Chapter 25
Gracie
The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the train was that the wind was warm, despite being near the coast. I shielded my eyes from the morning light as Ravik led me off the station platform and into the shade.
“Wow.”
I felt as though I’d been transported to an entirely different universe, let alone world. I moved to the edge of the high cliff we stood on—a purposeful end to the train line—to get the best view possible. To look at the capital city of Stark Flight territory.
Whoever had designed or chosen this overlook had done so with the purpose of showing each and every visitor the grandeur of the capital city.
In the morning light everything was lit up in gold, and the wind that moved over the water rustled the leaves of the gigantic trees that the city was built on.
Although, on wasn’t quite the right word.
The city itself was built into enormous ancient trees that were seemingly rooted deep underwater.
Their trunks and roots acted as walls and foundations, with structures carved directly into them both vertically and horizontally.
Warm amber light emanated from the buildings that stretched all the way to the top of the canopy, where dragon shifters soared past, looking small against the scale of the city.
Islands were scattered around the edges of the city, the land between them mostly wetlands. Below the trees, small vessels proudly displaying flags of purple and gold moved through the waterways. They were so tiny, comparatively.
“I’m surprised the dragons preferred water,” Thornar said openly.
As if in answer, a dragon flew overhead and let out a roar, sending a tremor through the land.
My eyes shot up in awe. The scale of everything—including the dragons themselves—made it feel impossible to truly take in.
I’d seen paintings and pictures of dragons before, but seeing their jewel-toned colors fill the sky was something else entirely.
“How do we get down there?” I asked, noticing both Basir and Ravik looking around.
“Well, since we can’t fly,” Thornar murmured, sounding almost disappointed, “I would say those aerial trams.”
My gaze moved to where he was looking and saw that a short distance away were aerial trams, similar to gondolas, designed to carry passengers down into the city. I was walking toward them before I could stop myself—but Ravik caught me around the waist.
“What’s wrong?” Basir asked.
Ravik rumbled. “I prefer being on the ground, not hanging several hundred feet above water.”
Thornar chuckled. “Come on, Ravik. It won’t be that bad.”
And it wasn’t—for me at least. But from the time we stepped onto the aerial tram and took our seats, Ravik had remained motionless, and I could feel the unease through our bond. He had pulled me onto his lap, and considering it gave me an even better view, I hadn’t even tried to get up.
The city revealed itself further as we descended, each minute pulling us closer to the arrival platform. What had looked like a dense canopy of wood and light from the overlook was an entirely different world up close.
Bridges wide enough to drive a vehicle across ran between roots.
Balconies carved directly into the bark held washing lines and window boxes.
A dragon passed so close that I felt the air shift, its wingspan blocking out the sun for a full second before it banked lazily toward an upper branch, where it landed with a grace that shouldn’t have been possible for something that size.
Ravik’s grip on me tightened. I offered him a sympathetic, concerned look.
“You don’t like heights?”
“I don’t like situations I can’t control, lux mea.”
Looking over his shoulder toward the city, I leaned closer. “We’re about halfway now, so that’s not too bad.”
“You know, they take this entire Yvelis worship to a new level,” Thornar pointed out.
“What?” Basir offered him a questioning look.
“God of bone and transitions.” He waved his hand and cracked a smile. “This is a very transitional way to get into the city.”
A laugh bubbled out of me as Ravik buried his head against my shoulder with a groan. I squeezed his hand wrapped around me and continued to watch as we descended. I was so eager to get down there that I had to stop myself from bouncing as the aerial tram finally came to a stop.
Faster than my mates, I was out and looking around. Before us was a marketplace that seemed to stretch on forever into the tree. The stalls were carved alcoves filled with goods I didn’t recognize—dark gleaming stones, dried herbs that smelled of salt, and piles of fabric in deep jewel tones.
I immediately noticed that the people of Stark Flight moved differently too, unhurried but watchful.
They seemed to catch every detail of what they were looking at, and I realized that dragon shifters carried a very different energy than pack wolves.
There was no instinctive awareness of one another.
They didn’t seem to even greet each other in passing, every individual existing in their own contained world.
A flash of light to my left pulled my attention, where a winding path carved down into the tree led to what appeared to be a temple. Its stone and bone doors glinted in sunlight as people moved in and out of the spiritual center.
Even from here I could feel the ancient power radiating from it, and I found myself glad that it wasn’t calling to me in the same way it had in the Scarlet Sloth territory. I didn’t necessarily want to meet Yvelis—at least not yet.
