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Chapter Text

“Hello Violet.”

“Dain…”

“I’m so sorry, Violet.” He said as he came into the room and the person who had been behind him was revealed.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” She asked, her voice cold as ice.

He was leaning against the doorframe looking every bit as cocky as she remembered him. “Hey Princess, miss me?”

~

The moment her eyes landed on him, the second before the words had left her lips, Xaden had known that something was wrong. If there was one thing that he knew better than himself, it was her. The way her shoulders tensed, the smallest downturn of her lips, the way the lightning crackling through his mindscape lit up with an almost furious energy. There was a history here and he wanted to know what it was, was curious what could make his unshakable Violet so unsettled. His eyes scanned the man in the doorway taking his measure and trying to figure out why the smug smile on his face made Violet want to punch him.

“I’m Xaden Riorson.” He stepped forward with his hand outstretched, giving Violet a moment to collect herself.

Thank you. She whispered through their link, the bond relaxing as she gathered her calm.

“Prince Halden Tauri.” They shook hands, the prince squeezing a little harder than necessary which made Xaden smile and squeeze back just as hard. I don’t know what the history is here, but I hate this guy already.He thought to Violet, smirking when her laughter sounded through his mind.

Long story short, he’s my Cat.

Of all the things that Xaden had been expecting, it hadn’t been that. He stepped back to stand next to her, crossing his arms over his chest. Whatever you want to do, I’ll back your decision. His eyes raked over the prince with a new scrutiny, examining Violet’s ex and wondering how dumb he had to be to let someone like her go.

Before she could respond, the little prince opened his mouth, “I see you finally got your crown, Violet.” Halden addressed her, smiling like he hadn’t just insulted her to her face in her own home in front of her friends and family.

Her fingers flexed, barely noticeable to anyone:

Except Xaden who knew her tells, her nuances, her mind, her body

Liam, who could predict her reactions almost better than he could predict his own

and Mira, who had heard about the whole thing after the fact, had watched her little sister pretend to be fine when she was actually breaking inside, all who were watching her like a hawk from the corners of their eyes.

“What brings you here, Halden?” Her voice was monotone, not giving away any indication of what she was feeling or thinking. Even Xaden with the bond could barely get a read on what was going on in her mind.

“Prince Halden, Vi.” He corrected. Just as she remembered, he was an elitist who got off on the power disparity between him and other people. Always reminding them of their station and that they were beneath him. It hadn’t started out that way, when they had first met, and there were times she had wondered what she had ever seen in him. He was charismatic when he wanted to be, when he felt like he had someone to impress, and his attitude right now, the disrespect and lack of attempt at civility, told her exactly what he thought of her and Tyrrendor. She opened her mouth to reply, to tell him to fuck off and go shove his title up his ass, but Liam beat her to it.

“That’s Queen Violet.” He stepped forward, standing on Violet’s other side with his arms crossed over his chest looking every bit the giant intimidating body guard. She looked at him and gave him a small smile, the expression falling once she turned back to the Navarre prince.

“Like I asked, why are you here?” She repeated, her gaze cold as ice. Her eyes wandered to the other Navarrians wondering, did they know? Had they been aware of what had gone down between her and the prince when they had brought him here? Or were they ignorant to the storm they had just brought into her home?

Halden ran a hand through his hair, “We’ve got problems. Aaric said that you guys might be able to help.” It was the first time she had seen him look less than put together, his gestures speaking of a stress that went beyond the normal scope he experienced as the Navarre heir.

The Tyrs looked to Aaric who at least had the decency to look repentant for bringing in his brother. “He came to me with concerns about what’s going on. I couldn’t keep him in the dark, not when we could use his influence to sway things our way.”

“You should have talked to us first. We’ve been very careful with who knows what and now we have this wild card. Has he told anyone, can he be trusted?” Violet spoke as if she didn’t know the prince, and who knows maybe she didn’t. Their failed relationship had been years ago, maybe he had changed.

“I can-“ Halden began to speak-

“Shut up. The deal was you get to tag along but you keep your mouth shut.” Aaric held his hand up and to Violet’s surprise Halden complied. “He can be trusted because he hasn’t had the opportunity to tell anyone else. He’s been under our constant supervision since we told him. In fact that’s why he and I were late.” The way Aaric looked at Halden made Violet want to know more. How was he keeping his big brother, the heir to the Navarrian throne, in line? She caught Rhiannon’s eyes and raised an eyebrow, wanting to know the story.

“Later.” She mouthed and Violet nodded.

Aaric put his hand to his head in an unusual show of frustration, “Just trust me, he hasn’t said anything okay?”

Letting it slide for the time being, at least until she could get the story from Rhi, Violet nodded. “So what were these concerns that he came to you with?”

The younger prince nodded at his brother and Violet could tell that it was killing Halden to have to play nice. He cleared his throat drawing attention back to himself, “I was at one of the outposts, doing checks, taking the tour, you remember the drill.” Halden stepped forward and addressed the royals. “I… I took a wrong turn and ended up in this, well the only way I can really describe it is a cellar. It was cold, dark, and damp. I figured while I was there, I could grab a bottle of wine enjoy a drink before dinner.” He licked his lips, the memory playing out in his mind like he was still there, “I pulled the bottle from the shelf and there was a gap where I could see deeper into the room and… fuck there were so many of them.”

“So many of what? Bottles of wine?” Xaden raised his eyebrow, wondering where this was going. Because if they had brought Halden to Tyrrendor because he was overwhelmed by the amount of wine at one of his outposts….

Halden’s eyes were haunted as he looked into Xaden’s, “No, bodies. At first I thought maybe they had been injured and the cellar was being used as another infirmary but then I realized that none of them were moving, none of them were breathing… Our dead should be commended to Malek the day they die. There was no reason for them not to burn them.”

The Navarrians watched in silence having already heard all of this. “So what did you do? Did you say anything to anyone?” Xaden asked, wondering what exactly the little princeling had done.

He shook his head, “No. Well, yes and no. The next day I mentioned wanting wine with dinner and asked if they had a cellar and they said no. I offered to send for some, to stock their cellar and they acted like they didn’t even have one. So, I made an excuse to stay longer and I watched. There were no deaths, when the death scroll was read there were no names because it’s a pretty peaceful area of the continent. But the number of bodies increased.” Halden took a deep breath, “I snuck back every night and counted. I used ink to make a mark on their feet so I could track if these were the same bodies or different. Every night there would be some of the old ones missing and new ones to replace them. Not many, only one or two, but… That’s not normal, right?” He looked genuinely perplexed as he retold the story, trying to puzzle out what was going on, even now.

“Where were the bodies coming from?” Violet asked softly, feeling a small sting of pity for his distress.

“I wasn’t sure and I.. I didn’t know who I could trust. So I disguised myself and went to the nearest village, asked some questions. They were frightened, all of them. People had been disappearing but they all had one thing in common, they were all people who had expressed anger toward the outpost. One man had made claims of infantry taking more than what was offered. The commanders demanding tithes from the villagers, and those who couldn’t pay… their families would disappear.”

