Chapter 49 #2
Valera lifted her finger. “Please wait here while I retrieve a few volumes.”
As she turned, a spark of static cracked in the air.
I looked around, finding no reason for the feeling. But every hair on my arm stood upright.
I’m adding more wards. That told me Lore had felt it too.
She’s everywhere.
Watching. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike
We sat at the table where I’d researched Evergorne long ago, me tapping the tip of my blade on the smooth wooden surface.
Dorion pulled his own, punier blade, and started tossing it into the air and catching it.
Laphira gaped from me and Dorion. “Should I find a blade as well?”
Lore snatched my blade from my hand and slid it into the sheath at my waist. He leaned close and whispered, “You, mate, are devastatingly attractive when you’re toying with lethal weapons.”
I gave him a wink. I’ll keep that in mind the next time we’re alone in our bedroom.
Valera returned with a stack of leather-clad volumes in her arms. “A sailor’s myth. A place lost when the dragons died out. It’s called The Dragon’s Nest. Starfall Break is the region. The Dragon's Nest is hidden somewhere inside it. I believe it was the dragons' most sacred sanctuary.”
She laid one of the books open on the table between us, the pages smelling of old ink.
I studied the worn parchment, tracing the curling script with my finger.
“The Dragon’s Nest lies where stone sings and scales remember.
Reached only by sea, veiled in mist, guarded by silence.
” My heart flipped over, and my gaze swept across Lore and my friends. “It’s real. We just need to find it.”
Lore stood. “We’ll leave immediately.”
We rose and scattered to our chambers to prepare. Lore and I dressed quickly in leathers, strapping on numerous blades. We packed a bag with a few things, and with our cloaks slung over our shoulders, we joined Dorion and Laphira in the foyer.
Lord Briscalar bustled over, his gaze traveling up and down our frames. “Unusual costumes for a formal dinner, my queen and king, but I find it delightful.” He clapped his hands. “I’m sure you’ll set a new trend.”
“We’re leaving,” Lore said. “I’m not sure when we’ll return.”
“But what about your birthday party, sire?” the lord asked, his shoulders drooping. “We’ve made plans. It’s going to be a delightful celebration.”
“We’ll do our best to be back by then,” was all I could say.
“Very well.” His spine stiffened, and he dipped his head graciously. “May the stars and fates guide your course. Return safely, my king and queen.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
The four of us flitted to the pier.
Wind tugged at my hair as salt air carried the cry of seabirds overhead. Sunlight scattered across the bay, captured by the waves. The pier planks creaked beneath our feet.
Farris trotted at my side, his ears twitching as he took in everything. He pressed against my leg, and I scratched behind his ears, feeling the tension loosen from my spine a little. He’d chosen to come with us. I didn’t have to ask.
The ship loomed ahead. Sleek, swift, sturdy. Lore’s personal vessel, ever ready. Its polished wood glowed like gold in the late-day light.
Captain Christoff met us at the base of the gangplank in his full uniform, every button gleaming, his boots polished to a blinding shine. With military precision, he bowed low. “My king. My queen.”
“Captain,” Lore said. “Can you depart immediately?”
“Of course.” His grin rose, and he flashed a look of longing to the sea. “Where would you like to go?”
Lore’s hand slipped into mine. He tugged the map from his pocket and handed it to the captain, who unfurled it, pointing. “There.”
The captain blanched. “Are you sure you wish to go to Starfall Break? It’s quite a dangerous area. No one goes there.”
“We need to. We’re seeking a place called the Dragon’s Nest. It’s in that area.”
Christoff frowned. “I’ve never heard of Dragon’s Nest, and I’ve sailed this part of the world for most of my life.”
“We’ll know where to go when we reach that area,” I said. Please let this work.
“Very well, Your Highnesses. It will be an…adventure.” His face flushed. “Yes, that. An adventure.” He called out to the crew, telling them to prepare to leave port before turning back to us, waving to the gangplank. “Welcome aboard.”
We climbed onto the ship that swayed gently beneath our feet, and stood on deck while the crew bustled around us. Lines were loosed. Sails readied.
The ship left the pier, slowly gliding to the mouth of the harbor, where the crew released the sails and windrams, who climbed up onto the rail and started blowing.
“Amazing,” Laphira breathed, watching the creatures create enough wind to billow the sails.
Christoff came over to join us. “We should reach Starfall Break by early tomorrow evening.”
