Page 21 of Every Spiral of Fate (This Woven Kingdom #4)

Twenty

IT WAS AN ALARM .

Kaveh launched, without warning, toward the stars. In tacit understanding they broke off from the group, flying now at speeds that seared Cyrus, wind battering his face, tousling his hair.

Don’t move , he called back to the other dragons, their connection growing weaker as they drew farther apart. Wait for my directive—

Hold on tight, sire , said Kaveh.

Cyrus wrapped the reins twice more around his fists, gritting his teeth against the burgeoning lashes of the blood oath. He leaned into his dragon’s neck as they flew faster, picking up speed. Soon a haze of distant figures came into view—

Kaveh came to an abrupt halt.

Cyrus slammed hard against his dragon’s back, the rug beneath him absorbing most of the impact, while his face caught against the grain of dragon scale, opening a gash down the side of his cheek. He sucked in a breath.

You all right, sire?

Cyrus straightened in his seat, hissing against the pain.

Enemy riders , he bit out. He felt blood begin to trickle down his cheek and he retrieved a handkerchief from inside his cloak, holding it to the wound. They’re armed to the hilt.

Kaveh growled softly.

Dragons could cast themselves invisible, but not their riders—and the trio of combatants shone in the milky light ahead as if suspended in space.

Cyrus had used a bit of powerful magic to cloak himself in invisibility—and drew a bit more magic now to repair his fresh wound—which gave them the advantage to better assess the exposure.

Can you get a bit closer? he asked Kaveh.

Kaveh moved them forward soundlessly, and the lashes of the blood oath grew stronger. Cyrus tensed painfully, but the closer position offered little more information. The assailants wore no emblems or royal uniforms; they looked more like unmarked mercenaries.

By the careless positions they took in their seats, one of them even reclining—idly twirling an arrow between his hands—it was clear they’d been waiting for some time. They’d possibly taken up this post from the moment he and Alizeh had spoken their vows.

Cyrus couldn’t be certain whether they faced a single foe or many; these enemies might be different from the ones who’d delivered a message tonight. He felt it imprudent to assume there was only one aggressor at work, for there were many feverish eyes aimed in the direction of the Jinn queen.

Doubtless more such traps had been laid elsewhere.

These dragons are from Zeldan , Kaveh said with mild interest. I’ve encountered them before.

Cyrus stiffened, even as he was unsurprised.

The empire of Zeldan, home to three of the largest Jinn prison camps on earth, had been the loudest of his antagonists recently.

Jailers to so many Jinn, it did not come as a shock that the Zeldanian king would’ve divined Alizeh’s plans for the Arya mountains.

No doubt they were familiar with the lore of those they oppressed, for they would’ve heard tell of the prophesied savior.

It was more fascinating to witness their fear.

That attempts had been made to bar Alizeh from returning to her homeland gave only greater credence to the storied magic she was rumored to possess. It further proved that they were terrified—of her, and of the retribution she promised to deliver.

Kaveh , he said. Do the other dragons see you?

Yes , said Kaveh, sounding unhappy. They’re only deciding now how to communicate this fact to their riders. I’d venture we have only minutes before they resolve the issue.

Shit , he said.

Indeed , sire , said Kaveh.

Zeldan was one of the empires that had all but promised war in the case that Cyrus should marry the Jinn queen.

He knew it to be a cowering threat, and for the moment, toothless.

On its own, the far-flung empire was too weak to lead such an assault.

Zeldan would have to ally with several other empires for their anger to amount to an actual threat against the might of Tulan and Ardunia combined—which meant there was time yet on Alizeh’s side.

Not much, but some.

Hells.

Cyrus acted then entirely on instinct.

Turn back , he said to Kaveh. I must warn the others—

Kaveh acquiesced with lightning speed, and Cyrus was ready this time, sitting low against the base of Kaveh’s neck as they shot through the skies, ducking his head against the knifelike winds.

Issa, Zahra, Amir , he called out as they got closer. Change of plans. Stand by—

Standing by , said Issa.

I feel you should know, sire , said Amir, that the Jinn has animated with rage. He appears to believe you’ve abandoned them.

Idiot , Cyrus muttered. Ice-cold gusts tore across his body, his heavy cape billowing behind him. Zahra, is she still—

By the angels, sire, if you ask me that question one more time, the next time I see you I’ll set your boots on fire—

A simple yes , he said curtly, would’ve done just fine, thank you.

I’ll alert you should the queen awake. Until then, trust that she is safe—

Recall that we have only minutes , said Kaveh, who was sounding worried even as his terrifying heft cut through the night sea like a sail.

Cyrus’s mind was racing. He had to make a decision.