“You think the bodies in the cellar are the missing villagers?” Bodhi looked up from the notes he was taking and Violet made a mental note to ask to see them. This was not something that needed to be written down or recorded, it needed to be kept secret or all of their lives were at risk.

“I do. But why do they want those bodies? What good would come from keeping them?” Halden ran his hands through his hair and, if the situation weren’t so dire, Violet would take enjoyment from the fact that he for once didn’t have all the answers and was just as lost as they all were.

It took everything she had for Violet to keep her face neutral. She knew what the bodies were for, knew what was likely being done with them. Part of her was relieved that Halden didn’t know, it was one less life she would need to end. How many would there be? The entirety of the venin, everyone else who knew. It didn’t matter if they knew the process or not, if they knew it was possible their lives were forfeit in the eyes of Malek.

Xaden’s hand found hers, twining their fingers together and giving her the silent show of support that she didn’t know she needed. “That’s something we’ll need to figure out.” She said after a moment of silence had passed, trying to figure out how to navigate this increasingly difficult path. Malek had said that anyone who knew.. they couldn’t be allowed to live because this knowledge couldn’t be allowed to exist. How was Violet supposed to address what was happening without telling them and signing their death warrant? How would she lead her friends and allies without telling them why all of these lives needed to be ended?

A small ache began to form in the back of her head as she tried a million different ways to puzzle out the problem but no solution would come, not one that allowed all of them to get out alive. She gave Halden a wicked side-eye, even him.

Cool tendrils spread through her arm and up into her head, Brennan’s hand gently pressing against the small of her back out of sight of the Navarrian group and channeling his healing energy into her.

She wanted to say thank you but then that would give away that she wasn’t feeling her best and there was no way she would admit to that, not in front of Halden.

“You’ve given us a lot to think about.” Xaden spoke up, ever the diplomat. “Why don’t you all go to your rooms and refresh yourselves, we can meet again for dinner in the private dining room and discuss potential solutions and what exactly it is that you are asking of us.”

Naturally, they were going to help, but Halden didn’t need to know that. This would give Violet a chance to calm down and think about this logically, creating a reason for them to help without telling them about the job she had been given by Malek.

“I’ll show them where they’ll be staying.” Imogen gestured for the Navarrians to follow her, giving a subtle nod to Violet. Without a word being spoken, she knew that the pink haired woman would put all of the Navarrians in nice rooms that would covertly be monitored by their most trusted guards.

“Thanks Im. Dinner at 7.” The guests nodded as they left, ready for the chance to relax for a little bit after the long flight.

The moment all of them were out the door, Violet sat down and put her head in her hands. “What the fuck?” She murmured.

“Vi?” Liam put his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it in a silent show of support. “You okay?”

She sat up and looked at him, “Yeah. I just wish they hadn’t brought him here, he’s… unpredictable. He doesn’t like it when he’s not in control and tends to lash out. You’ve heard the phrase cutting off your nose to spite your face? He would chop off his own head to prove a point.” They all looked at her with mixed expressions of concern.

“You know him well?” Mira could have smacked Brennan for asking that question.

Xaden sat in the chair next to hers and squeezed her hand. “Very well.” She took a deep breath and looked at her brother, “He’s my ex.”

Every eye in the room turned to her, most in disbelief. “You dated that?” Sloane asked in disbelief. Even with their checkered past and the turbulent relationship between the two women, she would never have pegged Halden as a man Violet would have dated.

“Unfortunately. It’s a time I would rather forget.” She grumbled leaning her elbows on the table and cradling her head that was slowly starting to ache again.

“Vi! I told you how many times not to get involved with the Tauri’s.” Brennan spoke up, coming to sit in the chair next to her.

“I know, Brennan, but you weren’t exactly there, were you?” She glared at him.

He held his hands up and backed away.

“We need to figure this out, what they want and how we can help. We all know war with Navarre is coming, war with the venin…” She trailed off, feeling overwhelmed and under prepared for a task this big.

“We’ll figure it out, we always do.” Liam smiled down at her, gently massaging her shoulder.  Violet nodded, trusting in his blind optimism even if she didn’t believe it at the moment.

“Thanks Liam.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

“So, Vi… I guess you have a type, huh?” Garrick joked from where he leaned against the wall, laughing as he looked around to see how well his playful teasing was going over.

Slowly she looked up, her eyes tracking his body as he pushed off the wall and walked closer.

“What?” Violet’s voice was dead calm as she stared him down, partially in disbelief that he was actually saying these words.

“Garrick…” Mira spoke but it was too late, he was already speaking again.

“You have a type.” He repeated, playfully jabbing her shoulder. “Halden’s a prince, Xaden was a prince. You have a type, princess.” He teased.

The sound of thunder split the air, the noise so loud the glass in the windows cracked. Garrick flew back as Violet stood and her hands impacted his chest, leaving scorched prints on his shirt. “Don’t say that!”

“Vi… your siphons.” Mira stepped forward, her hand outstretched and eyes fixed on the siphons attached to Violet’s wrists, the stones broken and falling in little glowing shards to the ground.

Violet froze and looked from her hands to Garrick, then at the shocked and worried faces of her friends. “I’m sorry.” Shaking her head she backed out of the room and started to run.

“Vi!” Mira yelled, “You’re such a dumbass.” She paused and smacked Garrick on the back of his head and ran after her sister.

Garrick turned to Xaden, “I was just joking… I didn’t mean to…” He looked helplessly at the door Violet had just exited.

Xaden nodded, “I know. You can make it right later.”

“Fuck.” Garrick sat and put his head in his hands.

“What did I miss?” Imogen asked stepping into the room and taking in the scene.

~

“Vi! Slow down!” Mira yelled after her sister, running to keep up.

Violet pushed the door open and stepped out onto the balcony that extended from the tallest tower. She ran to the wall and stopped, her hands on the ledge as she took in deep breaths.

Mira doubled over, her hands on her knees as she fought to breathe, “Fuck when did you get so fast?” She asked between gasps.

Violet glared, “Don’t patronize me.”

Her sister stood up and slowly made her way to her sister, “I’m not. Look at me, Vi. Either I’m out of shape or you’ve improved your stamina and endurance. Now tell me, do I look out of shape to you?”

Violet shook her head, “No. You’re the fittest person I know.” She sighed, leaning against Mira.

She wrapped her arm around Violet’s shoulder holding her tight, “Wanna talk about what happened?”

“I’m so mad.”

Mira began to run her fingers through Violet’s hair. “That’s understandable, Vi. The Navarrians sprang all of this on you without warning. And Garrick stuck his foot in his mouth. It’s okay to be mad.”

Sighing, Violet turned to her sister. “I’m not mad at them… I’m mad at myself.”

The only sign that Violet’s words surprised Mira was the slight pause as she brushed her sister’s hair. “Care to elaborate?”

