The sound of rotors spinning and wind rushing beyond the walls poked at my consciousness, pulling me out of a dead sleep. Groaning, I sat up and gritted my teeth. We were back on the airship again. A quick look out the window told me that we’d left Zallabar far behind, though the thick cloud coverage made it hard for me to see more than glimpses of the land below.

“You drugged me,” I accused Salcombe, who was sitting on the bench seat across from me, still studying that blasted book.

“Of course I did,” he said mildly. He turned the page, not bothering to spare me a glance. “You are far more manageable when you’re unconscious, after all. I don’t need to deal with your jabbering mouth or your tiresome objections.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, wanting to tear into him. But there was no point in getting into a fight—clearly, I had no rights in Salcombe's eyes, and there was no use in trying to convince him otherwise. I would have to bide my time until I saw an opening to escape, and give him as few reasons as possible to lash out at me.

“So,” I said after I’d counted to twenty and gotten my anger under control. “Have you found anything useful?”

"The book belongs to a mage called Mariyah Von Mahler," Salcombe said, finally raising his head to look at me. The excitement sparkling in his eyes made my stomach pitch. "From the dates in the book, it seems as though it is only four hundred years old, which makes me think she wrote in ancient Zallabarian only to make it harder for someone else to decipher the diary. There is priceless magical lore in here that many mages would give their right arm to have, but what is most interesting is the mentions of something important entrusted to the Mahler family. She seems quite confident that this mysterious object is well-protected, and that no one will ever be able to find it."

“You think it’s the dragon heart?” I asked, infusing my tone with a hint of skepticism.

“There are several letters tucked in here that discuss the heart,” Salcombe said. “One of them speaks of a family member that emigrated to Traggar, and possibly took the heart with him. There is even mention of a family name that is remarkably similar to the name of one of the original mages who broke the heart into pieces.” His eyes sharpened. “Why? Do you have reason to think any of this information is incorrect?”

I lifted my left shoulder in a shrug, refusing to betray the knot of nerves in my chest. "I guess there's no way to know until you look into it some more, but it's not going to be easy. After all, Mahler's right, isn't she? We didn't find the piece of heart even though we were likely on her property."

Salcombe’s eyes darkened. “Indeed,” he said softly, and gestured to his men. They immediately yanked me out of my seat, holding my arms out to the sides.

“What are you doing?” I screamed, thrashing against them, but it was no use. They were extraordinarily strong, and they barely seemed to notice my glancing blows. Terror roiled in my gut as Salcombe rose from his chair, a needle in his hand.

“We are going to find out if you’ve been telling the truth.”

He pricked the crook of my elbow with the needle, and I hissed. At first, I felt nothing but that tiny bit of pain, but a rush of giddiness quickly followed that, and I giggled as the drug hit my system. My head was crystal clear and my body felt relaxed, like I could sink back into the arms of the men who held me and let them carry me wherever they wanted. I trusted them. They were my friends. I could tell them anything.

“Set her back down,” Salcombe said, and the men returned me to my seat. I stretched my arms across the back and grinned at Salcombe, happy to see him. But my heart plummeted into my stomach at the scowl on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my insides twisting with anxiety. “Have I done something to upset you?” Salcombe was my oldest friend—I didn’t want to make him mad. I wanted him to like me!

The angry look melted from Salcombe’s face, and a wave of relief swept through me. “I’m not angry,” he said, his face settling into a mask of indifference. It wasn’t a smile, but that was okay—he usually looked like that anyway. “And I won’t get angry with you, as long as you answer my questions truthfully.”

“Of course!” An alarm bell went off in my head, but I immediately pushed it away. There was nothing to be afraid of. I was amongst friends. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Very good.” Salcombe smiled, and I wanted to cheer. “Think back to yesterday, when we visited that old woman’s townhouse. Did you sense any valuables on the premises?”

"Oh yes," I gushed, more than happy to answer. "She had lots of great stuff. There were some valuable paintings on the walls, and—"

Salcombe waved his hand, interrupting me. “The piece of heart, Zara. Did you sense it on the premises?”

“Oh no.” My eyes widened. “I would have started with that. The pieces of the dragon god’s heart sound very loud in my head—there’s no way I would have missed it. I can usually sense anything if it’s within a mile radius.”

“Interesting.” Salcombe raised his eyebrows, looking both surprised and impressed. “Have you always been able to do that?”

