“I don’t know what happened with Chalia,” he said, “but that’s not her fault. Sofia would never hurt Chalia on purpose. And you will not threaten her.”
No one moved, the air seeming to hold its breath as Fox stared the dragon down—as if he had any chance against the creature. As if hishand weren’t shaking where it was tucked at his side. But he would go to war with the gods to protect Sofia.
At last, Chalia’s mother bent her head in some semblance of a bow.“Very well. Be ready to leave in seven flaps, as the dragon flies.”
Fox blinked, not quite sure what that meant. But before he could ask, Aurelia stretched her wings, talons scraping into the snow as she launched into the air and streaked north. Jobin and Chalia remained.
“So—”Fox asked Chalia.
“She’ll be back before the sun reaches its zenith.”
“Right,” he said, looking at where the sun was in the sky. It was already fairly high up, and he wasn’t sure how long it would be until it was at its highest. “We should tell the others to pack.”
By the timethe dragons returned, the snow along the edge of the cave was melting, leaving them all a little wet as they moved their things outside to wait.
Sofia had calmed. Fox wouldn’t say she was doing well, but Chalia was able to maneuver over to where she was standing, rubbing her head against Sofia until she reached over and wrapped Chalia’s nose in a hug. Fox knew it couldn’t be possible, but he could have sworn the dragon was looking bigger than she had a few weeks ago when he’d first seen her flying up and out of the canyon. It was a reminder that, despite her size, Chalia was still a growing child. The towering figure of her mother foretold just how large she might get.
Aurelia showed up with Chalia’s father, along with another dragon Fox thought he recognized from their initial meeting, though he wasn’t sure. There were more dragons than they needed to move the two dozen of the party, but Fox was sure that Chalia’s mother didn’t want to carry any of them. Whether this was out of pride or a lack of trust, he wasn’t sure.
Fox followed Sofia onto Chalia’s back without asking, and she allowed him to wrap his hands around her waist, though she didn’t lean back into him. He bit his tongue and tried not to readinto it. Javi followed, climbing up in front of Sofia—Fox could only assume that he didn’t want to sit next to Fox, though the looks he threw his way had softened over the last day.
The rest of them spread out between the other three dragons, holding their bags and supplies tightly to their chests as they rose over the snow and shot north. The flight to the nesting grounds seemed shorter than it had the first time. Chalia took the lead when they came closer, flying low over the pass and then slowing down before the illusion that hid the nesting grounds broke. But he thought he saw a shimmer along the horizon, a ripple in the air that showed something wasn’trightjust down the slope.
“There’s a cave system here,”Chalia said as she landed in the snow.“It’s similar to the one you were just staying in, with hot springs within the mountain keeping it warm.”
“And how far of a walk is it to the nesting grounds from here?” Micael asked from where he was sitting on Jobin’s back.
“That is none of your—”Chalia’s mother started, but she stopped suddenly as Chalia’s father snapped at her, his jaws biting at the air with a soft huff.
“It is walkable,”her father said,“but my mate would prefer you wait for us to come get you before entering the grounds. We have many dragons who are still hesitant to trust, and we would like to allow them to choose where they are when you come to speak with us. Chalia will remain out here with you if she wishes. She will contact us if you need anything.”
With that, they flew off, leaving them at the mouth of the cave.
The front cavern was larger than the one they’d just left, and not as warm, due to the massive opening, but there were three caverns directly connected to it, each one warmer than the last. As Fox explored deeper, he smelled the deep sulfur of a hot spring, though he couldn’t find its source.
When he returned to the rest of the party, Sofia had laid out their bedrolls and furs beside each other, and she was already lying down, curled in a ball. The way her shoulders shook, he could tell that she was crying, despite the silence. He didn’t wonder how she’d gotten so good at silencing her pain. He toed off his boots and laydown beside her, wondering if she wanted him there. But she quietly pressed her back into him, letting him wrap his arms around her.
He tried not to think about the dragons down the mountain. He tried not to think about the army on the other side of the pass—about his mother, or Ian, or Harlow, or his father.
Yet the tears came unbidden, and he pressed his face into her curls until all he could think about was the smell of her.
They fell asleep curled together, yet alone in their grief.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
IAN
There are creatures haunting us—dogging our every step. My high major thinks I’m crazy, but I’ve seen things at night, too large to be human and too human to be beast. Just two nights ago I saw a large man prowling in the shadows along the camp, but when I went to confront him, he was gone—a wolf in his place, bounding away. I know I can’t abandon my unit, but I don’t trust this forest. No one will listen, but I know you will not ignore me, my love.
- The last letter received by Marian Lorcan from High Sergeant Lorcan prior to his unit’s disappearance, Sun Cycle 411
“Can you tell me how he looked?” Paoletta Ocon was sitting on the small cot they’d brought for her, a shawl draped across her shoulders and the bowl of beans Ian had just delivered held tightly.
Ian looked around him. Harlow was elsewhere in the camp, though it was his tent she was staying in.
“He was fine—okay,” he said, unsure of what he could say. Unsure of what she knew.
She nodded, studying her bowl of beans before opening her mouth again.
