means you need me to walk out of here willingly. It’s the only way you can truly take me as your prisoner.”Like Isveig.
“No,” he said roughly, moving a step closer. “I would never do that to you, even if I thought you were behind the attack. I didn’t even search for you in the woods with the others. I let you go. The only reason I’m here now is because I realized I was wrong. I know you can never forgive me. I don’t expect you to. But I wanted to come and tell you it’s safe now for you to leave. As of today, the Elding has moved west. A ship will be in the harbor now. You can return to the mainland.” He took a step further. “With this. I dove into the sea and got it back.”
Rivelin extracted something from his belt, and my breath caught in my throat. My mother’s dagger. The orcish words seemed to glow beneath the light of the sun slanting into the cave.
Ris upp ur oskunni.
Rise from the Ashes.
I searched his face, scarcely daring to believe my own eyes. “I don’t understand. Wasn’t this all some kind of game? You sabotaged the other contestants and then put the blame on me in front of everyone.”
“I did not, Daella. I truly believed…” He closed his eyes. “I truly believed you’d done it all.”
“But,” I whispered, “who else could control a dragon? You’re the only one with any sort of relationship with them.”
“It’s a long story, and I can explain on the way. But we don’t have much time if you want to reach the ship before it departs.”
I swallowed thickly. “I want to believe you, Rivelin. I can’t explain how much. But how can I be certain you don’t—”
He crossed the cave in two quick strides, pressed the dagger into my hands, and took my face in his strong, calloused palms. He winced as the dragons’ heat seared him, but he leaned in and brushed my lips with his. Steam hissed and swirled, engulfing us both. I gripped his shirt, desperate to give in to the feel of him, but his skin was so hot—too hot.