There was no time to consider the consequences when he called out silently for Hazan, searching the skies for his spirit. Their team would have to move quickly and seamlessly, which meant he couldn’t risk shouting aborted explanations across the expanse of a blustery night sky.

The problem was, as an unfinished Diviner, Cyrus could only communicate wordlessly with those who allowed the intrusion—and there were few humans who understood the cryptic ask. Cyrus hoped—and suspected—that Hazan might be one of the few.

“What the devil?” he heard the Jinn say from across the distance, his voice warping as if reaching him from under water. “Kamran, would you shut up a moment? Did you feel that?”

What Hazan had felt, Cyrus knew, was a sharp spark of heat in his sternum. Then, suddenly: recognition.

Cyrus felt the channel unlock between them in relief.

“Cyrus?” Hazan said cautiously. “Cyrus, is that you?”

Cyrus didn’t have a chance to respond before the Jinn shouted furiously—

“Where the bloody hell have you been? Your dragons are refusing to move and I’ve been sitting here imagining all the ways I might break your fucking neck—”

We’re going to need a new flight path , Cyrus returned silently. You know your mountains better than I do. Give me a new access point into the outpost—somewhere we might land undetected. We have but minutes to move before we are discovered.

Hazan’s response was immediate and unemotional, undercut with only the faintest note of concern.

“Direct your dragons to enter from the southeast corner of Meshki village located within Gomol province—but they must be careful. You can only get in through a narrow opening between two crags; from afar it appears impossible to pass through the aperture but it’s only a trick of perspective.

There’s a vast hazelnut grove located on the far side—”

As Hazan spoke, Cyrus had connected the channel to his dragons. Are you all hearing this? he asked them.

Yes, sire , they chorused.

To Hazan, he said, Hold on.

“Why? What are we—”

Kaveh shot across the heavens at mind-bending speed, and Cyrus fought against the barreling winds to push up on his knees, then rose, with a cry, to his feet.

He stood astride his dragon like a chariot racer, his cloak whipping at his back, and desperately gripped the reins as the beast tore through the sky with a fury.

Cyrus glanced over his shoulder and was slapped in the face by a gust as he caught sight of the others. He heard the wind in the Jinn’s voice when Hazan called out—

“We’re falling into formation behind you!”

The team of dragons began to move at a breakneck pace, and Cyrus was quietly grateful he’d taken so many precautions to secure the others with magic.

I think I’d like to eat a very large bird when we arrive , said Issa thoughtfully. Perhaps a deer or two. Or even a school of fish. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten a school of fish.

All you ever do is talk about food , said Zahra.

I should like to sleep , said Amir. Or else I should like to eat a hundred lions.

You can’t eat a hundred lions , countered Issa. You’ll make yourself sick.

Steady on, everyone , said Kaveh. Sire, we appear to have a tail.

Cyrus stiffened.

Hazan , he said , I have to fall back. The dragons know where to go and they’ll carry you to safety, no matter what happens next—

“Wait—where are you going—?”

I must head off the other riders. All you need to do is hang on.

“Cyrus, you idiot, you can’t head off a team of riders on your own. You’re going to get yourself killed—”

I’m not so easily killed , said Cyrus. She only makes it seem that way.

“You self-righteous bastard,” said Hazan angrily. “You really think this is the time to be melodramatic?”

At that, Cyrus almost smiled.

He ignored all else as he and Kaveh fell back to meet the assailants, watching closely as the opposition closed in. Cyrus knew that when everyone else was far enough away, Kaveh would pull back his invisibility.

I’ll meet you there , he said to Hazan.

The hope, of course, was to distract.

He and Kaveh pushed faster in the direction of danger—the twin forces of the wind and blood oath lashing Cyrus with ever icier strikes—and he knew the moment the combatant team perceived him, for he heard the clamor of their frenzied cries; saw the contortions of their angry faces.

Indeed he could almost discern the gleam of arrowheads notched in their bows.

They were almost out of time.

Cyrus braced himself as Alizeh was carried farther into the distance.

She was really out of reach now, for the violence of the blood oath struck him with breathtaking force, and he contracted through the pain, holding on with excruciating control.

He was fury and glory, planted upright on the ridged back of his dragon, relentless gusts buffeting his body.

The figure he cut among the stars was so astonishing that the other riders stilled when he came into focus.

Weapons stalled in their uncertain hands as they searched one another in confusion.

Slowly, every inch of him held in painful tension, Cyrus torqued himself toward his enemies. With a tremulous breath, he dropped the reins. The cloak blew off his body.

Kaveh , he said. Are you ready?

Always, sire.

The king lifted his shaking arms to the sky, and the heavens above him split with a shattering crack .