The room goes dead silent.
“The chances of success are minimal,” the professor says after a moment. “And the likelihood of capture is over eighty-five percent.”
I shrug. “So? It’s the only option. We need the Unbound to find these kids’ families. It’s the only way.”
“You’d risk that?” Gareth asks, his voice skeptical. “Why? You’re a Prince of Havengard. You could walk away right now and be back in a mansion by dinner.”
I glance at Theo. She’s watching me, her silver eyes not giving away a hint of what she’s feeling.
“Because,” I say, turning back to Willow’s uncle, “it has to be done, and if I’m caught, I'll have a far higher chance of survival because of my connections.”
“He’s right,” Alexis agrees. “This could actually work. When does Taliesin get his time in the yard?”
“Sun up,” Opal replies, her grip loosening on the shotgun.
“Then I’d better get going.”
Alexis drags me into the narrow hallway. “It’s only an hour until dawn, so you're racing the sunrise. Give me a moment to think.”
He blinks then nods, and I imagine his gryphon has just figured out a plan. “TheSensus Repulsiwe used at the cabin—you'll need to layer it thick. Don't just cast it; weave it into your scales. If a guard looks toward the sky, he’ll just see a cloud or a shadow. And the distraction spell—Confusio Laevis—save that for the landing. You don't want the guards in the towers to wonder why a patch of yard just went dark."
For a second, I’m actually grateful to Gimble’s teaching.
"Got it," I mutter as I check the charge on my phone. “At least in theory.”
"Theory won't save," he snaps, “you have to get this right.” Then softens his tone. “Listen. If you get caught, use your name. Go full Drakeward. Maybe you can bullshit that you're there on 'official surprise inspection' or something. They might hesitate long enough for you to escape.”
Theo appears in the hallway.
She doesn't say anything, just walks up and presses her hand to my chest for a moment. I feel the gift of her Lumina pass to me. It’s only a small amount, but I take it greedily. “Thank you.”
"Get the information we need," she says, then after a beat adds, "and be safe.”
The urge to take her into my arms, pull her tight, press my body into hers is almost overwhelming, but instead I turn my back and head out onto the porch.
The pre-dawn air instantly chills my face, but that won’t last long.
I go onto the weed-strewn gravel drive and let my dragon out. The shift is faster than I’ve ever known before, and within seconds, I rise through the dark sky.
As I fly, I look down at the crumbling roads, burnt out buildings and demolished factory ruins of Ashgrave. What must it be like growing up in this land?
I think about Taliesin. A kid a year younger than me, locked in a cage because he dared to punch the Mayor’s son for assaulting a girl.
That was a perfectly reasonable response to the situation, but now that kid’s life is as ruined as this city.
Quo Reformare appears on the horizon—a grim fortress surrounded by circles of wall and wire. I can feel the wards now, and the dampening spells. They try to eat away at my protections but cannot penetrate.
Tightening my grip on the repulsion spell, feeling it ripple across my scales, I bank right, circling wide to catch the wind.
The yard is exactly as Gareth described: a concrete box. I see the stone bleachers, cold and lonely on the far edge.
Here goes nothing.
I dive.
No alarms sound as I land, instantly tucking my wings into my body, then shifting into human form.
Shit.
