Page 119 of Exquisite Monster

“Your Highness?” Idroal looked at Sirrus. “Will you?”

Fire glowed in his throat before he released it in a single stream aimed at the heart of the break. More pure, dazzling fire than I’d ever seen him release. The flames took on a life of their own, curling around thesheytenlike a cloak, growing and morphing to coat it like a second skin before snuffing out all at once.

The world went profoundly silent for the length of three heartbeats. A force so strong it felt like gravity pulled us toward the rock, andboom. A silentcrack of power hurled us outward.

No one but Sirrus remained on their feet.

Sound rushed in, and I gasped. That nearly silent resonance I recognized from sitting near thesheytenwas here. It worked. The stone was healed.

“How fast does it work?” I asked.

Arris coughed and pushed up from where he’d fallen. “Pretty damn fast. Look.”

A tree at the top of the crater—which had been dead before—was growing leaves.

I grabbed my bag and ran for Endre, now in his beast form, and climbed on his back.Varídove into my pocket. “We have to see. We have tosee.”

Everyone scrambled, dragons shedding their human skin and the royals mounting. We were already in the air, and…

Green.

Green trees in the mountains and grasses beyond. Endre flew toward Rensara at a speed that stole my breath. Every time I spotted something with new growth, it felt like I’d been struck by lightning. The wind muffled my laugh and dried my tears.

We soared over Gleira, and I saw green plains like I hadneverseen in my lifetime. It was like a different place entirely.

People swarmed the streets, and beyond the city walls, I saw joyful chaos as the power spread and revitalized the land. It meant life. It meant food. It meant we had a fucking chance.

“How do we tell them?” I asked. “The humans have to know how things were restored.”

Will your father believe you?Endre asked.

“I think he will. And they will send a messenger. I am sure of it. If we’ve already told him and the messenger confirms it? He’ll have no choice. But can we get close enough?”

Hold.

Then, Idroal’s voice.I should be able to reach your father, Your Highness. The ground near Evrítha is not like the desert. It will not be a problem.

“Then let’s go,” I said. “Maybe we can stop some of this.”

My mates and Idroal were with me. The others had fallen behind, but we couldn’t wait. Every second mattered now.

The sun had turned the sky to a blaze of glory when I saw them on the horizon. A dark, writhing mass of humanity gathered along the river that ran from north to south directly through the Bowl.

“Why would they wait here? They can cross the barrier.”

They want to be ready when they enter dragon lands,Sirrus said.And it is not so easy to have armies cross a river.

I’d never thought of it that way.

“And the dragons? I don’t see any.”

While the barrier holds there is no point. As soon as the humans cross, they will appear.

I nodded. Then we weren’t too late. We could still pull them back. If we could get enough people to listen to reason.

“Can you see the Gleiran colors?”

Yes. Zovai.Close to the center.