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Hokzuh grins at my dismay. “Most snakes hate flying; makes them feel like they’ve been snatched up by a bird. But you’re not a snake, Channi. You’d like to have wings of your own, wouldn’t you?”

I would. It’s true, I love seeing the clouds beneath me, I love latching on to the wind and letting it take us where it wills. But most of all I love how free I feel here in the sky, unencumbered by rules or walls or prying eyes.

“It doesn’t have to be your last flight,” says Hokzuh.

I say nothing, pretending instead to look at the clouds.

“You know what my favorite thing is about having wings?” he goes on. “You never have to fall.”

You never have to fall. It’s a throwaway remark, but I’m instantly thrust seventeen years into the past, to the Serpent King’s prophecy: One sister must fall for the other to rise.

“Wait,” I say, but the winds are too loud. They swallow my words. “Hokzuh, wait!”

He can’t hear me, for he’s begun his descent toward Rongyo’s palace.

Ukar sends me a mincing glare. Don’t.

I’m torn. Hokzuh is my friend. He’s proved himself to me over the past few days, and we’ve made a pact to fight Angma together. I need to tell him the truth.

I know where your pearl is, I say, barging into the dragon’s mind. I know what Angma isn’t telling you.

Hokzuh turns and stares at me like I’ve gone delirious, but I don’t flinch. That’s when he realizes that I’m serious, and all of him stiffens. He stops his descent abruptly, practically choking us in midair.

We hang just below the clouds. “Speak.”

The word is gruff, but he’s not angry. Not yet, anyway.

“I’m telling you because you’re my friend,” I begin. “I trust you.”

“I appreciate that,” replies the dragon. He’s cautious, as he should be. But he can’t hide the eager glow in his eyes. They’re hot and cold at once. I don’t know which one to focus on, but the blue one’s never a poor bet. It’s like looking into the ocean, waters swirling and brimming with hope.

Seeing it makes me tense, but I forge on. “Half your pearl is inside my sister. Vanna. It’s her heart.”

It takes a beat before the words sink in, and Hokzuh’s thick brows furrow. “Your sister?”

“When you said that the owner of your pearl would be imbued with the air of something extraordinary, I…” I bite down on my lip, summoning courage. “I suspected it was my sister.”

Hokzuh dismisses me with a wave. “Enough with the jokes, Channi. You’re the one who said we’re in a rush, and now you—”

“Vanna’s called the Golden One for a reason,” I blurt out. “You can’t see it, but she glows, radiant as the sun. That light is your pearl.”

Slowly Hokzuh’s scales darken, their blue-green edges turning black, as though singed by an invisible fire. It is a sinister transformation, and Ukar takes cover behind my hair.

“The Golden One,” he murmurs. “She was in front of me the entire time.” He growls, and it’s alarming how swiftly his voice turns. The warmth and geniality are gone in a snap. “You kept this from me.”

“I didn’t tell you because you’d want her dead. Nakri warned me—”

“You said you didn’t speak to Nakri about my pearl.”

I’m caught, and I can’t deny it. “I lied. I’m sorry. But I’m telling you the truth now.”

“Why? No—I know why.” His red eye glows as he draws out his words. “To beg me not to kill her.”

I won’t let him rattle me. “Listen,” I say. “You have dragon blood. Even without your pearl, you’ll live many more years than Vanna. Let her live her life, then claim her heart when she passes.”

“What about Angma?”

“Stay and help me defeat her. You’ll retrieve half your pearl when we kill her.”