Unable to barricade from the bond, Lykor braced himself as her awareness flooded into his. The connection’s blazing silver cord circled the surface of his Well—threatening like a noose.
Gritting his fangs, Lykor exhaled through his nose before residual dread strangled him. He shoved down memories of the king hacking away the natural defenses of his mind, hoping the elf was too oblivious to take advantage of his vulnerability. Lykor readied himself to react if she ignited her magic.
Frowning, the elf studied the artifact glowing with her talents. Lykor almost thought she wasn’t going to speak until she went rigid, her attention fixed on the Heart. The girl’s words suddenly flowed out in a rush.
Greetings, young draka, hear our plight,
New hatchlings from earth and starlight.
From distant galaxies did the whelps arrive,
They stole our magic and left us deprived.
They used five Hearts to bind our power in chains:
Earth, Fire, Lightning, Wind, and Rain.
The balance of earth, it must be restored,
The Hearts must be returned to where they were forged.
But the Hearts were hidden by the thieving hands,
The cunning ones from otherworldly lands.
Bring us the Hearts so we can restore,
The harmony as we had before the war.
Young draka, heed our call,
For this balance of nature affects us all.
With a shuddering breath, she snapped out of the trance, meeting his gaze. Silence filled the chamber.
Confusion, then realization, punched through Lykor as he and Aesar processed the spewed words. He glanced inward to see Aesar standing motionless, framed by Kyansari’s glass spires.
The dragons are still alive, Aesar said, shaking his head in disbelief. Or at least an echo of their memory persists.
Lykor was more concerned about what was in front of them than the speculation about those beasts. IF THERE ARE ONLY FIVE HEARTS, WHY THE FUCK WOULD GALAERYN LET ONE OUT OF HIS SIGHT?
Aesar ran his fingers through his silvery hair, talking to himself before including Lykor in his musings. Maybe she can help locate the Heart within the keep—if one’s here. Lykor sensed him diving into old memories, sifting through any forgotten information that would further explain those uttered words.
Lykor snatched the Heart from the girl and tucked it away. Snagging the manacle from the floor, he clasped it back around her wrist before she could vocalize a protest. IF WE COLLECT MORE RELICS, DO YOU AGREE WITH SEARCHING FOR THE DRAGONS ACROSS THE WASTES?
I see no other option. Aesar flicked his fingers, summoning a tome to his hand. Assuming the king doesn’t already possess all of the Hearts, we have to try locating more before we run out of time. We at least have one to return to the dragons. Aesar tucked the book under his arm before drawing himself to his full height—a show of his stubbornness fossilizing. Anyway, about the girl. You’re not keeping her in the dungeons.
Lykor rubbed his forehead. That was exactly what he’d intended. THEN WHAT DO I DO WITH HER?
A muscle twitched in Aesar’s cheek. You turned this into a mess and it didn’t have to be. He spun on a heel, retreating deeper into the library. Clean it up.
LIKE IT’S MY FAULT SHE’S HERE, Lykor grumbled.
Aesar’s words were clipped. Figure it out. I’m going to think. He fabricated a door to stars knew where and disappeared, slamming it behind him.
Lykor released a breath. Before he could run through his options, the ground beneath his boots began quaking, like a flight of dracovae charged nearby.
“What are you doing now?” Lykor demanded, ready to shake the elf into submission. Though he had no idea how to stifle elemental power beyond clubbing her over the head.
She stumbled, losing her balance as the chamber rattled and rumbled. “This isn’t me!” Her eyes widened as the thundering became more violent.
Fissures raced across the ceiling, dumping rocky debris in a hailstorm of dust and pebbles. Stones from the walls fractured and crashed around them, raining down rubble. Lykor fought to keep his footing while the earth shuddered.
As the prison caved in, Aesar dashed back into his library mindspace, assessing through their eyes. Reacting, Aesar shoved his awareness fully into their body, like how he would when they brawled for control. An eerie tingle prickled under Lykor’s skin, his limbs going numb as Aesar rooted himself into place.
There wasn’t a second to think, much less have an endless debate about what they should do. It was either be crushed to death by the volcano or allow Aesar to take over.
For the first time, Lykor willingly let go.
He relinquished his influence without a fight, permitting Aesar unfettered access to their body’s motions and their Well. Aesar had always been quick with fabricating shields—a skill that Lykor had never bothered with. Violet light spilled from their fingertips as the chamber crumbled around them.
But even Aesar was too slow.
Something heavy struck their head. The world tilted, pitching to black.
CHAPTER 23
JASSYN
“Wait!” Jassyn yelled as the heels of Vesryn’s frayed boots disappeared in a frantic sprint through a portal.
The prince had appeared in Jassyn’s chambers earlier that evening, raving about Serenna vanishing through the bond while he was in the capital. It was all Jassyn could do to pry any coherent words out of his cousin.
While Vesryn had paced furiously enough to score trenches in the rugs, Jassyn had eventually pieced together that Serenna must be tethered. The prince had claimed that the bond had winked out instead of shattering as it would’ve in her death.
A few moments ago, her presence had briefly flashed in Vesryn’s mind. The prince snarled something about her disappearing again before he was able to pinpoint her location. By the time Jassyn blinked, Vesryn had slashed open a rift and vanished.
Having no idea what to expect on the other side of the gateway, Jassyn braced himself and dashed after his cousin. He could only hope that Vesryn wasn’t transporting them somewhere as perilous as he had with Magister Thalaesyn the night before.
Frigid wind blasted Jassyn on the other side of the portal. He inhaled a shocked breath, his boots churning through snow. The biting air crystallized in his lungs, threatening to freeze him from the inside out. Pursuing the prince, Jassyn tucked his arms against his body. He struggled and lurched, wading through the knee-high drifts.
They were deep in a valley’s cradle, surrounded by a mountain range. Jagged, snowcapped peaks stretched up to the canopy of stars, the pinpricks of light as cold as the surrounding tundra. Glinting off the barren landscape, the gibbous moons and spiraling galaxies hovered over the endless white expanse.
Over the blustery gusts, Jassyn called out to his cousin’s back, “Vesryn, there’s nothing here!”
The prince’s breath plumed as he carved a path, blasting away snowy fountains with punches of force. “I need to find her!” he shouted over his shoulder, the sound nearly swept away by the howling wind.
Jassyn wiped away tears that the icy wind ripped from his eyes. He studied the barren landscape, blood chilling along with his limbs. The colorless canvas unfolded in every direction with no end in sight. Attempting to determine how Serenna could be in such a desolate wasteland, Jassyn’s thoughts whirled like flakes of snow, but fell short of any explanation.
