Page 25

She opens her mouth to say more, but a scream cuts her short.

We both give a start. I spin around just in time to see one of the boards fall down from the bridge. It hits the rocks below with a thud that echoes through the space. Eucabeth stands on the board in front of the gap, her left foot poised in mid-air.

Shit.

She must’ve stepped on the board that collapsed.

Vitai freezes two paces behind her. His tone is clipped. “Don’t move.”

The board under her right foot creaks. She raises huge, fearful eyes to us, tears glimmering with a plea in their expressive depths.

I rush to the edge of the platform that gives access to the bridge. Irina and Maeva are in front of Eucabeth. They close the remaining distance with two big steps and leap to the safety of the platform, causing the bridge to sway dangerously.

Eucabeth screams again as she loses her balance and stumbles.

Everyone screams at the same time before a deathly quiet falls over the group.

We hold our breaths while Eucabeth rights herself with a white-knuckled grip on the rail.

She lands with both feet on the unstable board, putting her full weight onto it.

We all stand frozen in horror.

“Just keep still.” Vitai comes up behind her and focuses his gaze on the floor of the bridge from over her head. “I’m not going to let you fall.”

The board beneath her feet stops creaking and looks more solid.

I charge forward on autopilot, but someone grabs me by the back of my shirt. Karl.

“The bridge is unstable,” he says in a strained voice, yanking me to the middle of the platform.

I haven’t tested my power enough yet to know if I can fix a board with my mind. I’ve just learned how to open walls and part water. Before I can put my new skills to the test, Vitai cups Eucabeth’s hips and steers her forward carefully.

One of the boards on which Vitai steps gives way. It falls for three, four seconds. A crunch follows as the wood breaks into pieces on the rocks.

“Vitai,” Eucabeth cries out.

“Don’t worry.” His voice is soothing. “You’re fine.”

Two more steps, and they’re on the platform.

Just as I’m about to let out a relieved sigh, the ropes make a funny noise. They groan with strain, stretching… stretching. The bridge starts to sway in the breeze that picks up.

A chorus of gasps rises from the platform.

A sharp snap sounds. The bridge tips sharply to the right. A few boards fall to the bottom.

More screams pierce the air. The women cling to the ropes, their faces pulled into masks of horror. We’re trapped on the platform.

The platform jolts.

“The ropes.” Sandy’s face is as white as chalk. “They’re fraying.”

Instinctively, I focus my mind on them as Maeva starts crying.

Shivering from head to toe, Alexa says, “We’re going to die.”

“We’re not,” Vitai says with a tight jaw.

The ropes knit together again, and the remaining boards grow in size, covering some of the gaps.

It’s Vitai’s doing, not mine. I clearly need more practice.

Either way, now that they’re wider, the boards look thinner and flimsier, and I don’t know if they’ll hold under our weight.

Desperate, I scan the horizon, but the mist obscures the sky.

Betty, I need you, girl.

I close my eyes and tap into that dark world of stars.

It’s quicker this time, the map already there.

An istiodactylus is the closest. The other dinosaurs are still skittish after the rockslides and haven’t returned from their hideouts yet.

The istiodactylus is profiting from the bigger carnivores’ absence, fishing in the lake.

I bring him around.

A moment later, he appears through the mist. He thrusts his long, orange-tipped, yellow beak forward as he dives down. With an impressive span of at least fifteen feet, his wings quickly eat up the distance.

The women duck and yell, making the platform sway.

“He won’t hurt you,” I say, doing my best to keep everyone calm. “Trust me.”

Betty follows short on the istiodactylus’s tail, her majestic body gliding through the air as she aims straight for the platform.

God, I love you, girl.

The istiodactylus follows my mental command and positions himself under the bridge while Betty hovers next to it. She flaps her large wings to stay in place, nearly knocking a few of us off our feet.

“Down, girl!” I point below the bridge. “You can do it.”

