“The Serpents might be attacking your bloody Clan, but we’re all involved.” Dax gave me a measured look that dug deep. I knew what he was seeing. My body leaning toward Ryker’s, him positioning himself to protect me. “Let’s fight any way we can.”
“That thing can’t be reliable in battle,” I said at the same time Ryker asked, “What could we even do with it?”
We exchanged a quick glance, broken by Dax’s groan.
“You two are disgustingly similar.” He rolled his eyes, before slashing them toward Ryker. “I’m sure that friend of yours with the wounded leg can come up with some dangerous contraptions to throw on top of the Serpents. In battle, they won’t be looking at the skies.”
“What do you know about my friend?” Ryker bit out.
“That you care about him.” Dax smiled. “You’re lucky I’m on this side of the war. Those monstrous snakes you saw during the skirmish? That’s only the beginning. The Serpents have gotten hold of hundreds of forbidden magicked eggs. It’s only a matter of time before most of them hatch.”
“How long?” I asked in an unyielding voice I barely recognized.
“Months.” He paused. “If we’re lucky.”
A current of understanding passed between the three of us.
“We need to win the war before that happens,” I said. A Serpent army was bad enough without a legion of gigantic snakes to confront.
“Yes. Anything can help, no matter how ridiculous it looks.” He shrugged his wings again.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Is that why you brought them here? To test them?”
“Why, Allie, you know I came because I missed you.” He winked. “Now let’s get this over with before we end up as icicles.”
He let go of the tree. Instantly, the wind tugged on the wings, throwing Dax off balance. Both Ryker and I flinched forward to steady him.
He regained his footing only a second later, but it was enough for my heart to jump against my ribcage.
A grim determination sharpened Dax’s features. He was lost to protests and logic.
He was doing this.
“If you die, I’ll kill you,” I said, voice tight with things I still couldn’t say.
“If anyone were to fight Xamor for my soul, I know it would be you.”
His back tense, Dax slid forward, his new boots–which Mrs. Thornbrew had insisted on–leaving deep marks in the snow under the weight of the machinery.
“Don’t go past the lake,” Ryker warned. “The currents will pull you toward the cliffs.”
“That almost sounded like encouragement,” Dax yelled back.
Ryker only grunted as a reply.
“Be careful,” I said.
“I always am.” Dax smirked over his shoulder. “If anything happens, Dara gets everything.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” I called after him as Dax began to run toward the edge.
The wind paused for a moment, as if it was curious how this would go, before a great big gust barreled into us, bowing me forward.
Instantly, Ryker settled his large palm on my waist, as if wanting to protect me from the entire world. I couldn’t even enjoy the small gesture as my heart trembled.
Helped by the wind, Dax picked up speed and jumped off the rocky lip. The wings unfurled and stayed true, carrying him higher toward the hazy moon.
“He’s doing it,” I whispered, mesmerized.
