Page 67 of Songs of Retribution

It made a noise and shifted back from the mountain, clearing the route for our escape. It nudged me with its foot, and Sai ran to grab my hand and pull me back.

"I think it wants us to pass," I said.

Sai hesitated then gestured for Shaan, Lennox, and Ishir to join us.

Lennox hesitated, his gaze fixed on the creature. Magic buzzed in my mind, and I opened myself to Lennox’s steady voice.If this thing eats us, it’s your fault.

I didn’t understand how he could joke at that moment, but it pushed a breathy laugh out of me.I don’t think it will eat us.

That’s a relief.He grabbed Shaan’s hand and began stepping slowly past the creature.

I smirked at Lennox.It would probably just turn us all into a bonfire like you did with the vetalla.

He missed a step and Shaan righted him. When he rose, his lips thinned but they pulled up at the edges. It was good to know that even in a crisis I was a reliably annoying baby sister.

As soon as the five of us made it past the dragon, it fell onto the path again and released another blast of flames. Seelie soldiers shouted and scrambled to get out of the way.

As we made it up the mountain and back to our kelpies, the dragon released a horrendous scream that sent a shiver down my body. I stumbled and turned back towards the path. The Seelie had managed to put a net of shimmering magic around the dragon, even from the distance we'd made I could see it gleam over the creature.

"No," I yelled.

Sai grabbed me, held me to his side to keep me from running towards them. "We can't do anything for it right now, Lira. If we win this war, we can help them."

The dragon screamed again.

"But they're hurting it." My voice wobbled and tears filled my eyes. Sai’s grip loosened but he rested his chin on my shoulder and touched into magic, pouring comfort and shared sorrow through the connection to me. The dragon was capable of destruction, but it also had a soul and a kind nature. It had protected us, possibly done so at the expense of itself.

Lennox bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Lira."

"No," I gasped. The dragon howled again, and I released a trembling sob, but allowed Sai to coax me away from the trail.

Someone had moved the other dragons out of sight. I didn't know what the soldiers had done with the creature that had saved us, and anger flared through me.

The other guards who had accompanied us brought the kelpies forward. "Soldiers are pursuing,” one said.

Sai frowned. "We need to flood the valley, then we go.”

I reached out for Lennox's hand, and we walked to the overlook. My voice poured out, heavy and full of grief. Our magic rushed together; rain began falling like a sea fell over the valley. Tents dropped and were swallowed down under the deluge, kelpies splashed and drifted into the water becoming part of it, and soldiers washed away. Some struggled to gather supplies while others scrambled about like termites in a broken branch.

"That's enough, Lira," Sai said.

But I didn't stop singing. These soldiers abused a creature and held it against its will. They deserved punishment; they deserved to suffer. The rain grew stronger, flooding the earth, stretching out so the edges reached us, spraying us with mist. The valley filled with water, enough to cover the soldiers, enough to—

A hand grabbed my free one. It was unfamiliar—smooth with long fingers. I raised my face to meet Shaan's eyes. He gave my palm a squeeze, like he understood, and shook his head.

My lips snapped shut, and the rain ceased at once. Lennox, Sai, Ishir, and the guards all stared at me. "Let's get out of here,” Sai said, “before lingering soldiers catch up."

I mounted a kelpie in front of Sai and our group raced away, back down the mountain. The dragon's eye came to my mind, the hum of its magic over my palm. Tears streamed down my face.

They treated the creature the way my father had treated me, like a vessel of magic and not a being with a soul and its own desires. A realization hit me harder than kelpies’ hooves pounding the path.

Sai Arnav.We moved too quickly to speak clearly over the wind rushing past us, the snapping of twigs, and kelpies’ nervous brays.I know what King Carrington's plans with the dragons are.

He tightened his arm around me and breathed over the back of my neck.What do you think? They don't seem to have control over the creatures. I don't know how he plans to use them in a battle.

The King believed he could mix siren and other magic to break my mind and make me a puppet for his use.Sai went still behind me, but the emotions rushing into my mind were like lava exploding. I'd never shared that aspect of my imprisonment because it seemed like it was behind me now.He's going to do that to the dragons.

Sai's emotions stalled like I'd knocked the breath out of him.If he does, he can use them like…

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