CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN ISI
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
ISI
The supply room felt smaller with all of us crowded inside, sacks and packs scattered across every available surface. Naveah’s whispered inventory filled the silence as she checked items off our list, her fingers moving through bundles of rope, healing supplies, and dried rations.
“Eight dragons for the prisoners with three riding each,” Malcolm said, working the problem aloud. “Assuming we can fit three each without compromising flight safety.”
“Will that leave enough with Grayson?” Coralee asked. “If Skathes attack while we’re gone…”
“The battalion stationed near the southern border have dragons of their own. It’ll have to do.” Trew’s voice carried the confidence of a king who’d calculated every angle. “We’ll fly fast and be back before they need us.”
He leaned over to collect another bag to fill. Even in this cramped space, he commanded attention. The way he moved and the way he thought three steps ahead of everyone else were just a few of the reasons I’d fallen for a rebel king instead of any of my father’s chosen suitors.
I also kept watching the others. Coralee. Malcolm. Naveah. Even Maddox, who had just been told we were on a rescue mission to free prisoners, though no further details.
His eyes had widened, but he’d gulped and sworn he would do his best to help save everyone.
We’d kept our mission secret from those outside this room, but that wouldn’t stop one of them from betraying us if they were the traitor.
Grayson would remain behind to oversee the ongoing war preparations and handle whatever came up while Trew was gone.
Pherin chittered from where she perched on my shoulder. Trust fragile. Like ice before spring.
“You’re right about that,” I muttered softly. Are any of the companions talking about this? If they knew who the traitor was, would they tell?
Companions loyal.
To their bonded, she meant. An important detail to note.
Trew must’ve sensed my unease, because his hand found mine across the supply crate, squeezing gently.
“How long do you expect this mission to take?” Maddox asked from where he was loading water flasks into a bag.
“Hard to say.” Trew shrugged. “Could be days. Could be longer if complications arise.”
“That’s a significant time to leave the castle with an army about to march this way.” Malcolm frowned as he calculated numbers in his head. “What if Caldrith’s allies join them in the assault?”
Coralee nodded, stroking her ermine’s white fur. “We’ve arranged patrols along our borders.”
“The garrison commanders have been given contingency plans,” Trew said, but I caught the tension in his shoulders. The weight of command sat heavy on him, the constant balance between protecting the people he ruled and helping those beyond his borders.
“And if we’re delayed?” Maddox pressed. “This mission could take longer than expected.”
“If so, we’ll adapt.” Trew’s voice carried the confidence of a king who’d learned to make impossible choices.
“Some risks are worth taking.” He collected a loop of rope and stuffed it into a bag, his jaw set with determination.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I turned my back on people who need our help. ”
This was another reason why I loved him. I admired his unwavering moral compass, even when the cost seemed impossible.
Naveah sealed the last pack. “Supplies are ready. The dragons have been fed and are rested.”
“Good.” Trew looked around at all of us. “Time to leave. I’ll arrange for guards to carry our things.”
The dragon aerie buzzed with chaos as we prepared for departure, guards and staff silently helping us load our supplies. They’d held back their questions, though their frowns followed us up and down the hall as we gathered anything else we thought we might need.
Inside her stall, Kyreth’s scales caught the late afternoon light streaming through the big opening to the valley, her intelligent eyes tracking my movements as I started up her side to secure packs to the spike between her shoulders.
Finished with her, I left her for others to ride and went down the hall to Lakast’s pen, finding Trew stroking the dragon’s cheeks while the beast groaned and wiggled and Gavelle perched on a trim board and watched. I swore the bird was rolling his eyes at Trew and Lakast.
Pherin flew off my shoulder to join him.
Trew came over to stand in front of me. His voice carried a rougher edge than usual. “I know you’re capable of handling yourself, but if something goes wrong—”
I caught the look in his eyes, the same one he’d worn before the battle at Silverstream, when he’d been afraid he might lose me. I reached up, stroking his face in my fingertips. “Hey. We’re twin flames, remember? We burn together or not at all.”
His hand covered mine, pressing my palm against his cheek. “I love you, Minx. More than my crown and more than my kingdom. If I have to choose between saving those prisoners and keeping you safe—”
“You won’t have to.” I rose onto my toes, brushing my lips against his. “Because I won’t let you. We can do this.”
