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“Kya still looks a little slow,” Beva noted. “But he’ll be back in tiptop shape soon.”

I laughed. “Slow? They were a blue blur. I had no idea they would be that fast.”

“Z-drakes are built slim and sleek for speed,” Raina chuckled. “Or at least they were. But looks like the lion’s bane is doing its magic already. It takes a great rider to maneuver one of those dragons through a battle,” Raina said. “Revel and Kya were unstoppable.”

“There!” one of the neighbors yelled.

Everyone’s face turned up to the bright sky. Revel had slowed Kya down enough to sweep low over town. Sunlight flickered off of Kya’s iridescent scales and glittering gold wings and belly as Revel steered him around the farmhouses. Kya’s wings made wind of their own as they torpedoed past. The cheers were deafening. Revel was a sight to see on the ground, but hunched low over his dragon’s back as the two soared through the sky, he was nothing short of breathtaking. My heart pounded in my chest for the man. How was I ever going to get over him, over this heartbreak of knowing we could never be together? As excited as I was to see Kya and Revel in the sky, my feelings weighed heavily on me. I could be happy forever in Norvale with Raina and my friends and Revel, but in a few hours a trio of old sorcerers were going to decide my fate. For a brief time, I’d convinced myself that I could make the sorcerers see reason and shun the ancient tradition of fated mates, but when I brought my idea up to Raina, she scolded me for even considering it.

Raina had made a delicious lunch of biscuits and fresh berries, but I couldn’t eat a bite. “Raina, what if they make me go to Solamere or Regnamoor to become the wife of a complete stranger?”

Raina had run out of things to say to make me feel better, but she gave it one last try. She placed her hand over mine. “You can still visit Norvale whenever you want because you are loved here. And I’ve never heard anything terrible about either prince. Yes, neither of them possesses the qualities that Revel has, but you will be treated like royalty in either region. Besides, having you high up in status might help bring together the regions.”

I smiled. “Until they find out I brought lion’s bane back to Norvale.”

“They won’t know that unless a war erupts. Revel will make sure to stay in our territorial skies to make sure they don’t find out. The crops have been planted, and soon our humble little village will be filled with beautiful lion’s bane. All thanks to my little Rafi.”

“I don’t understand any of this, but I will abide by the sorcerers’ rulings. I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone here in Norvale. I just wish—” I started but couldn’t finish. The words got stuck in my aching throat. Raina knew what they were.

“He’s a hard person to forget, but you can always keep him in your heart.”

“That will be pure torture, Raina. I’ve never felt this way. I guess I’ve never been in love. But that’s what it is. I love Revel. I don’t know if he returns the love, but I know that from my side, it’s acute and profound and it hurts. I don’t see how I’ll ever get over this.”

Raina smiled weakly. There was nothing else she could say. This was something I’d have to deal with on my own.

Raina stood up and picked up my plate of uneaten food. “You’ll be hungry later. I’ll save this. Now, you’d better get ready. The others will be here soon. And wear a cloak. A sunny sky doesn’t always mean a warm day. I still can’t believe how fast the misty clouds vanished when those darn dragon burps cleared out of the air.”

I pulled on my cloak. It was starting to feel like a security blanket, and I really needed it today. Raina told me a nice dress would be fine for the tribunal, so I pulled on a pale plum one that had short sleeves and a less flirty skirt. I was fairly certain the Sorcerers were not the type to be charmed by a short, flouncy skirt and what I considered to be passably nice legs. My leg theory was fortified when the four arrived, and Revel had a hard time pulling his gaze away from them. Every look he gave me produced a physical reaction that sent a mixture of heat and trembles through me.

The Triumvirate of Sorcerers’ Hall was located in a neutral area south of Norvale, north of Solamere and west of the once well-used and important Port Rothington. Revel had fought in a battle over a cargo-rich ghost ship at the port. As we passed it, the whole port looked like a ghost town. Docks had weathered and were collapsing into the angry Blackforge Sea, and the vessels that had been abandoned at the port were decaying into heaps of rotting timber.

The first leg of our journey had been pleasant and filled with animated conversation, mostly about the dragons’ revival. Revel’s smile nearly split his beautiful face in two as he replayed the morning ride to Austri and Madigan. Lyric complained to me about her dating life. She’d started with Osco again, but it only lasted a week. Now she was seeing Axel, the warrior we’d seen at the practice field. She was sure he was to be trusted because he had so many female fans. She had a good laugh when I told her in the human world they’d be called groupies. Either way, my heart ached with envy listening to her. She had the freedom to choose someone.

My friends grew more sullen as we reached a path leading through some trees. I surmised we were getting closer. My stomach immediately started chewing on itself, and I wished I’d tried harder to eat some of Raina’s biscuits. I fell back to where Revel was. I didn’t say a word to him, but the hurt in his eyes was plain and made my throat tighten. I walked next to him. He was the person I needed when I was feeling especially vulnerable. I wasn’t in any mortal danger. We weren’t facing flesh-tearing forest creatures or a pack of snarling wolves, but I felt more scared than I had in either of those situations. Still, I felt secure when I was near Revel. I felt protected. I felt … like I could crumble into a million pieces of heartbreak.

Austri led the way along the path, and we stopped in front of a very humble stone building with plain windows and a thatched roof that looked shabbier than any I’d seen in Norvale.

“Is this it?” I asked. “Thought it might be a little more—a little more grand, I suppose.”

Lyric wrapped her arm around mine. “Wait ‘til you see inside. The outside is like this so as not to catch attention. I’ve only been here once, when I was a little girl and my dad was buying more land for the farm. It’s much different inside.”

“I don’t see the other parties. Maybe they’re not coming,” I said hopefully.

“They’ll be here,” Revel said grimly. “Their titles depend on it.”

Austri pulled open one of the tall doors. It creaked with age and slammed shut menacingly behind us. Lyric hadn’t exaggerated. It was much different inside, and grand didn’t begin to cover it. The walls were made of carved stone with intricate floral designs. A shiny mahogany wood floor stretched through the cavernous room. Blue and green crystal inlays created a mosaic masterpiece in the center of the floor. And this seemed to just be the reception area. A man, hunched over with a long gray beard and a dark blue robe that touched the floor, crept over to us with slow, halting steps.

“Coda has been the hall keeper for so many years people have lost track of his age,” Lyric whispered. “I’d say close to 200,” she snickered behind her hand.

Coda’s face had so many deep creases it was hard to see his mouth until it opened. “You’re here for the third-hour tribunal?”

“Yes,” Austri answered.

Cool air and light swept into the candlelit hall as both big doors opened. Each was held by one of Prince Fenrick’s guards. Fenrick swept in like a rock star entering the stage. His hair was pulled back, and he was draped, head to toe, in black leather. His confident footsteps echoed through the cavernous hall. The guards fell in behind him. They, too, were dressed in black leather. With their wild, streaked hair and long leather coats, they very well could have been rock stars.

Fenrick reached us. Amber flecks dotted his black eyes. His gaze landed on me briefly, then he turned to Revel. “Vamp trash, how is it that you are always with her?” He didn’t wait or hadn’t expected an answer. “Coda, you’re still among the living? Amazing. Let’s get on with this.”

Another burst of cool air and another pompous, theatrical entrance. Prince Granier had exchanged his brocade waistcoat for a purple tunic with gold trim. His entourage was bigger, four guards this time, each wearing the same purple-and-gold-themed uniforms. True royal colors. The only expression in Granier’s finely featured face was boredom. He was obviously put out about having to attend this tribunal. He needn’t have bothered. I would have been more pleased if neither of my fated mates had shown up.