I turn on the spot, taking it all in—then the smell hits. Warm bread with a rich and meaty scent beneath it. My stomach rumbles, loud enough to hear.
“Right, which way is the Food Tent ?” I ask, tipping my head toward Ahria, who’s perched on a lantern post beside me, grooming her wings. She doesn’t look up. “I thought you were hungry?” I grumble. Still nothing. “Fine. Suit yourself. I’ll find it alone.”
Trying to follow the smell, I start walking, but a familiar voice rings out behind me, and every hair on my arms lifts.
“The Food Tentis at the centre.” Merrin smiles as I turn to face him, his icy-blue eyes bright against his white hair. “But I thought you might like to take a short walk with me first?”
CHAPTER SIX
Merrin stands in his formal Citadel attitude. He’s missing his regal red robes, but my chest still seizes at the sight of him.
“Why would I go anywhere with you?” I bite out, shifting back a step.
“Well, for one thing,” he declares, the deep lines on his face creasing as his smile spreads. “I thought I could show you around. Show you where to get breakfast. Second, I can answer some questions. I know you must have them.”
At the sound of Merrin’s voice, Ahria suddenly decides she can hear after all and flies to my side.
“Ah, I see you two have been spending some time together already,” he notes. “I’m glad to see it.”
The casualness in his voice knifes under my ribs, but I keep my feet planted as I scan over him.
“You don’t have a dragon? You’re not bonded?”
“No.” He glances toward Ahria. “Never cared much for heights. I hear we have that in common.” Turning, his boots crunching against the dry dirt, he starts walking. “Won’t you join me?”
Fuck.
I don’t trust him. Talen, I can almost start to understand. But Merrin, he's the one barking the orders, pulling the strings.
Grinding my teeth hard enough to hear, I force myself to follow—not only because he has answers I want, but because Ahria is watching, and I can’t afford to look nervous. Unsure.
“You can start by explaining what this place actually is.” I demand, catching up and falling into step beside him.
Merrin nods, clasping his hands behind his back and keeping his posture easy and relaxed as we walk.
“Talen probably called it a Movement.” He looks toward the camp as we start circling the outer ring. “That’s the closest word we have. It isn’t a rebellion. Not yet. There’s no banner, no army, no single purpose everyone agrees on.”
A flicker of green speeds past us as Ahria darts ahead, gliding between the ropes securing the tents and people busy at work outside them.
Some hammer metal into shape, sparks snapping into the air with each strike. Others sit cross-legged nearby, threading leather through half-finished armour. No one idles. Everyone’s working. And every single one of them notices Merrin— offering a polite bow as he passes.
“The truth is,” he continues, dipping his head in acknowledgement to a woman passing by carrying a crate of cabbages. “There are about a hundred of us here now and we don’t all want the same thing.”
“Then why are you all here together?” My brows draw together.
“Well, some, like myself, want Aurelia restored. The throne reclaimed, old lines put back where they once were.” He takes a heavy breath. “While others, like Talen, think the old world is what broke us in the first place.” Without breaking stride, he tiltshis head toward me. “Still, we unite, as this isn’t about deciding the future. It’s about stopping what’s happening now.”
“And what is that?” I push as we take a right and start weaving deeper through the canvas rows. Around us, the paths narrow as the tents press closer together in a wall of dull brown, but every now and then, small flashes of colour pop through between them.
Dragons.
Not many, but so bright and vivid.
One curled up, napping in someone's hair, their purple scales glinting in the morning light. Another tucked in a pocket, only the slow flick of a yellow tail giving them away.
Captivated, I don’t even see the stone until my boot catches on it. I pitch forward a step, arms shooting out before I catch myself.
“Do you know what caused the War of Ruin?” Merrin questions, retracing a few steps when he realises I’ve stopped.
