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“I will do whatever I must, Takaris, for the Yaldrin—for Ithia not to be wiped from the face of Nimbria. If that means waking the Fallen Ones, I will stand behind you, no matter what decision the Elders come to today,” Mara said as her hand slipped to the pommel of a blade strapped to her side.

I hadn’t noticed it until now, and as my eyes ran over its surface I realized she was the only person in Ithia I’d ever seen carry a weapon. I smiled at her then, as understanding flowed through our intertwined gaze, knowing that we would both sacrifice the people we were, to save the people we love.

I stretched out my hand to her.

“Please, Mara, call me Cin.”

A radiant smile split onto her full lips at the sight of my outstretched hand. She shook it, bowing slightly before letting go and turning back to the ruins.

“Can I ask you a question?” I said, stepping to her side as she gave me a soft nod. “What does ‘Takaris’ mean? I have never been called that before.”

She tilted her head to look at me from the corner of her eye as she tried to hide the smile forming on her lips. “Mother of The People. Ithia is the only realm that still uses the dead language. Ris means ‘mother’ and Taka translates to ‘of the people.’ Names like this have always been given to the Gods. These names reflect what they mean to the Yaldrin as a people and are given by the Elders.”

“I see,” I said, my voice hushed as silence fell between us.

Pressure threatened to collapse my chest, to bring the sky down and trap me under the weight of it. So many people were relying on me to be the leader I didn’t know how to become.

“Your dragons have healed nicely,” Mara said, the sound of her voice pushing back against the static that was slowly seeping into my mind. “Calista is the only person they have allowed near them. They are very picky creatures.” She chuckled, shaking her head as she turned to fully face me. “The Elders should be coming to a decision soon, would you like to see Calista before they do?”

I grinned at the hand she extended to me, nodding as I quickly took it.

The ruins around us melted away like smoke as we snapped through the tether and landed on a mountain peak just across from where we had been. I stumbled as my boots connected with unfamiliar ground.

“For a God you are . . . rather clumsy,” Mara said and the corners of my lips tilted up.

“Trust me, there is a long list of ungodly things about me,” I retorted as a soft laugh escaped my lips.

I missed this feeling, missed laughing with another woman.

A sob caught in my throat at the thought and I choked it back, resisting the urge to clutch my chest at the pain that shot through my heart. It wasn’t just this feeling I missed, It was Ata.

I missed Ata.

I missed my best friend, my sister. It had been so long since we had laughed together—since we had done anything at all together. These days she could barely stand the sight of me.

I cleared my throat, turning my face away long enough to will back the tears that seemed set on escaping.

“So, where exactly is she?” I asked, stepping away from Mara in an effort to ground myself.

“She should be here soon. She comes up from the village every day around this time to lie with the dragons when they bathe their scales in the afternoon sun.” I smiled at her response. It sounded like something she would do. “What is your plan,Hyacinth? If you decide to wake the Fallen Ones, how do you plan to convince them to help us?”

My smile faded at her question. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly, tucking a curl behind my ear as I turned to face her. “My hope is that freeing them will be enough.” She nodded, pushing her thick braided hair over her shoulder.

“The Gods can be vengeful and I can only assume they will be looking for blood after what was done to them. Hopefully, having Landers there will help them listen to reason,” she said as she straightened her sun-tanned leathers and I tilted my head in confusion.

“What do you mean? Why would they listen to Landers?”

Her brows furrowed, her expression unreadable as she stared back at me. My eyes flitted back and forth, searching for some kind of explanation in her features.

“He is known as the Lord of Death for a reason. You do not get a name like that without instilling fear,” Mara responded quickly, brushing off the question as she looked back toward the edge of the landing where we stood.

My eyes narrowed on the back of her head.

“Lady Hyacinth?” Calista’s voice rang out from behind me and I pushed back the sudden anxiety flooding my chest.

“I will give you two some time,” Mara said, pulling the cloth back over her head. “When the Elders are ready, I will send someone to retrieve you.” She tethered away before I could answer and turned to see Calista hurrying across the field.

A smile was plastered on her face and as she took her last few steps toward me, a gasp left my lungs at the sight of it.