Page 187 of The Dryad Storm

“I’ll be on Elloren’s heels all the way to Voloi,” Yvan states, warning in his tone. My surrounding Errilor Ravens step toward Quoi Zhon in a warning of their own.

Quoi Zhon eyes Yvan and my ravens before nodding, her gaze then swinging to Soleiya. “When we get to Voloi, you can tell the Conclave what you know of Vogel and his Shadow and the Black Witch.” Her eyes briefly cut toward mine, a hard glint in them that raises my every hackle, before she turns back to Soleiya. “Make your petition, Soleiya Guryev. And see for yourself if you can get the East to align with the Crow Witch, these Westerners, and the trees.”

Chapter Three

Vo Conclave

Elloren Guryev

Voloi

I know something is wrong the moment we reach Voloi. As we soar over the grayed Vo Forest, a disconcertingly large number of Eastern Realm soldiers close in around us. Quoi Zhon is pressed to my back, the new Vu Trin high commander and I astride Hizar’drile’s broad, scaled dragonback, my branch weapon confiscated, leaving me disturbingly unarmed.

Yvan and I exchange a wary lash of fire through our bond as he soars close to my side, every spark of his fire poised to attack if the Vu Trin make even one violent twitch against me.

Our grouping swerves toward the Vo River. The translucent shielding that Tierney, my cousin Or’myr, and their allies cast over both the river and a wide swath along its banks remains fixedly in place, their shield’s long, domed surface dotted with Deathkin runes limned with what I sense to be my cousin’s purple energy, the rune-work designs built to repel not only Shadow but any attempt to siphon the river’s elemental power. Soaring down over the Vo Forest, we pass through the Vo shield’s cloud-high eastern wall, and I’m filled with a sense of the energy of the dome-shield’s two runic origin points to the far north and south of us, as well as a tidal wave of Asrai water magic.

Finding the Vo so protected floods me with profound relief, but my solace makes a rapid turn toward unease as I view the restored runic border wall lining the Vo River’s western bank. It’s made up of sapphire Noi runes, with emerald Varg runes interspersed throughout. Rising twice as high as it did previously, the wall is now emblazoned with a giant depiction of Noilaan’s dragon goddess, Vo, in her brightwhite manifestation, Vo’s starlight bird messengers emblazoned around her.

The religious image sends an ominous shiver through me, Gardneria’s aggressive use of the Ancient One’s white messenger bird leaping to mind. My disquiet intensifies as I scan the refugee camp on the border’s western side, which has more than quadrupled in size. Yvan’s fire shudders against mine, his equally surging concern palpable as he flies in beside me.

The Vu Trin forces usher us over the runic wall’s towering pinnacle, and we soar out over the Vo River, a chilly breeze whipping at my hair as we speed toward the Wyvernguard.

It’s a jarring sight, the military academy made up of just one upthrust island now, the other a charred heap poking up from the Vo’s dark blue waters.

My gut clenches as I’m hit with a memory of the last time I flew over this river. Pain knifes through my heart as it all comes roaring back—being taken over by Vogel and forced to conjure a great Shadow tree to attack Voloi. Then being freed from Vogel’s control by Yvan’s fiery kiss, and moments later, witnessing Lukas’s death, then believing Yvan to be dead as well, as I plummeted toward the river’s surface only to be rescued by Ariel.

Devastation slashes through me and tears sting my eyes as my final vision of Lukas sears into my mind, my fastmate defiantly holding his wand aloft, Yvan’s and my combined fire burning hot in his eyes,I love youon his lips.

Lukas...

Clearly sensing the rise of my lacerating grief, Yvan pulses a consoling rush of fire through me, the depth of feeling in both his power and his eyes burning so blazingly strong that I’m able to force back an edge of the grief, knowing Lukas would want me to move past it and persevere despite the impossible odds.

I’ll fight to the end, Lukas, I vow as we all soar toward the stone terrace encircling the Wyvernguard island’s base and land on its polished, obsidian stone.

Quoi Zhon and I dismount from Hizar’drile, and Vothe’s father morphs into his human form. Yvan closes in beside me, his hand pressed to the small of my back and one of his wings arcing around me as we survey our surroundings.

A huge bas relief sculpture of the Dragon Goddess Vo is marked on the stone wall before us, and Vo necklaces adorn the necks of every surrounding Vu Trin soldier, white dragon goddess and starlight-bird-messenger pendants in the center of each. An uncomfortable tension grips hold, the religious jewelry and omnipresent Vo images triggering a resurgent remembrance of the Gardnerians’ silver Erthia orbnecklaces and the Watcher bird images emblazoned on every Mage flag and uniform.

Several Vu Trin soldiers appear inside an arching doorway, the uniform of the tall, spiky-haired Noi soldier in the lead bearing the silver-dragon insignia of the Wyvernguard commander on her shoulder, the woman’s expression stern.

“Nor Ung Li,” Trystan calls to her, my brother’s rush of relief over finding this sorceress here palpable in both his tone and in the flow of his power.

Commander Ung Li gives Trystan a conflicted look as both she and the soldiers behind her halt before us. Her dark gaze slides over me with such probing force that my firelines kick up into a more fitful heat before she rigidly salutes High Commander Quoi Zhon. Quoi Zhon orders Ung Li to be at ease, and Vothe’s father and brother step forward to greet her.

Beside me, I catch Diana tossing her hair over her shoulder, one hand on her hip, my Lupine sister’s intimidating amber eyes staring Ung Li down as Ung Li scans our varied yet unified force. Her expression takes on a questioning air, perhaps over how altered so many of us are by our linkage to the Forest, our winged kindreds massed around us.

“I am Wyvernguard Commander Ung Li,” she announces, calmly meeting Diana’s intimidating stare. “Noilaan’s Vo Conclave will hear your petition for alliance in the Wyvernguard’s Conclave Hall.”

My concern resurfaces as my mind lights on the Conclave’s new religious name.

Ung Li sets her gaze on me with probing force. “Before we allow you to enter, you must be marked with a Noi tracking rune.”

Yvan and I exchange a grave look, both of us aware of why she’s demanding this. And aware that wehaveto forge an alliance with these people fast, despite the risks.

Ung Li draws a dark rune stone glowing with a single sapphire Noi rune from her tunic’s pocket and holds out her hand for mine.

Reluctance sizzling through me, I extend my hand.

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