Page 57 of Draekora

“He’s not wrong.”

“Roka!” Alex cried, annoyed now. “You asked me what you could do. I gave you my answer. Are you going to fulfil your debt or not?”

Roka eyed her thoughtfully. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Deadly,” she answered truthfully.

“You want me to allow Zain Erraeya to attempt thevarrungard? And if he completes it with the necessary results, you then want me to offer him a place in training to become one of my most trusted warriors?”

“I do.”

A muscle ticked in Roka’s cheek and he moved away to start pacing, muttering under his breath in Meyarin, “I must be mad for even considering this. But what else am I to do? If he truly did save her from that beast of a Meyarin, then I owe thekregon.” Roka ran an aggravated hand through his slowly drying hair and continued walking. “All this is Aven’s fault. If thatnorotbrother of mine causes me to end up with a dagger in my back at the hands of one of my own warriors, I swear by the stars I’ll haunt him from my grave.”

Alex hid a smile at the thought—both at Roka haunting his brother, which would admittedly be rather funny, and at the idea of Zain so much as laying a hand on his future best friend.

Finally releasing a deep huff of air, Roka moved back to stand before Alex.

“He gets one chance,” Roka said firmly. “That’s it. If he does anything wrong, he’s not just out, I’ll lock him up inTaevargmyself. Is that clear?”

Alex grinned widely. “Crystal.”

Roka made a face that told her just how much he wished she were someone else’s responsibility. That only made her smile more.

“Get some rest, Aeylia,” he ordered with a resigned grumble. “I need to figure out how to find your new friend and convince him to attempt thevarrungardsince I’m certain you won’t take ‘no’ for an answer from him either, am I right?”

“You already know me so well, Roka. We’re gonna get on great.”

Judging by the look he sent her, Alex figured she’d pushed her luck enough for the night and moved quickly to open her door.

“I’m not sure what’s happening with Aven,” Roka said just before she could escape into her room, causing her to glance back at him. “But regardless, you’ll have a full day of learning tomorrow. Be prepared, since after I’ve lost all my dignity by begging a criminal to become a warrior sworn to protect our people, I likely won’t go easy on you.”

Knowing his threat wasn’t idle, she said, “I can accept that. And seriously, thanks, Roka. It means a lot that you’re willing to do this. All of it—taking care of me, teaching me, everything.”

Roka offered her a small smile but otherwise waved aside her thanks. “Sleep, Aeylia. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She stepped through her door and had it almost closed before she called out to him one last time, saying, “Just so you know, we’re not done talking about Kyia, either. So brace yourself, Roka. If you think I was serious about Zain, just you wait for what I’m going to throw at you about her.”

Seeing his startled yet questioning look, Alex quickly shut the door, knowing she would have to tacklethatparticular problem another day. Matchmaking was a whole different ballgame, especially when it involved a couple as important as Roka and Kyia. She needed to be fresh if she wanted to help them in any way, especially if their current relationship status was as bad as he’d suggested. And help them, Alex would. Because even though they were together in her future, who was to say she hadn’t played a part of making that happen in the past?

The whole timeline paradox was so messed up that Alex’s head ached anytime she considered it. But she was becoming more and more convinced that she was where she was for a reason. She only had to wait it out to see why. And if she achieved nothing more than helping Zain and Roka find their way to each other, then she already considered her time in the past as being well spent. Kyia and Roka would just be an added bonus.

As she was shuffling around and getting ready for bed, Alex checked in with Xiraxus to make sure he and the rest of the draekons had survived the storm, only to discover they hadn’t experienced it with Draekora located so high above the clouds. She ended up having to listen to a full ten minutes of him ranting concerns abouther. The lightning pummelling Meya had stopped him from being able to fly down anywhere near the city, but he’d still felt her distress at the tavern and hated being unable to swoop in and save her.

While he expressed his concern straight to her mind, she made the frustrating realisation that her entire evening could have been prevented if she’d thought to contact him earlier and ask for a lift back to the palace before the storm had set in. She, of course, had never had her very own flying taxi service before, so it was only natural that she hadn’t thought of him.

Xira?she called, her slurred word interrupting his vow to hunt down anyone who tried to lay a hand on her again.I appreciate your concern, but I really need to sleep now.

Alex wasn’t sure what he said in reply, only that his tone quieted enough for her to doze off without waiting to hear his full response.

That night she dreamed vividly, likely as a result of her anxiety-fuelled day. She dreamed of her friends, Jordan, D.C. and Bear, all walking through the forests around Woodhaven, laughing at something Jordan said. She dreamed of her parents, Rachel and Jack, spending the Kaldoras break in their Ancient Egypt Library habitat, inspecting fossilised bat droppings and whatever else they could get their hands on, having a grand old time. She dreamed of her headmaster and friend, Darrius Marselle, along with many of her other teachers, Karter, Finn, Hunter, Caspar Lennox, Maggie, even Administrator Jarvis. She dreamed of her classmates, their faces flashing across her mind’s eye. She dreamed of Fletcher, the doctor who did his best to keep her alive even when she made it difficult for him. She dreamed of her Meyarin friends of the future—herRoka, Kyia and Zain. And lastly, she dreamed of Kaiden. She dreamed of sparring with him in Combat class. She dreamed of dancing with him at D.C.’s birthday party. She dreamed of his gentle touch, his strong arms, his incredibly,impossiblyblue eyes.

Every dream she had ended the same way: with a laughing Aven standing triumphantly over their dead bodies.

Jordan, dead.

D.C., dead.

Bear, dead.

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