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Serenna exchanged a wary glance with Vesryn and Fenn as Jassyn vanished after Lykor. She understood Lykor’s dismay—the same cold dread clamped tight in her chest. But she refused to let this fragile alliance fracture now. Not when the dragon—everything they sought—lay within reach.

Lykor’s fury was his own, and she wouldn’t let it steer them off course.

Inhaling slowly, Serenna steadied the tremor in her hands and turned to Kaedryn and the guild masters. “Lykor’s…outburst doesn’t change anything,” she said, her voice firm despite the uncertainty wedged between her thoughts. “We still intend to free Cinderax.”

Kaedryn’s wings rustled as she dismissed Lykor’s retreat. She cradled the Heart of Stars reverently, as though it might shatter at any moment.

“Our histories speak of the Hearts harnessing the Aelfyn’s starlight—allowing them to bind the dragons,” she murmured. Balancing the artifact in one claw, she lifted her Starshard in the other, the gem catching the light in its setting. “But the relics must also possess the means to shatter those chains.”

A ribbon of raw Essence streamed from the Starshard, a brilliant burst that wound around the Heart. Serenna flinched, but the familiar, horrific screech never came. She blinked as the magic surged and vanished into the artifact’s core.

Vesryn stepped closer, tilting his head. “Is the Heart absorbing Essence?”

Lips pressed into a thin line, Kaedryn nodded, her focus never wavering from the relic.

Serenna held her breath as the Heart devoured every drop of power. White light swirled within its crystalline depths, refracting across the chamber’s walls in prismatic arcs.

But as the moments ticked by, nothing happened. No shudder of awakening from the entombed dragon, no answering pulse of magic from his prison.

Kaedryn’s shoulders sagged. A frustrated sigh escaped as she shook her head, the light from the Starshard fading. “What I have isn’t strong enough to activate the Heart.”

Vesryn reached out, his fingers hovering just above the relic’s surface. Kaedryn scowled, talons tightening around the crystal as she moved it away. The prince arched a brow before glancing over at Serenna and Fenn.

“What if we all channel Essence into it?” Serenna suggested, stepping closer.

“Starlight,” Kaedryn corrected gently. “The legends speak of the Aelfyn’s devastating starlight—you must wield that same power.”

“Fine, starlight ,” Vesryn drawled, snatching the Heart out of her grip. Kaedryn drew herself up, bristling. “If starlight is what the Heart craves,” he continued, “then let’s not starve it any longer.”

Mulling over Kaedryn’s insistence, Serenna pressed her teeth into her lip. “I think she means we need to channel illumination—like when we restore each other’s Wells. But if that’s not strong enough…” She swallowed, her palms suddenly clammy—she knew what they’d have to try.

The eight colors of the glowing Heart bathed Vesryn’s face in a halo of shifting light, highlighting the eagerness in his eyes. “Only one way to find out.”

Essence surged around him, a corona of power spilling from his palms into the relic. He beckoned her and Fenn closer while Kaedryn hovered nearby, knotting her fingers in front of her.

Fenn brushed Serenna’s hand. “You can use my magics.”

With a nod, she pressed her palm against the prism and dipped into the shared depths of their Well. White light blazed from her fingertips as she channeled Essence into pure illumination.

Serenna gasped when the Heart seized her magic, a ravenous current that demanded more.

“Think you can keep up?” Vesryn asked, braiding his magic with hers.

Serenna peered up at him, matching his smirk with a flare of power. She threw open the floodgates, pouring Essence into the Heart until the entire chamber shimmered with luminous energy. The relic drank in every wave of light, its hunger boundless.

Serenna’s breaths quickened, her arm trembling as she funneled more power into the Heart, but she didn’t falter. Their magic pounded a relentless rhythm against her chest as she pushed herself to the threshold of her strength—determined to reach it on her own before the prince could drive her there.

But because he couldn’t help himself, Vesryn’s lips quirked as he unleashed another surge of Essence. Serenna gritted her teeth and strained for more, refusing to yield, her magic entwining with his in a battle of wills.

Minutes ticked by before Kaedryn politely cleared her throat. Grateful for the interruption, Serenna dragged the back of her hand across her damp brow and reeled her magic to a halt.

“I do not fully understand your power, but it must be stronger.” Kaedryn gestured to Cinderax, enshrined on his pedestal. “The starlight offered must match the might of the dragons—rival that which they were bound by.”

