Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 136009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Yes,” Gelryn said. “It would do for a speaker to know of our kind. Since the Fae have lied to us for so long.”
“Of…of course,” Lowan said. He just managed to land on Evien’s back, causing the dragon to step forward a few steps, sending Lowan back onto his bottom on the ground. He groaned. “Straightaway.”
Gelryn ignored the dragon speaker and turned to Tieran. “Good job.”
Tieran stilled at the compliment before bending his neck. “Many thanks, Destroyer.”
Gelryn rumbled a laugh. “I shall live up to my namesake under your command.”
Tieran shifted toward Gelryn in alarm, but it was Kerrigan who asked, “You’re coming with us?”
“Yes, child. It is time that I put my dear Mexes to rest. As Tieran said, we are on a different path. I believe I shall bond a new rider.”
Kerrigan’s eyes widened in shock. “That is a great honor.”
“We will see if one of those Fae are worthy of me.”
Kerrigan laughed. “Yeah, that sounds right.”
Tieran’s eyes roamed over the assembled group. He was the new battle commander, and anxiety weighed on their bond.
“We’re almost ready,” she said to him.
He was still searching though, and his voice was only for her. “I thought my mother might make an appearance.”
“Oh,” she said down the bond. “She doesn’t deserve you.”
“Yes. I have always disappointed her. This time…she may never forgive me.”
“Perhaps it is time to think about whether you want to ever forgive her.”
Tieran went silent at that.
Then he straightened again and spoke to everyone. “Prepare for flight. To war!”
A roar went up from the dragons as wings spread and feet stamped in preparation.
Kerrigan caught a sliver of white off Gelryn’s flank as the great dragon spread his incredible wingspan, knocking over two smaller dragons who couldn’t have been much bigger than hatchlings.
“Amita?” Kerrigan said.
Tieran’s head whipped around to find his sister dipping her head and walking toward them. “You are staying behind.”
Amita narrowed her milky eyes at him. “I am not remaining here while you are out there. I will never forgive Mother for what she did to you. I want to fight.”
“You are still a hatchling.”
“Barely!”
“We are not risking any hatchlings.”
Amita blew a plume of blue fire over their heads. It was so hot, Kerrigan had to duck. “Do not condescend to me. I was also raised by that lying monster. I won’t bond if that is your command, dear brother. But I am coming, and you cannot stop me. I will not remain.”
Then she turned her head and fluttered her translucent wings out as Gelryn was doing. The giant dragon seemed to shrug off her appearance. And how could any of them blame her?
“We can take care of her,” Kerrigan assured Tieran.
He huffed. “Fine. Stay between me and Gelryn on the flight.”
Amita shifted around Gelryn to come between them, but she looked smug as hell when she did it.
“Launch!” Tieran cried.
And then they were off to Ravinia Mountain and all that was waiting for them when they returned to the House of Shadows. A denouncement. A coronation. And an impending war.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Return
On the flight home, Kerrigan got a headache listening to Gelryn, Tieran, and Evien go back and forth on the logistics of how to house and feed this many dragons. At some point, Dyta and Ordrax appeared to help with the logistics as well, since they had done much of that back at the Holy Mountain.
Kerrigan hadn’t even known that the dragons who had found them after the water ritual were part of their new army. Dyta, in particular, had seemed to despise them, but she had taken the bonding news the hardest. She had been finishing testing to join one of the next tournaments. Ordrax had already been part of a tournament before Kerrigan had been born. His bonded rider hadn’t made it through the year of training, and their bond had broken. That had been sufficient for the curse apparently, but he had been disgraced by it ever since. This was his redemption.
When they’d almost made it home, another dragon moved up to command. Audria and Kerrigan had looked at each other with tears in their eyes at the sight of him. They would recognize his seafoam-green scales anywhere. Avirix was—had been—Noda’s dragon. Noda had been the fifth member of their training group—Kerrigan, Fordham, Audria, Roake, and Noda. Only Noda had dropped out, and Avirix had returned to the mountain in disgrace.
Avirix had looked to Kerrigan and simply said, “We will get her back.”
Kerrigan nodded. “We will.”
With this many dragons flying all at once, it was impossible not to be seen. Not that many settlements existed between the two mountain ranges—most of the Fae lived on the coasts—but it wasn’t zero either. Tieran had sent off a few different groups of fighters to take down the two Society dragons they’d stumbled upon.
They were dead so fast that it chilled Kerrigan. This was real. This was happening. She had done this, and there was no turning back.