Chapter 32
Yalina
“I will never love you if you force me to marry you,” I tell Aurelion bitterly. The wind whips my face and snatches my words. I think for a moment they are lost, but he growls.
“And I will die if I do not.”
Have I misheard? “What?”
He swoops lower, spreading his wings wide and the ground rises up below. Rocks and shrubs rush past and ahead the Pamarna Ridge rises in the distance. We are headed directly into Tarquenorian territory.
“I have marked you. I must be near you. Rejected males never survive.”
I blink. Tears rush to my eyes, and I do not know whether it is the wind or the idea of him dying because of me.
“Why did you do it? I told you not to.”
“I had to,” he says simply. “You are mine.” After that he falls silent and will not speak again.
As we approach the top of the ridge, Aurelion beats his wings faster, seeming to struggle to make progress. A strong wind blows in the opposite direction, buffeting us and blowing us around in the air.
He grunts and his claws dig into my thighs.
I clutch at him when a nasty gust nearly topples us.
It howls through gaps in the rock face, and sand and gravel sting my arms and face.
Then with a shout Aurelion tucks his wings and dives for the ground as the fury of the wind increases.
The howl becomes a shriek so high it pierces my ears.
Large rocks tumble over and over, blown away by the force of it.
We rush toward the ground faster and faster, and I shut my eyes.
Just as we must be about to hit the dry desert sand, Aurelion banks.
Then he tucks me into his side and rolls us to an abrupt and dusty landing.
My heart is racing as I lift my head and struggle to my feet.
My hips and shoulders feel bruised and battered, but nothing feels broken.
Aurelion snarls and steps in front of me, and through the dust Jah’ruud descends through the spiral of a tornado, clutching Kaelun to his side.
Their hair whips around their faces, and the look on Jah’ruud’s face is formidable.
Aurelion pulls me closer, keeping his eyes on them, and I tremble. This is going to be so much worse than the duel. Even Kaelun looks furious, the lazy smile gone, replaced with a thunderous expression. The wind screams.
I cover my ears, but it does no good.
“Give her back,” Kaelun calls above the roar of the wind.
“Never.” Aurelion’s claws dig into my arm as he tightens his grip.
“You will die if you don’t.”
A savage hiss is snatched away by the wind. “So you have a pet elemental. No wonder you are so cocky. It matters not. She is mine. And I will die to defend what is mine.”
“As you wish.” Jah’ruud raises his hand, and the wind grows so fierce I can barely keep my feet. Sand stings my eyes.
They are right. This is going to end with someone dying, and I cannot face that. None of them will back down. Not unless I force them.
In desperation, I look around, spotting the only weapon within reach—Aurelion’s hunting knife, strapped to his leg. I grab the handle and yank it from the holster, bringing the blade to my own neck. “Stop! All of you. Or you will be fighting over a dead body.”
The wind dies instantly. Thousands of pebbles and a storm of sand drop to the ground, making us all cough and cover our heads. Kaelun freezes, and Aurelion turns to me in horror.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” I tell them, meeting each of their gazes without flinching.
“Yalina, there is no need for that. We are here to rescue you.” Kaelun holds out his hands in a placating gesture.
“You would harm yourself to save him?” sneers Jah’ruud.
“You would harm yourself rather than be mine?” mutters Aurelion.
I open my mouth to answer, but as the dust settles I catch my first glimpse beyond the ridge and into the valley, and what I see there makes my mouth go dry and my voice catch in my throat. “The river!”
Dropping the knife, I rush forward to the edge, staring down at the sight in front of us. The others blink. Then slowly Kaelun and Jah’ruud turn and Aurelion steps forward to stand beside me.
Below, the mighty Polara cuts a path through the valley where it splits in two—the Fynister and the Vaal.
But at the point where the mother river splits, an enormous dam wall blocks the water and diverts it into a deep, dark reservoir.
On one side a huge stream of white rushing water spurts into the Fynister River, flowing downstream toward Tarquenor on the coast. But on the other a tiny trickle dribbles into the Vaal.
The dry banks are evidence of how high the water levels once were.
What remains snakes around the ridge to our right and back toward Vathira.
“What have you done?” I whisper without looking around.
“No. There has been some error,” Aurelion says. “The dam was to be on the Fynister, not the Vaal.”
“Error?” Kaelun scoffs. “It looks more like a declaration of war to me.”
My chest tightens as if a rope has been bound around me. “War.” It is the logical response, but how many Vathirans would die in the face of Tarquenorian strength? We do not have a hope against the powerful city state. I turn to Aurelion. “Tell me you did not know about this.”
“I swear it.”
“Oh come on!” Kaelun interjects. “He set this up from the start.”
“Rhkash, believe me. I am not above making a deal to secure our marriage, but I did not stoop to starving your kingdom of water. This is my brother’s doing, have no doubt.”
I look down at the pathetic trickle of water again, at the dry riverbanks. “We must open the gate. Return the water to the river.”
Aurelion hisses. “We cannot.”
“Do not tell me what I cannot do. There must be a way.”
“Rhkash, my brother will have posted guards—”
He is cut off by a ferocious roar. Wincing, I look around to see five dragons appear out of the darkness, flying in formation. The one in the lead roars another challenge.
Aurelion growls, stepping close and blocking me with his body. “Come no closer.”
The dragons bank, looking surprised. “Who goes there?”
“Do you not recognize your prince?”
The leader makes a hand signal and they land, keeping their distance and watching us warily. “And who are these? Are they humans? Tarquenorian or aliens?”
I step forward, mustering my courage. I will not lie or hide myself when I have every right to be here within Vathiran territory. “I am Solha Yalina of Vathira and these are my friends.”
“Vathirans!” The dragons are instantly alert. The leader gestures, and they all jump forward, wings outstretched.
“Seize them!”