“Sunfire,” Serenna whispered before she could think better of it.

Vesryn’s eyes snapped to hers, fever-bright with clarity. He clutched the Heart and pivoted toward Cinderax. Serenna moved to follow, but he shook his head.

“I can try to summon it again,” he said, studying the glowing relic. “But I need space. Just in case.”

Serenna backed up a few paces alongside Fenn, and Kaedryn followed their lead as the four other guild masters edged farther away. Her heart fluttered anxiously, but she held back her concerns. For once, the prince wasn’t acting on a reckless impulse—he was considering the dangers.

Vesryn strode toward the dragon, lifting the Heart of Stars. His fingers flexed against the relic as he closed his eyes, illumination blooming around him in a halo.

Light detonated. The chamber vanished in a storm of radiance, walls and ceiling swallowed in the blinding eruption. Power thrummed through the air, the pressure crushing the breath from Serenna’s lungs.

She stiffened, blinking into the searing glare, her vision reduced to the pulsing currents radiating from the prince. Silver tendrils of Essence skittered across the marble floor as magic surged, the air warping under a force so powerful it made her ears ring.

Footsteps pounded against stone—Jassyn and Lykor returning—but Serenna barely registered them. Her focus was locked onto the prince, onto the maelstrom of light unraveling in the chamber.

The Heart vibrated in Vesryn’s hands as his face contorted with effort, fierce determination propelling him to the precipice of his power. Light ignited beneath his skin, Essence blazing through his veins.

Molten pain suddenly cleaved through the bond, tearing a strangled gasp from Serenna’s throat. Her heart thrashed, each beat a drum of dread as the prince hurtled past his limits—no longer wielding power, but becoming it.

“Vesryn, stop!” The words ripped from her, lost to the deafening roar of magic.

Desperate, she reached through the bond and wrenched at his power—if he couldn’t release it himself, then she could try to sever his hold before it consumed him.

Tears stung Serenna’s eyes as she lurched toward the prince—only for Fenn’s claw to clamp down on her shoulder, holding her back.

Tremors rattled through the chamber as fissures raced across the stone floor, webbing outward like fractures in glass. Overhead, the vaulted dome groaned as water began trickling through in thin rivulets.

Kaedryn’s scales erupted to shield herself and her voice rang out, commanding the guild masters to retreat.

At the same time, Lykor and Jassyn wove shields in rapid succession. Fenn joined them, drawing on Serenna’s talent to unfurl violet light and encase the chamber in protective layers.

But it wasn’t enough.

Unchecked, the sunfire raged, devouring the protective threads of magic.

A ragged bellow tore from the prince as he dropped to his knees, the sound seeming to rip from the marrow of his bones.

The chamber sweltered as heat rose in suffocating waves. Serenna gasped, her breath rapid and shallow as the light scalded her skin, blisters swelling under its scorching tide.

The Heart of Stars rose from the prince’s palms, nearly a blur as it hummed with power.

It pulsed one final time—and shattered.

An eruption of prismatic shards and Essence blasted outward, the nova of fractured light flinging Vesryn across the chamber. He slammed into a column with enough force to shudder the stone.

Tearing from Fenn’s grip, Serenna raced to him as the remnants of sunfire fell like burning rain, fizzling out before touching the ground.

Her vision wavered as she reached the prince, but one sight remained clear—the crystal fragments regathered in midair, quivering as if charged with an energy that was far from extinguished.

Serenna helped steady Vesryn as he lurched back to his feet, each of their breaths a ragged rasp, their exposed skin blistered and raw. Yet the fierce light in his eyes defied the pain she sensed, his attention riveted entirely on Cinderax.

The air crackled with power as the luminous shards drifted over the dragon before dusting him like scattered stars.

A tremor ran beneath Serenna’s feet. Then, with a deafening rupture, the dragon’s crystalline prison burst apart.

Obsidian scales gleamed as the pressure of magic hung around them. The light seemed to falter near Cinderax, his midnight frame devouring the chamber’s glow.

Kaedryn was the first to move, rushing forward. Every scale that had emerged to protect her from the prince’s sunfire melted seamlessly back into her skin. She dropped to her knees at the dais, wings tight against her back, claws trembling as they folded over her heart.

Serenna’s breath hitched when Cinderax’s eyelids fluttered open. Twin coals fanned to life as a second, translucent veil swept over his eyes before retracting.

