"Talk to , Frostborne," Elara said, coaching voice on.
Serena paced the underground chamber beneath the library. She wasn’t a blatant rule breaker. But they had to do this and she wasn’t going to back out now.
"We’ve tried everything."
"Yes we have," Elara agreed. "Look at ."
She placed both her hands on Serena’s shoulders. "I’m not a little bitch. Let hear you say it."
"I’m not a little bitch," Serena echoed. She took a breath. "Worst case, if we’re captured by rogues, I will make another portal back here."
"Make the damn portal. Don’t be a little bitch," Elara said firmly.
"I’m doing it. If we get banned from the library then so be it," Serena said, squaring her shoulders.
Elara snorted. "Gods we need to get you a social life if that’s your worst fear."
Serena raised her arm. She felt her familiar magic stir inside her, golden and warm.
"What exactly do you think you’re doing?"
Serena and Elara scread, both jumping.
Serena spun around to see Queen Bellatrix descending the stone staircase into the chamber. Her expression was unreadable, and her heels clicked against the steps with deliberate precision.
"Your Majesty," she gasped, lowering her arm. "I was just—"
"About to do sothing monuntally stupid without proper support or planning?" Bellatrix reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped, her sharp eyes taking in the scene. "Yes, I gathered."
Serena opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words ca out.
Bellatrix studied them both for a long mont. Then she asked a question that Serena did not expect.
"What do you need to get there?"
Serena and Elara both stared at her.
Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at their gawking expressions.
"Oh, close your mouths. You look like fish gasping for air." She folded her arms across her chest. "Did you think I was going to let my son and husband rot in enemy territory while I sat here planning dinner nus? I’m a bitch, not an idiot."
Serena blinked. She wasn’t sure which part of that statent surprised her more.
"I need a mage," she finally managed to say. "One who isn’t obsessed with protecting ."
Bellatrix laughed.
It was a real laugh, sharp and short, and it transford her face into sothing almost human.
"I have contacts in Shadowclaw territory," Bellatrix said. "I already sent word to Shadowclaw’s Master Mage this morning."
Before she finished her sentence, the air in the chamber rippled.
A portal tore open in the center of the room, its edges crackling with silver energy.
Aeron stepped through.
He looked exhausted. His robes were travel-stained, his hair was disheveled, and there were dark circles under his eyes. But what caught Serena’s attention was the creature clinging to his chest.
It was a dragon.
A baby dragon.
It couldn’t have weighed more than sixty pounds, with scales obsidian black and eyes bright gold. Its tiny wings were wrapped around Aeron’s torso, and its claws were hooked into his robes with desperate determination.
"Thank the gods," Aeron breathed. He crossed the chamber in three quick strides and thrust the dragon toward Bellatrix. "Hold this."
Bellatrix’s eyes went wide.
"What— I don’t— Why would you—"
The dragon latched onto her before she could finish her sentence. Its claws dug into her expensive silk gown, and its tail wrapped around her waist. It pressed its face against her chest and made a high-pitched keening sound.
Bellatrix scread bloody murder.
The dragon scread with her, clearly terrified, and clutched onto her even tighter.
"Get it off!" Bellatrix shrieked, her composure shattering completely. "Get this thing off of ! It’s ruining my dress! It’s— why is it so sticky? Why is it making that noise? What is wrong with it?"
"He’s scared," Aeron answered calmly.
The baby dragon let out another wail and buried its face in Bellatrix’s cleavage.
Bellatrix looked down at it with an expression of pure horror.
"This is assault," she declared. "This is assault, and I will have soone executed for it."
"His na is Onyx. He’s Shadowclaw’s bonded, and has been inconsolable ever since he left," Aeron said, completely unfazed. "We’ve tried everything, but he won’t eat, he won’t sleep, and he keeps jumping off furniture trying to fly away to find him. But he can’t fly yet."
"And you thought bringing him to was the solution?"
"I won’t be able to take him when I take Serena to Orosia," Aeron said.
"I am not a guardian. I am a queen. Queens do not babysit infant dragons."
Onyx lifted his head and looked at Bellatrix with enormous, watery gold eyes. He made a soft chirping sound, sowhere between a purr and a whimper.
Bellatrix’s expression flickered.
"Don’t," she warned the dragon. "Don’t you dare look at like that."
Onyx chirped again and nuzzled against her.
"What does it want?"
"Comfort," Aeron answered.
"I don’t do comfort." Her jaw tightened. "If it relieves itself on , I’m having it turned into boots."
Then her hands, which had been held away from her body in disgust, slowly lowered to rest on the dragon’s back.
Serena was stunned montarily, but quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.
"I received Queen Bellatrix’s ssage," Aeron said. "I can get you to Orosia."
"Do you know where in Orosia they are being held?" Serena asked.
"We’ve narrowed down their location to a fortress in the Velanthor mountains. But not the exact location within the fortress. We’ll have to search once inside. It’s heavily warded, but I can get us through."
"Us?"
"You didn’t think I was going to let you go alone, did you?" Aeron raised an eyebrow. "My king is in that fortress. My duty is to bring him ho."
Serena felt sothing loosen in her chest. Hope, fragile but real.
"Elara cos too."
"Of course." Aeron glanced at Elara. "Hale is there as well. I imagine you’d like a word with him about his communication skills."
"Several words," Elara said darkly. "Loud ones."
"It will be cold," he continued. "And there’s a high probability that this is a trap designed specifically to capture you."
"I know."
"And you’re going anyway."
"I am."
Aeron studied her for a mont. Then he smiled, just slightly.
"When Shadowclaw asks, you kidnapped ."
He pulled two dark cloaks folded inside his robes and handed them to Serena and Elara.
"Is this blood on the hem?" Elara asked.
"Probably. Don’t worry about it."
"That’s not reassuring."
Elara looked at Serena’s, then back down to her own. "Why is her’s not bloody and mine is?"
Serena shrugged, pulling hers on and drawing the hood up.
Aeron raised his hand and another portal shimred into existence.
Serena paused at the edge of the portal and looked back at Bellatrix.
The queen stood with a baby dragon attached to her chest and an expression of long-suffering irritation on her face.
"Don’t die," she said flatly. "My payroll ledgers are due next week."
Serena gave a soft smile. "I’ll do my best."
"See that you do." Bellatrix paused. "And bring my son back. Or I’ll find a way to resurrect you just so I can kill you myself."
Serena almost laughed at that.
Then she stepped through the portal, Elara at her side, and the golden chamber vanished behind them.
✦✦✦
They erged on a mountainside. The air was bitter and snow crunched beneath their boots.
Elara shivered. "When you said cold, I assud you ant ’bring a jacket’ cold. Not ’my soul is leaving my body’ cold."
Aeron looked at her, unimpressed.
She raised both her hands in the air.
Ahead of them, barely visible through the swirling flurries, a massive stone fortress rose from the rock like a jagged gothic cathedral.
Aeron pulled his own hood up and gestured for them to follow.
"Stay close," he said quietly. "Stay silent. And whatever you do, don’t use any magic until I tell you it’s safe. The wards will detect it instantly."
Serena nodded.
They moved through the snow like shadows, three figures in dark cloaks against an endless white landscape.
Sowhere inside that fortress, Fin was waiting.
Hyran was waiting. Hale was waiting. Dex was waiting.
And Serena was coming for them.
All of them.
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