“It was the only way to get close to Lu Har.”
“But… wait, Emre knew this all?”
The bikrome smiled. “You must really learn to trust in your husband, Cadrianna Benld.”
“How… but you… Solanine.”
“A story for another day. We must go. The anchors are now free. Lu Har is wounded but won’t be for long. We must make haste.”
Cadrianna recalled the explosions now as she stood on wobbly legs. She gripped the railing of the walkway, the steel grating she now recognized. There was a dent in the rail, some blood upon it. She felt her forehead again and realized the rail was most likely where she’d hit her head.
Glancing around, she noticed she was not far from the prison cells where Emre had been taken.
“STRIKE YOUR SOFT MORTAL HEAD TOO HARD, DEAR CAD?”
Valeria handed Cadrianna the daemon knife—for a second time that night—and took off down the metal gangplank, her dress trailing. Gripping the Strix, Cadrianna followed.
“I LIKE THIS ELFIR,” the Strix said. “EVEN WHEN SHE BEDDED WITH SOLANINE, ALWAYS DID ENJOY THE YOUNGEST DUNLEITH’S COMPANY. NEVER DOUBTED HER FOR A SECOND.”
As they ran, Valeria held nothing back, telling Cadrianna everything. She shouldn’t have been so shocked to hear Emre’s plan, but somehow, she was. When they had married, Cadrianna had always known he was meant for leadership, but she had sold him short, even after all these years. Emre’s plan had been nothing short of brilliant, especially the part of Valeria’s double cross. No one could have seen it coming.
The guilt settled in, though. She had failed him. Had failed Brynn. She was the weak link, no other. The severe calm of the bikrome somehow soothed the frenzy building within her, eased her enough to keep the shame at a simmer.
The pair moved through the compound like ghosts. The alarms blared and they heard soldiers, but they saw no one. Valeria seemed to know exactly where to go to avoid running into armed roadblocks. She did hear gunfire every now and then, most of it higher above them, perhaps even outside the compound. Underfoot, she could feel the floating fortress moving, but wasn’t certain in what direction. She recalled Lu Har’s orders to prepare the troops for an assault on the mines, so perhaps Gargantua was headed southeast.
The bikrome led her into the prison and she saw why.
Finnus Dunleith, Valeria’s brother, was waiting for them behind the bars of his cell.
His handsome face devolved into a semi-scowl when he saw her, his features darkening before an impish grin overtook them. “I see you are still on the side of living, sister-friend. Lu Har must have bought into your acting and therefore, the scourge hasn’t seen fit to end your life.”
Valeria paused before the cell. “Let us not bring to recollection of all the times your mouth nearly caused your own demise, brother-friend. Long before we came to Drenth.”
“I deny all of them.”
“As is your nature.”
Finnus huffed, making a grand gesture of biased indifference. “Very well, I concede that my nature forces me into some, shall we call them, precarious situations. But then again,” he winked toward Cadrianna, whether it was meant as jest or in jealousy, she didn’t know, “some bedfellows are difficult to resist. I’m a victim of circumstance.”
Maybe both, she realized with a start. This man did, indeed, love Emre. Jealousy began to rear up, but then she thought of Brynn. Far more important than sparing with a jilted lover. For whom was she to judge Emre, she had done far worse to her vows with Lu Har, and this elfirish lout knew it.
“I thought you might call it your prick.”
The third son of the Golden Throne let out a laugh. “Ah, she does have some wit. I was worried we might have a broken soul on our hands. Emre has always praised your way with words.”
“I DON’T KNOW IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME CADRIANNA BENLD,” the Strix said. “I STRUGGLE TO RECALL A SINGLE JOKE IN ALL OUR TIME TOGETHER.”
“Well, sister-friend, you just going to stand there and dally until the Fallen’s ants swarm all over us or you going to let me out and we can leave this voidhole?”
“I’m tempted to leave you here. You almost jeopardized the plan with your goading of Solanine,” Valeria said calmly. To Cadrianna, “Might be quieter without him.”
“Wouldn’t want Emre to break his concentration, now would we?” she answered, surprised at how easy it was for her to separate her jealousy of Emre and Finnus’ relationship and her own need to redeem herself. “Best we take him along.”
“O great and merciful scourge, I thank ye.” Finnus bowed at the waist, flicking his long silvery mane as he did. “And I owed that blooddrake one. Five hundred years I’ve been waiting to get one up on that blasted creature.”
“Never said he was bearable,” Valeria added as she opened the prison cell with a key she somehow had come by.
Finnus stepped out of the cell, gave his sister a side-armed hug. “What do you mean, everyone loves me!” He gave her a once over. “We need to do something about that drake scale cuirass look, hon. It’s not doing anything for you.”
Valeria shook her head, muttering under her breath and took off into the underbelly. Finnus smiled at Cadrianna before following as she touched her cuirass.
“IT’S GOING TO BE A LONG DAWNBREAK…”
You’re telling me.
Valeria led them deeper into Gargantua, weaving through corridors that none should have known about, especially one who hadn’t made the floating fortress their home. It made Cadrianna wary, but she had no other option than to trust the bikrome. Trust was something she was going to have to learn.
Before long, they emerged into a docking bay large enough for a singular transport. An airglider filled most of the bay, a metal portal opposite.
“Get in,” Finnus said.
“You know how to fly?” Cadrianna asked as she neared the airglider that hung from a cable.
“No, but she does.” Finnus thumbed toward his sister. “I’ll open the door; you get it ready to fly. Emre’s waiting for us. He’s been out there for nearly fifteen minutes now. If they haven’t gotten him by now, they’ll be close.”
Cadrianna opened the airglider’s hatch and crawled in as Gargantua shook violently as something akin to an explosion rattled the outer shell. Valeria went to the pilotbox and strapped herself in. “You really know how to fly this thing?”
“There’s much more to me than just being bikrome.” The daughter of the Golden Throne then clicked on the engine, it roared to life.
