Page 66 of Songs of Retribution

We didn't need more encouragement. Our feet pounded over the earth as we dashed towards the path. A troop seemed to peel from the mountain’s side as they removed their glamour and jumped in front of us, weapons raised.

Sai spooled out shadows as Lennox hummed with his powers. My magic crackled along my skin, raising the hairs on my arms. It would be easy to get out of here. I wasn't sure I could take out an entire army at once, but enough to make a dent, enough to stall this battle. Memory crystals whirled in the air, and Sai rewound time so the soldiers reversed. Even the man who'd originally announced our presence along with those around him, returned to the fire they sat at. I had forgotten Sai was a powerful being as well. He often used his magic to get out of tricky situations and his powers had cultivated his reputation as the prince of darkness. My magic wasn’t needed here.

I pushed back the crawling, aching sensation of it wishing to burst free. We didn't have to kill anyone this time.

We scrambled up the cliff’s steep side. I slipped, dropping to my knees, skin ripping up. Lennox turned around and helped me back to my feet. His touch was a cool breeze in the summer. We ran, our breaths echoing.

Wind knocked us all over, followed by a rumbling sound.

We stumbled back up and stood face-to-face with the massive beak of a dragon.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

LIRA

I staredout at the darkening valley until my eyes ached. Knowing I wouldn’t see Sai or Lennox or Shaan because of glamour didn’t change how studiously I watched or how I wrung my fingers together. Ishir stood at my side looking out as well, but I couldn’t find words to whisper to him. While I understood the group leaving me behind, I didn’t like it. My entire life someone had dictated what I should do, what my role was, where to stand. I wanted to be free of all these powers and have agency for once.

A Seelie soldier jumped up and shouted something, pointing towards the path. More soldiers appeared, brandished weapons, and ran that way. My heart thundered in my throat, and even Ishir leaned forward. Sai, Lennox, and Shaan burst out of their glamour and scrambled up the path. I took a step forward then stopped. What Sai had said was true. This wasn’t just about us, and I held the best hope of survival for his court—for the entire fairy world. He could handle it.

Sai used his memory magic and my heart leapt with pride as he wielded his powers with such finesse. They began up the path, running along the narrow trail. They made it past the halfway mark when a dragon jumped into the sky so that its great wings beat out a breeze. It landed before them, trapping them against the mountain’s side.

“No.” The word tumbled past my lips. Damn the rest of the world; I wouldn’t let my Atalla, my brother, and his love die—regardless of the cost. My boots hit the path before I thought it through.

“Your Highness,” Ishir called. I didn’t look back. A moment later the slap of his steps running behind me echoed off the mountainside, but I didn’t slow. Instead, I sang, letting my magic pour out of me so the wind drove me forward. Seelie guards scrambled up the path in the distance and I pushed myself harder. By the time I reached the group, my lungs ached. Sai broke his attention away from the dragon, which was much larger up close, as he pulled me to him. His hand in mine made me feel like I could think again. If they faced death, at least we’d face it together. Ishir joined us right as the creature shifted with a thud that caused rocks to fall down the mountainside and disappear into the dark.

Flames flushed the dragon’s eyes with glowing copper when it snarled. Its emerald scales glittered, reflecting the distant fire’s flickering lights. It had no manacles on its legs or beak like the other dragons. It rose again with a flap of its massive wings and nearly bowled me over. Lennox’s eyes glittered with magic, and he stepped in front of Shaan as Ishir drew his Talwar. I gripped the cliff’s craggy edge to stay on my feet. The dragon opened its huge jaws, and I tightened my shaking hand in Sai's. He remained perfectly still, his body vibrating with magic ready to unleash, his gaze fixed on the creature. It was the biggest thing I'd ever seen, and when it roared, its breath smelled of sulfur and the echo shook through my bones.

Seelie soldiers cried out, shouting orders, more fairies joining the hunt. The camp erupted into chaos. Dragons in the distance called to the free creature—keening bellows like a poorly tuned instrument. The dragon lifted its snout towards the others then shifted towards our pursuers and sent a blast of flame. The soldiers screamed, flung themselves off the path, or leaned back against the mountainside.

Lennox looked ready to unleash flames, but I pushed around Sai, my feet struggling to maintain balance, and grabbed his arm. "Don't hurt it."

Lennox looked down at me, bewildered. "What?"

"Look at it. It's worried about the others."

Lennox's lips pinched. More soldiers made their way up the path, and some lifted bows.

"Stop those weapons," I cried.

Lennox turned towards them and sent a blast of wind that knocked the gathered fairies down and slammed their bows into the dirt. Apparently they weren't using Amentium.According to Lennox it was supposed to be rare, so maybe they didn't wish to waste it.

The knocked down Seelie stared up at us, recognition lighting their faces as they realized their prince stood before the dragon using elemental magic. It seemed to startle them and cause them to hesitate.

I stepped closer to the dragon, and Sai snapped out of his focused magical state and jumped towards me, grabbing my arm. "Lira."

"This creature isn't our enemy." I pressed my fingers over his. "Trust me."

His brows pulled together. Seelie soldiers had risen and began making their way back up. They grew close enough that I could make out their features. If they caught me, my father could use me or kill me and decimate the Prasanna’s hope. The dragon released a hot breath. Sai finally nodded though his eyes were full of fear.

I turned towards the massive creature. It jerked back, and I hummed with just a touch of magic, a peaceful breath of powers. "It's okay," I said.

The dragon shifted its face so that its eye, which was nearly the length of my body, turned towards me. My heart raced, but everything within me—my body and magic and soul—could intuit that it didn't intend me harm. The tug I felt towards it was like the voice calling me in Kali's cave, like Sai catching my eye in the crowd. I reached a hand out slowly and heard Sai catch his breath behind me.

The dragon's skin was smooth and hard, like a river stone. The creature shuddered at my touch, closing its eyes. For a moment our magic pulsed together, and I could feel the soothing rush of its powers. Seelie yelled behind us and fired more arrows. Lennox pushed them back again, but a few went wide and the dragon swung its wings out, knocking them aside. It turned towards the Seelie and heat built around it. It used one of its massive feet to push me back towards Sai then released a breath of flames so hot we hunched away.

Ishir turned so he stood between the four of us and the fire. Lennox sheltered Shaan beneath him, and I reached for Sai’s hand and sang a thin layer of ice over our group. It melted immediately but kept us from burning.

The dragon settled again, and I walked closer to it a bit more nervously after seeing the display of its power. "Thank you for protecting us." The dragon cocked its head to the side again and gently pressed the end of its beak to my shoulder.

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