She dropped, but Fox was ready, his legs clenched tight around her sides, Sofia wrapped in one arm. The world flipped for a moment as Chalia twisted and shot ice at Eha’s wings, both the left and then the right.
Eha’s growl made Fox’s chest tighten, but he saw Harlow losing control, nearly slipping from his saddle as the dragon tilted to the side. She plummeted as she attempted to break the ice around her wings.
Harlow was screaming, pulling at something around his neck as he twisted Eha right side up.
The dragon’s jaw opened, a swirl of white ice forming in her throat even as the sky above them rumbled. Her eyes were a milky white, but as they met his, an ache shot through him.
“Eha, please!”Fox shouted in his mind.
Eha let out a stream of icy water, but the spout went wide, barely skimming Chalia’s wing. They hurtled downward again.
“Hold on and stay low,”Chalia said, the shout so loud that Fox’s head thrummed with it.
He did as she said, but his eyes widened when he realized her plan. They were heading toward a thin canyon, a slot cut between two high stone walls. The narrow opening was shooting toward them too quickly, and Fox didn’t have time to register how Chalia planned on squeezing through, especially at their speed.
Chalia jerked back, and she growled. Fox turned to see the black dragon, teeth sunk into Chalia’s tail as she jerked and writhed.
“Come on, Chalia,” he said, fists clenched around the feathers on her back.
A white streak flew past them.
Suddenly, the black dragon dropped back, its face covered in a layer of ice.
A small dragon, with his icy white scales and a stub for a tail, snapped at the black dragon’s wings and twisted his talons to yank the soldier off its back. Jobin—their backup—was here.
Chalia didn’t wait to see what happened. She shot forward, aiming steadily for the thin break in the rocks.
They hit the crevice, and Fox braced for impact. She turned sharply, wings stretching flat as she twisted to her side. Fox clung to Chalia and Sofia, shouting a prayer to the dragons and kings alike.
He turned carefully, twisting his neck just enough to see the small white dragon following behind them.
“There are caves to the right, just after the left ice shelf,”a masculine voice echoed in his head. Chalia followed his directions without question, twisting to the side. What little light that had been filteringin from the sky above disappeared as they entered a large, black cave. Fox closed his eyes—it made no difference one way or another. They were shooting through an underground cave system without light or any idea where they were going.
“I know the way,”Chalia said, as if hearing his doubt. His shoulders relaxed incrementally, but he kept his eyes closed, forcing his breathing even.
They flew through the dark long enough that Fox lost track of time. White, blinding light told him when they’d finally found the other side. He blinked his eyes open as Chalia slowed and landed along a wide, empty slope. The snow here was pristine white, the air silent. Jobin landed beside them. For a few minutes, they stood there on the slope, silent and waiting. But no one followed them, and the only sound was the soft whistle of the wind somewhere above them among the peaks.
Fox slipped from Chalia’s back, his legs shaking and stomach heaving. But he swallowed back his own aches, helping Sofia down. He held her at the waist as he lowered her to the ground, not letting go as she collapsed under the weight of her own grief. He wrapped himself around her as her sobs filled the air.
“You saved us,” Fox said, turning to Jobin. The dragon was frantically checking Chalia’s injuries.
“Chalia asked for my help.”He puffed out his chest, stretching his neck long.“I snuck out of the nesting grounds after you left. I came to join you..”
“Thank you,” Fox said, mouth dry and throat raw.
“I should tell the others what I saw. Perhaps your parents will listen now.”
Chalia gave a slow growl, but didn’t argue. The dragon was gone a few minutes later, and they were left alone, the only sounds the whistling wind and Sofia’s sobs.
Fox resisted the urge to scream and shake her. She’d tried to sacrifice herself. And he’d watched. He was going to let her do it. His fury burned within him, but he could do nothing but hold her. She was already breaking. She’d already lost too much.
His own failures echoed through him. He hadn’t convincedHarlow of anything. He’d almost let Sofia sacrifice herself. He’d watched helplessly again as Harlow stole from her and broke her.
Chalia nudged against his mind, and he pushed her away, closing his eyes as he rocked with Sofia. He breathed in the scent of her and swallowed down his own pain. He wouldn’t let it happen again. He knew what it meant to protect Sofia now. He would kill Harlow himself if it came to it. He would kill every Dereyan who threatened her. He would burn the kingdom down to warm her by the flames.
For her. For Leon. For everyone who’d had something stolen from them simply because Harlowwantedmore.
Fox didn’t open his eyes until the resolve had hardened in him, and his breathing evened out.