I shook my head. “Bonding with Lessie enhanced my treasure-sensing ability,” I told him, “and Lord Tavarian helped me learn how to use it better.” A pang of longing hit me as I remembered my dragon and my new mentor, and my skin crawled with an uncomfortable sensation. “I miss Lessie,” I said with a sniff.

“You’ll be reunited with her very soon,” Salcombe said in a soothing voice.

I opened my mouth to ask how when something slammed into the side of the airship. My head rang as Salcombe and I smashed into the opposite wall, and panic sliced through me at the sight of a cut blooming on Salcombe’s cheek.

“Are you all right?” I cried, lurching to my feet.

“Zara!” Lessie’s voice cut through the mess of swirling emotions in my head, and I froze. “Get to one of the starboard windows!”

Before I could even think to respond, something smashed into the right side of the ship. I flew into the left wall, and my mouth dropped open as a large shape moved away from the side of the ship that had been hit. It was Kadryn. And on top of him…

“Jallis?” I cried.

"Get her!" Salcombe shrieked, his face purpling with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at me, his eyes wild, and terror gripped my throat as two of his men lunged at me. The serum Salcombe had pumped into me was wearing off fast, and I was starting to realize just how much trouble I was in. The ship was beginning to sink, dipping and leveling out at irregular intervals, making it hard to stand. Had one of the dragons punctured the air balloon?

I raised my hands to defend myself, but Jallis and Kadryn slammed into the ship again, knocking us all off our feet. As I struggled to get up, Lessie slammed her claws through one of the windows, spraying shards of glass everywhere.

“COME ON!”

Heart pounding, I scrambled to my feet and launched myself through the window. The bits of jagged glass cut my hands, but I barely noticed as I leaped into the air and onto Lessie's waiting back. Roaring, she thrashed her tail, slamming it into the side of the ship again just as Jallis and Kadryn dove. The airship spun to the side, plumes of black smoke marring the clear sky, and I held on tight as Lessie propelled us in the opposite direction with a mighty flap of her wings.

“Are you all right?” Jallis yelled, his dragon coming close so he could be heard over the wind. “You look a little out of it!”

“Did Salcombe hurt you?” Rhia, who I hadn’t seen before, demanded. She flanked my other side as we watched the airship go down, descending in fits and starts. The pilot seemed to have enough control over the ship that he’d be able to land it with minimal damage, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It would be so much easier if Salcombe died in a crash, and yet…

“Zara?” Jallis said, sounding concerned. “Are you okay? Are you coherent enough to fly?” He reached out a hand, ready to pull me onto Kadryn’s back so I could fly with him, as I’d done so many times in the past.

I shook my head, trying to clear some of the fog from my brain. “I’m fine,” I shouted back. “Salcombe was interrogating me with a truth serum, but it seems to have mostly worn off.” My head was starting to pound, the giddiness and sense of relaxation long gone. “What are you guys doing here?” Weren’t they supposed to be at the academy? Dragon’s Table was a long way from…well, wherever we were.

“We are still in Zallabarian territory,” Lessie told me. “Which is quite unfortunate, since this country seems to hate dragons. We’ll need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Lessie told Kadryn you were in danger,” Jallis told me, “and the two of us came as quickly as we could. But let’s talk once we’re back on the ground.”

The three of us fell silent, and Kadryn and Ykos moved away, giving themselves and Lessie room to maneuver properly. “Kadryn says that Jallis wants us to head for that hilltop,” Lessie said, using her muzzle to indicate a tall, grass-covered mound less than a mile away.

“Let’s do it,” I agreed.

The three of us headed for the hill, and I leaned against Lessie, enjoying the smooth feel of her hide against my cheek. “I’m so glad you came for me,” I said. “I’m guessing you managed to make it past the tops of the cliffs?”

“I did.” I felt a surge of pride in the bond. “First try, too. I told you Tavarian was worrying for nothing.”

A giant grin spread across my face, and for the first time since I left Tavarian’s secret estate, the gnawing anxiety that had plagued me finally removed its teeth from me. “I missed you,” I told her.

“Missed you, too.”

We landed on top of the hill, which was wide enough to accommodate all three dragons, and yet small enough that we were still shielded by the hills and mountains that rose up all around us. Judging by the landscape, I guessed we were not far from the Elantian border.

