14. Riggs

14

Riggs

When Bree took off up the stairs ahead of us, I suffered through a twisted mix of relief and regret.

It surprised me when Cara patted me on the arm. I faked a deadpan expression, but when I looked down at her, she asked, "Do you believe in Fate?"

My breath left me in an explosion of air. "I actually have no idea," I replied. But I had more important concerns. "Please tell me Tyrez isn't going to attend the funeral."

Her brows dropped. "We have yet to discuss it."

My instincts screamed at me. "It's not a good idea."

The Watcher's jaw tightened. "For what it's worth, I agree. But he may not have much choice. If he doesn't go, it may look suspicious."

"Do you think they suspect?" I glanced around as we spoke—we weren't anywhere near other students, but some had very sharp ears.

She shook her head. "I doubt it. But ordinarily, Tyrez would take any opportunity to dig out details of their deaths, and that means talking to Taran about it. Which he can't do, unless he takes the offer. If he doesn't go—it would be out of character, and his brother would know it."

The knot in my gut twisted tighter. I had a very bad feeling about all this.

"There are other concerns," Cara continued. "If Tyrez does not go—it could be interpreted as his lack of support for his brother, or worse. There are already rumors getting back to me of many that are unhappy with Taran's new rules, and they are looking for alternatives. Someone to challenge him for the Emperor position."

I swallowed. "Tyrez would make an excellent leader."

"Yes. There are many whispering that they want his exile expunged." Cara studied me with her fathomless blue gaze. She patted my arm with her hand and then tilted her head. "Are you interested in the history of that sword?"

As a means of diverting my attention, her question certainly worked. She didn't wait for my answer, but gestured for me to follow her.

She took me to the library.

I looked around, surprised at the size of the place, considering that the written word had never been encouraged across the realms. In fact, for many years in selected realms, references to Cryptid lore had been banned, on pain of death. The council had felt it necessary to protect the knowledge from those realms considered virgin—those unaware of the gates' existence.

Cara accurately interpreted my reaction. "Most references here were collected and protected by the Watchers. This library represents an accumulation of Cryptid knowledge that hasn't been seen in a few thousand years."

She nodded to a young man who was filing books and led me down a narrow aisle lined with shelves. Soon we were surrounded by them, and she tapped her chin with a thoughtful finger as she wove her way through.

"Think it's over this way…"

I followed her along the aisles, captivated by the wealth of knowledge these references represented. Then, suddenly, between one stride and the next, I was caught up in a panic that was not my own.

The frantic beat of wings, sending a sleek form darting between mountain peaks…

I stopped dead, my heart thundering in my chest. Because Breana was running from something.

Surely I was imagining things. How could I be linked to anything Breana was doing? But it had already happened once.

Cara had continued on around a corner, but now she peered back at me. What she saw in my face had her standing in front of me in an instant.

"What is it?" she asked.

"My mind is playing tricks on me," I answered. "I'm sensing Breana. Flying."

Her brows dropped. "Tell me."

I expected her to confirm my concerns about my mental state, but she didn't. "It's like she's flying in the mountains, but someone is chasing her." I shook my head. "I have to be imagining things… there are only students and staff here, right?"

"Between the forest and the mountains, yes. But the town on the other side has a gate."

A gate. Someone could have used it to come after Breana…

Cara reversed direction and was now almost running back toward the library entrance. I jogged after her, earning a curious glance from the librarian. Especially when I slammed into the doorframe because I couldn't see where I was going.

I was filled with panic as Breana ducked and dodged through the snowy peaks. I caught glimpses of what chased her—red-scaled Wyverns that seemed vaguely familiar. And Dragons.

My mind spinning with images, I followed Cara to a huge room that descended three stories in regular tiers. It was filled with refugees, and at the heart of them, stood Tyrez.

"Wait here." She raced down the stairs. The people standing on them recognized the long white braids and parted for her.

My brother saw her coming and stopped what he was doing. A quick exchange with Cara, and he turned to say something to the blue Dragon, Talakai.

Then they were both following Cara rapidly back up the stairs toward me. As they swept past me and into the hall, Tyrez told Cara, "We'll need Havoc."

She nodded. "He'll catch up to you."

They vaulted up the stairs, while Cara stood on the landing with drawn brows, as though concentrating hard.

"Did I really see her, then?" I asked. I looked after the two Dragons. If they were going after her, I wanted to be with them…

I needed wings, dang it. But clearly, my wishes weren't enough to entice my inner Dragon to sprout them.

As if guessing my thoughts, Cara reached a hand to my arm. "Come with me."

I followed her up to the fourth floor, and we jogged past the cafeteria, then through to another hall lined with doors.

Cara paused to hammer on one, and Marcus answered. The Watcher darted past him and entered what appeared to be a suite.

"Where's Havoc?" she asked.