“I shouldn’t care, you know? Our break up was so long ago and I’m so indescribably happy with Xaden, I’m happy for everything that brought me to this moment. All the good, all the bad. Every moment of pain and pleasure brought me to him.” Violet pulled away to look up at her sister, “You heard him when he first came in the room I see you finally got your crown, Violet” She deepened her voice mimicking him. “When we were dating there were always rumors that I was trying to improve my position. All of you are amazing and larger than life and back then I was just the weakest Sorrengail. They all said I wanted a crown to even the odds, that if I couldn’t wield my own power that I would use some one elses.”

Mira’s hand tightened on Violet’s shoulder and pulled her back in for a hug, “Oh Vi. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Shortly after the rumors started, I caught him cheating. By the time I saw you again, it would have been pointless to tell you. Plus, part of me feared that you would have thought the same thing.”

Her sister pulled back, tilting Violet’s head up so she had to look into her eyes. “Vi, I would never have thought that about you.”

“I didn’t know that. You weren’t there! Brennan was gone, dad was dead, mom might as well have been a block of ice. I was all alone and everyone was saying that I had only dated Halden because I wanted the crown. I had no one, Mira!”

Mira’s embrace tightened as Violet’s body began to shake with the force of her sobs. “I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you, Vi. I am so sorry.” Gently she rocked her back and forth, giving her the comfort she hadn’t been able to all those years ago. “I’m so sorry.” She placed a kiss on Violet’s hair, the motherly gesture not lost on Violet.

Violet pulled away, wiping her nose and face. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’ve been holding this all in for a long time.” Mira cupped her cheeks and used her sleeve to wipe off the remainder of the tears. “It’s okay to cry, Violet, and I’ll always be here when you need a shoulder, yeah?”

Violet nodded, “Yeah, I know.”

Leaning her head on top of Violet’s Mira continued to gently stroke her shoulder, “You know Garrick didn’t mean anything by what he said. You know he doesn’t think of you like that.”

Violet groaned, the sound almost agonized, “I know and normally I would have laughed it off but with everything happening… it got to me.” She felt bad for how she had reacted because she knew Garrick hadn’t meant anything by it. If anything, he had been one of her biggest supporters, maybe not from the beginning but damn near.

Mira’s voice broke through her thoughts, “You know you don’t have to do all this by yourself, it’s okay to lean on your friends… to lean on Xaden.”

If only Mira knew the truth, of how wrong that statement was. “Yeah, I know. I’m just… I’m scared. We’ve been so lucky so far, how much longer until our luck runs out? I don’t want to lose any of you.” It was a thought that plagued her almost constantly, every time she would look at her friends, at Xaden, her mind would ask itself how much longer they had together before Malek would call in his dues. Would he use them to punish her if she didn’t work fast enough? What if the quest was never complete? Her breaths started coming faster as the thoughts kept coming and coming, flooding her mind with panic and desperation.

Mira squeezed her shoulder, bringing her back to the present and lifting Violet’s hand to rest over her sternum as she took big exaggerated breaths that Violet could easily follow. “Loss is inevitable, Vi. But I promise I’ll fight until my dying breath to stay with you and the others. I’m sure they’d say the same too.”

“We would.” Xaden’s voice carried over the silence as he leaned against the door frame watching the sisters. He pushed off and walked over, kneeling in front of his wife. “We’ll all fight, Violence, and even after we’re all gone, we’ll still be with you.” His hand found her free one and gently rubbed circles onto her pulse point.

Violet smiled, “You talk as if I won’t be dying moments after you do.” With any luck the bond would take her if he ever went first because she didn’t want to live a second without him.

He shook his head returning he smile, “No, when we go we’re going to be old and gray, and when we take our last breaths, it will be together.” He laced their fingers together and squeezed tight.

“Promise?” In a rare show of vulnerability, her voice was soft as she asked for the reassurance that only he could give.

“Promise.” He nodded.

“You know I didn’t marry you for the crown, right?” She couldn’t help but ask, needing to know that he knew.

His laughter echoed off the stone walls and railing, “Yeah, I know. How could I forget the number of times you almost fainted at the idea of being a princess?”

“I didn’t almost faint.” She protested.

“Yes, you did, and it was cute.” He brushed the hair from her face, “Now how about we go and take a short nap before we have to meet the others for dinner.”

“I’m not tired.”

“You will be… once I’m done with you.” He gave her that wicked grin and wrapped his arms around her, slinging her up and over his shoulder.

“Xaden!” She shrieked, her voice tinged with laughter.

“That’s what I love to hear.” He smacked her ass and started walking toward the door. “Mira, if any of the CB squad comes near our room…” He trailed off, not needing to finish he sentence.

“Understood.” Mira smiled, glad that her sister has a man like Xaden in her corner. “Don’t forget dinners at seven!” She called after him.

“We’ll be there… Eventually.” They disappeared into the fortress leaving Mira to look out over Aretia as she pondered what exactly had Violet so stressed and why she was so hesitant to ask for help.

Chapter Text

Brennan looked at his watch… again… Violet and Xaden were fifteen minutes late. He got up to go get them but sat back down when Mira glared at him, the expression making him bring a hand to his nose, remembering the numerous times she had broken it since she had found out that he was alive. Recently she claimed it was an accident, whenever they were sparring and her elbow would slip but he knew the truth. Part of her would always resent him for leaving the way he did, for pretending to be dead for years.

Naolin reached over and grabbed his hand, gently squeezing it beneath the table. “They’re on their way.” Brennan raised an eyebrow, wondering how Naolin could know that. His boyfriend simply tapped his head, “The bond. They’re just down the hall.” He whispered low enough that no one else could hear.

As he had said, moments later Xaden and Violet entered the private dining room hand in hand, both wearing gentle smiles, their cheeks flushed. “I’m going to pretend that’s from running to get here.” Brennan muttered, still not used to or fond of the idea of his baby sister having such an active sex life with her husband that there was a group dedicated to keeping them on time.

The pair looked around, taking note of who was there and who was still missing. “Aaric went to go get Halden.” Rhi explained when she noticed Violet counting them.

With a nod Violet and Xaden went to their seats at the head of the table and sat down, “So why were they late this afternoon?” She asked, wanting to know why Rhi couldn’t have told them earlier.

She didn’t expect Rhi and the other Navarrians to burst into laughter, Ridoc doubling over as he remembered what had happened. The Tyrs shared looks, knowing that this had to be a good story if it made their friends laugh this hard.

“Have you ever seen how they carry the royals who aren’t riders?” Rhi asked when she was able to catch her breath.

Violet nodded, “Yeah, in a gilded carriage. It’s how I was brought here before I was a rider. Why?”

Rhi shook her head, “No, that’s for royals on state visits… Halden…” She snorted as she started laughing again. “This isn’t a state visit so we had to improvise. He-“ The laughter overwhelmed her, her arms coming in to cradle her sides as tears began to stream down her face.