Immediately obeying the command, she descends and lines up in front of the istiodactylus, whom I decide to call Ducky. Together, they’re long enough to cover the length of the bridge and provide support for our weight in case the boards don’t hold.

Vitai nods at me, clearly understanding my intention. “Let’s go.”

“No,” Maeva squeals, her expression terrified as she looks down. “We’ll fall!”

“We won’t.” I take her hand. “Vitai stabilized the bridge, and the dinosaurs will carry our weight. Just follow my lead.”

“Don’t you mean dragons?” Vitai asks.

Now’s not the time to explain.

Eucabeth retreats to the center of the platform. “No.” She trembles. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” Vitai’s tone is both stern and encouraging. “I’ll carry you.”

I go first, pulling Maeva behind me. Sandy is next. Irina, Karl, and Alexa follow. Vitai is last, carrying Eucabeth in his arms.

The large wings of the pterosaurs stir up a breeze. I’m walking as if on eggshells. The boards tip left and right like seesaws on the uneven expanse of Ducky’s back, but he manages to keep more or less motionless in the air.

A few of the thin boards crack. Some break when I step on them, and I’m not the heaviest of people. I glance past Ducky at the abyss below, my stomach climbing into my throat as I slowly cross the bridge.

By the time I reach Betty, my palms are clammy, and a trickle of sweat runs down my back. The people behind me cry out every time another board splits in two beneath their feet, but we’re making progress.

I can feel Ducky’s stress. Staying in place puts enormous strain on him. Reaching out to him with my mind, I calm and encourage him with a mental pep talk.

I’m almost on the other side when a portal appears on the ledge.

I feel Aruan’s presence before he steps through the circle of lights.

I don’t have to look at the dark, frantic expression on his face to know what he feels.

Anxiety and terror reach me through our bond.

Then I notice the purple bruise darkening his jaw and the black circle around his left eye. His upper lip is cut and swollen.

A new kind of fear slams into my chest.

What happened to him?

His calm reassurance reaches me through our bond, letting me know he’s all right.

I’m far from put at ease, but I don’t have time to linger on why he looks as if he’s been in a fight because Maeva trips on one of the boards and goes down face first, sprawling out behind me.

Still clinging to my hand, she nearly pulls me down with her.

Aruan’s voice reaches me both from the ledge and through our bond. “Elsie!”

I hurry to say, “I’m fine.” I help Maeva to her feet. “We’re fine.”

I don’t want Aruan to storm to me, which is exactly what he wants to do. I can feel his intention. However, I have a bigger problem than dealing with my mate’s anguish right now. It’s vital that we cross over quickly because Betty is getting tired.

“Come on,” I say over my shoulder. “We have to hurry.”

We make it across in a few more strides.

The moment my feet hit solid ground, Aruan is in front of me. I let Maeva go and move aside to make space for the others. They stumble onto the ledge, falling down on their knees, crying. When Vitai clears the bridge with Eucabeth in his arms, I release Betty and Ducky.

Ducky heads toward the waterfall and perches on the ledge to rest. Betty lands a safe distance from him.

I sigh with relief, my heart still beating a mile a minute.

I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if Vitai hadn’t fixed the ropes.

In my mind’s eye, I see them give and the bridge swing through the air before crashing against the rockface, splintered wood flying everywhere.

But we’re here, safely, thanks to Betty and my new friend.

Aruan locks his hands around my waist and stares into my eyes. Everything we’re not saying but thinking passes between us. He’s both relieved and furious. Alarmingly so.

I blow out a shaky breath when he pulls me closer and wraps me up in his arms, soaking up the warmth and the feeling of safety until he kisses the top of my head and whispers in my hair, “We’ll talk about this in my quarters.”

I push away, picking up on something else that worries me—a thought that’s not my own.

Someone tampered with the bridge.

I go cold, searching Aruan’s eyes for confirmation. Yes, that’s what he thinks, what he knows . The bridge didn’t collapse from wear and tear. Why would it? The Alit would never be so negligent as to let the sole access to their palace deteriorate.

