Page 38 of The Broken Prince

“We’ll never find them in a land we don’t know, Ian. We need to leave.”

“We know what they are, but that’s it.”

“It’ll have to be enough,” I said. “The Kingdoms need us both. If we die out here, no one will know what’s coming. No one will know Rancor’s allies.”

Ian looked across the barren landscape, his breath escaping as vapor. We hadn’t slept in several days, only taking short power naps while the other kept watch. Water was low, and we couldn’t afford to search for more and be spotted. “I think we need to keep going. Fly farther east under the cover of darkness. See what else is out there.”

“We know what we need to know.”

“We know we’re dealing with fire demons that probably crawled out of the fucking ring of fire. How do you defeat fire, Huntley? Our dragons will be useless against that. When you add fire to fire, you just have more fire.”

“I know you’re scared—”

“Scared?” he asked incredulously. “I’m fucking terrified, Huntley. I’m terrified that I won’t be able to protect my wife and daughter from whatever-the-fuck these things are. They’re at least a foot taller than us, and that’s saying something because we’re already fucking tall. Yes, we know what they are, but that doesn’t help us defeat them.”

“As true as that all is, I’m uncomfortable leaving the Kingdoms a moment longer than necessary. Last time I left, Harlow was taken, and if I had been in Delacroix, that never would have happened under my watch. It’ll take the Teeth a long while to move through the mountains to reach the other side, so we have time.”

“But we’re already here, Huntley.”

The light was fading further. The mountains were almost invisible. “Dread is swollen in my heart…”

Ian’s expression hardened.

“It’s just a feeling, but it’s heavy.”

“What do you mean?”

My eyes stayed on the mountains. “I’m afraid something will happen to Delacroix while I’m away. It’s a fear without reason, but it feels very real to me.”

“That’s anxiety, Huntley.”

My eyes shifted back to him.

“You’ve never had it before, have you?”

I continued my stare.

“I didn’t have it either…until Avice left me. Yours probably started because of Harlow.”

Now I avoided his look, ashamed of my weakness.

“I’m anxious to return too. But it also feels pointless because I couldn’t defend HeartHolme against this enemy even if I were there. We would both be useless, Huntley.”

“You’re making a lot of assumptions.”

“They’re demons, Huntley. Demons.”

There had been a human civilization here that had fallen to their dominance, and I feared the Kingdoms would be next. “I understand that, Ian. But if we’re caught, they’ll know we’re on to them. They could launch an attack sooner than they would otherwise.”

“I think it makes sense for me to stay behind…and you to return home.”

“No.”

“Huntley—”

“Forget it, Ian. I will not leave my brother out here alone.”

“It makes the most sense—”

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