“A basket!” Ridoc erupted. “Big enough for him to lay down in, if he wanted to. He…. He looked like an angry kitten! All he needed was a little pink bow on his head.” His hand smacked the table as if he couldn’t contain the laughter.

Violet’s eyes widened as she tried to picture it, stoic Halden, proud Halden, sitting with his arms crossed in a big wicker basket pouting as his baby brother’s dragon flew him across the continent.

Xaden must have saw the mental image in her mind because he suddenly started choking on the sip of water that he had just taken, making everyone look at him. He shot her a look, a light dusting of barely noticeable pink on his cheeks, and it was the closest Violet had ever seen him come to being embarrassed. You’re trouble, Violence. He growled through the bond.

Sorry. Their eyes locked, onyx to hazel, as they communicated.

No, you’re not. He grabbed her hand from the surface of the table and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Yeah, I’m not. She laughed, leaning into him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Imogen stepped forward with her hand outstretched. “You two were already late because we gave you some extra time, you don’t get to leave early to go scratch whatever itch you’ve got going on.”

“Fine.” Violet conceded, straightening in her chair and looking over at Xaden whose eyes were still locked on her.

Before he could speak, the door opened and Halden stepped in, dressed in a nice shirt and pants like he was going to a royal dinner. He always dress like that? Xaden asked her through the bond, looking at the man who looked like he had never lived a moment of hardship in his life.

Yes. Violet fought the urge to roll her eyes because at least the manner of dress meant that he may be starting to take all of this seriously. Consider it a win, he thinks we’re important enough to dress up for.

You mean you’re important enough to dress up for. Xaden watched as Halden scanned the room, his eyes lingering a little too long on Violet as he entered and headed to the side opposite Xaden and Violet. Close behind him came Aaric, the younger brother dressed less formally in soft training clothes much like the other Navarrian riders currently seated around the table.

“Halden, how kind of you to join us.” Violet leaned forward, speaking as if she and Xaden hadn’t just come in minutes earlier. Liam let out a soft snort followed by a huff of air as Violet’s elbow met his stomach to keep him from laughing.

“I got lost.” He shrugged as he took his seat.

“He did not, he was looking for a cellar.” Aaric rolled his eyes taking the seat next to his brother.

All eyes turned to the older prince, “What? Don’t you trust us Halden?” Violet widened her eyes, feigning disbelief. She knew she should behave, that this was not how guests should be treated but there was a part of her that wanted to mess with him, wanted to be just the tiniest bit mean and sarcastic. And it didn’t stem from wanting him back or the breakup, no, it was the months of being told she wasn’t good enough and now here he was needing their help… Her help.

Her mind fluttered back to earlier, locked away with Xaden in their room tangled in the glorious afterglow. “There were rumors. I don’t know how or why they started, but it got around that I was only dating him because I wanted to be a princess.” She had revealed, her fingers tracing the lines of the runes inked over his heart, their runes. “That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I actually cared for him. We met in class, he’s older but I was in advanced classes so we shared most of the same ones. He sought me out and, I won’t lie, I was flattered by the attention. For once I wasn’t being singled out because I was General Sorrengail’s daughter, or Brennan and Mira’s little sister. He was looking at me because I was me, he was interested in me. No one had ever looked at me like that before.” He took her hand and laced their fingers together, kissing every fingertip.

“We dated for a few months and at first it was nice, he was sweet. But then the rumors started and things changed. And King Tauri… one day he pulled me from class just to say that he loved me like a daughter but I would never be his daughter. I was upset, I mean for weeks people had been telling me I wasn’t good enough then to have it confirmed by my boyfriend’s dad… I went looking for Halden and I found him. He had our history teacher bent over the desk, fucking her. We barely spoke after that.”

“So that’s why you were so distressed about marrying a prince? Because of them?” He asked, gently stroking her hair.

She nodded, “Yeah. And your dad pretty much told me the same thing Tauri had. That I was useful but not good enough to marry his son.”

His fingers gently traced the curve of her jaw, tilting her face up to look at him. “You are more than good enough, Violet. I am so lucky to have you. Tyrrendor is lucky to have you. You are an amazing warrior, a caring ruler, a beautiful soul, and the best queen I could have ever asked for.”

She closed her eyes and cuddled against him, her arms squeezing him just the smallest bit tighter, “Thank you.”

Violet blinked as she came back to the present, watching as Halden fumbled for an answer. “Of course I trust you, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” She raised an eyebrow. “Okay so maybe I was brought here against my will but my brother thinks you’re the right person to go to and I’ve always trusted his judgement.” He looks to Aaric, “On everything, he’s never steered me wrong.”

Her eyes narrowed, this was a side to Halden she had never seen, giving someone else credit, listening to the advice of someone else… It made her wonder if she had every really known him or if she had known only what he had wanted her to see. “Tell us what you want us to do.”

“I want you to help!” He smacked his hand on the table making everything clatter with the vibrations.

“Throwing a tantrum will get you nowhere.” Violet picked up her wine glass and took a sip, watching as Aaric grabbed Halden’s arm giving him a gesture that screamed drop it. “What kind of help do you expect from us? Reinforcements for battle? Recon to see if we can figure out what is going on? We need specifics because there are somethings that we won’t do.”

Halden looked to the others. “Backup. We need backup.”

Garrick rolled his eyes, “Backup for what? You don’t even know what is going on or how wide spread the problem is.”

“And what the fuck do you know?” Halden turned on him, glaring.

“Garrick was undercover for months at an outpost with leadership that did questionable things. In fact,” Violet turned to Garrick, “Since you have the most experience with this sort of thing, would you mind taking point?”

Garrick smirked and sat up straighter, sipping his glass of wine with a saccharine grin. “Gladly, your majesty.”

“Him?” Halden looked at Garrick incredulously, wondering how the hulking behemoth of a man could possibly contribute anything.

“What? Think I’m too big and dumb to head a mission?” Garrick asked, watching the emotions flit across the prince’s face.

Before Halden could open his mouth and shove his foot inside so far he would never recover, Xaden stepped in. “Garrick is one of our trusted Generals. He is more than capable of leading this mission and if you disagree, the door is right there. My guards will escort you back to your basket.”

Halden’s face turned red but Aaric’s grip on his wrist had the older Tauri looking down at his little brother and shutting his mouth. “No, we need your help. Halden will behave.” Aaric assured them and once again Violet had to wonder what the hell was going on? Why was Halden listening to Aaric, basically letting his little brother boss him around? It just… it didn’t make sense, it didn’t fit with the Halden she had known.

Something’s wrong? Xaden asked, feeling her internal struggle through the bond.

He doesn’t seem like the Halden I knew.

Maybe he changed?

But this drastically? What could make someoen transform like that?

Maybe he realized he lost the one good thing in his life.

Violet turned to look at Xaden, What?

He gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, You heard me.