Now that we were on the ground and didn’t have to shout at each other, I told Jallis, Rhia, and Lessie about how Salcombe had kidnapped me, and what he wanted. “Luckily, we didn’t actually find any pieces of heart,” I told them, “but he still has those locks of my hair and can use them to track me down whenever he wants. He’ll be coming for me again.”

Lessie hissed at that, and Ykos and Kadryn let out low growls, echoing Lessie’s sentiments perfectly. “I’d say that we ought to go after him and kill him once and for all, but I’m not sure that’s wise,” Jallis said, the corners of his mouth tightening with concern as he looked toward where Salcombe’s airship had fallen. “We snuck out of the academy to get to you, which is bad enough as it is. If we end up causing an international incident when we’re already on the brink of war, we’ll be severely punished.”

“And if Salcombe ends up resurrecting the dragon god, we’ll all be dead,” Rhia pointed out. “We can’t just stand around and do nothing.”

I bit my lip, conflicted. On the one hand, I didn’t want to risk Rhia’s and Jallis’s lives, especially when they’d already put their lives and careers on the line just by coming out to rescue me. But on the other hand, Salcombe still had that book…

“You guys should return to the academy,” I told Jallis and Rhia. “Now that I’ve got Lessie back, I should be fine on my own. Salcombe and I recently uncovered a book that has clues to the location of one of the pieces of heart. I have to get it back if I can, but there’s no need for you to put yourselves in danger. You’ve already done the most important part—setting me free.”

“Don’t be silly.” Rhia snorted. “What kind of friends would we be if we let you run off into danger by yourself? Of course we’re coming with you.”

“Rhia’s right,” Jallis said. “If you’re going to do this, you shouldn’t do it alone, and if you think getting that book back will stop Salcombe from finding another piece of the dragon god’s heart, we should definitely do it. But if we’re going to go after Salcombe, we should do it now, while the crew is still hurt and demoralized.”

I nodded. “Salcombe is way too resourceful and clever to sit around long. We’ll go after him now, but we’ll have to be careful and make sure he doesn’t see us coming.”

“We should probably leave the dragons behind, then,” Rhia said ruefully. Ykos let out a rumble of protest, but she patted his neck. “Sorry, buddy, but your stealth skills are useless on the ground.”

“Not to mention that if any Zallabarians see our dragons, we’re toast,” Jallis said darkly. “Regardless of what happens, we need to be out of here in the next couple of hours. If the Zallabarians see dragons on their side of the border, they’ll take that as a declaration of war, and then all bets will be off. In fact, we can’t be sure they didn’t already see us when we took that airship out.”

I shuddered at the idea of being the ones responsible for setting off Zallabar while Tavarian was still trying to negotiate with Quoronis. I would never forgive myself if I put him in any danger, and the council wouldn’t either. In fact, they’d probably roast us all.

Jallis and Rhia stripped off their dragon rider armor, and together, the three of us headed down the hill and into the nearby valley. We’d flown over a town nestled in the valley and hoped we might figure out where Salcombe and his crew had gone. No doubt, he would have headed for the nearest town to restock on supplies and nurse any wounds they had.

We decided to stop at the pub first, which in my experience was usually the best place to get information in any town. It was midafternoon, but the place was busy, the air humming with lively conversation as the inhabitants talked to each other in crisp, throaty Zallabarian. As we took our seats at one of the few empty tables and a server came to us, I felt a surge of gratitude for the language lessons I'd taken at the academy.

“A man with a group of mercenaries?” the server asked after Jallis had given her a description of who we were looking for. “I’m not sure, but I’ll ask around.”

She left to fetch tankards of ale and meat pies for us, and the three of us exchanged furtive glances. “I’m glad you two are doing the talking,” I muttered. “You two are practically fluent. If I didn’t know you, I’d assume you were natives.”

Rhia smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be up to speed in no time.”

The server brought us our food, and we ate and listened to the conversations swirling around us, hoping to overhear something useful or that the server would bring back information about Salcombe. As expected, the most prominent topic of discussion was the impending war between Zallabar and Elantia, and the natives seemed very confident about their chances.

“Damn Elantians,” a soldier grumbled, his thick mustache twitching with irritation. “They’re getting far too bold. Did you see those dragons hovering at the border?”

"They don't take us seriously at all," another soldier said with a smirk. "But that's all about to change. When we blow a few holes in those dragon wings with our new cannons, they'll think twice about testing our borders again."

