I feel Ygdris and Raechtar exchange a look. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Too freaky. The sooner I get out of here, the better.
But if the city’s still in danger…
*How much have you told her, Ygdris?* Raechtar growls.
The dragon sighs. *Let’s get back to the ship.*
Ygdris holds me close against his chest as he and Raechtar fly wing-to-wing to his ship. I’m still clinging to his claws. His heartbeat is like the ocean swell, steady and strong.
I’m alive. I’m safe.
And I’ve condemned every human in this city. When the Protectorate finds out a stormbreaker squadron was killed just outside the Spire… they’ll take their revenge on everyone, whether they were involved or not.
We fly into a long-abandoned suburb out in the hills. Ygdris’ wings practically scrape either side of the valley as he lands. Raechtar slams to earth a few seconds later, one leg collapsing beneath him. I wince, starting forward to see if I can help – and stop as Ygdris’ worry for his treasure swamps over me.
My fists clench. Was I concerned for Raechtar at all, or was I just catching Ygdris’ emotions, like some sort of psychic virus?
*You’re injured.* Ygdris stalks towards Raechtar, transforming mid-stride. “I told Tay you were both to return to the ship—”
*And leave you to heroically sacrifice yourself?* Raechtar’s eagle eyes blaze like the heart of a sun. He crouches low, his whole body shuddering. *I’m no Earthling. You can’t command me to—” He breaks off, and sympathetic pain lances through my body.
I bite my lip. There are shiny patches on his black fur and feathers that must be blood. He shakes again and, just like with Ygdris, I feel a pull on my heart. I follow it, and—
Raechtar’s strength is failing, his last sparks of energy winking out like stars devoured by the night. But there’s still light in me, a glowing well in my heart that I never knew was there before. I pull a glowing thread of energy from my heart and reach for Raechtar. If I can – God, I don’t know, re-light his dying constellation of stars—
I reach out, carefully, gently, and touch the thread of my heart’s light to his.
*No!*
Raechtar’s surprise hits me like a shockwave. I reel back, winded. My heart’s light slips from my grasp and when I reach out, it’s like there’s a solid wall between Raechtar and me.
Raechtar shudders again, and begins to shift – slowly, in painful-looking jerks. He ends up on his hands and knees, mostly human but with one wing still hanging limply from his shoulder, glossy black feathers mingling with the hair on his arms and chest. He looks across at me, and I can’t decipher the expression on his face.
“No,” he says quietly. “You can’t command me. But you can command her.”
Ygdris hurries to his side, supporting him on his shoulder. “If you think that I would compel her to—”
“I’m not worried about what you told her. I’m worried about what you didn’t.”
Raechtar leans his head on Ygdris’ shoulder. His voice is harsh, but he accepts the dragon’s help with a warmth that makes my chest tighten. The two men are a similar height, though Ygdris has an athletic, slender build whereas Raechtar is more muscular.
Something moves between them, an exchange of energy and understanding so intimate I look away.
“I don’t need to know anything,” I say, my voice cracking through the silent moment. “I just need my reward. And – and to let the others know that the Protectorate’s going to come down on the city like a tonne of bricks at any moment.”
My gut twists. Sia, and everyone else who still lives in the city, is in danger. And it’s all my fault.
“Ygdris, you ass,” Raechtar growls. “I opened myself to her. I though you already had – fuck, you have, but you haven’t told her what it means—”
Ygdris steps forward, pulling Raechtar with him. “Here,” he says, pulling the orb from beneath his cape. Despite everything we’ve been through, it’s unmarked. I reach out for it. “Take it. But Raechtar is right—”
I take the orb and he wraps his fingers around mine.
“—there is something you need to know.”
I want to snatch my hand away, but – no, that’s not right. I should snatch my hand away. But I don’t want to. My arm shakes.