She subtly shook her head, No, it has to be something else. He… he never… looking back I realize that a lot of his compliments were backhanded. At the time they sounded sweet but they were actually cleverly masked insults about my status and upbringing. No, I wasn’t the catalyst.

If that’s what you want to believe. All I’m saying is sometimes people don’t realize what they had until it’s gone. And you, Violence, are the greatest treasure this world has ever known.  He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, disregarding everyone else in the room who was watching them with varying degrees of curiosity.

“Yeah, they do this sometimes.” Imogen explained to the Navarrians, stepping forward and snapping next to Violet and Xaden’s ears. “Alright lovebirds, give us half an hour to finish dinner then you two can go lock yourselves in your room until sunrise.”

The pair jumped when they realized they were still at dinner, looking around at all of the eyes watching them. “What? Haven’t you ever seen a King besotted with his Queen before?” Xaden asked, standing when there was a knock on the door announcing the arrival of the food. He opened the door and a group of kitchen staff brought in the dishes until the table was laden with so much food they were surprised it didn’t collapse.

As usual different members of the squad took turns testing the food, making sure it contained no poison before letting the royals touch it. Violet sighed, “There has to be a better way to test the food than putting your lives at risk.”

“No worries, Vi. If anything happens Brennan can fix us, right Bren?” Liam slapped the eldest Sorrengail’s shoulder making him jolt forward and choke on the water he had been drinking.

“Forget how to drink?” Naolin teased.

He glared at Naolin before responding to Liam, “Yes. I can counter most poisons if I can get to you on time.”

Halden looked down that way, his eyes widening in recognition. “Brennan…” He nodded, trailing off when he realized just who he was.

“Yeah. Brennan.” It was only Naolin’s grip on his wrist that kept him in his seat. “We had a conversation before I left, Tauri.” Brennan glared, pointing his knife at the prince.

“I remember.” Halden gulped. “No one told me you were alive, I thought you were dead.”

“Even dead, I still expected you to keep your promise and you didn’t…”

“Brennan, I’m sorry…”

“Not yet you aren’t. We’ll be talking Tauri.” Brennan nodded and started to eat, alternating between eating, glaring at Halden, and looking over at Naolin who was gently massaging his thigh beneath the table.

Again, Violet was thrown for a loop… Of course, Brennan and Halden had known each other, the two families had basically grown up together and all of them had been friends at one point. But what promise had Halden made and why was Brennan so upset that he had broken it? It was all becoming too much and her head was beginning to ache again.

Seeing his queen’s face and knowing that she needed a break, Garrick took over while Xaden worked his magic on Violet. “Anyway, back to the subject of what you want from us. The fact is, you don’t even know what is going on or how widespread the issue is. It’d be like fighting an octopus and going after a tentacle instead of the head. Before we commit to anything you need to gather more information.”

“How do we do that? We all basically abandoned our posts to come here.” Rhi spoke up.

Garrick shook his head, “No. You were all enlisted to be his majesty Prince Halden’s personal guard as he tours the Navarrian outposts. If anyone questions it, say the order must have gotten lost in transit. Worst case scenario, turn him loose on them.” Garrick nodded toward Halden.

“Here’s what I want you to do. Go to as many outposts as you can and figure out how many of them are collecting the dead. Once you know, come back and report to us what you’ve found.” He instructed.

“And what will you all be doing while we’re gathering this information? Just sitting on your asses while we do all the work?” Halden growled.

“You’re not the only one with problems. We have our own to deal with, we don’t have to help you but we more than likely will because that is who we are. Now, until you come back with information that we can use, we will be focusing on our other problems.” Violet’s hand found Xaden’s beneath the table, gently holding it as he told the Navarrian prince how it was.

“But you will help?” Halden pushed, wanting a definite answer.

Xaden took a deep breath, “We’ll see what we can do once you bring us back the information that we need.”

Halden nodded running a hand through his hair, destroying the carefully crafted hairstyle he had come in with. “Okay. Okay, we’ll do that.”

It was strange watching him fall apart, the weight of major decisions weighing on him and slowly making him sink beneath the waves. Violet felt… bad for him. “Halden, just focus on gathering the information, okay. We’ll take this one day at a time and figure it all out.” She carefully spoke, making sure her tone was calm and soothing. I don’t know if he can do this. Violet looked to Xaden.

Remember us when we faced our first problem as the royals in charge? He asked with a hint of laughter.

Yeah, we did what we had to. We didn’t have time to break down and have an emotional crisis.

Then let’s not give him time to break down.

She narrowed her eyes at him, You are a very clever man, Xaden Riorson.

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, I have to be to keep up with my brilliant queen. His words made her smile.

I love you.

I love you more.

“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat making the couple look away from each other and to the other occupants of the room who were staring at them with varying looks of incredulity. Mira sat smirking, watching as Bodhi and Garrick exchanged money.

“You two really couldn’t have kept it to yourselves until after dinner?” Bodhi grumbled. “This is the last time I ever have faith in your self restraint.” Sloane gently rubbed his back as he continued to quietly complain about losing the bet.

Halden looked at them in disbelief, “We’re in the middle of a crisis and you two are making out?”

Before either Violet or Xaden could respond, Garrick held up his hand. “Hold it right there, kitten. One, that is not making out. I’ve seen them make out and it’s a sight that makes you somehow both uncomfortable and oddly aroused. Two, what else is there to settle. You and your entourage will be leaving to gather intel and until you gather the information that we need to make an informed decision, there is nothing else that we can do. And third, this is their fortress, their palace, their home. If they want to make out at dinner, that is their right as the reigning monarchs.” He turned to them, “I don’t usually condone this but go for it. Consider the CB squad suspended for the remainder of the night.”

“Garrick, you can’t make that call.” Imogen put her hand on his arm trying to calm him down.

“The fuck I can. Vi said I’m the mission leader meaning I’m in charge of this dinner meeting, right? Since it’s about the mission?” He looked to Violet and Xaden who both nodded. “So it is my call. Go on you two, have at it.” He motioned for the two of them to continue, making the both of them blush a shade of red the others hadn’t seen before.

Bodhi leaned over to whisper to Liam, “Is this really all it takes to get them to stop? To tell them they are allowed to?”

“Maybe?” The blonde whispered back noticing how Violet and Xaden didn’t attempt to resume whatever had been going on between them before. “We’ll have to conduct some tests.”

Garrick looked around, arms crossed over his chest as he tried to determine if anyone else from the Navarrian group would question his authority. “Alright then. Back to business.” He sat back down and resumed eating. “When do you plan to head out?”

Halden looked to Aaric, “It was a pretty long flight, how long do your dragons need to rest?”

“They’ll be ready by morning. We can leave at first light, the nearest outpost is only a few hours away.”

“No.” Garrick shook his head, “You can’t go there, not yet. You need to go somewhere that isn’t close to our border. We can’t have anyone suspecting that you were here.”