Jallis and I winced at the same time. We had been seen already. Anxiety clawed at me, and I reached out to Lessie in the bond. “Is everything okay?”

“We are fine. Bored, but fine.”

“Stay on the ground,” I ordered her. “Someone has already seen the three of you. Don’t let anyone find you.”

“We’ve already moved to the bottom of the hill, out of sight,” Lessie assured me. “We will be on alert for any humans in the area.”

“Sir?” The sound of the server’s voice broke my concentration. “I believe I’ve found who you’re looking for. Two of the city guards were just telling me they arrested a man traveling with four large, scary-looking men. He said the man goes by Trentiano, and he claims to be a businessman from Warosia. They are being held at the garrison, pending an investigation.”

“Thank you,” Jallis said. “That’s very helpful.”

“You are welcome.” The server cocked her head. “May I ask why you are interested?”

“That man stole a priceless family heirloom from me,” Rhia said, drawing herself up imperiously. “I have hired these two to help me track this man down and recover it.” She turned to Jallis. “We should head down to the garrison immediately and speak to the guards before they set him loose.”

The server raised her eyebrows. “Good luck with that,” she said. “They are displaying the new cannons just outside, and there is quite a crowd.”

Well, that settled it. We definitely had to go. Paying for our meal with one of the Zallabarian coins in Jallis’s purse—apparently, he always carried a bit of currency from our neighboring countries in his purse just in case he found himself on a last-minute trip—we headed out of the pub and toward the garrison. There was no need to ask for directions—we simply followed the sound of the buzzing crowd, and quickly found ourselves in the center of town.

As the server had said, the new cannons were on full display—three of them, lined up neatly in a row, with a small group of soldiers guarding them. The local guards kept the crowd back at a safe distance to admire them, and it took a bit of time for the three of us to worm our way to the front to get a good look.

“They’re small,” Jallis said under his breath, careful to speak Zallabarian as we studied the artillery weapons in this crowd. “Three feet long, maybe?”

"Still too heavy to carry without cannon carriages," Rhia said, "but these are less than half the size of the cannons used in the last war. Do you really think they have enough firepower to shoot dragons out of the sky?"

One of the guards standing nearby must have overheard her, because he snorted and folded his arms. “These cannons might be smaller, but they’re even deadlier than the ones we used in the last war against Elantia. Because they’re so light and portable, it is much easier to maneuver them in any direction—important when fighting dragons when they’re slithering through the air like winged serpents.” His lips twisted in disgust, and I pressed my lips together as I felt a spark of indignation on my own dragon’s behalf. “They also fire shrapnel munitions, which explode on impact.”

I felt a distinct sense of derision from Lessie, who had been listening in. She scoffed at the idea of being taken down by shrapnel…but beneath her disbelief, I felt a heavy sense of unease. She was worried, and so was I.

“Ahhh.” Jallis pretended to sound impressed. “That way they can inflict multiple wounds on the dragons.”

“Exactly.” The guard grinned fiercely. “Perhaps some of the older dragons with their tougher hides can withstand them, but it will be all too easy to shoot the newer ones out of the sky. Elantia has no idea what’s coming.”

Rhia and Jallis thanked the guard for the information, and we lingered for a few more minutes before carefully sliding back out of the crowd. “We should get back to our dragons now and get out of here,” Jallis muttered.

I nodded in agreement. With all these guards and soldiers hanging around outside the garrison, there was no way we were getting to Salcombe. Hearts heavy, we trudged back up the valley to where our dragons were hidden. Dragon’s balls, this was worse than we’d thought. Just how many cannons did the Zallabarian army have? They’d shown off three cannons here, and this was just a tiny town, barely worthy of a spot on the map.

“Zara!” Jallis hissed, grabbing my arm. “Over here!”

He yanked me behind a rocky outcropping on the trail just as a patrol of mountain soldiers came thundering by. They wore dark green uniforms with shiny gold buttons and were armed to the teeth with spears and swords. I shuddered as we watched them pass, close enough to smell the sweat and horsehair from their mounts. If they had taken a different turn, and come across our dragons…

We waited until we could no longer hear the hoofbeats, then raced into the woods to where our dragons waited by the hill. “Time to go,” I said as I vaulted onto Lessie’s back.

“I know,” she said. “I saw the cannons through your eyes.”

Her words gave me pause, and I wondered if I was able to do the same thing—use our bond to see things through Lessie’s point of view. But there was no time to ask. “Let’s get out of here,” I told the others.

