Page 104

O ne thousand, two hundred, fifty-five Lapis dead.

The number pierced Vahly’s heart. What had it been like inside the Lapis cave palace when the Sea Queen’s spelled salt water crashed through the doors?

Younglings reaching for their mothers. Spells blackening the dragons’ scales.

The kitchen staff trying to reach the back door when a wave punches them backward, burning their wings with the sea folk’s magic.

Warriors and their families gathered in the hall suddenly deluged by spelled seawater.

The dragons lift into the air, but the waves charge higher and higher until there is no more room.

The oculus is too narrow to fit more than one escaping dragon at a time.

Screams. Gurgling. Lungs eroding. Eyes closing for the last time, fingers trailing away from a loved one’s hand as the water rises and rises and rises.

“Vahly?” Arc lifted his black eyebrows. His elven crown shifted just out of sight, the golden threads of light and smoky tendrils at his forehead reaching upward.

Vahly shivered. “Oh, sorry. Yes, Aitor should come with us if he wants. Of course.”

Arc’s eyes softened and he tilted his head. “You already said that. We were asking about possible routes to Illumahrah, to the Sacred Oak.”

“Right.” She shook her head, but the images cut into her mind again and again. Clearing her throat, she joined Arc, and they started toward Nix, Aitor, and Amona.

The Jade clan’s matriarch, Eux, descended from the sky in her human kynd form, bright green scales glittering in the sun and wings the color of the southern hills at dusk. The three Jades with her threw more bags of supplies at Arc’s feet. A scorchpepper rolled from one satchel to land near Amona.

Also in her human form, Amona left the boulder she’d been sitting on to approach Eux. Her eyes narrowed at her former enemy, lips twisting like she was keeping some harsh words from escaping.

“Thank you, Matriarch Eux,” Amona said instead. “Your generosity speaks highly of you and your clan.”

Vahly and Nix traded a look. Never once had Amona spoken so kindly to Eux. Vahly prayed Eux would return the respect.

Smoke curled from Eux’s delicately scaled nostrils as she strode over, arms crossed.

Links made from jade stone framed her face and ran down her arms. Each ring held the tooth of a lost loved one, and while the sentiment was honorable, the sight of the memory links was horrifying.

A ruby sparkled from the hilt of Eux’s sword. Beside her, Amona looked plain.

Vahly’s dragon mother had lost everything material during the battle. Her sword. Her beloved jewelry. And she’d lost most of her clan. Amona stood straight though, sharp eyes set on Eux.

Eux cocked her head and looked Amona up and down. “If you had fought harder earlier, perhaps we would be in a better position just now.”

Amona’s hands fisted as she stepped forward, her nose inches from Eux’s face.

Vahly took a step. The air crackled, and the scent of dragonfire—citrus and charcoal—combined with the chill breeze.

“Do not,” Amona hissed, “speak of fighting. That day, we fought like no other dragon. My Lapis survived because we put one another first. We would all be gone if we hadn’t fought like true Lapis. The Jades would be long dead if they had been thus attacked.”

Eux’s wings spread and fire erupted from her lips. Amona lifted into the air, striking out and slicing Eux’s cheek open with a talon. Blood splattered to the icy ground.

Vahly ran between them, the dizzying heat of dragonfire barely missing her. “Stop!”

Amona’s battle-glazed eyes remained focused on Eux. She roared and shot fire at the Jade matriarch, who dodged the blaze and leapt into the air. The two dragons locked in combat above Vahly.

They had sworn themselves to her. She had to stop this.

Arc, Nix, and Kyril were holding the Lapis back, a barrier of elf and dragon and gryphon between Amona’s clan and Eux’s.

Vahly knelt and put her palms on the earth. As she closed her eyes, the earth answered her touch with three powerful drumbeats of magic inside her chest. Flexing her hands, she stood and backed away.

The earth shot into the air.

A wall of stone shaped like a dragon broke Amona and Eux apart. The matriarchs sputtered fire and rolled, wings tucking. Eux and Amona landed on either side of Vahly’s creation.

Amona blinked. “Daughter. Earth Queen. I …”

Eux stormed away from the stone dragon, toward Vahly, shoulders heaving and wings shuddering. Kyril launched forward and rose up on hind legs, towering over Eux.

Eux’s lip curled. “Peace, gryphon. I relent.” The Jade matriarch’s burning gaze found Vahly.

“Apologies, Earth Queen.” Her tone said she was less than remorseful.

Eux glanced at Amona as the Lapis matriarch joined them.

“We are one clan now, and you remind us of the fact.” Eux dipped her head, then turned.

Amona bowed her head briefly. “Apologies, Earth Queen. I must remember my place. We are one.”

Vahly reached a hand out to Amona, who didn’t appear to be seriously injured though her clothing was singed and ripped down the side. Amona took her fingers and rubbed Vahly’s wrist with a thumb. Amona’s smile calmed Vahly’s racing heart.

“It will take time, Daughter. Time for us to adjust. It would be good if I came with you to Illumahrah and left Eux to rule here.”

“Agreed. I want you with me regardless.”

With one more quick smile, Amona left, heading for Arc’s remaining kynd—Haldus, Rigel and Ursae. They had been healing the Lapis rescued from the spits of land Vahly had raised during the battle. Young Ruda brought Amona what appeared to be a stack of fresh clothing.

Kyril shuffled over to Vahly and nudged her shoulder. She touched the smooth end of the gryphon’s beak and exhaled, keeping an eye on the Jades who were gathering around Eux. Arc lifted his eyebrows at Vahly as if asking what he should do. She waved him over.

Vahly’s boots crushed the icy grit of their vantage point of the northern mountains. Magic surged inside her, torn between going farther north into those snow-topped peaks and heading south toward Illumahrah to find the Sacred Oak.

Arc put a hand on her back, his touch warm. “What is it?” Formed of dark purple magic and dazzling golden light, his elven crown shimmered at his temples and across his forehead. The wind tugged at his ebony hair, and he narrowed his dark eyes against the cold.

“My magic is telling me to go north,” she said.

“But what about the Sacred Oak and what Kyril saw?”

Vahly glanced at her familiar. The gryphon had curled up beside her, seemingly comfortable despite their position so high above the flooded remains of Sugurrabota.

Earlier, through telepathic communication, Kyril had shown her an image of the Sacred Oak at Illumahrah, the destroyed home of the elves.

A field of yellow flowers had surrounded the tree where Vahly was meant to complete her journey to becoming a true Earth Queen, one capable of fighting the Sea Queen and thus balancing the world.

“I still have to visit the oak, but…” Magic pushed at her again, and she turned so that the highest of the snowy peaks filled her view. The mountains would have once made Vahly feel small. But now…

Tipped in blindingly white snow, the jagged rocks rose into the clouds. “First, there’s something I must do.”