“He’s right.” Rhiannon nodded and turned to Halden. “If you were really on a tour of the outposts, where would your next stop have been from the outpost you were at?”

He licked his lips as he tried to remember, “In the Luceras Province… Avondale then Lusitania.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go.” Aaric put down his utensils as he prepared to get up.

“Wait, you need a reason. Why did the crown prince return to Basgaith and enlist cadets to be his guard?” Garrick asked, knowing that the commanders at the outposts would have questions, especially once the prince showed up with a bunch of unranked riders who hadn’t even graduated.

“Fuck, he’s right.” Aaric looked down at his plate as he tried to think of a reason but kept coming up blank.

"What happened to the guards that you were travelling with?” Imogen spoke up, noticing that everyone present, that everyone who had come, was all cadets save Halden. “For that matter, did you all just leave Basgaith or what excuse did you give them for absconding with five of their cadets?”

“I told them I needed to return to Basgaith, who are they to question why I need to do anything?” At this rate Violet’s eyes would take up permanent residence in the back of her head with how often she was rolling her eyes. “When we got there I slipped something into their food to make them sick and I immediately went to Aaric who gathered everyone and we took off.”

“So no one knows where you went?” Brennan asked, putting his head in his hands.

“No… That’s good, right?”

Both Mira and Brennan looked to Dain, the senior cadet of the group, the Wingleader. “Please tell us you thought this through and didn’t just take off.” Mira almost begged, unable to believe that this was the person she had once thought of asking to watch after Violet when she couldn’t.

“No. We didn’t say a word to anyone.”

“Fuck. You guys need to leave, now.” Mira stood and gestured for a servant to go get a basket for the food.

“What? Why? No one knows we’re here.”

“Exactly! You disappeared without a trace and now you’re here. If anyone finds out, they’ll assume we kidnapped you and we’ll be at war.” She slammed her fists on the table.

“No, I do stuff like this all the time.” Halden shrugged off her concern, casually leaning back in his chair and picking at his food.

“Yeah, you did this all the time when you had guards with you. Guards who probably reported your every move to your father. Now they’re all conveniently sick, you’re missing and so are the cadets who came back with us after the Battle of Basgaith. It looks pretty damn suspicious and the finger is pointing to Tyrrendor. Fuck!” Mira stood and buried her hands in her hair, “Don’t you think? Did you even pause for a moment to use your brain?” She asked Dain who at least had the decency to look scared.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I.. The information Halden had was important, I was too caught up in getting it to you that I didn’t think about the possible repercussions.” Dain got up and motioned for the Navarre cadets to do the same. “Have the dragons meet us on the flight field. Go get your things.” He directed all of them, watching as they hastened to go get their bags from their rooms. “Vi, Xaden, I really am sorry. I should have thought… I’m sorry.”

“You’ll need an excuse for why you were missing.”

For the first time, Dain smiled. “I think we got that covered. Aaric and Halden actually got into a pretty big fight on the way here, it’s why we arrived so much later than the others. I told them to come ahead while I babysat the Tauri’s.”

“Why did they get into a fight?” For as long as she had known them, Aaric and Halden had always gotten along. It could get tense at times but they had never outright fought before.

“Halden was trying to flex his power and Aaric told him that if he was going to come along he could either behave or he could spend the entire time in time out in his little basket. Halden didn’t like that and threw a punch. But you know those infantry guys, they’re no match for a rider. Aaric had him down and begging for mercy in less than ten minutes and even then I think he toyed with him for eight of those minutes.”

“Aaric took down Halden? I would have loved to have seen that.” Violet smiled, imagining the scene.

“It was pretty good. Anyway, I had better go get my things and meet the others. We’ll be in touch when we have more information.” He gently touched Violet’s elbow and shook Xaden’s hand before leaving.

With the Navarrians gone, the atmosphere was tense, all of them wondering if it was too late for this deception to work. “It’s going to work. It has to.” Violet said aloud, more to convince herself than the others.

“It will.” Xaden grabbed her hand and squeezed.

Everyone continued to eat what was left over after they had packed dinner baskets for the Navarrians. Silence ruled the room, the only sounds the clinking of silverware on plates and the chewing of food.

“I think…” Naolin spoke as he chewed causing Brennan to elbow him in the stomach, “Ow!” He groaned and glared at his boyfriend. “Anyway,” He rubbed the skin. “I just want to applaud Garrick for his masterful command of the situation. Calling Halden a kitten.”

To everyone’s surprise Imogen snorted, wine coming out of her nose as she tried to control her laughter, “I had forgotten about that.” She managed to say.

Garrick smirked as he handed her a napkin, “Caught that did ya?”

“Guys, we’re supposed to be playing nice and helping them, not trying to get little digs in whenever we can.” Bodhi chastised, ever the levelled headed diplomat.

“He was an ass. Plus, all the insults he kept throwing our way? All the insults he threw at Violet? No way was I letting him get away with that.” Garrick explained.

“Thank you, Garrick.” Violet smiled.

“Anytime princess.” He returned the smile, reaching over and gently covering her hand with his own.

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m tired. And, we’re all going to need our sleep if this plan doesn’t work and Navarre declares war because we kidnapped their princes.” Naolin stretched, his arm casually draping over Brennan’s shoulders.

“That’s not a bad idea. See you all in the morning.” Xaden agreed, his words met with a chorus of goodnights as the others filed out of the room.

“Actually, um, Garrick? Can I talk to you for a second?” Violet reached out before he could leave the room.

He nodded for Mira and Imogen to go on, “I’ll be there soon. Don’t get started without me.” He winked making both women roll their eyes and laugh as they left.

“I’ll be up soon.” Violet said to Xaden who nodded. “Wanna take a walk?”

“Sure princess.” Garrick turned leading the way out of the room and into the fortress, “Any specific location in mind or are we just wandering?” He asked, wondering which direction to take.

“Just wandering.” She smiled softly and the pair walked in silence down the hall, their footsteps echoing around them.

“Think Xaden’s listening in with his shadows?” Garrick asked, eyeing the dark corners that seemed to move even though nothing was there.

Violet shrugged, “Maybe.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets, “Garrick, I’m sorry about earlier. I over reacted and it wasn’t okay.”

He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her close enough that he could tuck her into his side, his arm over her shoulders. “Nothing to be sorry for, I shouldn’t have joked the way I did. If anything, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know.”

“That’s no excuse. You’re an important person in my life, Violet, I never should have joked about your exes or having a type.”

“We were both wrong.”

He squeezed her shoulder pulling her tight against his side, “I can agree to that.”

“And I should have asked before just putting you in charge of everything with the Navarrians.”

“Are you kidding? Vi, I’m honored that you think so highly of me.”

“You’re not mad?”

“That you have enough faith in me to lead a mission of this magnitude? Of course not.”

“You’re the only one who’s been in a situation like this with command doing shady shit. You’re perfect.”

“I’ll make you proud, princess.” He smiled down at her as he shifted their path to take them to the royal chambers where Xaden was waiting for her.