We braced ourselves, and our dragons shot into the sky at the same time, beating their wings hard to gain velocity and altitude. Gripping the reins, I leaned forward on Lessie to move with her rather than battle the wind screaming in my ears to stay upright, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Jallis and Rhia do the same.

The sound of a loud explosion had me sitting up again, and I twisted around in my saddle to look back at the town. The soldiers had mobilized the cannons and were shooting at us!

"Evasive maneuvers!" Jallis shouted. The three of us immediately shot off in three separate directions, heading for the border as fast as we could. Clinging to the saddle for dear life, I held my breath as Lessie rolled to the side, evading more cannon fire. The screech of the wind stifled some of the explosion, but it still hurt my ears, and I wished I could clap my hands over them.

Note to self—get earplugs.

Ykos's roar distracted me, and I lifted my head to see blood streaming from a wound in his side. Rhia's face paled, and my stomach dropped into my boots as the dragon faltered in the sky. Immediately, Lessie swerved close, dropping ten feet below in case we needed to snatch Rhia out of the air.

But Ykos managed to level out, and though he slowed down, his wingbeats were still steady. Thankfully we seemed to be out of range of the cannons now, and Jallis and I kept close to the wounded dragon in case he needed assistance.

We didn’t stop until we were well beyond the border, back in Elantian territory. Exhausted, we touched down in a clearing a few miles away from Zallabar, Ykos landing with a heavy thud.

"Oh no," Rhia moaned as she scrambled down her mount to study the wound. It was a large gash on Ykos's left side, and he groaned as he rolled onto his uninjured side, allowing his rider to take a better look.

“It’s not very deep,” Jallis said, giving Rhia a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “He should be able to heal that in a day or two, especially if I put a poultice on it.”

He rummaged through his pack, but Lessie got to her feet and gently nudged both riders away with her snout. I could feel how exhausted she was as she approached, but she lay down on her belly next to Ykos anyway and gently licked the wound. The larger dragon made a rumbling sound that was half-pain, half-pleasure, and his entire body shuddered.

“I’d forgotten about the healing properties of dragon saliva,” Jallis said quietly. The three of us watched in amazement as Lessie used her saliva to close the wound and stop the bleeding. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on humans.”

Lessie lifted her head and met my gaze with her fiery orbs. "I'm only able to close the skin," she said, sounding apologetic. “He will still need another day to knit the torn flesh back together.”

I told Jallis what Lessie had said, and he nodded. “We’ll camp here tonight, then,” he decided. “We’re a bit closer to the border than I’d like, but there’s no sense in injuring Ykos further by making him travel with that wound. We can all head back to the academy tomorrow.”

Jallis strode off into the woods, unslinging his crossbow from his back so he could catch dinner for us. While we waited for him to return, Rhia and I built a fire, using a thin stream of flame from Lessie to light the pile of logs and kindling we’d found. We also set out the bedrolls they had brought—one for each of them, and Rhia had even brought an extra one for me.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I told her as we sat down on the small logs we’d dragged into the clearing to serve as benches. “You and Jallis saved my butt.”

“Of course we did.” Rhia smiled. “That’s what friends do. I have no doubt that if our positions had been reversed, you would have done the same, even if that meant having to blast through half the council to do it.”

I gave her a crooked smile. “True. I’ve never been much for the rules. I guess I’m just not used to people looking out for me much. I’ve always been the one who looked out for everyone else, because I was more fortunate.” My orphan friends helped me out when they could, but they’d had their own burdens to struggle with, and I wasn’t into the habit of dumping my problems on other people anyway. "The only person in my life aside from Carina who I could come to for help was Salcombe, and asking for help from him was always a double-edged sword."

Rhia’s smile melted into a sympathetic expression, and she scooted closer so she could hug me. “I’m sorry things have turned out this way, Zara,” she said. “I know it can’t be easy, making an enemy of the man who acted as your father figure for so long.”

I snorted. “I didn’t make an enemy out of him. He made an enemy out of me the moment he tried to have me killed.” I shook my head. “I’m an idiot for caring about him at all. He’s proven to me on more than one occasion that I’m just something for him to use and discard.”

“Just because Salcombe is a cold, unfeeling asshole doesn’t mean you have to be,” Jallis said as he strode back into the clearing. A large, turkey-like bird was slung across his shoulder—enough to feed all three of us, and then some. “You have a big heart, Zara, and that’s a strength, not a weakness.”