Cinderax lifted his head, shaking off the slumber of a millennium as ripples coursed down the scaled frills lining his skull. Blinking slowly, he scanned the chamber.

The hairs along Serenna’s arms lifted as his eyes met hers. Vertical pupils contracted, thin as blade edges, his nostrils flaring as if catching a scent.

For a single breath, she felt something—a recognition, a thread that had stretched between them long before this moment.

She knew, without knowing why , that he wasn’t one of the dragons she’d spoken to through the Heart. Her pulse quickened the longer he watched her, the weight of his presence pressing against her ribs, searching and knowing.

“Cinderax,” Kaedryn whispered, eyes drenched with hope.

Talons scraped against stone as the dragon uncoiled and rose. He stretched with the languid grace of a feline—just as Lykor had scornfully likened him to earlier.

Serenna stepped forward, Vesryn and Fenn flanking her. Jassyn and Lykor moved in beside them, closing in around Kaedryn. The druid nodded before rising to her feet, something unspoken clearly passing between her and Cinderax.

Lykor’s eyes narrowed. “Is anything running through that lizard’s mind or is he just going to stare at us all day?”

Serenna shot Lykor a warning look, but he ignored her. Was he incapable of spending five minutes without antagonizing their allies? Or anyone for that matter?

Over her shoulder, Kaedryn pierced him with a glare that was sharp enough to draw blood. “We scalebound can commune with dragons,” she said. “I’m informing Cinderax that you are the ones who freed him. Unless, of course, you’d prefer incineration over his gratitude.”

Cinderax shifted, a low rumble building in his chest before a plume of smoke curled from his snout.

Lykor barked a dry laugh, crossing his arms over his armor. “Yes, we’re all thoroughly awed by your prowess.”

He stepped closer, his patience clearly spent. Serenna knew exactly where this was going—he’d held back long enough and now his interrogation would begin.

Kaedryn’s claw shot out, barring his path, the talons on her wing tips clicking together as she swiveled to face him.

Lykor’s sneer slashed across his face, but he didn’t push past her. “Does he at least know where the other dragons are? Or is this what we should expect from all of them?”

“Lykor!” Serenna hissed.

Cinderax’s eyes blazed. Without warning, he vaulted off the platform, wings snapping open to glide over their heads.

Maroon light filtered through the thin leather, the color unexpected against his obsidian scales. Landing at the chamber’s edge, he lashed his tail once before padding into the tunnel.

Kaedryn swiftly followed, skewering Lykor with another glare. “Cinderax wishes to see the sun and sky,” she called over her shoulder, ignoring Lykor’s question. “And to reunite with the other scalebound before weighing judgment on you.”

“Judgment?” Lykor’s snarl crashed through the chamber as he stormed after her, boots slamming against the stone. “We freed that winged weasel and he dares to pass judgment on us?”

Kaedryn tossed her claws up, but she didn’t slow, flowing up the stairs without a backward glance. They all fell into step behind her, following the dragon to the lake’s surface.

Serenna exhaled slowly, only now registering the toll Vesryn’s sunfire had taken on her—on all of them except Kaedryn. Beneath her burns, something inside her felt…unsteady . As though the magic had left its imprint deeper than scalded flesh, altering something vital. An unnatural twist churned in her middle, Vesryn’s power clinging to her like heat to stone long after sunset.

As they ascended, Jassyn extended ribbons of mending light. He started with the prince, whose wounds ran the deepest. Vesryn offered a weary grin, the edges worn with exhaustion, but he ruffled Jassyn’s curls.

Returning the favor, the prince sparked his own talent. Jassyn’s lips thinned, but after a beat, he conceded, allowing Vesryn to mend him.

Serenna breathed a relieved sigh when Jassyn’s healing light sank into her next, the strange pangs receding. His gaze was distant, brow furrowed with fierce concentration before he shook his head, murmuring something to himself about internal damage.

While Jassyn moved to mend Fenn and Lykor, Serenna reached for Vesryn’s hand. “Next time you summon sunfire,” she said, squeezing his fingers, “maybe start a little slower?”

Vesryn snorted, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. “You know that’s really not one of my talents.”

Golden sunlight washed over the pier as they emerged from the tunnel’s gloom. Drawing to a halt with the others, Serenna blinked against the brightness. Druids swooped in from every direction, descending along the shoreline as if summoned by an unspoken call.

Muscles coiling, Cinderax bounded forward before he launched into the air. As he flew above the lake, the webbing on his wings caught fire, scarlet flames streaking across the sky.

