I couldn’t believe I was even considering this, but…I glanced at Aska and my chest warmed. Doing this would mean becoming the thing I’d hated for as long as I could remember. It would mean embracing the darkness I’d fought so hard against. But what I’d hated and feared, it hadn’t been the whole truth. The full portrait had been smudged.
Somehow, deep down, I knew there was truth in Rivelin’s words. But that did not mean his wild plan was the answer to all our issues. How could I possibly find this hidden book? And then how could I ever get away from Isveig again? He would never let me leave.
“What if I fail?” I whispered.
“You won’t.”
I inhaled, trying to memorize the scent of his leather, his smoke, his steel. My heart ached at the idea of leaving him, especially now when we’d only just found our way back to each other. The six weeks had felt like years, like I’d known him all my life. It was not nearly long enough.
Forever wouldn’t even be long enough.
And now I would return to Isveig empty-handed. It was only a matter of time before he sent someone else to investigate the Isles, no matter what I told him. He would tear this land to shreds.
I couldn’t leave these people to that fate.
I pressed my lips together, then asked, “Did you withdraw from the Midsummer Games?”
“What?”
“You’re not there competing now, but did you formally withdraw?”
“No, but it doesn’t matter.” He tugged me closer, our hips locking together. “I may be fast, but I’m not fast enough for that. Besides, I need to take you to the harbor. You don’t know where it is.”
“I have an idea.” I smiled. “And you’re not going to like it.”
35
DAELLA
R ivelin stared in astonishment when I hauled myself onto Aska’s back. I gave her neck a quick rub as she slowly climbed to her feet, rolling off the last remnants of sleep. The warmth of her body enveloped me like an old hug, like one I’d known all my life, almost as familiar as my mother’s had once been.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve done this,” Rivelin murmured, noting how easily I settled in to the seat carved into her scales. “How?”
“Aska found me lost in the woods when it was raining last night, and she brought me back here.” Smiling, I rubbed her neck again. “Turns out, dragons like it when you feed them.”
“I think it’s far more than that.”
“It seems Mabel was right. Orcs and dragons have a special connection.” It was still so wild to consider, the origin of the orcs. But it made sense. We had fire within our veins. We thrived in the summer sun. And Isveig hated us. He’d never told me more because he didn’t want me to know the truth.
“Run as fast as you can,” I told Rivelin. “I’ll meet you back in Wyndale.”
“Wait. What is it you plan to do, Daella? We need to get you on that ship.”
I smiled. “You asked me to trust you, and now I’m asking you to trust me. I’m going to win the fates-damned Games for you, but I’m going to need you to step back. And don’t try to argue with me about the ship. I’ll get there after I finish this.”
The muscles around his eyes tightened, but then he nodded and shifted away from the mouth of the cave. I smiled, leaned forward, and whispered into Aska’s ear, “Fly, my friend.”
She didn’t need any more encouragement than that. The dragon took off at a run and hurtled into the sky, soaring up toward the clouds. Her heavy wings pounded against the wind, and I clung to the tusk as she raced toward Wyndale. Below, the world was nothing more than a blur of brilliant greens and muddy browns, pockmarked by the violets and pinks and golden yellows of the flowers scattered across this beautiful island.
Only moments passed before the village came into view before us. Clusters of timber homes were nestled in the small hills that rolled toward the shoreline in the distance. A snakelike river cut through the forest and fed into the lake near the cove, the water sparkling beneath the sun. I smiled as we dipped closer and the sight of the Midsummer celebration arrived in all its splendor. There were streamers and paper lanterns everywhere, and children danced through the tall grass with flowers in their hair.
Screams peppered the air as we drew closer, and I spotted several faces turned up at us in horror.
I leaned forward and whispered, “Gently now. Let’s show them they have nothing to fear. And that you are the grandest beast of the air.”
Air, the final element and the final trial of the Midsummer Games. And I did not need even a speck of my Vindur sand when I had something as majestic as a dragon.
Aska slowed as she glided above the crowd that was slowly clustering around the empty stage. We swept by once, then turned and sailed past one final time before angling back toward the shoreline in the distance. I had to hope it had been enough, that they understood why I was here. There was little else I could do other than land and explain, but I worried some might take that as another attack. Was Mabel down there? Could she possibly explain to them that I—
A strange flash of red from the Boundless Sea snagged my attention. I lifted my eyes from the celebration to scan the choppy waves. In the distance, dozens of crimson boats from Emperor Isveig’s armada sailed across the stretch of blue—and they were headed straight toward Hearthaven. I sucked in a sharp breath, my blood freezing.
Isveig had found us.
Aska slowed as if she felt my sudden uncertainty, but I barely noticed, too focused on the approaching ships. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. Weeks ago, Rivelin had warned this might happen, that Isveig might come after me. Yet I’d dismissed those fears.
But even seeing it now, it felt impossible. So horribly, heart-wrenchingly impossible. The Elding had shifted to another island, leaving Hearthaven exposed.
I scanned the ships. There were so many—too many—but it would only take one to conquer this island. These folk were not fighters. They would not stand a chance against the army that was coming for them.
Tears burned my eyes at the thought of the battles and the blood, the wreckage left behind by Isveig’s army. He had already destroyed so much.
I tightened my grip on Aska’s tusk. I could not let him destroy this island, too.
Throwing all caution to the wind, I leaned forward and said, “We’re going to land now, Aska. Aim for the stage. If any of them react poorly to you, don’t fight back. Just drop me off and fly away. All right? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Aska rumbled in clear displeasure.
“If you do this, I’ll make sure you get an entire sack of Mabel’s treats.”
The dragon practically shimmied beneath me and emitted a sound that was an awful lot like a purr. Instantly, she twisted and dove toward the stage. I ground my teeth and clutched the tusk, regretting my decision to metaphorically dangle the treats in front of her face.
More screams rent the air as Aska thundered onto the stage, the wood creaking beneath her. Dirt and leaves sprayed into the air, a whirlwind of earthen debris. I gingerly slid off Aska’s back and landed in a crouch on the shattered stage, then collected Rivelin’s jar—the only one remaining—from where it had toppled to the side. Quickly, I shoved the pebbles back inside.