I smiled as Jallis’s words warmed my chest. “You two always seem to know just the right things to say,” I said as I got to my feet.

Jallis’s eyes twinkled. “That’s why we’re your friends.”

I knew from the tone in his voice and the way he looked at me that he wanted to be more than friends, and my lips tingled as I remembered the last time he’d kissed me. Only a few weeks ago, I realized with some surprise. I’d thought that it would be a lot longer until I saw him again, and part of me wanted to gravitate toward him, to wrap my arms around his neck and see if his lips were as soft as I remembered, if his touch would still fill me with that easy warmth that was so inviting. But Rhia was here, and somehow I doubted she’d be amused if Jallis and I engaged in a make-out session when there was cooking to be done.

The three of us got to work, plucking and dressing the bird, then sticking it on a makeshift spit to roast over the fire. It took a few hours to cook the bird, so while we took turns turning it over the flame, we talked about what we’d seen.

“I can’t believe they managed to hit Ykos from so far away,” Rhia said as she sat down next to Ykos. She stroked her hand over his scales, careful to keep away from his injury, and he let out a contented rumble not unlike a purring cat. “That soldier was right about the shrapnel bombs. They only had three cannons out there today, but what if we came up against more? If two or three of those had hit Ykos at the same time, or if even one of them had gotten his wings, we would have gone down."

“I know.” Jallis’s voice was low, his normally cheerful face somber. He ran a hand along the outside of Kadryn’s left wing, and the large dragon twitched. “I think they designed those cannons with that in mind. Wings are the most fragile part on their body—the membranes are thinner, and the tendons have less protection.”

“Then we’ll just have to be faster than the cannons,” Lessie huffed, tossing her head. “There is no point in sitting here, cowering in fear over what might happen. If these Zallabarians decide to take our country, we have to fight.”

Ykos rumbled in agreement, but Kadryn snorted, annoyed. “That’s all well and good,” I said aloud, “but I think it’s stupid of us to continue to use dragons to fight when the enemy has airships and long-range cannons now. We should be investing our gold into increasing our technology and weapons capabilities, as the other countries have been doing.”

“I agree,” Rhia said grimly. “With our dragon population dwindling, it is only a matter of time before the other countries are able to overwhelm us completely.”

Jallis looked torn. “I think dragons and their riders still bring a lot to the table during wartime,” he said, “but I don’t deny that relying on dragons alone is an outdated, and also harmful strategy. If Quoronis and Traggar do ally with Zallabar, and Zallabar gives them these new cannons, there’s no way we’ll survive. Cannons are a lot easier to make than dragons.”

“Not to mention that dragons are too precious to be used as disposable cannon fodder,” I pointed out. “Zallabar’s population is nearly double ours—they have no lack of soldiers to send into battle. But we can’t just send our dragons out to be blasted to bits in the sky. I won’t have it.” I wrapped my arm around Lessie’s neck and hugged her, my heart clenching. The idea of her being hurt or killed by some enemy cannon fire, over some stupid war…

“I wouldn’t say that our dragons are cannon fodder,” Rhia protested. “These days they are mostly just used for special occasions.”

“That’s because we haven’t gone to war in a long time,” I argued. “And now that we’re on the brink of it, we’re falling back into our old ways. Elantia needs to stop clinging to old traditions and move into the future.” I shook my head, bitterness seeping into my voice. “I never imagined I’d be sitting out in the middle of nowhere, talking about war and the fate of our country with two sky-dwellers. All I ever wanted was to be a treasure hunter.”

Jallis’s eyes flashed. “It’s impossible to escape the impact of war,” he said, a bit stiffly. “Even if you’d never become a dragon rider, you’d be affected. A war between Zallabar would affect trade and the ability of citizens to travel between countries. It would certainly have put a crimp on your treasure hunting.”

I winced at Jallis’s sharp words and the hurt look on Rhia’s face. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I know war affects everyone, and I want to do whatever I can to stop it from happening and protect our people. It’s just…frustrating. And I’m tired, and just coming off a kidnapping from the man who used to be my father figure.”

Jallis’s eyes softened and he stepped toward me. “It’s been a tough day for all of us, but especially for you.”