He kissed me back, deep and desperate, his hands tangling in my hair. When we broke apart, he stared down at me, searching my face. “You will not do anything stupidly heroic.”
“That’s rich, coming from you.”
His laugh came out strained. “I’m serious, Isi.”
“So am I.” I smiled, letting him see the steel beneath it. “I promise not to do anything more stupidly heroic than you.”
“That’s not—” He shook his head. “You’re impossible.”
“You love me anyway.”
“Against all reason and common sense, yes.”
Pherin trilled, her tiny form gleaming in the late-day sunlight.
He gave me a boost up onto Lakast and settled in behind me, his arm going around my waist. A nudge of his heels urged the dragon toward the opening along the far side.
One leap, and we were in the air, Trew guiding Lakast over to join the other dragons.
Our dragons flew across the darkening sky, their wings catching the sunlight as we climbed above Syllavar’s towers. The wind whipped my hair back as we gained altitude, the familiar sensation of flight settling into my bones.
Below us, the lake shrank to a glittering jewel, then disappeared as we flew north toward Caldrith. Toward the place I used to call home. Toward the people I’d failed to protect for so many years.
We flew in formation over the wasteland, the corrupted landscape stretching endlessly beneath us. Even in the gathering dusk, I could make out the sickly gray of the earth, the twisted remains of what had once been fertile farmland and villages.
By full dark, we’d reached the border between the wasteland and southern Caldrith.
The land below gradually shifted from dead gray to the deep greens and browns of healthy forest. We adjusted our flight path to avoid populated areas, following river valleys and empty land where our shadows wouldn’t be seen.
The rhythm of Kyreth’s wingbeats created a hypnotic lull. The steady rise and fall, the whisper of air over scales, and the vast star-scattered sky above us made me feel drowsy. We flew for hours in relative silence, speaking only when necessary to adjust our course or confirm landmarks.
Pherin dozed against my neck, her small form warm and comforting. Occasionally she’d stir to relay a message from one of the other companions, but mostly we traveled in the peaceful quiet of dragons who were confident in their riders.
As the eastern horizon began to pale with dawn’s approach, Trew guided us toward a narrow valley marked on our map. Steep cliffs rose on all sides, creating a natural shelter where we could rest without being seen from above.
“Perfect,” Malcolm called as we descended. “No one can spot us here unless they fly directly overhead, and the odds of that are nicely slim.”
The dragons landed, their claws finding purchase on the rocky ground. I slid down Lakast’s side, my legs trembling from the long flight. Twelve or so hours in the saddle, even with the rare stretch, made every one of my muscles protest.
Coralee dismounted from her dragon and started gathering the supply packs from the other dragons. The rest of us laid out bedrolls in a rough circle beneath a thick cluster of trees, our companions taking watch duty around the perimeter.
“Food first,” Naveah said. “Then sleep.”
We’d fly all night again and after a short rest in the secure location we’d identified east of Caldrith Castle, we’d go through our plan one last time before putting it into action one day before the Day of Mercy.
“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” Maddox asked softly. “You’re trusting me enough to take me on this mission. We entered Caldrith territory hours ago. Maybe it’s time to trust me enough to share why I’m risking my life.”
Trew and I shared a heavy glance before I spoke. “Caldrith is holding a Day of Mercy in two days.”
“Fuck that,” he said.
I snorted, though I agreed. “We’re going to steal the magic-wielders before they’re put to death.”
His mouth widened in awe. “Excellent. A worthy cause.”
“This is your last chance to back out,” Trew said. “We can leave you here and stop for you when we return.”
“Not happening.” Maddox saluted Trew before striding over to straighten his bed.
I was gathering some sticks and branches for a small fire when Naveah’s sharp intake of breath made everyone freeze.
“No.” The word came out strangled. “This can’t be right.”
She stood beside the food packs, her hands trembling as she dumped them out one at a time.
We rushed over to her.
“What are you doing?” Trew reached her side in quick strides, Gavelle launching from his shoulder to circle overhead.
“The food is rotten.” Naveah’s voice barely qualified as a whisper.
“What do you mean?” Maddox asked. He stooped down and lifted a wrapped loaf of bread, quickly undoing the cloth secured around it. With a grimace, he dropped the bread and rose. “What the fuck?”
“Someone…” Coralee’s lips pinched together. “Magical sabotage,” she hissed, peering around at us all. “Someone got to our food between collecting it and loading it on our dragons.”