Serenna’s breath hitched as a ripple passed through the surrounding druids, a silent current rolling across their ranks. Color bled through the membranes of their wings, the dark leather morphing into rich maroon—a mirror of Cinderax.

Kaedryn lifted a claw, drawing the gathered crowd into a hushed stillness. Serenna’s pulse quickened as a spark flickered in her palm—once, twice—then ignited into a sphere of flame. Awe glimmered in Kaedryn’s eyes as she tracked Cinderax’s sweeping flight.

He wheeled over the lake, fire trailing behind his wings. Deep within his chest, a molten glow flared. The radiance surged upward, illuminating his throat as his ribs expanded with a slow, forceful inhale. Heat shimmered in the air around him before his jaws wrenched wide, a gout of flame roaring free.

The druids answered.

A thousand flames erupted, spiraling into the sky. Serenna stood breathless as their rekindled power swept outward in a blazing tribute—a resurrection, a rebirth. She felt it in her bones, the way the earth stirred and answered.

Even Lykor—ever irreverent—stood motionless, wonder creeping across his face.

Cinderax descended in a slow loop, wings folding when his claws scraped the pier. He loped forward, smoke curling around him as he drew to a halt, the last embers of his fire dissolving.

Kaedryn turned to them, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as the flame danced above her palm. “He’s remembering,” she whispered. “The memories of his line—of the Emberharts who came before—live within him. While it may take years before the full legacy of their wisdom awakens, the Fire Warden’s blessing has been restored.”

Lykor’s unreadable gaze lingered on Cinderax before he demanded, “Will he grow?”

“Of course he’ll grow,” Kaedryn snapped, clenching her claw shut and dispelling the fire. “The legends speak of dragons whose wings could shroud mountains in shadow, whose power could fracture the bones of the world itself.”

Lykor’s only response was an unimpressed grunt.

A rumble reverberated through Cinderax’s chest, his molten eyes pinning on Lykor before shifting to Kaedryn. Moments passed in a silent exchange before she returned her attention to the group, her expression grim.

“While he was chained to dreams, Cinderax only brushed minds with Skylash.” She turned toward the horizon. “She’s imprisoned beyond the tallest summits of the Dreadspire Range, hundreds of leagues away. But if we lack a second Heart—”

“We have another,” Vesryn interjected. “It’s safe with our people. But if we’re to forge this alliance, I want to bring them to Asharyn.” His eyes swept over the gathered druids. “We have a handful of Essence-wielders, scores of wraith warriors, dozens of dracovae, and…” His fingers tapped briefly on his thighs as his gaze flicked toward Serenna and Jassyn.

“And more children of earth and starlight,” Serenna finished. “Our numbers aren’t enough to rival the king’s armies,” she admitted, “but it’s a start—a foundation for our collective defenses.”

Cinderax exhaled a chuff of smoke when Lykor suddenly tore a portal open. “I’ll return to the jungle and have Kal organize our people,” he muttered, already stalking toward the gateway before anything was even decided. “Fenn.” He gestured sharply, clearly expecting his lieutenant to follow.

Fenn hesitated, glancing between Serenna and the rift. But before he made his choice, Kaedryn’s voice rang through the air.

“You have yet to receive your judgment.”

Lykor spun, a snarl tearing from his throat. Eyes flaring with fury, he opened his mouth, but Jassyn shifted closer. They exchanged a glance and Lykor’s jaw ticked as he bit off whatever he’d intended to say.

Serenna’s lips twitched, both thankful and amused that Jassyn’s mere presence had the ability to temper him.

Kaedryn lifted her chin. “Cinderax acknowledges the strength of your group. He will lead us to the Dreadspire Range to free Skylash.” She turned toward Serenna. “But to fly to her location, we’ll need the children of earth and starlight to subdue the storms of wind and lightning.”

Before Serenna could respond, Lykor scoffed and cut in. “Fly? Since you and every stars-forsaken druid here became intimately familiar with our anatomy,” he growled, “surely you noticed that we lack wings .”

Cinderax prowled toward Lykor with sinuous grace, his tail weaving across the sandstone. Lykor glared down at the dragon and Cinderax squinted, seeming to glare right back.

Kaedryn’s lips peeled away from her fangs in a forced smile. “Which is why,” she hissed, “Cinderax has judged all of you worthy. He wishes to offer his gift—to grant you the power of the scalebound.”