“Ahh,” a deep voice groaned.
Lyana snatched her hands away as her eyes flew open.
“Who?” The man spoke again. This time he blinked, cerulean irises flashing to life once, then twice, as his vision adjusted, finding her face—seeing it. Only when their eyes met did she realize he wasn’t an old man. His gaze still held the vitality of youth, the stupidity of it. Hers must have reflected the same.
The unmistakable creaking of a bow pulled taut filtered into her ear. Lyana turned to Cassi, holding up her hand, ordering her to stop.
“He’s seen your face,” her friend murmured darkly.
“I didn’t save him just to kill him.”
Cassi widened her imploring eyes, the arrow steady in her hands, ready to strike. “He’s seen your face.”
“And in his delirium, he’s noticed nothing else.”
“Then we should go, now, before he does.”
Lyana turned back to the raven, scanning the burns all over his body, thoughts returning to the shattered bones in his wings. He’d never heal on his own. He’d never fly again. He’d be as good as dead if they left now, or worse even—alive without access to the sky.
“What if we take him somewhere? What if we hide him?”
“And then what?” Cassi asked with relentless logic, when all Lyana wanted was to act on instinct and heart.
She knew this was risky, insane, dangerous. But with her knees soaked in his blood and her ears picking up on his every strained heartbeat, she couldn’t find the will to do the smart thing—to leave. Deep in her chest, something bubbled and prickled, a warm sort of fizz. The thrill of adventure. The excitement of doing something for herself in these last few days before she was mated, shipped to some foreign land, and forced into the role she was born to play.
“We’ll take him to the cave,” Lyana said in a moment of pure clarity. “We’ll come back tonight when it’s dark and check in on him. With his wings so broken, he won’t be able to escape unless I heal him. And before I do, we’ll make him swear an oath of silence before the gods. I’ll wear some sort of disguise, plain clothes, so he won’t realize who I am. And we’ll release him in a few days, after the courtship trials are over, so he’ll never learn the truth. He’ll live, and my secret will be safe.”
“You really want to risk so much?" Cassi pressed. "For him?”
“It’s not for him.” Lyana turned, finding her friend’s gaze. “It’s for me.”
Cassi blinked. By the time her eyelids slid open, all the iron ore was gone. Her irises were the soft silver of the moonlight, lit with the understanding of Lyana's true wish—one last chance to be herself before she belonged to someone else.
“I don’t like it,” Cassi said, determined to state her opinion one final time. Then her wings drooped as her shoulders caved in. “But I’ll do it.”
Lyana fought the knot in her throat. She hastily looked back toward the raven, watching as he slipped in and out of consciousness. “I’ll grab his shoulders. You grab his feet. Let’s go before anyone sees.”
He struggled when they lifted him, eyes blinking fast, limbs twitching, unintelligible protests pouring from his lips. After a few seconds, his body went still, overwhelmed by the pain. Carefully, they carried him beneath the sky bridge, fighting the whipping winds as they made their way to the cave they’d occupied not too long before. This time, they didn’t stay near the surface. They ventured back into the farthest reaches of the cavern, where the space was pitch black and the air slightly warmer. They placed him face down on the ground, fanning his onyx wings to cover him as he blended into the dark.
“We have to leave before the ravens return,” Cassi urged, pulling Lyana away from the body. “We saw the one leave. He was probably going to get the others, to warn them about the dragon.”
“I know, I know,” Lyana answered, keeping her head turned toward the man, unable to see anything but the subtle sheen of his pale skin in the shadows of the cave. “But shouldn’t we light a fire, or maybe one of us should stay to explain when he wakes up?”
“No,” Cassi insisted. “News of the dragon will spread. We have to get back before your parents realize we’re gone, especially if you want a chance to sneak out again tonight. If they’re the least bit suspicious we have something planned, they’ll double, no, triple your guards. He’ll be fine for a few hours. We can bring more supplies when we return.”
Lyana sighed. Of course, Cassi was right. She was always right. But that didn’t mean Lyana had to like it.
“I’ll give you a few minutes,” Cassi continued, attention drifting to the bright light at the end of the narrow tunnel. “I’ll wait at the entrance and keep watch while you finish up.”
Lyana grabbed her friend’s hand before she could leave, squeezing it once. “Thank you.”
Cassi shrugged and released a heavy sigh, one Lyana sensed was filled with frustration, fear, and most of all, love. “What are friends for, right?”
She walked away, leaving Lyana alone with the raven. Brushing her fingers over his burned cheek, she winced at the slick blood and swollen boils marring his skin.
Later, Lyana thought.
She’d fix it later. For now, she sent her magic deeper, to his internal organs, fixing enough to ensure he’d still be alive by the time she came back. She removed the furs wrapped tightly around her neck and laid them across the exposed part of his back, right between his broken wings.
Later. She sighed, pausing there, taking a deep breath as the cool air provoked a shiver down her spine. Later.
Then she stood, leaving the raven in the dark as she turned to join Cassi in their hasty journey home.
6
Xander
The world was eerily silent.
That was all Xander could focus on as he flew toward the sky bridge with his guards following him into battle. The air was too still. The wind was too hushed.
Rafe is fine.
Rafe is alive.
Xander repeated the phrases over and over in his mind. Throughout his young yet trying life, he’d learned one very important thing—positivity was a power all its own. He wouldn’t panic. He wouldn’t spiral out of control. He would remain determined, vigilant, and optimistic as he raced onward, wings beating as fast as they could, carrying him toward his brother.
A brother who was fine.
Who was alive.
Who was waiting.
That hope died when the sky bridge slipped into view and a pool of brilliant red filled his vision.
“Rafe!” he cried, landing at a sprint. “Rafe!”
But there was no response, just the echo of his own voice reverberating down the open channel and up into the vast sky—a sky that was clear of fire and smoke, filled only with endless blue.
He’s alive.
He’s alive.
Xander refused to believe otherwise—even as he stared at the blood, watching the puddle spread. It reached the edge of the sky bridge and started dripping over the side, drop after drop after drop falling into the unknown world below.
Then he noticed something else—a footprint.
“Hold,” he shouted over his shoulder, raising his arm. Xander didn’t turn to see whether the guards had stopped, because they were loyal to their crown prince, and he knew without a doubt they would obey. With his eyes glued to the red footprint, he stepped closer. Holding his boot above the spot, he sucked in a breath as hope formed like a bright star in his chest.