I heard splashing from down a side hall, but Marcus pointed to the balcony. "He's out there. What's up?"

"Bree's in trouble." Cara headed for the balcony.

Havoc was already standing, staring, when we appeared. "Bree's being chased in the mountains," Cara told him. "Tyrez and Talakai are already on their way. They need you."

"They just left," the big red Dragon shifter said. "I wondered where they were off to in such a fucking hurry." His wings sprouted from his shoulders, and he turned to fling himself off the balcony.

"Wait!" I called, lunging after him. But he was already airborne, finishing his shift as he flew.

I leaned way out over the railing. "I need to be there," I said through gritted teeth.

"I will take you." Marcus moved up beside me. The bones were altering beneath his skin, and feathers erupted amid his hair.

In seconds, the large balcony was filled with a brown-and-gold-dappled Gryphon. I turned to Cara.

"Go," she said. "Bring her back."

I had no idea how to ride a Gryphon. But Marcus offered a foreleg, and I grabbed a handful of feathered mane, then used it to jump onto his shoulders.

"Hang on," he said, a split second before he launched himself off the balcony.

It was good advice, but not needed—my fists were curled into his mane, and every muscle in my legs tightened. Marcus's body rose and fell with every beat of his wings, the powerful muscles working beneath me, and it felt as though I was going to be shaken loose at any moment.

But somewhere in those mountains, was Breana. And she was in big trouble—her muscles were weak and her mind foggy, as though she were drugged. Her pursuers were closing in. Then I sensed her tuck her wings and dive.

When they hit the ice-cold water, I swayed, my fingers tightening. The gold-dappled head swung to view me with one eye.

"Hold on," he repeated.

"She's in a lake," I gasped.

His luminous eye narrowed, and then his head straightened. Ahead of us was Havoc's giant red Dragon. Tyrez and Talakai had already disappeared amid the snow-capped peaks. I saw Havoc alter course slightly, and Marcus followed, turning his head once more.

"I k-know the lake," he said. "We'll find her."

We followed Havoc into the mountains. The air immediately grew colder, and I peered down through the fog and cloud, looking for water.

Then ahead of us, a bellow. Not of fear or pain. But a challenge. Havoc vanished in a steep dive.

Marcus banked so abruptly I ripped out a few feathers.

"Sorry!" I shouted.

"Havoc says t-to look-k for her." Marcus's words whipped back to me. "He's got-t the ones that are after her."

We emerged from the clouds, and I saw Havoc and another Dragon, totally entangled and falling like a rock for the lake below. They vanished in a spray of water and ice. Within moments, the water it all turned red.

As Marcus, seemingly unconcerned, leveled out to soar just above it, another Dragon appeared above us. The rider was wielding a type of dart gun and began firing at us.

Marcus ducked the darts, just as the water below the oncoming Dragon boiled, and Havoc erupted from beneath. He buried talons and teeth in the Dragon and hauled it back into the water with him.

I heard a scream coming from above—Tyrez and Talakai had found us. Tyrez was in hot pursuit of another Dragon ridden by a woman with long white hair, while Talakai chased four Wyverns away from the lake.

There was a flash of red-hued energy that rippled over my skin, and for just an instant, a portal appeared in the sky. The mounted Dragon and Wyverns vanished in an instant. With a scream of frustration, Tyrez banked away, while Talakai hovered in the wind before dropping our way.

Marcus banked again, his gaze scanning the water. "Where is she?"

I wrapped my hands around his feathers and tried to reform the connection. But it wasn't there. Pushing back on my panic, I retraced my impressions. They'd dived into the water—and then swum beneath it, toward the shore. I backtracked even more, fixing random images in my mind. Of that strangely hooked peak, which had been to her left when she'd gone into the water. Of the direction they'd swum. Of the nature of the silty bank.

Boulders rimmed much of the lake's shoreline, but the western edge had a beach that was half frozen. If she was hiding there, why hadn't she come out when Havoc killed the Dragons?

The thought had clearly occurred to Marcus, too. "Why isn't-t she c-coming out?" he asked.

It wasn't until then that I remembered the other thing—the sense of losing strength, of her mind fogging…

"I think they drugged her," I said.

His beak clacked. "The dart-ts," he hissed.

"Fly over that beach." I pointed.

He banked and did so, slowing until he was almost hovering, while we scanned the frozen shore. My eyes traced it—the very edges of the water had thin ice. Then I saw a small section, where it seemed thicker.

"Wait!" I said. "There!"

He hovered over it, and his eyes flashed.

Havoc dropped from above, and braked at the last possible second, sending the vicious tailspike arching down to smash into the ice.

It splintered into a million tiny pieces. Marcus landed on the shore, and I was off him and sprinting for the spot before he'd fully touched down. I waded into the ice-filled water—and found the opening beneath the silty bank.

I reached beneath and touched skin.

Not warm.

Icy cold, and unmoving.