Page 176 of Of Blood and Banes
“Good thing you match them in sass,”I giggle and pat her neck.
“If I recall correctly, you still owe me more examples of how much better I am than you.”
“I think your ego is already large enough to last you to next winter, don’t you think?”
Her rumble of a laugh vibrates underneath my legs, and she dips her head and neck until we’re perpendicular with the ground. She tucks her wings into her side, plummeting us down like an arrow whizzing through the air. The wind screams in my ears and rips tears from my eyes. I fight against my own body to keep myself from losing my balance and sliding face first over the saddle.
She twists into a corkscrew, spinning the ground below us into a whirl of green and gray and blue until it’s as undecipherable as my breath. My heart and blood freeze.“Daeja…too…much…”
Suddenly, yet not sudden enough, she whips left into a wide turn and nearly gives me whiplash as I grip the horns and tighten my thighs to keep myself upright. I laugh through the fear shaking my arms and legs, a rush of adrenaline washing over every buzz of my racing thoughts. She straightens out, and the two of us fly farther south, following the river until Dragon’s Back Ridge rises in the distance.
But I don’t have to get much farther to piece it together.
Because I know part of the reason why King Aaric moved south to Arterias and didn’t stay at the castle in Vitalis. Why I couldn’t pull from the ley lines when Archie and I were captured by rebels southeast of Everden. And I never stopped to consider if Aaric would ever venture outside of Arterias to take control of the entire realm.
Marge, all those weeks ago, explained ley lines were like underground rivers. And all this time, I should have sensedthe humming but had grown accustomed to it. When I found serenity at the river back in Padmoor, it wasn’t because of some unknown reason.
The riversarethe ley lines.
Arterias would have the most power, as all the rivers lead south. But many of them in Arterias dried up long ago. He’s been draining them.
Then why not move north of Dragon’s Back Ridge to claim the rest?
Unless of course…it’s only a matter of time.
CHAPTER 56
DON’T GO GETTING SENTIMENTAL
Daeja and I backtrack to Nightfort, sticking to the eastern part of the river and working our way toward the city. The massive stretch of dense forest thins out to plains. The river snakes through a gorge with plummeting, rocky cliffs at either side. Daeja extends her wings out to her side as she glides gracefully over the water. The cliff sides curve to the east the farther north we get, and Daeja cuts up over the ridge. The roofs of Nightfort are stark black against the yellow plains, with clusters of boulders littering the landscape below.
Daeja lands near the outskirts where we find A’nala, Sethan, and the others. Sethan’s addressing the group about keeping a close eye out for anyone following us as we walk through the city. The dragons will stay back so we can keep a low profile. The idea is to get in and out without much notice. Only here for what we need and nothing more.
An ancient translator, who might be able to decipher Queen Elara’s journal.
A’nala swings her golden glare at me and Daeja in a silent reprimand before turning her attention back to Sethan as he retrieves his scabbard from her saddle and slings it over his shoulder. I unhook myself from the saddle belt and slide offDaeja, then unpack my own weapons and arm myself. We all gather and head into Nightfort together, following Sethan’s lead through the streets until he stops and knocks at a stone building.
A small metal peephole slides open on the door, before shutting again. After a few moments, Sethan knocks again.
“She’s not here anymore,” someone calls on the other side of the door.
“I don’t believe you.” Sethan pounds harder on it.
The peephole slides open again, and this time a set of brown eyes narrow in on us. “You better leave before you’re noticed.”
“Shall I have you sent to Millton for non-compliance?” Sethan growls into the doorframe.
A series of what sounds like metal twisting fills the silence, and a second later, the door parts open.
A bald man, short and stocky, appears on the other side of the door. “Get in here, then. Before half the town knows you’re here!”
Sethan turns back and motions for me, Melaina, and Cole, who’s holding Darian’s chains. Then, he gestures to the rest to stand guard outside. I narrow my gaze at him for the exclusion of Archie, but Archie takes it in stride, leading part of the group back through the streets to watch from afar.
Our group of five slides into the dark building. Blankets drape over the windows, and a small candle with barely any wax left burns against a far table. A musty smell smacks me over the face, and I turn to exchange a look with Melaina as the man closes the door, sealing us in shadows.
“You’ll get me killed, too, if they know you’re here!” the man grumbles, then kicks a stool away from the door leading up to the peephole.
Sethan cuts straight to it. “We need your help. Your council confirmed Elder Honora?—”
