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“This war has not been about Saylah,” Scarlett said. “Why do you think that?”

“Because everything we have learned says they want what was being guarded in Shira Forest. What the spirit animals were guarding.”

“They were not guarding Saylah,” she answered, taking another drink of water.

“Then what were they guarding, Scarlett?” he sighed, clearly growing impatient.

“A mirror gate.”

“A mirror gate?” he repeated. “Why? When there are at least two on our own continent?”

“Because the one in Shira Forest is not just a mirror gate. It isthemirror gate. A doorway between the stars to other worlds,” she said. “And the lock? It is not the lock to the Wards as we have been told. It is the lock to the gateway into this realm.”

Chapter3

Eliza

The Fire General stood staring out the window of her room, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Niara, Cethin’s most skilled Healer, had finally cleared her today. It probably helped that she’d been exhausted and sleeping for most of the last two days.

Two days.

It had been two days since a small unit had gone to collect Princess Ashtine and ended up leaving Cyrus and Neve there. Early yesterday morning, Scarlett had taken Briar, Sawyer, and the Tyndells to the Water Court. Sawyer had left his mirror that had been blessed by Anahita, goddess of the sea and water, with Azrael. He would let them know when the exchange was done so that someone could Travel back to the continent and bring Ashtine here.

Eliza rotated her arm to look at the Source Mark that now adorned her skin. She’d seen the dragon shifter once since he had drawn from her before leaving for that mission. She’d woken tangled up with Razik, her head on his chest, the morning after he’d given her the Source Mark. She’d gone to sleep in his tunic and her own loose-fitting pants.

And she’d woken up without the pants.

Razik was so godsdamnhotwith all that dragon fire in his veins. She’d obviously gotten uncomfortable in her sleep, but for the love of Anala. Waking up without pants on next tohim?

Razik had grunted in annoyance when she’d not-so-accidentally elbowed him in the ribs as she’d extracted herself from his hold, immediately missing said dragon fire. She’d shoved her legs into the pants she’d found in a heap on the floor, looking up to find Razik smirking back at her.

“You said we would never have to speak of it again,” she’d grumbled. She had been swimming in his tunic that was several sizes too large for her. She wasn’t tiny, but she was fit from decades of intense training. His faded grey tunic had hung down to her knees, and the sleeves fell over her hands. She’d bunched her fingers around the fabric. It was a nervous habit from childhood she’d never been able to completely overcome.

Razik had arched a brow. “Did I say anything?”

She’d scowled back at him. “Can you do whatever it is you need to do to fill your reserves so I can go back to my rooms?”

“How is your wound?” he’d asked instead.

She’d wanted to retort that it was not his concern, but she knew he’d spit some bullshit about it becoming his concern when she became his Source. So instead, she’d let out a long-suffering sigh before pulling back the collar of his tunic to let him see that the bandage was still in place and not bleeding through.

“Are you hungry?” he’d asked, seemingly satisfied with the state of her wound.

She’d turned away when he’d climbed out of bed. She’d seen enough of his bare chest and torso in the last twelve hours. Had felt it beneath her fingers. Had slept on it. Had wanted more than that in the initial minutes after he’d given her the Mark. But she knew it hadn’t all been the Source Bond.

“Mai dragocen.”

The name had preceded a soft touch on her shoulder, and when she’d turned to face him, she’d let out another breath of relief to find he’d pulled a tunic on. Without another word, she’d held out her right arm to him, tugging the sleeve up. She’d watched him slice across the Mark and then his palm with a dagger. Then she’d forced herself to stay completely still when their power coiled and merged as he drew her flames into his dragon fire. She’d made herself hold his sapphire gaze the entire time, her teeth clenched tight. And when it was done, she’d left his rooms without a backward glance. He hadn’t sought her out when he’d returned, and she was glad. She’d slept for the most part, other than that meeting with Sorin and Scarlett when they’d asked her to be Cassius’s Source.

And the meeting before that where she’d sat and listened to everything that had happened when they’d gone to the Southern Islands. When Razik had Traveled so many of her family across the Edria Sea. When he’dnegotiatedwith the Maraan Prince and left Cyrus there. When that meeting had ended, she’d tried to stay up and strategize with Sorin and the other Fae over what to do, not only about Cyrus but Ashtine and the Tyndells too. She’d fallen asleep though, still drained and adjusting to having someone draw power from her. No one had known then that she had become Razik’s Source. They’d all assumed she was still recovering from the shirastone stab wound, and she had been. That just hadn’t been the entire story.

Eliza heard the main door of her rooms open a moment before a quick knock sounded on the door of her bedchamber. She didn’t need to ask who it was. She already knew.

“Just because I am your Source now does not mean you can simply come into my rooms uninvited,” she said tersely when the hinges of the door creaked.

“I assumed you would not let me in if I asked, considering you are avoiding me.” The low timbre of his voice made her feel things she didn’t want to feel, and she slipped her hands into her sleeves.

“What do you want?”