Lightbringer, who had been coiled and angry and silent, suddenly lashed out.“You should run back to the rebel camp, little mortal.”
I grew weary of being called little.
“Say what you have to say.”Then we could move on to the part where we fought together.
I didn’t believe the same dragon who watched Shadowbane fly and longed for her wings, who had called out directions to prevent me from being slaughtered by monsters, was going to stay caged within my mind as the queen won.
There was some kind of test Lightbringer had for me that I kept failing. I was sure of that. But I didn’t understand what it was.
“You promised my power,”she said.“Mypower. Which I have not given you. You stood in that room and you told them I would strip the queen of her magic and drain her power. You cannot currently do anything of the kind, can you?”
“I cannot fight the queen without you,”I admitted.“Well, I could. I will, if I must. But we both know I’ll just die.”
She made a furious snarling sound.“Now she is going to come for you, and I am going to have to?—”
She stopped.“I am going to be extremely inconvenienced. You could at least be sorry.”
I strained for something to be sorry about because it would be best if I could please the dragon in my head.
She scoffed, furious at how little I seemed to churn up in my search.“For promising my power when you are just a mortal child with no?—”
“I made the only move available in that room to keep the rebellion from dying, and you know it. You were strainingtoward it the entire meeting; don’t tell me you weren’t. You don’t want the queen alive any more than the rest of us.”
“You are,”Lightbringer said finally,“just as terrible as your mate.”
“Thank you,”I said, and even though she seemed to need my gratitude, she made a furious snarling sound.
“You’re making a terrible mistake,”Lightbringer warned.
“Life as a mortal is a series of terrible mistakes.”
“You said I would save them. All of them.”
“I said you could.”
“There is a difference between could and will. Do you understand what you’ve done? They’re going to believe in this. Within days every mortal settlement in the kingdom is going to believe that the queen can be killed. By you. And that their magic can be restored.”
“Yes.”That was the story that brought mortals to our side rather than clamoring for the queen’s favor. Otherwise, more mortals would run, like the ones who had left with Tay.“That’s what I told them.”
There followed a very long silence, sizzling with anger.
“I am sorry,”I admitted. When I had knelt in front of Lidi, I had told Lightbringer I would keep her secret for now. I hadn’t promisedforever.
And some things mattered even more than my sister’s magic.“I want you to help me of your own will. I don’t want to force you.”
Another angry dragon noise. I was building quite the complete catalog tonight. She snarled,“You can’t force me.”
“I don’t think you’ll let me die. Or let the rebellion die. Even to prove a point.”
“I’m older than your queen. She will fail, too, in her time. Every cruel regime falls.”
She had the benefit of being ancient. I didn’t have the luxury of allowing time to wash away evil.
Fear was watching me, a curious expression on his face. I tilted my head, asking him why he was staring at me.
“You’re talking with Lightbringer,” he filled in.
“She’s angry with me.”
