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I scanned the ground, searching the terrain. With those dragons on our tail, how could I hope to keep Nyx safe until he was healed? It felt impossible. I knew I should turn south and head toward the First Kingdom, find any alert tower on the way, but I knew we wouldn’t make it, and everything in my gut told me to keep heading east, back the way we came.

My head was fuzzy, and it was hard to think. My magic reserves were so low, and I was fighting an attack on my lungs from the Dragon’s Bane smoke, too.

I needed help. I didn’t know what to do. The crystal kept the reservoir from running dry, but I couldn’t power a dragon for long. Desperate, I recited the properties I’d memorized, looking for anything that could help us. Amethyst calms the mind, gives courage, aids decisiveness. Citrine protects against negative energy. Nothing about piloting several tons of dragon on a drop of power, though.

Calm, courage, decisiveness. I had to make a good choice for both of us or we would die.

Then it hit me. The lake. The Wild Mountains were my only escape. No one tried to cross them; it was known that was certain death. They didn’t know we already had. Dragons wouldn’t follow us, undead or not. Not if they were controlled by anything real. It was our only hope.

I gathered every drop of energy I had left and banked us to the east. I prayed to the Goddess I was right about the lake. I’d find us a place to hide if we could make it there. Nyx needed healing, and if I could find some reeds… I pushed all else out of my mind. I couldn’t get ahead of myself, and I couldn’t waste energy worrying or overthinking. I needed every ounce I had to put into my magic.

It had to be enough.

FIFTY-ONE

ZARIA

Iwoke to light. Bright white light.

Was I dead?

I blinked, lifting a hand to shield my eyes. My arms hurt. I shifted my limbs, finding myself in sand. All of me hurt. Like I’d fallen off a horse.

I couldn’t be in this much pain if I was dead, could I? I thought the Shores of Avalon were brimming with eternal pleasure. Pain wasn’t a part of that. At least not for me.

I blinked a few times, forcing myself to sit up. A sound of lapping water reached my ears as my eyes focused.

A massive body of water lay before me. I thanked the Goddess we’d made it to the lake I’d seen. It had to be. I smiled. Trusting myself had been the right move, at least for now. The undead flyers hadn’t followed us. I looked to the sky to make sure they weren’t anywhere I could see.

Anyone who saw us enter the Wild Mountains would now assume us dead, I hoped.

The sun was just getting high in the sky, so it had to be the morning, and we’d been at the outpost sometime in the late afternoon. We’d been here at least overnight. If they were going to ambush us, they would have done it by now. Right?

I turned, and pain lanced through my back. I hissed, reaching behind me to find my shirt damp. The memory of being hit by an arrow came back to me. I took solace in the fact that it hadn’t hit me hard enough to embed. We must have been too far away by the time it struck. I thanked the Goddess again. Then I recalled the hits Nyx had taken…

NYX!

I looked around and found him at my back. Fear took hold. He was still in his dragon form, unmoving, and blood had leeched into the sand around him. I crawled to his head, biting back my own pain to check on him. On my knees, I cradled his head and felt for breath at his nostrils. Warm, reassuring air met my hand, and I sobbed.

Alive. We were both alive. And I was going to keep us that way. I’d gotten us this far.

I pushed through the pain, getting to my feet. My stomach flipped, and bile rose in my throat. I hunched over, but that made me see red. I stumbled and fell back to my knees. A warm trickle ran down my back. I fought the tears in my eyes, breathing through the pain.

I had to think. If the lake had calm and shallow water, it would have pain reeds. I had to get to the shore.

I gave myself ten more seconds to deal with the pain.

I climbed to my feet, slower this time. I reached behind to see if I could judge how much of my skin was ripped open, but I couldn’t reach the spot. My shirt was crusted to my skin and only a little damp from what I could feel. It would have to wait. I scanned the shoreline for an inlet to protect against the waves.

I thanked the Goddess when I spotted one not too far from where we’d landed. Now I prayed this was a freshwater lake, because if it was somehow connected to the inner coast of the Twelve Kingdoms, I’d be screwed. Finding drinking water would be hard, and thirst would kill us faster than our injuries. There were always roots and berries and nuts to eat, but unless it rained... I cut myself off from the fear again.

This was about doing. I knew how to source food. I knew how to make medicines. This was all females’ work in my village. I could do this.

I walked into the water, not caring about my leathers. I dropped to my knees, the cool water feeling so good on my sore muscles. I cupped my hands and dipped them into the clear water before bringing it to my lips.

Fresh.

Thank the Goddess.