“Ravik Gentry.” A low voice had my head snapping to the right, a prickle of awareness causing me to still. I’d been around a lot of danger in my life, so there was absolutely no doubt that the two men walking toward Ravik were dangerous. So much so that I moved to be between Basir and Thornar.
“Caelan, Soren, it’s good to see you both.” Ravik looked unsurprised and even happy to see both men, offering the first a handshake before doing the same for the second. Both were as tall as Ravik, but neither had the warmth and grounding that my mates had.
They made me distinctly uncomfortable.
“We were sent to lead you up to the castle,” Soren explained, his eyes moving over to the three of us in a lazy, indifferent way. “Thornar and Basir, it’s good to see both of you.”
“Is it?” Basir hummed, looking suddenly amused.
Soren offered a shake of the head but ultimately let it go, choosing to focus on me. “You brought your…mate?”
“Yes.” Ravik said seriously. “Our mate.”
Caelan made an amused noise. “Never would I have thought you’d be the sharing type. What’s your name?”
“Gracie,” I said evenly, trying to not portray my nerves.
“Good to meet you,” Caelan said politely. I didn’t offer the same in response because I honestly wasn’t sure if it was good to meet them.
“Alright, you four.” Soren nodded upwards. “Dad is waiting. Let’s go.”
Ravik led the way, and once we had a bit of distance, I asked Thornar and Basir my question.
“Who are they?”
“Waylon’s youngest sons,” Thornar explained with an annoyed sigh. “Ravik has known them for a long time. But…”
“I don’t like them,” Basir stated.
Thornar chuckled. “Something you’ve made abundantly clear.”
“What’s wrong with them?” I asked. “Is it because they’re dragons? My wolf reacted so strongly when I met Waylon.”
Up until this point my wolf had been quiet, but in the past she’d distinctly rejected being around dragons. Or maybe just his line of dragons. Interesting.
“No,” Thornar said. “It’s because they’re psychopaths.”
Oh. “Like…”
“Killers,” Basir leveled. “Just under the guise of being part of a special military unit.”
I was thankful that my mates were also scary so that I didn’t have to worry about individuals like Soren and Caelan.
The scale of the tree revealed itself slowly on our ascent. The path wound in a slow upward spiral lit by lanterns hung at intervals from iron brackets driven into the wood. The higher we climbed, the more the city fell away below us, visible only through gaps in the bark.
Though what I’d thought was only bark was mixed with layered growth, decades upon decades of compressed material turning into something that felt like stone. My hand grazed the surface as we walked. It was warm under my fingers, faintly vibrating, as if something deep inside was still moving.
It must have taken us twenty minutes to get to our destination at the top of the stairs. Except as I reached the last step…I fell back slightly, unsure of what I was seeing.
It was a castle, but not like any I’d ever seen.
A gigantic dragon skull faced outward, acting as the archway into the castle, the teeth all intact except for the front two. The eyes were glass orbs stained purple and gold like the Stark Flight flag hanging above the door, and as we moved forward I found myself trying to take in the scale of it.
How did a dragon get this big? Had it been a shifter? Something else?
The surface underfoot shifted as we stepped inside, stone giving way to bone. I cringed. So that’s where the other two teeth had gone. Basir put a hand on my back and offered a look that said he understood.
“Are those ribs?” I asked my mate in a hushed whisper. Thornar had already moved ahead, hands clasped behind his back, studying the beams overhead with what looked like genuine interest. Ravik stood at ease between the Kane brothers, exchanging quiet words with Caelan.
The space was vast, making my words echo in a way that I had not intended.
Lanterns hung from the vertebrae, filling the room with a warm contrasting light.
Fresh flowers stood in ivory vases every few feet and staff wearing deep purple and gold linens moved through the hall toward sets of heavy doors.
Before Basir could answer my question, someone came running up behind us. Ravik stepped back to be more firmly in front of me, but the man ignored us, rushing past to get to Caelan and Soren.
He was a frazzled man, speaking in quiet urgency. “I have been searching for both of you everywhere. You cannot be late, and they are waiting for you in the south wing. Right now!”
Soren sighed, but Caelan offered a nod of understanding. He looked toward Ravik. “Just walk straight to the double doors. He’s waiting for you.”
“Sounds good.” Ravik said. “It was good seeing both of you.”
“You’ll be seeing more of us this summer.” Soren smirked. “We’ve got the Solakrin Trials.”
As the brothers disappeared to the left, we continued to the doors ahead.
Why did the Solakrin Trials sound familiar…