Page 48 of Exquisite Monster

We do.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. She spoke… she mentioned almost nothing about her past unless it was in relation to me or the Heirs. Forgive my curiosity.”

A few more minutes with nothing to hear but the sound of wingbeats.

Curiosity is nothing to apologize for. But I am not prepared to speak about it.

“I understand.” Still, I felt uneasy. They weren’t angry, but I still wanted the tension I’d created to ease. I spoke at full volume. “Where will we land?”

The piece of the Bowl that borders Craisos passes very close to Caelora. Erryn’s musical voice appeared.It is easy enough to lose ourselves in the peaks and caves. Though we must still be careful. Andaros and his army are vigilant.

Rest, Lena, Idroal said.

“I’ve done nothing but rest.”

They laughed.We both know that is not true. Rest. We will speak more once we arrive at the first stop.

“First stop?”

It is too far for us to fly in one day. The sun would be well in the sky before we landed in Craisos. We will pass the day in the mountains on the western side of Ostea.

It was a point I couldn’t argue. If we were seen, this would all be over before it started. Reaching into the bag whereVaríwas, I allowed him to curl around my hand and did my best to get comfortable on Idroal’s scales.

“The Heirs,” I said. “They flew from Rensara to Skalisméra in less than a day. The distance is the same, if not greater.”

Power and strength affect everything for dragons, Princess. They fly much faster than we do.

“Oh.”

Oh.

I closed my eyes and listened to the wind, the steady beats of wings lulling me to a deeper sleep than I’d had since before I was in my mates’ arms.

“So you haven’t been able to talk to them?” I asked. Idroal’s memories had made it seem that way.

“No.” That was Karadi. “Other than Sotai, we haven’t been able to get close enough, and even they haven’t been able to find their exact location. We know roughly.”

Nerves bubbled low in my gut.

What in all the stars were we doing? Maybe Gleym was right and this was a fool’s errand. I would be captured by Andaros, and he would kill all four of us before moving on to his plan to massacre dragonkind.

Rage drove me to my feet, and I pushed it down. It wouldn’t help. Instead, I retrieved some darts and left the small circle we’d formed, finding a half-dead, scraggly tree to practice my aim.Varíbrought the darts that fell back to me.

But even hurling objects of violence didn’t take the edge off the rage. Or dull the sense of desperate fear that I was too late. Everything was too late.

“You are troubled.”

Belleo’s voice startled me. The dart I’d thrown clattered to the ground.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

All I did was hold out a dart for her. She took it from my hand and threw it, the sharp point burying itself in the wood like she’d been born with the weapons in her hands.

“Troubled is a tame description for what I am.”

“I can’t imagine.”

I sighed. “What did they tell you?” We hadn’t covered those details. I assumed Idroal had told them some, but I didn’t know how much.