Page 70 of The Searching Songbird

Without taking her gaze off the building, she leaned over and pressed a hand against Draven's leg. Tendrils of white light poured out of her palm, wrapping around the injured leg, and he gasped in pain as he felt the bones moving on their own, binding together. And then they stilled, and the pain faded away. He stared at his leg in shock, moving it back and forth as he tested it. Completely normal. He started to say something, but Lily was already jumping up as she pointed toward the building.

“Look, Draven! There they are!” She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet as she tugged at his arm, pulling him up beside her. They stood in stunned silence as a huge, green-and-black dragon poked its head out of the hole. Its shoulders came next, and then they both gasped in amazement as it unfurled its massive wings.

There was a rider sitting astride its back, and Draven assumed it was Fia from the glimpses of long, red hair. The dragon crouched down and then leaped, taking off into the air with a whoosh. Draven squinted at its back as it flew upward.

“There's someone else on there. Behind Fia.” He tried to get a better look at the person, but the dragon's wings were in the way. “That's not the baron, is it?”

“It's Bade.”

“Bade?!” He glanced down at Lily, and she gave him a wry smile.

“He was the one who released her dragon.” She sighed, turning back to watch the trio as they grew smaller and smaller, making their way northward. “She chose to go with him.”

Draven gave her an incredulous look. “And you're not upset about that? I thought you wanted to bring her back to Eldour.”

She shrugged. “Ideally, yes. But, she found her dragon, Draven. As long as she has him, she'll never be alone and defenseless again. And that's just going to have to be good enough for now.” She wrapped her hand around his as she continued to watch the dragon's departing figure, no more than a speck on the horizon at this point. They stood without speaking, holding each others' hands, well after the trio disappeared from sight.

“I'm ready to go home, Draven,” she said after several minutes had passed. He nodded, giving her hand another squeeze.

“Back to the tavern?”

“Yes, but only to get my things and make travel arrangements.”

“Where are we going then?”

“Eldour. We need to see the queen.”

Epilogue

One year later – the royal castle in Eldon

“Thank you all for coming so quickly. I know things have been crazy, given the current state of the five kingdoms, but I thought it best you all be present to hear the latest report from our spies.”

Edmund sank back in his chair, only half-listening as he glanced around the table at the small group of people the queen had summoned to this meeting. Queen Josseyln. He chuckled to himself. She'd been the reigning queen for the last two years, and it still felt weird to think of her as anything other than Joss.

“As I was saying,” Josselyn continued. “We've recently received some reports that we thought would be of interest to you all. But first, Edmund – how are things going along the eastern border?”

Any levity he may have been feeling quickly dispersed as the weight of their situation set back in. “Not great. We've erected several barricades along the border, established watches and the like, but the Antoski have been unrelenting in their attacks. My men are starting to feel the strain.” He rolled his shoulders, attempting to release some of the stress that had built up over the past year spent running the border patrols. He gave Josselyn a hopeful look. “I don't suppose you have any good news I can take back with me?”

“Not exactly,” she replied, avoiding his eyes. Well, that was ominous. “One of our assets in Antos has informed us that Bade has removed himself from the royal castle in Garish, and has been spotted in northwestern Antos, at an estate previously owned by the Duke of Westford.” She glanced across the table to where Lily sat beside her fiancé, Draven. “There have also been several dragon sightings in that area over the past year.”

“Fia,” Lily breathed, sharing a private look with Draven. Edmund shifted in his seat as he tried to look anywhere but at the intimate pair seated across from him. His eyes fell on the woman seated beside him, and she met his gaze with a knowing smile that made him shiver. He'd only met the former goddess, Luxeos, once before, and her sun-filled eyes still managed to make him feel naked and exposed, as if she could see his past, present, and future all in one look.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know what the latter looked like.

“And that brings us to the main reason for this meeting,” Josselyn said, interrupting his musings and making him wonder how much he'd missed with his wool gathering. “As you all know, there were originally four Shendri warriors, each with a different celestial beast. My ancestor carried the hellcat, Lily's the phoenix, Fia's had the dragon, and the fourth Shendri had a great, white wolf. The three we know of have only been awakened over the last three years. Based on what Draven's told us about Bade's return, it's safe to assume that was the catalyst for their awakenings. Which means, it is highly likely the wolf has awakened, as well.”

She looked around the table. “We need to find the woman who holds the white wolf and bring her to our side. According to Luxeos, the Shendri are strongest when united. If we're going to have any hope of standing up to Bade, we need her with us. And you can be certain Bade is thinking the same thing. I'm sure he's sent people out searching for her, already.”

Her gaze slid over to Edmund, and he felt a sudden sense of dread as those emerald eyes settled on his. He gulped. She smirked.

“We've recently had reports that suggest she might be residing in Myr. There have been several claims of howling, as well as a few sightings. Enough to make it worth investigating.”

“Howling? Wolf sightings?” Edmund crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair as he gave her a dubious look. “How do you know it isn't just a regular old, run-of-the-mill wolf? It hardly seems like enough to warrant a trip to Myr. That's about as far away from Eldour as you can get!”

Josselyn, in turn, adopted a look one might give a confused child. “It warrants investigation due to the fact that these claims are coming from northern Myr. There aren't any wolves in the badlands, or anywhere around there, for that matter.”

“They're coming from the badlands? Really?”