“You always make me proud.” The silence between them now was not as heavy as before. “How’s Mira been?” She asked, looking up at him.

He ran a hand through his hair, “She hasn’t talked about it and every time Im or I try she shuts us down or… well, she strips and have you ever seen your sister naked? Damn Vi, she’s fucking gorgeous. I mean, she’s beautiful with her clothes on too but when they’re off and she gets that look in her eyes… You kind of forget everything else.”

Violet sighed, “So she’s deflecting. She always does this when she wants to avoid emotional conversations.”

“Wait, so she would strip naked to distract you too?”

“Ew! No!” She smacked his chest laughing, “She’s my sister, that would be gross.” He rubbed his chest like her smack had hurt even though she knew it probably had felt like a tap. “No, she would always bring me a new book when she wanted to distract me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He laughed, still rubbing his chest.

“Are you okay? I didn’t…” She closed her eyes when she realized, “Fuck… How bad did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, “No, Vi, you didn’t.”

“Don’t lie. Show me.” She stopped and made him turn to face her. “Come on, show me.”

Knowing there was no getting out of it, Garrick carefully pulled up his shirt until his pecs were revealed, two perfect handprints burned into his skin. “Garrick, I am so sorry.” She looked up at him with regret in her eyes, feeling guilty for hurting her friend.

“It’s okay, Vi.”

“Quit saying that!” She snapped, immediately regretting it. “Here, let me try.” She reached up and gently touched the burns. Before his eyes the burns faded away until there was nothing left but unmarred skin.

“Thanks, Vi.”

“Anytime Garrick. I really am sorry.”

“I know. And hey, you only burned me. Remember the last time you hit a guy like that? Back when we were all cadets before the war games?”

And she did, it was hard to forget the first man she had ever killed with her signet, even if it was unknowingly. “Yeah… Garrick I could have killed you, how are you so calm about all of this.”

This time it was his turn to stop them and he actually laughed as he brought his hand up to ruffle her hair, “Because I know you would never hurt me, not even accidentally.”

“You have a lot of faith in me.” She pushed his hand away and tried to finger comb her hair back into place.

“We all do. You’re a force to be reckoned with, Violet, but we all know you would rather die than ever harm any of us. Intentional or otherwise.”

She smiled, “You’re not wrong.” They continued walking, Violet giving him a side hug as they arrived at the door to the royal chambers. “Thanks for this, for not hating me.”

“I could never hate you.” He acted like he was going to mess up her hair again and she stepped out of his reach.

“You coming in? Pretty sure everyone else is inside, drinking without us.” Even though they had all said they were going to bed, they usually all ended up here for a drink.

“Those bastards.” He laughed and stepped into the room with her where, sure enough, all of their friends sat around the table passing around a bottle and laughing.

Violet took her seat next to Xaden, his hand finding hers beneath the table. Everything okay?

She nodded, smiling at him Everything is perfect. Her eyes roamed the table looking at all of her friends, her family, the people she loved most in the world. Tomorrow she would wonder how many of them she would lose in the coming months, how many would suffer, but for tonight it was just them and their shared love for each other. A family bound by fate, a family she would protect even if it was the last thing she ever did.

Chapter Text

They were up before the sun, dressing and taking a flight as they always did. It didn’t matter how busy they were or how chaotic life felt, their sunrise flights were their time together with their bondeds and each other. Tairn was slowly getting better, his wing still tender from the wound he had sustained in battle. The look he had given Violet when she had said she would fly with Andarna so his wing wouldn’t be stressed could have melted glass.

You think I cannot carry you? You think I am weak? He had asked, offended and a little hurt (though he would never admit to it).

It’s not that, Tairn. Brennan said you need to go easy on your wing for at least a week. She had tried to reason, not wanting to make his injury worse.

If I were a human, you would be an ant, it is no trouble to carry you. Without another word he had stuck out his arm for her to climb, considering the argument to be settled.

Not wanting to fight, Violet climbed up and strapped herself into the saddle. You know, Andarna needs to practice flying with me too. I won’t always be able to fly with you and it’s unfair to her.

The last time you flew with her, both of you almost died. I’d rather not take that risk. His tone was dismissive, like the matter was settled. But Violet had never been very good at backing down, even when the opponent was a dragon the size of a mountain.

Tairn, we were in battle. This is different, this is just… it’s just flying, it’s not even maneuvers. She had argued.

For now, you fly with me. You can fly with the Golden One later.

Violet sighed, How long until you’re going to forgive us for what we did? It hadn’t escaped her notice that while she and Tairn had been talking, Andarna had been silently waiting and watching, things were so out of sorts that it was almost disorienting. Tairn, we need to talk about this… It was like her words were the last straw, the crack that made the dam break unleashing a torrent of emotions that he had been holding back.

Now you want to talk? You didn’t trust me in battle, didn’t trust that I was trying to keep you safe. I chose you, not the dark one, not the golden one, YOU. My priority will always be you. The young one doesn’t know, doesn’t understand that one wrong move and all of our lives are done. She still thinks with the invincibility of youth, as do you.

Violet had never felt more chastised in her entire life. Not even when her mother had scolded her for an hour straight for sneaking out with some of her classmates to drink at the lake, not even that had hit this hard. Her heart sank because she knew that it was for the most part true. I don’t think I’m invincible. She said, her voice subdued.

You act like you are. What you and the Golden One did was foolish, you’re lucky. But luck doesn’t last forever and eventually something will go wrong. The both of you put not only your lives at risk but the Dark One’s, Sgaeyl’s, the Betrayer’s, and mine. Did you think of that?

No. I was just thinking about how to save everyone else. At that point in the battle it had been all she had been able to think about, how to make sure her loved ones survived the night.

There’s the problem, I don’t care about everyone else. I care about you. It was the first time he had ever outright admitted that he cared for her and it stung that she had to hear it like this, while he was scolding her. Of all the ways she had imagined him finally admitting that he cared, of him actually saying I care about you, it had never been like this.

She could tell by the silence that followed that he was done with the conversation. The whole time during the battle, she hadn’t been thinking of herself, she had been thinking of everyone else. Tairn had her rethinking everything. In being selfless, was she actually being selfish? Because he was right, she hadn’t stopped to think about what would happen if she died. Xaden, Andarna, Sgaeyl, Tairn, and Naolin would all die with her… Five lives cut short because she was trying to do the right thing, the noble thing. He was right, she and Andarna shouldn’t have put their lives at risk like they did. But it worked a little voice in the back of her mind whispered making her shake her head. No, while it had seemed like the right decision at the time, looking back it hadn’t been the wisest and it could have gotten them all killed.

Oh gods…. She leaned down and rested her head on his scales as something came to her. The eggs. If something happened to all of them, the eggs would be orphans. Three more lives changed irreversibly because of her rash actions, because of her need to save everyone. Tairn I am so sorry.

