Page 62 of Iron Hearts and Dragon Magic

“I can teach you some tricks to cloak your magic and your dragon, and to close your mind, so that the Breaker doesn’t see you. Would you like that?”

Fae didn’t offer anything for free. “What is the cost?”

“None. You can fight a common enemy. Why wouldn’t I want you to be at your best?”

Leah shrugged. “Don’t know. You could fear I could turn the knowledge against you?”

“None of that would affect Ancients. First, we don’t try to get in anyone’s mind.” he looked down. “Not like that, at least. Second, we have other ways of sensing magic. Only masking your scent won’t do much. I’m not offering you any advantage against the Ancients, but an advantage against our common enemy.”

“You still haven’t said what you want from me.”

“First of all, I want you to know what’s happening. It seems that’s not a hard task, since you’ve felt it yourself, and you’re in love with a dragon lord, who could be in danger.”

“How do you know?”

“That he’s in danger?”

Leah frowned. “That I’m in love.”

“Your face is an open book. And to be honest, I’m glad there’s a dragon lord around. Their magic is helpful.”

Not any dragon, but Leah didn’t want to think much about it, fearing the fae would pry the truth from her, and she wasn’t willing to tell that much. “If dragons can help so much, shouldn’t we go to Fernick and call them?”

“How would we even get there? I mean, I guessyoucan. They might know more about it and might be able to help, but then, they might already be getting ready for this fight.”

“Can’t they deal with it?”

“They might not be concerned with Aluria, and their magic might not be enough. Deathbringer magic is quite special, it’s good that it evolved to be like that. Maybe the magic itself knew it would be needed.”

Leah thought about Azir Umbraar. She still couldn’t forgive him for what he’d done to her mother, even if he had been nice to Fel and Naia. “You’d assume all deathbringers are good people. Get one of us on the wrong side, and you could wreck countless destruction.”

“True. But you seem nice. If you weren’t, the Breaker would have gotten you already with his promises of power. He didn’t. But you need to close your mind a little better, and learn to control it. Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“To learn it.”

This had been a bit sudden. “Sure.”

“Close your eyes then, and listen.”

It took a lot of trust, but Leah obeyed. This better not be a trap, or she would be in trouble so deep, she had no idea she would be able to escape.

* * *

Fel was flyingthrough his third circle in a row. His cousin Siniari was very good at doing them. “Don’t you usually need two people?” Fel asked. “For these fire rings?”

“Usually. Not always.” Siniari’s voice was faint. Fel had forgotten his cousin wasn’t good at communicating in dragon form.

They were now by a mountain chain and the sea, but it didn’t look like the sea between Fernick and Aluria. Siniari flew towards an island which looked like a continuation of the mountain chain, but in the water. It had a high, sharp peak, and Siniari landed near the top, on a flat surface by a shallow cave, then immediately swapped into his human form. Fel landed beside him.

Siniari took a deep breath. “Are you sure about this?”

“You know I am.”

He shook his head. “Did you pay attention when I said you could die?”

“Everything has risks. Of course I understand that. So do you, or you wouldn’t have brought me here.”

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