The eve before lore’s birthday.
I bit back my gasp. “Can’t we get there sooner?”
“I’m afraid not, my queen, though I’ll tell the crew to push the windrams hard. They’re good for it. We fed them well not long before our departure.”
So little time.
Lore squeezed my hand. It will be enough.
I had to be.
Lore looked Dorion and Laphira’s way. “Below deck, you’ll find two suites on your left. Pick whichever pleases you. Mine is on the end.” With a nod to them, he took my hand and urged me to the prow, where we stood with the wind buffeting our faces and the crisp smell of the sea surrounding us.
Farris curled up on a pile of rope nearby to take a nap.
The sun slowly set.
Off to our right, Dorion and Laphira stood close together, their eyes on the sea. Wind whipped her hair around her face, and she didn’t bother to tame it. Like me, she watched the horizon with something fierce in her gaze.
The harbor fell away, the mountains of Evergorne slowly fading behind us.
“I wish we were closer,” I whispered.
Lore tightened his arms around me.
Every moment felt precious now, stolen time before an uncertain future. I wanted to memorize the feel of him holding me, the way his breath warmed my temple.
Everything would change tomorrow, one way or another.
“We’ll find the Dragon’s Nest,” he said. “And then we’ll finally end this.”
From his mouth to the fates’ ears.
At sunrise, we still stood on deck, sipping piping hot mugs of tea and nibbling on sweet biscuits. Watching the sea surge up the front of the ship. Squinting at the horizon. All of us wishing something that looked like the Dragon’s Nest would lift its hand and urge us toward it.
The wind pulled at my braid as I leaned against the railing, the scent of salt and sun-drenched wood wrapping around me, sparking memories of the times I’d stood here with Lorant. With Merrick. Now with Lore, the man who was the best and worst of them both. I embraced it all.
The ship cut through the waves, slicing a path toward our destination, and that frustrated me. We’d reach Starfall Break, but we didn’t know how to find the Dragon’s Nest from there. We had to rely on scattered clues.
Farris padded up beside me, brushing his shoulder against my leg. He nudged his nose toward the leather pouch tied to my belt, holding the talismans.
And the feather.
I slipped it free and held it up by the stem, twisting it. The white faded into the soot-dark tip, ash kissed by magic. It was an ordinary feather. Only…
No. It wasn’t.
The heart waits where stone sings and scales remember. Let wings be your guide.
Feather. Wings.
Here I was, holding wings. The connection hit me so suddenly I felt foolish for missing it.
Farris whined, stepping back to watch me, his eyes as sharp as a storm roaring toward shore.
I pulled the talismans from my pocket and stared at them lying on my palm. Inside the labyrinth, I’d used the pendant to summon King Tallin to correct a wronged fate.
Could the talismans and feather could do the same thing here?
I had to try.
Kneeling on the deck with salt spray kissing my cheeks, I laid out the three talismans—Essence, Devotion, Dominion—letting them settle on the wood like they belonged there.
“Yes.” Lore stooped down beside me, his hand warm on my spine.
Dorion and Laphira eased closer, leaning their backs against the railing, watching quietly.
With a breath tight in my chest, I placed the feather in the center of the three.
The deck vibrated beneath my knees, and the feather twitched.
A glimmer of pale light bloomed from each talisman.
Silver from the key. Crimson from the pendant.
Blue from the featherdorn. The feather glowed like moonlight on still water.
The lights trickled forward, threads of magic dripping like spun sikeen over the ship’s bow, merging and flowing into a single narrow stream across the waves, stretching forward.
A path.
Hope flooded through me so suddenly my knees almost buckled. We had a way forward. After all the riddles and uncertainty, we finally had direction.
I staggered to my feet, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
“You’re amazing, Wildfire,” Lore said, satisfaction rich in his voice.
Leaning into his chest, I pointed to the line glistening across the top of the waves. “Let the wings be your guide. Feather. Wings. The talismans and feather are showing us the way.”
“We follow the lights,” he said, lifting a hand to gain the captain’s attention.
Farris barked and sat beside me on the deck, his tail sweeping across the planks.
The path stretched toward the horizon, beautiful and ominous. Somewhere ahead lay the Dragon's Nest and our chance to break the curse. But I couldn't shake the feeling that Prager was watching, maybe even waiting for us.
The final confrontation was coming, and we were sailing straight toward it.