Page 5 of Ink Sworn (Greatdrakes #3 | The Fae Universe #24)

V alentine sat on the edge of his bed, the vial of sleeping elixir in his hand. He needed to find Yelena and Avallach. Still, he was hesitating. Letting his dragon into his unconscious mind was a risk, and Valentine had done everything in his life to mitigate his magic from hurting anyone.

Even though it hurt you in the process? the voice of his mother whispered to him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He only ever heard her when his anxiety was high. That was a bigger red flag than his dragon being willing to help for once.

Valentine put the elixir on the bed and took a small bundle of carefully folded bits of paper from his pocket.

They were softly foxed around the edges from too much handling.

It hadn't seemed to matter that he felt betrayed when he had learned of her deception.

He had still been unable to get rid of the folded notes, and they had remained in his pockets to touch from time to time.

He took a long breath in and let himself feel Yelena's magic that had carved the words onto the paper. It was like a breeze on a hot day, like honey on a sore throat. It was a cool balm that soothed over the burning fire of his brain. The knife in his chest eased its stabbing, and he breathed in.

"Fuck," he almost sobbed with relief.

He never should have sent that last fucking letter. He should have let his temper cool down instead of lashing out like a wounded child. Gods, he really was a bastard.

Find her , his dragon growled and raked claws at his insides.

Valentine drank down the elixir, lay back on his bed, and held the letters to his chest. "Show me. Help me."

The elixir was strong enough that in less than five minutes, it took him down, down, down into nothingness. Bas might have been the master of dreams and astral travel, but Valentine was no novice. It wasn't a magic he leaned on often, and too late, he thought he should have asked Bas for help.

Valentine's dragon was waiting for him, ruby eyes shining in the darkness. Hot scales brushed against him, and then they were him. It was as easy as pulling on a favorite coat. Everything inside of him suddenly aligned like screaming white noise coming into silence.

Valentine knew it would always feel this way if he gave in to what was sleeping inside of him. It was wholeness and clarity. The calming of the eternal storm of power and helpless rage.

It was the first time he dared to hope that maybe if he stopped being so afraid of it, he could one day make it a reality.

He had dragons around him that could ensure he never hurt anyone when it happened.

Yelena's advice had already helped him with control of his magic, and she could be the key to helping him understand and integrate his dragon and darkness once and for all. He needed to get her back first.

Clinging to the remnants of Yelena's magic, he shook out his wings and launched himself into the air. He could see Kian's castle below him, onyx and imposing. The night was cold, and he stared up at the stars above him.

Find the thread , Valentine prompted, so the beast wouldn't get too enamored of the night sky.

I already have it, the dragon snorted and waved its paw before them. A silver, bright thread of power was wrapped around its ankle. Valentine didn't question why it was tied to him. He only needed to follow it.

Two minds in the same body flew towards the stone circle, and without any words or ritual, the door to Faerie blew open. The dragon soared through it, flying hard and relishing the freedom even in this dream space.

Valentine let it go and enjoyed the rapidly changing landscapes.

He had been to Faerie before, but he didn't recognize any of the rivers and trees beneath him.

They had gone through the stones and come out somewhere other than where they led in the real world.

He trusted the silvery thread tied to him.

He flew over still lakes and forests, heading further and further north.

The thread tugged hard, and he circled down over a small glade. He landed heavily amidst the trampled remnants of what used to be a camp. The dragon found a tent, following the scent he knew was Yelena's. It was strangely floral and dark, like jasmine but earthier.

This was where she sent the last letter , Valentine said to himself. The magic that had formed the message had definitely originated there, but she wasn't there. None of them were.

A sharp, hot flash of pain in his right paw had him rearing up and back into the air. No, it wasn't his pain. It was hers .

Valentine roared and streaked through the air, going further north, her magic blasting through him like a beacon fire a mile high.

He followed it with blind, mad fury. He could see the shimmering silver explosion above a small fortress.

He circled over it. There were campfires and tents in the courtyard, and a battered man was tied to a post.

He landed on the battlements and saw the cage hanging over the side, nothing but air and jagged rocks beneath it. Valentine keened softly when he saw the body lying inside it. It was blue and white with frost, except for a stump where a hand used to be. The ice was stained crimson around it.

Yelena's eyes were open as she whispered, Valentine…find me.

Valentine's rage at what they had done to her took hold of him. He would kill them for this. He would kill them all. Crimson and black threads of his magic burst free, and the dream world shook around him.

I'm coming. Hold on.

The fortress and the sleeping girl shattered like a mirror, and Valentine was roaring and tumbling until he hit his body and woke up with a cry of pure fury.

"Valentine! Valentine!" Cosimo banged on the door.

Another voice joined his, and the wooden door shattered. Valentine couldn't move his body, but he managed to open his eyes. He was covered in red and black threads, his magic surrounding him like a pulsing web.

"Don't touch him," Taranis said, his eyes wide as he looked around the room. "I don't think he's fully in control of his body yet."

Valentine forced his fingers to move, and then his toes. Everything was heavy and hurt.

"Val? Pull the magic back in, son. Let us help," Cosimo said softly, like he would to a scared animal.

It was the worry in his voice that made Valentine snap back into himself properly.

"Dad? I'm okay. I'm okay," Valentine tried to reassure him.

His throat was sore, like he had been screaming for hours. He pulled the threads of his magic back inside of him, and as the last one disappeared, Cosimo pulled him up off the bed and squeezed him.

"What the hell? You scared the fucking life out of me," he said, rocking Valentine like he hadn't done since he was a kid. "What happened? What did you do?"

"Try not to smother him to death, Cosimo," Taranis said and moved to put a hand on his shoulder. "Let him breathe."

"You're not a father. I don't expect you to understand," Cosimo snarled, making Taranis take a step back like he had slapped him. Cosimo wasn't one to lose his temper, and no one knew how to handle him when he did.

Valentine patted Cosimo on the back. "I'm fine. Let me go."

When he didn't, Valentine whispered, "You need to let me go so I can help Yelena and Avallach."

Cosimo slowly released him but took Valentine's face in his hands. "You should have known better than to attempt that kind of magic alone."

"I know. I'm sorry, but it worked," Valentine replied.

Cosimo helped him sit up properly but kept a protective arm around his shoulders. Usually, Valentine would have bristled at the fussing, but he was shaken, and his father's bulk and the pressure of his arm grounded him.

Taranis pulled up a chair and sat down. He eyed the scattering of letters around the bed. "Tell me what you learned, lad."

"They are in a fortress. It was further north than their last camp.

They both still live, but I didn't see any of the others that you sent with them.

There are at least a hundred enemy warriors there," Valentine replied.

He swallowed back the panic that was clawing its way up from his guts.

"Yelena has frozen herself in a cage. She. .. She's missing a hand."

Taranis's face went gray because, despite what Cosimo had said, he did know what it was like to be a father. Yelena had always been the closest thing to a child he could get, and his enemies had her. "Those fucking bastards. I need to go to Mag Argatnél," he said, his eyes burning with dragon fire.

"Yes, but you aren't going alone," Valentine replied. His dragon shimmered just under the surface, too, refusing to go back into the darkness. "I am coming with you, and I won't stop until I have her back."

Taranis glanced at Cosimo, who still looked pale and worried. "I don't think…"

"Dad can't stop me. No one can. I either go with you into Faerie, Uncle Taran, or I go alone.

I will make them pay a thousandfold for hurting her.

" Valentine could taste fire and blood, and his dragon said through his mouth, "I'm going to burn their world to ash, and they won't be able to stop me. Neither can you."

Taranis looked at him for a long time before nodding once. "Get your gear. We leave in an hour. "