“What is it?”
Laini tipped her head sideways then nudged Tamri’s arm while moving her wings in a circular pattern.
“I don’t know that one,” Tamri said. The dragon riders used a basic code to communicate with the Cindral dragons. Apparently, some magic Wielders could understand them in actual words, though Tamri had no idea how that worked.
Laini made the signal again, and when Tamri still didn’t understand, she huffed out a cold breath and used her enormous scaled head to nudge Tamri toward Heath, who was still focused on his mending.
“What?”
Laini gave a sharp chirp and pushed her more insistently.
“All right, all right. I’ll get him to translate.”
Tamri approached cautiously. She had learned Heath was most talkative—and therefore most likely to answer her questions—while his hands were busy, just as Taklin was most talkative when he was eating and Reya when she was in her bedroll for the night. Tamri had been collecting information to send to Khrillin carefully, playing the role of a curious student. Despite Heath’s occasional willingness to answer her questions, Tamri still didn’t think he trusted her. Unlike the others, he had never tried to engage her in banter or become her friend.
“Heath?”
“Yes?” To Tamri’s surprise, he put away the needle and thread and focused all his attention on her, putting her slightly off balance.
“Um, Laini is trying to tell me something. Would you mind . . .?”
The dragon shuffled up beside her and began tilting her head and circling her wings in that deliberate way. Heath watched her for a moment before answering.
“She wants to know if you’re coming home to the Roost with us.”
“The Roost?”
“It’s where the dragons live in Vertigon, on Square Peak. Most of the riders live there too.” He turned his stern bronze gaze on her. “She thinks you’re one of us.”
“That so hard to believe?” Tamri shot back. She patted Laini’s neck, striving for nonchalance. “Sorry, sweetie. I have to go off to school.”
Laini grumbled deep in her chest and snapped her jaws.
“She’s trying to talk you out of it,” Heath said.
“I figured that part out on my own.” Tamri kissed the dragon’s silky scales and whispered nonsense in her ear, relishing her uncomplicated affection.
When she pulled her face away, Heath was watching her.
“What?”
He blinked, as if he hadn’t realized what he was doing, and got to his feet. “We have an early start tomorrow. Better let her rest.”
Laini chortled something at him. Heath shook his head, not translating whatever the dragon was trying to communicate. He nodded at Tamri and strode off to check on Boru, his beetle-blue-and-white dragon, who was guarding the perimeter of their camp.
Heath seemed to take Laini’s affection for her as a vital endorsement, and he acted less hostile toward Tamri as the journey progressed. He even taught her the basic signals he used to communicate with the dragons and riders while in the air.
“This loop means we need to turn.” He waved his glowing Fire cudgel through the air, spinning a mesmerizing trail of light. “Two swipes mean we’re landing, and—”
“It’s not like I can force a dragon to land if she doesn’t want to.”
Heath frowned disapprovingly at the interruption. “They know the signals. Anyway, you made Rook take off with you.”
“And he still hasn’t forgiven me.”
Heath snorted, lifting the cudgel again. “If I tap my back like this, look behind you. A triple twist means we need to separate and take shelter.”
Heath insisted that Tamri demonstrate the movements herself. The Fire cudgel felt warm but not unpleasant in her hands, and she repeated the actions again and again until Heath was satisfied. She hoped his efforts meant he was becoming less suspicious of her.
The others acted less tense as they got closer to Vertigon, leaving the troubles of the southern kingdoms behind. Only Tamri couldn’t relax thanks to the invisible collar around her neck and the mental list of facts she was compiling for her first report. She couldn’t forget she had a job to do, and Gramma Teall needed her.
On the final night of their journey, they camped among the trees at the base of Vertigon Mountain, where the Truren High Road met the Fissure Road. It was cool, and Tamri scooted as close to the campfire as she could get without burning Gramma Teall’s cloak, which she’d taken to wrapping around her at night, the pewter dragonfly clutched in her fingers.
Laini shuffled over to lie beside her as usual, but Tamri struggled to fall asleep, consumed with thoughts of what tomorrow would bring. She listened to the calls of strange birds and the chatter of unseen creatures among the trees as she tried to imagine what the Fire Queen would be like. Tamri ended up dreaming of a woman like the Red Lady of the Market District, with dark hair threaded with silver and eyes that glowed with cruel power. The Fire Queen waved a larger version of Heath’s cudgel and laughed when Tamri tried to escape.
She awoke with a crick in her neck and queasy fear in her belly. It was the eighth day since they left Fork Town, the day of their ascent to Vertigon.
“I’ll take Tamri to the castle on Boru,” Heath told Taklin as they broke camp by the tree-lined road. “Will you lead the others to the Whirlpool?”
“Yes, sir. We’ll get that Watermight delivered without losing a drop.” Taklin clapped Tamri on the back—and she almost managed to keep from stiffening at the contact. “Good luck, kid.”
“Thanks.”
Taklin glanced at the others and lowered his voice. “Hey, there’s a girl called Kay at the queen’s Wielder school. She’s damn cute, and I botched my chance at a first impression. See if you can put in a good word for me, will you?”
“Sure.”
“Knew I could count on you, even though you are a dragon thief.”
Tamri gave a tight smile, wishing she were as well-meaning as Taklin seemed to think. Today she would begin work on Khrillin’s task in earnest.
Reya and Errol wished her luck, too, as they prepared their weary dragons for the final day of travel. They talked about the salt cakes and goat pies they’d eat when they returned home and the friends and family they were eager to see. It had been nearly a month since they left the mountain.
Tamri tried to smother her fear as she said goodbye to Laini. She hugged her scaly neck and smoothed down her crown of sea-green feathers.
“Thanks for looking after me,” she whispered, surprised to feel tears welling in her eyes. Somehow this huge flying beast made her feel safe when she couldn’t let her guard down around anyone else. “I wish I could keep you.”
Laini chortled and nuzzled her neck, meaty breath ruffling her hair. A few tears escaped Tamri’s eyes.
When she pulled back, Heath was waiting for her, his expression neither stern nor disapproving for once. It was a mix of surprise and sympathy and something else Tamri couldn’t name.
“You can visit her at the Roost if you like,” he said. “You don’t need to be sad—”
“Are we going or not?” Tamri cut him off, scrubbing her cheek with her sleeve. She had learned a long time ago not to let people see her cry. Weakness meant death in Pendark, and she doubted the Fire Mountain would be any different.