This was no accident. Someone cut the ropes and loosened the boards. Why? Because one of us is a target, and it’s not Vitai or the people from Earth.

It’s me.

First the poison and now this. I almost got seven people and myself killed.

“No.” Aruan’s voice is unrelenting. “You’re not responsible for someone else’s actions.”

Maybe. Either way, now is not the time to argue. I put my hand on his cheek. “What happened to you?”

He cups my hand, pressing my palm against his face. “Nothing.”

“That’s not nothing.” I pull my hand free and trace the cut on his lip. “Someone hit you.”

“It was nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Quoting his earlier words, I say, “We’ll talk about this in your quarters.”

He doesn’t protest when I walk to the two pterosaurs, though the surfacing of his power comes through our bond. He’s being cautious, ready to melt them just in case.

“Good girl.” I pet Betty when she lowers her head to nuzzle my hand. “You did great.” Going over to Ducky, I give him a scratch under his chin, which makes him close his eyes in bliss. It’s insanely cute. “You too, buddy. Thanks for your help.”

I become aware of Karl and the women staring at me. They’re quivering on the ledge, looking at me strangely.

Right.

I sometimes forget how frightening the sight of a dinosaur is.

I say goodbye to Betty and Ducky, giving each a last caress. When I return to the others, they pretend to be studying the remnants of the boards that lie scattered far below.

Betty and Ducky stretch their necks. Their piercing cries reverberate through the valley.

The mist has evaporated. A brilliant sun shines over the black sea.

The pyramid mountain with its foaming waterfall and moss-covered cliffs stands out against the backdrop of the green jungle.

With the rainbow colors of the pterosaurs perched on the ledge, it makes a striking picture.

Maybe it’s just the thrill of having escaped with our lives, but I don’t think I’ve seen a more beautiful scene.

What happened must’ve attracted the other royals and Aruan’s parents because they come rushing through portals into the Great Hall.

Not appreciating such a big audience, Betty and Ducky launch into the air. They spread their wings, turn west, and take off over the sea.

The queen is the first one who reaches us. “My son!” She rushes with outspread arms to Vitai, forcing him to lower Eucabeth to her feet. “Incus just told me what happened. He saw it all through the archway of his chamber.”

She embraces Vitai, hugging him to her chest, and therefore not seeing the fierce look in his eyes as he holds Eucabeth’s gaze over his mother’s shoulder.

The king walks through the parted waterfall, resembling a dark devil as he takes in the damage.

Kian appears next, suspiciously sporting a few bruises and a swollen upper lip himself.

The queen wraps an arm around Vitai’s shoulders and leads him to the Great Hall. “I think we can all do with a strong drink.”

Tarix, who’s appeared out of nowhere, follows like a lapdog on the queen’s heels. “And this in the midst of an important visit. Whatever will the Marikanears think of us?”

The king addresses Kian. “Escort our guests back to their quarters.” He cuts a gaze to Aruan and me. “Elsie and Aruan have someplace to be.”

As the queen ushers everyone inside, Sandy holds me back with a hand on my arm.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Elsie?” She appears wounded. No, disappointed. “Is it because you’re in cahoots with them? Is that the deal? You pretend to help us to keep us pacified while we’re your prisoners?”

“No,” I exclaim. “Of course not! It’s not what you think. I’m just as much a prisoner here.”

She nods a couple of times. “Are you locked in?”

I hesitate. “Not exactly.”

She nods again before turning around.

“Sandy, I?—”

She looks over her shoulder. “You deceived us, Elsie. We thought you were one of us.”

She walks away without another word, leaving me on the ledge with Aruan, who’s taken in the exchange with a tight jaw and flaring nostrils.

In one long step, he puts our bodies flush together. “My quarters.” The way he adds, “Now,” makes me shiver.

I want nothing more than to be alone with him right now.

For once, we agree.