Page 90 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

“You cannot leave me here.” Timo’s voice was weak. He’d pulled his leg onto the bed and teetered on the edge. “I need…hospital.”

I followed Griffon to the door but turned back. “Yes, you do. A pity you don’t deserve one.”

Kivi appeared as soon as I called her. Once we were seated and secure on her shoulders, I asked, “Can you breathe fire?”

She stood on her haunches and filled her lungs with air while we hung on for dear life. The white flames she aimed at the mökki gave off impressive heat that melted the snow around us and stung my face. I just hoped Timo was conscious enough to feel the same heat coming for him.

The buzz of a snowmobile cut through the crackle of angry, hungry fire, and I watched as another red snowmobile pulled off the road and slid to a stop.

You wish them to see me?

I do.

If Tuuli Ahonen went to the police to report that a dragon had burned down her mökki with her husband inside, I wasn’t worried anyone would try to track us down. Even if she omitted the part about the dragon, she didn’t know our real names.

The woman lifted her visor and, after she laid eyes on Kivi, never gave her burning property a thought. Even Timo’s terrified screams couldn’t get her attention.

It’s all right. We can go now.

32

Letting Go Of A Balloon

Lennon…

I plugged my ears to hear my thoughts over the concussion of Kivi’s beating wings.

Lennon?

Flann!

Are you all right?

I am. Perfect timing. Where are you, exactly?

A house in Inverness.

I’ve got a surprise for you…

* * *

We’d leftFinland around four in the afternoon. Even though the winter sun set early in Scotland, we arrived with another hour or two of daylight. Nice, bright daylight, comparatively speaking, which boosted my mood immediately.

Kivi assured me that neither mortals nor Fae would see us as we sank lower and broke through the cloud cover.

Griffon nudged me and shouted, “You all right?”

I nodded, but I wasn’t. I’d never killed a human before. I guess I thought it wouldn’t feel any different than killing one of Orion’s minions, but I was wrong. Thirty-five years of Christian mentality made sure I felt a keen sting of guilt when I thought about Timo. But as a Fae, would my sense of morality change?

What happened to Timo was justice, even if some laws wouldn’t see it that way. But for someone who lived part of her life flying above and beyond boundaries, which laws should apply?

Until I knew otherwise, my own sense of justice would have to do.

Below, someone blindly waved a lit torch in a snow-covered yard, showing us the way, just as Flann had promised. Kivi honed in on it and descended gently. I hoped my mortal friends would be able to see her in her full glory.

The dragon chuckled, and her chest vibrated beneath us.They can now, because you will it.

The grounds were a fraction of those at Hope House, but there was room enough for a dragon to land. I tried to act cool as we approached, but I got a little thrill from the awe on my friends’ upturned faces. They were all dressed for the cold, but I recognized them all.

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