Chapter 121
CHAPTER 121
Dayton
I open my eyes to darkness, feeling disoriented and sluggish. My limbs ache as if I’ve been sleeping for centuries. With a groan, I push myself up, feeling the soft bed beneath my hands. Where am I? Memories flicker in my mind like distant shadows—radiant light, searing pain, and then nothing …
Nothing until Farron’s voice. A flash sparks across my vision, cutting like a blade. A light of emerald green. I grit my teeth.
“Dayton. Dayton.” A hand touches my shoulder and I shudder. “He’s awake.”
I know that voice. “Del?”
As my vision adjusts to the dim light, I see my sister across from me, illuminated by glowing orbs on the wall. The air is thick with the scent of oil and rust.
I’m on an airship, lying on a cold bed.
Footsteps echo on metal, and more people crowd into the small room. Ez, Nori, and behind them, hovering by the door … Farron.
The way he’s gazing at me, it’s like I might not be real.
I wish I could reassure him otherwise, but I’m not exactly positive.
“What happened?” I rasp.
Delphie throws her arms around me, clambering onto the bed. Tears line her cheeks. “We thought we lost you, Day. The Nightingale shot you with the Bow of Radiance and Farron healed you.”
Ezryn makes a sound in the back of his throat and shoots a strange look at Farron. Farron, who hasn’t said a word, stays in the doorway.
“All that matters is that Dayton’s back,” Ezryn says. There’s an odd pitch to his voice. One I’ve never heard before.
My thoughts are sluggish. Back from where?
“Hadria is lost, but so is Sira’s army,” Delphie says.
I strain, moving my stiff body to look out the round window. The airship hovers above the sea. Only the highest peaks of the Soltide Keep are visible above the waves.
“The people are safe,” Delphia says. “The sirens spoke to me. They’ve given them shelter in Aerantheis.”
“We’ll rebuild it, Del,” I say, touching her face. “I’ll call the sea back and our people will return. Hadria will feel the sun’s warmth once again.”
“I know, brother.” She curls into my embrace.
“The Huntresses have returned to their base,” Ezryn says. There’s an edge to his voice. “They await Summer’s command for our next move. They’ve promised their aid to those who serve the Golden Rose.”
“Our next move,” I repeat, and then it hits me all at once. I scan the room once again, but the desperate ache in my chest is confirmation enough. “Rosalina?”
“Sira took her,” Ezryn snarls.
More footsteps echo on the metal, and another figure strides in. Long black cape glistening, Caspian raises a brow at me, before turning to the group. “I have a way to get our mate to safety, but you aren’t going to like it.”
Our mate? Our mate? Rosalina is mated to a prince from each of the realms and the Below, while her own ancestry is that of the Above. The stars are cruel in their mischief.
Really, of all people … it had to be Caspian?
The Prince of Thorns crosses to the window, gaze faraway. “I’ll tell you where you’ll find her. Fair warning, it’s going to be awfully cold. You might want to bundle up.”