I allowed him to sweep me into a hug and sank into his embrace. Jallis was warm and comforting, his scent clean even beneath the sweat clinging to his skin. A large part of me wanted to burrow into him and never let go, but I allowed him to draw me back down to the logs so we could sit and finally eat some of the meat we'd been cooking. Lessie's stomach grumbled loudly as Jallis began to cut pieces off the carcass, and she and Kadryn got to their feet.

“We’re going hunting,” Lessie informed me. “We’ll bring back something for Ykos, too.”

“Okay.” I didn’t move from the log, but I reached out and gave her a mental stroke through the bond. “Stay safe.”

While the dragons hunted and we ate, Jallis and Rhia quizzed me about my time with Tavarian. Where had he taken me? What kind of training had we done? What was it like living alone with him for weeks on end? I laughed as I answered their incessant questions, telling them what I could, deflecting what I couldn’t. Now that we weren’t talking about war anymore, we fell back into that easy sense of camaraderie. This sensation of closeness, of belonging, was something I hadn’t felt much of before I became a rider, and now that I was back with my friends again, I realized I’d missed it.

“Lord Tavarian is going to lose his mind when he comes back from Quoronis and learns about everything that’s happened while he’s been gone,” Jallis said, shaking his head. “He never should have left you and Lessie alone.”

“He couldn’t have taken us with him, and there was no time for him to escort me back to the academy,” I said, feeling a bit defensive of Tavarian. The man had done so much for me; it didn’t feel right to let Jallis talk badly about him. “I’m sure that if he’d known Salcombe was able to track me, he would have made different arrangements, but as far as we knew, staying at the hidden location was the safest thing to do.”

“Fair enough,” Rhia said. “But now that we know Salcombe can track you, what can we do? We can’t wait for Tavarian to resurface.”

“You’ll have to come back to Dragon’s Table,” Jallis said. “Being close to the other dragon riders, who will be able to protect you, is the safest option.”

I sighed. “I know that, but I don’t think Headmaster Caparro will be thrilled about having me, since I’m a hunted woman. And I hate the idea of sitting around and waiting for Salcombe to find me. I want to take the fight to him.”

We argued about it for a bit longer, then retired to our bedrolls. Curling up against Lessie’s side, I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but my mind still raced. Going back to Zuar City and Dragon’s Table was all well and good, but Salcombe would only come after me, and that’s where all my friends lived. How could I safeguard my business and my friends, and still protect Lessie? Salcombe wouldn’t hesitate to use any of them against me, and I especially didn’t want to involve any of the orphans, who had so little. Sure, Salcombe was being detained by Zallabarian authorities, but he’d worm his way out of that situation in a day or two. He would manage to convince them that he was Warosian, not Elantian, and they would let him go.

What if he decides to ally with the Zallabarians against Elantia? a worried voice in my mind asked. Salcombe had a lot of knowledge and experience—he could do quite a bit of damage, and if he thought allying with Zallabar was the quickest way to get the remaining pieces of the dragon heart, he would do it without hesitation.

But deep inside, I knew that would be a last resort for Salcombe. He was a loner at heart, used to being in charge and doing things his own way. He wouldn’t want to have to work with someone else to get what he wanted, especially not a head of state from another country.

Would Salcombe be able to enjoy the newfound health his piece of heart provided him with indefinitely? Or would the strength eventually fade if he didn't find more pieces? If I were the dragon god, I would have set it up that way, so Salcombe would be forced to collect the rest of them. What would happen if I stole the piece of heart he already had? He didn't keep it on him, which must mean he had it tucked away in one of his many hiding places. If I got my hands on the heart, would I be able to sever whatever bond it had with Salcombe and weaken him again?

“I like that idea,” Lessie said, butting into my thoughts. “We should do it. If Salcombe no longer is in possession of the heart, that will likely sever his connection with the dragon god. Perhaps he might even come back to his senses without Zakyiar’s influence.”

“I’d love to do that,” I told her, “but I have no idea where to start.”

“You know Salcombe better than anyone else,” Lessie reminded me. “Perhaps there is some hidden clue in your mind you just aren't yet aware of.”

I pondered that idea as I stared at the stars, wondering if I subconsciously already had the answer to the piece of heart’s location. But even though I wracked my brain, going over all my conversations with Salcombe through the years, I couldn’t find anything. I eventually slipped into a restless, unsatisfying sleep where I wandered a series of dark corridors and wondered if I would ever find the light that would lead me out of this never-ending maze.