Chapter 36

DAELLA

Itook a moment to breathe before returning to the celebration, exhaustion and hunger sapping the last dregs of my energy now that my quest was ended. Aska sat near the well, swishing her spiked tail back and forth across the dirt road, reminding me a lot of Skoll. As I settled onto one of the crates that were nestled in the vines and flowers, I gave her a grateful smile.

“Thank you for all of this,” I said. “I promise it will be worth it when I get those treats from Mabel. Plus, you’ll be safe from Isveig a little while longer. You’re going to have to figure out how to protect yourself when you’re older, though. Never fly near Fafnir, all right? No matter what.”

She merely blinked at me.

Hurried footsteps pounded the dirt, and I braced myself to get swept up into the rollicking crowd. They’d want to know what I’d asked for, and then they’d likely drag me back to the meadow to join the celebration. As this was Midsummer itself, I imagined the party would endure far into the night, likely until dawn. At least I would finally get to eat, so long as the island did not find a way to rid itself of me first.

But it was Rivelin who rushed around the corner, his tunic rumpled, his hair disheveled, and sweat beading on his brow. When he saw me, he slowed to a stop and sucked in a great lungful of air. He took in the flowers around my neck and on my head, and the dragon perched nearby. His face crumpled as he strode toward me.

“What have you done? Where is the sand?”

I stood. “I spotted Isveig’s ships heading this way when Aska and I were in the skies. There was no time to wait for you. I took the sand and I made the wish. Your wish. To protect this island from anyone who would cause it harm. The folk of Wyndale will be safe now, Rivelin.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said roughly, grasping my chin in his hand when he reached me. “You should have left first. What if the island tries to stop you? What if you can’t leave and take care of that fucking shard?”

“I didn’t ask it to stop people from leaving.”

He searched my face. “What?”

“I changed the wording. I asked it to take care of that issue however the island saw fit.” A risk, I knew. The island often translated the wishes in unexpected ways.

He released a heavy sigh. “All right. Perhaps that will work.” A pause. “Thank you, Daella.”

I pushed up onto my toes and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me, tugging me close, his kiss full of hunger. Our bodies locking together, his tongue explored my mouth, and a deep, guttural noise rumbled from his chest.

A heady warmth flowed through me, but it was marred by the knowledge of what was to come. I couldn’t stay here if I wanted to survive. I had to leave Wyndale.

I had to leave him.

I only hoped one day I could find my way back.

Slowly, he pulled away. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew the direction of my thoughts. Dropping his forehead against mine, he sighed. “We need to get you on that ship before they depart. I don’t think we have long.”

I nodded and swallowed. “This book about orcs and dragons, you’re certain Isveig has it?”

“Mabel said he took it when his army attacked her village. He must have known what it was, and he’ll have hidden it someplace safe. If I were to guess, he’ll have it in his quarters somewhere.”

The idea of finding my way into Isveig’s quarters made me shudder. It was the last place in the world I ever wanted to step foot in, and that was even if I could find a way. I’d return to Fafnir empty-handed, refusing to utter a word about where I’d been and what I’d seen. He could never know four dragons had survived, despite his efforts to destroy them all.

And so he would lock me in that tower again.

“This seems impossible,” I whispered.

“I know, Daella,” he murmured. “But you are strong. And you are fierce. You will find a way to get that book, and then you will come back to me. Do you understand?”

Sighing, I nodded. “All right. I suppose it’s time for us to say our goodbyes.”

“Say our goodbyes,” he repeated. His face slowly transformed, all the affection hardening into fierce determination. “No, what am I saying? I’m coming with you. You’re not facing that monster alone. I’ll get you back out of that castle even if I have to kill the emperor myself.”

My eyes widened. He couldn’t do that. If he tried to go up against Isveig, the emperor would have him arrested or killed almost instantly. As an elf with silver hair, he would stand out amongst all the humans and giants on the streets of Fafnir. He wouldn’t even make it off the ship.

“You can’t. Isveig will know you’re against him the moment he sees you,” I said.

“I can, and I will.” He cupped my cheek. “Where you go, I go. I am with you until the end.”

My heart ached with affection for this grumpy bastard of an elf, who would stride into the den of his greatest enemy. All so I would not have to face this on my own. For him, leaving the Isles was no easy feat. This was his homeland now; these were his people. And yet he would walk away from it all. For me. I couldn’t let him do that.

“No, you—”

My objection was interrupted by a dragon snout nudging my back.

“What is it, Aska?” I unwound myself from Rivelin’s arms and turned to her. He took several steps away to avoid her unyielding heat.

She blinked, then nudged my hip. The hip with the ice shard.

“Oh.” I gave her a sad smile. “Yes, that’s why I need to leave. The emperor put it there, and he’ll use it to kill me if I don’t return to Fafnir soon. But I’m going to try to find a way back here. And maybe, if you’d like, we could create a bond with each other then.”

Suddenly I felt very shy, as if I were asking the dragon to become my best friend. And in a sense, I supposed I was. But she did not seem to like that very much. She huffed in my face, sending a cloud of sulphuric steam at me, and nudged my hip again.

“I’m sorry,” I said, searching her ember eyes. “I don’t know what you want.”

“She’s trying to tell you something.” Rivelin stepped closer as the dragon edged back, and he started to lift up my tunic.

Heart pounding, I caught his arm. “Now? We’re out in the open in the middle of the day, and there is a dragon standing right there.”

“Daella, my love,” he said in a low, velvety caress. “Let me see your hip.”

Rivelin lifted the tunic and gently pushed down the waistband of my trousers, exposing my scar. It was still there, of course, puckered and pink. The ice shard was embedded just beneath the skin, but—I gasped. It no longer glowed with the pale blue light of Isveig’s power.

“I knew it. No wonder Aska was so eager to obey you. At some point, she must have bonded with you,” Rivelin said, smiling wider than I’d ever seen before. “Her magic, it’s counteracted the shard. You don’t have to worry about the emperor anymore. You’re free, Daella. You’re fucking free.”

Free.

Emotion swelled in my chest. Swallowing hard, I gazed at Aska, almost afraid to believe it could be true. But the dragon bowed her head, purring. And that was when I remembered. There had been a moment in the forest when I’d first climbed onto her back. Unrelenting magic had rushed through me, potent and all-consuming. The heat had been exhilarating. We must have bonded then.

I shuddered at the thought, unable to hold back the intoxicating relief that flooded through my veins like strands of fire.

Unbidden tears streaked down my cheeks as I turned to face Rivelin. He was staring at me with such open adoration that every last remaining defense inside me shattered like glass.

I leapt into his arms, sobbing.

That was when the screaming began.