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We were already headed to see Lyx, but now I know, we must hurry. I just don't know why.

Chapter 2: The Dragon

Do not standat my grave and weep

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

~Mary Elizabeth Frye, Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

My heart hammersin my chest as we head to the carriage. Lily rides up front to drive and the five of us pile into the back.

It's a bumpy trip to the Light Dragon's home base, and not one particularly suited for a horse and buggy, but it's the easiest way for all of us to travel. I make a mental note that we should pave some roads along this path soon. For everyone's sake.

While I didn't know Lyx well before, working with her these past few weeks has brought us closer. Even her relationship with the Night brothers has mended as we all worked side by side to build her and her people a new home. I've witnessed her devotion to Ava'Kara's baby, watching as she has cared for the dragon child as her own. I've seen her dedication to her people, tireless and unconditional. She gets her hands dirty, working with us day in and day out. At night, after a long day, we often sit with her around a campfire, stew cooking over the flames in a cast iron pot, as we share stories, make music, form friendships.

This work has been immensely fulfilling, and it's largely thanks to the Light Dragon and her vision for what could be. I can't wait to tell her what's now possible thanks to the trees’ willingness to transform themselves. It's truly a game changer.

The carriage wheel hits a stone and wobbles to one side, but Elijah uses his wind magic to help it stay righted as we hastily continue our journey.

We stop abruptly and I lurch forward into Derek, who catches me in his lap with a cheeky grin. "If you wanted to get closer, all you had to do was ask." He winks and helps me exit the carriage with some manner of dignity left.

His flirtatious smile lingers as we look around for Lyx.

We have come to a hidden cove carved into the side of a massive mountain. The shore is covered in a carpet of mossy green, dotted with brilliant yellow flowers that lead to a glassy clear stretch of water being fed by a tall waterfall crashing off the jagged rocks of the mountain.

But a scream catches in my throat when I look at the water more closely.

Floating face up is Lyx'Ara, her eyes open, a wound in her chest oozing a viscous purple.

"Lyx!" I scream and run to the edge of the water, using my magic to pull her to shore.

"Is that…her blood?" I whisper, unable to pull my eyes away. She practically glows in the water, her Light magic clinging to her and giving me some hope that despite all evidence to the contrary, she might still be okay.

"Yes," Elijah says. "Dragons bleed purple."

With tears stinging my eyes, I step into the lake and reach for her, pulling her to shore. Her blood stains my clothes and my hands, but I don't care. Once on land, I check her vital signs to no avail.

"Liam, help her!" I scream.

Liam is already by my side, examining her as thoroughly and carefully as he can, his face hard, his eyes serious.

Finally he looks up. "She's…dead."

"She…she can't be," I say, too astonished to form a clear thought. "That makes no sense. Try again!"

Liam shakes his head. "I'm sorry. But…it looks like someone murdered her."

"How?" I demand. "How can you even kill a dragon? I thought they were immortal? The most powerful beings in the world."

Elijah kneels beside us, examining her himself. "They are. And the only thing that can kill a dragon…is another dragon," he says.

"There's no murder weapon on her body," Derek says. "But it appears she was killed by a puncture to her chest from something cylindrical in shape with a very sharp tip."

"And her soul hasn't departed," Elijah says. "It should have."