Page 174 of The Night Firm

"Use your air magic," Cole says as the door opens of its own accord. "You have no idea yet how powerful you are."

"Yeah, so I'm told," I say as I manipulate the air currents around me to ease my breathing.

A man in a butler's uniform answers the door and without a word ushers us in, though he casts glances at me curiously. "He is expecting you," he tells Cole.

We follow him up a winding stone staircase to the very top of the castle, and as we step out, we are greeted by Cole's client.

"Ventus'Arak, the Air Dragon, is your client?" I whisper, as the dragon shifts from his true form to his human form.

"Why have you brought the Fate with you?" he demands of Cole.

"Is there a reason you don't want me to know you've gone to great lengths to acquire the only weapon that can kill a dragon?" I ask, holding up my fingers full of dragon rings to remind him his own damn mother sent me on this mission.

Cole raises an eyebrow and looks amused at the exchange, though he says nothing.

"I will know if it is the weapon that took my sister's life," Ventus says as he stalks over to us, his pale blue eyes narrowed to a slit.

The Air Dragon is tall, at least a head taller than Cole, which is saying something, with broad shoulders that taper to a perfectly toned six pack. I know this because his entire outfit consists of his iridescent blue wings that drape like a cloak, and what can only be described as a loin cloth. There isn't much left to the imagination, and even though the sight is impressive, I need to stay focused on something other than his abs.

"How can you be so sure?" I ask.

He holds his hand out. "The dagger, please?"

"Payment?" Cole asks, pulling the weapon from the leather sheath at his hip.

Ventus huffs as if he's been personally offended, but he grabs a leather coin purse from a wooden table nearby and tosses it to Cole, who catches it with one hand while handing off the unicorn dagger with the other.

Ventus studies it, waving a hand over it until it glows. And like Memory Catchers, the dagger projects holographic-like images of various beings dying at the end of the blade. There aren't many, but watching it feels awful, like some kind of medieval snuff film. When the images fade, I realize what he means.

"It holds the memory of all the lives it has taken," I say. "And Lyx isn't there."

Ventus nods, then turns to Cole. "Where did you find it?" he asks.

Cole glances at me before he answers. "In the private quarters of Dath'Racul."

Ventus looks confused for a moment. "This is the last of its kind that remains in our world. I suspected Racul of killing our sister, but he wouldn't need the dagger to do that."

"Do you really think he's guilty?" I ask. That would make this mystery easy to solve…if I could find proof.

He looks away from us, over the ledge of his castle into the distance. "I reacted impetuously upon her death," he says softly. "She and I were always close, even after she left the Council. I understood her in ways the others didn't, and she was a trusted confidant. I confess I lost a part of myself when I felt her die. But I no longer believe he killed her. Taking the life of another dragon would go against everything we are. Even Racul is not that ruthless."

He studies the dagger in his hand, running the pad of his finger along the razor edge. "Perhaps it is time for the Age of Dragons to come to an end. We began this world with noble intentions, but power and greed have corrupted even the best of us."

A strong wind blows through as he speaks, carrying the scent of snow about to fall as Ventus walks to the edge of the roof, his toes hanging off the ledge.

It's a long fall off the top of a castle this height, but I remind myself he's a dragon. Fear of heights is probably not one of his problems.

"We lost our way long ago," he says. "But we truly paved the path to our descent into darkness when we slaughtered the unicorns in an effort to preserve our own immortality. It's unnatural for any race to be so powerful that none can defeat it. The unicorns were our balance, and we killed them all out of fear."

Cole's eyes widen at that, and I'm surprised he's admitting this when none of them would speak about it earlier. Even with their mother's orders hanging over them, they hadn't wanted to admit that a unicorn horn could kill them. Something about the Air Dragon seems different this time. More melancholy and reflective.

"Do you know who might have killed Lyx?" I ask, hoping against all odds this whole trip hasn't been a dead end.

He turns to look at me, his eyes unreadable. "You should ask my mother," he says. "She carries within her secrets that could destroy worlds."

My ears perk at that, and I make a mental note to find out more.

He studies the dagger again. "It is time to step aside and let the world move on without me," he says, and before I can comprehend what’s happening, Ventus thrusts the blade into his own heart.