Page 60 of Entwined

“I’ll go.” Gideon slides down Asteria’s back and strides toward us. “You can wait up here, and I’ll go and make the introductions.”

“They surely saw us all arrive.” Liz looks around. “Nighttime or not, they would have noticed the arrival of more than ten thousand dragons.” She sighs. “Fine. Fine.”

“You should send me with one of the earth dragons,” Gideon says. “Axel should be fine. He’s not quite as bad as all the others—more reasonable, usually. Then you can’t be angry she’s in danger, and it’ll be faster than waiting on one of us.”

Except there’s no way for me to shift here in front of everyone.

“Where is he, anyway?” Gideon looks around. “I figured he’d be the first one through, but I never saw him.”

Hyperion shoots up into the sky, swinging a large, relatively bright arc around the entire area. If anyone missed our arrival, they’re surely aware of our presence now.

When he lands next to us, he bugles. It’s a blessed courtesy, announcing our arrival. Any other blessed would also recognize that he’s flame blessed from the sound, but to the humans I doubt it means anything at all.

Liz is glowering when she starts scaling my back. “Let’s just go and get it over with.” She drops her voice to a whisper. “Try to look nonthreatening.”

I try my best to suppress my smile as I launch into the air. There are few things in life I like better than flying with Liz. The bond always shimmers, for one. But her little sighs and involuntary exhalations of air and the way she crouches down when I speed up never fail to entertain me.

Before landing, I accelerate, sailing past the river, over the town, and beyond. Once we reach the ocean, I turn back, looping around to Selfoss again.

“What’s that for?” Liz asks.

I’m giving them time to prepare before we arrive in case Hyperion’s announcement was their first notice that we’re here, but I also like to get a feel for the surrounding geography before I land in a new place. Landing is the dangerous move—it allows them to send something over the top of us, which is where you’re sitting.

As we reach Selfoss again, I fly lower and much slower. It’s easier for me to regulate Liz’s temperature this way, but also, we can see the town better when we’re close.

Although many of the buildings have snow on top of them, you can make out that some of them have very brightly colored rooftops. It’s quite different than the grays, browns, and blacks of Houston. The streets are also lined with brightly painted homes. Perhaps they like to decorate the buildings more because the surrounding land is blanketed in white. All in all, the town is tiny. Nothing at all like Houston.

“Where should we land?” Liz sounds. . .tentative. I wonder whether she’s nervous, now the time has finally come. It must be strange for her to be approaching her people on our behalf. She wants to smooth things over with the humans, as a human, but she also wants to make things easy for us.

It’s not comfortable to have one foot on two sides of a line. I know that better than most anyone.

I notice a very large building just next to the river, with two rectangular structures on either side of a tall tower. It looks prominent. I circle and land in front of it.

We wait, but no one comes out.

“They’re probably hiding inside,” Liz mutters. “I would be.”

She slides off, and although I want to stop her, I don’t. I’ll be behind her, ready to incinerate anyone who attacks.

It won’t help if the humans use their irritating little projectiles, but. . . I project a magical shield around her, and she freezes and turns around. “What are you doing?” The frown on her face is precious.

Keeping you safe.

“I look like a crazy person. I can’t walk in there with a red bubble floating around me.”

Why not?

She rolls her eyes and tilts her head. “Get rid of it.”

I shake my head.

“Azar, do it now.”

I refuse.

“If you don’t take this dumb thing off?—”

You’ll what? Draw your swords and strike me?