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Every time I thought I would fall asleep, I would splash cold water on my face, and that would keep me awake for a bit.

I wasn’t sure if Wrath was there or not. Sometimes I caught a flash of him, but it easily could have been a hallucination. I continued to check my compass to make sure I was on the right path, but I was surrounded by the constant blue of the sea, the horizon that stretched on endlessly.

I pushed my mind out every hour, hoping I was close enough to feel someone in the skies.

There was nothing.

I suddenly fell asleep, tipped over, and nearly rolled out of the boat. I hit the side of my head, and that jerked me awake. I already had a headache from the dehydration, and now there was a pulse of pain in my head.

“You’re close.”

My eyes opened to see Wrath across from me.

“You’ve come too far to get lost at sea, Lily Rothschild.”

“I—I can’t stay awake.”

“A dragon is close. Hold on.”

“How—how do you know this?”

“Because I know everything.” He looked into the blue sky mixed with white clouds. “Hold on a little longer.”

“Okay…” I held on to the tiller, swaying on the seat from the exhaustion and the pain. I fell asleep for a second here and there and then jerked awake again. Reality was hard to understand when my perception was false.

“A dragon is in sight. Call for aid.”

I was so tired, I could barely find the energy.Please help me. I’m Lily Rothschild, Princess of the Southern Isles… Please take me to the castle. I couldn’t find the strength to say more, not even in my head. I slumped forward, unable to hold on a moment longer, slipping under with exhaustion or giving in to the collapse of my body. I wasn’t sure which.

I know who you are,Zunieth.

I recognized his voice, having heard it in my head all my life.Khazmuda…

I’m almost there.

Tell my father…that I’m okay.

He’s with me now.

I had no water left in my body to shed, but my eyes still misted. “Dad…”

I lay there and felt cold scales touch my skin as they wrapped around my body. Then I was lifted from the boat, a gust of wind in my hair, and I knew I was being lifted into the skies by a mighty dragon whose scales were darker than the depths of midnight.

I woke up when I felt hard cobblestone underneath me. My eyes cracked open, and then I saw people crowded around me. “Water…”

My mother’s pained voice came to my ears. “Give me the canteen.”

Someone cupped the back of my head and helped me drink. I drank it all, felt it splash down my dirty clothes and get all over me. When it was empty, I was still parched.

“Water…”

Another bottle was pressed to my lips, and I drank again, eyes closed, feeling water get all over me. They repeated the action until I shook my head, unable to drink anymore. I should have been starving, but I was so delirious from sleep-deprivation and dehydration that I didn’t notice my hunger.

Strong arms scooped underneath me, and I was lifted from the ground.

“Get the doctor here,” my mother ordered to someone.

I assumed the person who carried me was my father. I fell asleep in his arms and was out until I felt my body hit the bed. The rest was a blur, but I knew I was undressed and then bathed and cleaned before I was tucked into the soft sheets of a bed.