Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
She lifted her chin and stared at me for a while. “Then you know he’s intelligent. Really intelligent.”
“Are you saying your brother isn’t?”
She shrugged. “He’s a smartass… I’ll say that much.”
I gave a slight chuckle then took another bite of my sausage.
For just a brief moment, it felt the way it used to, the two of us against everyone else.
EIGHT
Ryker
I couldn’t pack anything, not without raising suspicion, so all I could take was my armor and a few small supplies.
Effie watched me gather my things, sitting at the edge of the bed. “Should I stay here?”
“You’re coming with me.”
“I am?” she asked. “How will you explain that?”
I threw my pack over my shoulder. “Effie, once King Rutherford knows the Runes have reached the top of the cliffs and taken Delacroix, he’s not going to care who you are or what you are to me.”
Her eyes dropped down. “I guess that makes sense. But will they let me stay in the castle with you?”
“Where I go, you go.” We grabbed a couple things for her then departed my bedchambers for the front of the castle. It was a sunny day, but a coldness had settled over the surface as fall stepped onto the stage. Soon, there would be orange pumpkins in the fields, autumn squash on the dinner table, pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top of salads.
Ivory was there waiting for us, in her casual clothes like she’d been working with the dragons since the morning. Her hands were together at her waist, a mannerism she’d had since childhood. She didn’t do it often, and when she did, it meant she was nervous. Her eyes turned to me, and they flashed with a mother’s worry.
“I’ll be fine. You think I would have volunteered otherwise?”
“You’re an idiot, so that doesn’t mean much.”
“You think I’d endanger Effie?”
Her eyes softened slightly. “Be careful, alright?”
“When am I not careful?” I asked. “I saved us from the Teeth, didn’t I?”
She turned to Effie and gave her a long embrace. “Thanks for going with him.”
“Where he goes, I go.” She hugged my sister just as hard, as if this journey had made them sisters.
Ivory pulled away and gave me a long stare. “I feel like I just got you back.”
My hands moved to her arms, and I gave her a squeeze. “And once you’ve claimed the Capital in your name, we’ll be together again.”
“Then we’ve got to go after Necrosis…” She gave a sigh. “That’ll be a whole new pain in the ass.”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” I gave her a clap on the shoulder before I pulled her in for a hug.
She rested her forehead against my chest and squeezed me, just the way Mom used to. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Can’t wait to see you fly in on the back of a dragon. Light up the sky and everything below.” I lifted my gaze and saw Huntley appear behind her, in the uniform of the king, a black long-sleeved shirt with the feather crest in the center. A cape blew behind him in the breeze, and his broadsword sat on his hip. Ever since he’d taken control of Delacroix, he became a lot more menacing. Hardly said anything, but his animosity was in the energy around him.
Ivory pulled away and sucked a deep breath into her lungs. “I’m normally not so bad at this sort of thing, but after everything that’s happened… I just never know when it’s going to be the last time.”
Huntley’s eyes shifted away—like he knew exactly what that meant.
“This isn’t the last time,” I said. “Even if your piece-of-shit husband has a change of heart.”
“Ryker.”
“What?” My eyes moved back to hers.
“He’s not a piece-of-shit husband. He’s an asshole for what he did, but he’s always been good to me. Always looked out for me. His crime doesn’t erase all the good things he’s done.”
I’d wanted to take a jab at Huntley’s expense, but instead, I’d gotten my sister to recite a goddamn poem about him. “I’ll send a letter when I can.” I turned around and walked away with Effie beside me, ready to head to the Capital and hope for the best.
NINE
Ivory
Why? Pyre stood in front of me, his brother Storm in the distance behind him.
“Don’t you want to be able to defend yourself?”
He tucked his wings into his sides. I don’t know.
“No, you do know. You just don’t have any confidence.”
If your legs had been sawed off, you would understand.
Every time he mentioned what had happened to him, it was like a fresh wound all over again. With his wings cut off, he hadn’t even looked like a dragon anymore, just a large lizard. His pain permeated the air and was absorbed into my lungs. “You’re going to prevent that from ever happening to yourself again. Think about it that way.”