Page 104 of The Broken Prince

My heart clenched in uncertainty…wondering if Huntley had decided to leave me here. “He’ll be here.”

She looked at the sky, her arms crossed over her chest.

We said nothing.

And then the world plunged into darkness.

“We should go,” she said from beside me, the only light coming from the open hatch.

I feel your mind, Ian.

“Wait.” My voice rose in excitement. “They’re near.” And I feel yours, Nightshade.

Mary stared at me.

There was a pause, probably because Nightshade was telling Huntley that I was alive.

Are you alright?

Not a scratch. I need you to fly toward the mountains. When you get closer, you’ll see flames that will guide you where to land. How many of you are there?

Five.

“There should be room for all of you.”

Huntley has a message for you.

I already knew what it was.

I’m going to kill you when I see you.

I grinned. Message received.

* * *

Mary and I jogged back through the tunnel to the mountain, climbed out of the hatch, and then left the mountain for the valley they occupied, where they grew their crops and used the river to drink and bathe.

The dragons were much faster than Mary and I were, so by the time I arrived, they had already landed.

Paul spoke to Huntley, who looked like a twig in comparison to my brother’s height and size, especially in all that intimidating armor.

I approached my brother, walking across the grass toward him while all the torches illuminated the clearing.

His eyes shifted to me.

Time stood still.

Despite the fury in his face, his eyes were full of relief, the kind that he couldn’t hide, no matter how hard he tried.

I stopped in front of him, feeling his rage like flames from a lit pyre. His eyes shifted back and forth between mine, unspoken words transferring from his frozen lips to my mind. I’d known the consequences of my actions before I’d made them, and I’d taken those actions, nonetheless. “I’m sorry—”

He moved into me and gripped me tightly, his hand on the back of my head.

My armor pressed into his, metal on metal. My arm circled him, and I held him, giving him a clap on the back.

He pulled away and gripped my shoulder. “You’re alive. That’s all I care about.”

I held his gaze, seeing Father in his face, a man I would have forgotten completely if I didn’t have my brother to remember him. “I knew you would come.”

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