Page 207 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

“Annika,” he groans against me. “If you keep this up, I will not be able to ride a horse.”

“I can help you with that problem while we ride if needed.” I drag a finger over the ties of his breeches and the hard ridge tucked inside. Fates, two reckless nights and who have I become, flirting so blatantly with the Ybarisan scourge?

A flock of birds rushes past with noisy caws, and Tyree pulls away abruptly, trailing their path, his eyes narrowing slightly before his mouth returns to mine. But it’s a ruse, because in a split second, he’s on his feet, a tiny blade flying from his fingertips. A thump sounds as a bird falls to the ground.

“What is it?” I scramble to my feet and join him where he stands.

A small green bird lays dead, like the one Destry warned about.

“Destry, get up,” he barks, moving for the horses. “We must go now.”

The forest has given way to a meadow of long grass and tiny pink and yellow wildflowers, allowing the horses to ride side by side for a change.

“What time do you think it is?” We’ve been riding for hours.

Tyree scans the sky. The sun is a hazy glow, obscured by a veil of mist, leaving the air warm but damp. “Midday. We are going the right way, at least.” He points ahead at a faint dark outline of the mountain.

Beside us, Destry releases the stone pendant, her black irises returning. She’s been doing this periodically for hours, checking our surroundings for danger. A few times, I was sure she would fall from her saddle. “The forest is dark and dense. Difficult to search. But there is a village about an hour away. It is best we veer before we reach it. No visitor goes unnoticed in these parts.”

“And what happens when we reach this mountain?” I ask.

“There are caves to seek shelter within. The Azyr have seen them through the bird’s eye. No one dwells up there, though. It is too harsh.”

I frown. “Then how are we to survive there? Will these Azyr look upon our bones through the bird’s eye long after we’ve perished?”

“We do not have to survive there. We must only reach as far as the wroxlik lives and learn if it will carry us out of Udrel.”

My mouth gapes. “That is your plan?” That is what we’ve been riding toward? “We are to negotiate with a wyvern to carry us out? Is she still drunk, or has she gone mad?” I hiss into Tyree’s ear. “Have you ever seen a wyvern before?”

“Not up close. Have you?” she challenges.

“Well … no, but my brothers have. They are terrifying and large and can kill twenty soldiers with a single swoop. There is no negotiating with a beast like that.” I scoff. “You may as well invite a daaknar to tea.”

“I do not know of this daaknar.”

“It is a demon! One of Malachi’s pets.” I nudge Tyree’s thigh, goading him to echo my concerns about Destry’s brilliant scheme.

“Can you control a wyvern—or wroxlik—as you do the crows?” he asks instead.

“I have never tried it before. Birds are easy, but other creatures are not. Some are too wise and you cannot guide them at all, and others you must be close.”

“How close?”

“Usually, to be that close to a wroxlik means you are already dead. No conjurer has done it to my knowledge, but I will try. I have nothing left to lose.” She says this as if she’s trying out a new hobby.

“Fates, we are going to die,” I mutter, earning Tyree’s chuckle.

“Inez once told me a tale of wyverns carrying passengers within their claws. The seers painted the illustrations. No one believed them, but I always wished it to be true.”

“Maybe you will be the first,” Destry says.

“Maybe we will be the first,” he corrects.

“Can it even carry three people at a time?” I ask.

“I have seen one shred three people at a time.”

I let out a strangled sound.

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