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But then they turn around and feed the eyril stalks to the dragons? What in the name of all the gods is happening here?

Time passes, though I work as fast as I can to free the remaining dragons. My body aches, and my own stomach pangs are exacerbated by the dragons, but I can’t rush the process. I have to remain calm at all costs, because channeling stress or negative emotions is the last thing these enslaved dragons need.

And I don’t want to get torched.

Once I’ve freed the last dragon, both mentally and physically, screams rend the air. Goose bumps pimple my flesh as every cell in my body goes on high alert.

Without looking to see if the dragons are following, I make my way to the outer door, prop it open, and sprint toward the sound.

ChapterThirty-Nine

The moon casts an ethereal glow over the grounds as I emerge from the dragon aerie. My heart thunders in my chest, nearly as loud as the crashing waves of the nearby ocean. Shadows stretch across the land, and the cool night breeze chills my skin. My lungs burn, and my boots slap the earth.

But I don’t stop running.

Another scream chills me to the core, and my legs pump faster.

Fury crashes into me, causing me to gasp with the intensity. Notmyfury. The dragons’. Both the Tirenese dragons and the ones I just liberated. Their wrath mingles with my own anger and fear and desperation.

Somewhere above me, a dragon roars.

More agonizing screams follow, as if someone is in pain.

I run faster, harder. Pushing my body more than I ever have.

Gods help me. Please spare my friends. And the man I love. I don’t think I can do this without him.

Beside the eyril field, a low valley emerges. From here, I can barely make out the stalks undulating in the moonlight.

The insidious, unintelligible whispers I remember from before claw at my ears. Part of me wonders if that’s somehow related to my sensitivity to the dragon blood used to cultivate the crops, but that thought flies from my mind when the shouts get louder and more desperate.

Adrenaline dumps into my system, propelling me faster still.

I manage to shorten the distance before my foot slips on uneven ground. Throwing my hands out to break my fall, I slam into rough terrain. Sharp pain sears through my right knee and my palms, and for a few seconds, I’m too stunned to move.

Groaning, I pull myself up, testing my limbs. My stinging palms are scratched, and my knee’s already starting to bruise.

An eruption of shouts snaps me back to reality.

Wincing, I take off again, limping a little as I rush toward the noise.

As I run, dark silhouettes start to take form on the outskirts of the eyril field. I hear another shout. Then a loud smack, like a palm striking flesh.

Six figures come into view. Six people.

My heart stops beating when I see them.

Leesa. Bastian. Agnar. Helene. Elijah. Nick.

Relief bubbles in my chest. Nick Pendrick from my flight unit. He’s alive.

That relief extinguishes in a single heartbeat when I realize all six of them are encased in ice, from their shoulders to their toes.

The horrifying scene freezes me in place.

“Well, hello there, Lady Lark.” King Xenon sneers, his voice laced with malice as he emerges from the shadows. “I was hoping you’d join us.”

Fuck. It’s a trap. And I barreled straight into it like the biggest of fools.