Actions, not words. A human’s sorry has ceased to have meaning to me. His words broke her heart, had she hurt him that bad that he would no longer accept her apology? Damnit, she had really fucked up. He banked to the side keeping Sgaeyl and Xaden in his sight, Andarna flew around them and Violet knew she needed to practice riding her as well but right now, right now she needed to prove to Tairn that she was truly sorry, that she meant it and that he was important to her. Go. He tilted his wing toward Andarna.

Tairn? She asked, wondering what had made him change his mind about letting her fly with Andarna.

You wanted to fly with the Golden One. Go. She couldn’t help but feel like he was putting distance between them.

We need to talk about this, we need to figure it all out. She tried arguing.

There’s nothing more to say. Go fly with the Golden One.

Knowing that she was fighting a losing battle, Violet gently caressed his scales. Tairn, are you sure?

Yes. Go. Reluctantly Violet unbuckled and got up, stretching for a moment to get circulation back in her legs before walking down the wing joint.

Ready for me? She asked Andarna.

Always. Violet jumped and easily landed on Andarna’s back, sitting down. It was easier for her on Andarna, the golden dragon’s smaller size making it easier for her to keep her seat without the use of a saddle.

The moment he knew she was safe Tairn flew ahead, flying alongside Sgaeyl as she and Xaden wound through the clouds.

Xaden looked back at her, Everything okay?

She shook her head, No, he’s still mad about the battle. And he should be. I’ve thought about everyone else and in doing so I neglected to think about him.

Give him time.

Yeah. Violet nodded, looking forlornly at the large black dragon ahead of them and missing him even though he was a thought away.

He’s mad at me too. He’s barely spoken to me. Andarna whispered not because she was afraid of being heard but because she genuinely felt bad about what they had done. He says I’m foolish and impulsive.

And suddenly it hit Violet, why Tairn’s disappointment was hitting her so hard. It’s like we’ve disappointed our dad. Through the bond she could feel Andarna’s agreement. How can we prove we’re sorry?

I don’t know but you have a better chance of being forgiven than I do. He’s still mad at me for spending time with Esper.

Violet had to think for a minute, Liam’s second dragon? The golden one?

He’s been teaching me about our kind, about what we can do. Tairn thinks he’s too old for me. Violet couldn’t fight the small smile that appeared on her lips at the thought of Tairn being an overprotective dad.

My dad was gone before I had my first boyfriend. I never had to go through the fatherly disappointment or the million questions.

Consider yourself lucky. Tairn hates Esper. Andarna sighed.

All dads hate the man who takes their little girl from them. I’m sure it’s the same with dragons too. Tairn sees you as his daughter and as far as he is concerned no dragon will ever be good enough. Plus, you are still young.

She could feel Andarna’s offense before she heard her, I am old enough to have endured the long sleep, I may not be full grown but in the eyes of my kind I am old enough to find a mate. She argued and in that moment Violet was reminded that even though Andarna had the appearance of a dragon who was grown she was still young and like Tairn had said, impulsive.

You are correct. His voice made them both jump. You should be more aware of your surroundings.

What-? Andarna had barely gotten the word out when black talons reached up from beneath them grabbing her and pulling her down toward the ground. Tairn!

Tairn, what are you doing? Violet’s voice was louder than usual as the ground grew closer and closer.

Tairn! Andarna scratched at his arms, her claws not even marring his scales.

At the last moment he pulled up, If I had been an enemy, you would have been dead. You need to be aware at all times, even on our morning flights.

Yes, Tairn. Violet and Andarna chorused, both feeling ashamed that they had let their guards down so much that he, a dragon the size of a mountain, had been able to sneak up on them.

Little One, it is time for your lessons. Tairn flew so he was a little below Andarna, Return to me, Silver One.

Violet got up, gently caressing Andarna’s scales before taking a running jump and landing on Tairn’s back, walking back to her saddle like she was taking an evening stroll on land. By now his back was as familiar to her as the back of her hand, his body like an extension of her own. Once she was sure Violet was safe, Andarna turned and headed back toward the nesting grounds. She has lessons?

As much as I detest it, she has a point. The Old One can teach her about her kind, things that I don’t know. By the grumble in his voice Violet could tell it killed him to admit it.

Wait, isn’t he younger than you? Why would you call him the Old One.

He may be younger than me but he is still older than her. Tairn replied, smoke billowing out of his nostrils.

Have you even talked to him and asked him what his intentions are? For all we know this could be just a crush and Esper might feel nothing for her. He may really just be spending time with her to teach her about who she is. Violet reasoned.

Perhaps. He turned, adjusting their flight path so they were flying behind Xaden and Sgaeyl.

Violet had never heard silence quite this loud. Tairn, are we okay? She had to ask, she needed to know.

Why would you ask that? He looked over his shoulder at her.

I just, I feel like there’s this distance between us that wasn’t there before and I feel like it’s my fault.

Because it is your fault. His words made Violet jerk back as if she had been struck. She had expected honesty, Tairn never lied to her, but to have it so bluntly stated was… it hurt… Tairn sighed, But I am also to blame. No one is without guilt in this situation, we all made choices that we regret.

Will we ever get back to the way we were?

It may take time to rebuild the trust between us but yes, we will get there.

I really am sorry, Tairn. I never meant to betray your trust.

I know Silver One, your heart was in the right place even if your mind was not. Even though he couldn’t see her, Violet nodded. Perhaps I was too cautious. He muttered after a few moments of silence. It wasn’t that long ago that I almost lost you and maybe I let that fear effect how I treated you in battle.

Carefully Violet unfastened the straps holding her to him and stood, walking up his spine to his head. Gently she lay down on the slope of his nose and looked him in the eyes. What happened wasn’t your fault.

I should have been stronger, faster. Aimsir is no match for me, he shouldn’t have been able to hold me back the way he did.

Tairn, he would have gutted you, he almost did. She could remember the deep gouges in his body after the battle, could remember everyone telling her about the way he had refused to be healed until he was certain she would survive. I trust you to always catch me.

You shouldn’t. I failed.

Violet pressed her forehead to the scales between his eyes, You’ve never failed me. Not once. I know if I were to fall right now, you’d catch me before I hit the ground.

He knew what she was thinking before she did it, Silver One, don’t.

Violet got to her feet, crouching on the slope of his snout. I trust you. She stood and spread her arms wide falling backward off of him and into a free fall.

Violet! His shout echoed through the bond as he dove, catching her in his palm before she had even fallen a hundred feet.

Ahead of them both Sgaeyl and Xaden turned to look at them, wondering why Tairn was shouting.

Tairn! What happened to Violet? Andarna’s voice was frantic through the bond.

Even Naolin, who had been fast asleep at the fortress, was woken by the dragon’s panic.  What the fuck? His voice was sleepy through the bond as he got out of bed, blindly fumbling for a weapon.

It’s fine. Don’t worry Little One. Tairn breathed, relaxing now that Violet was safe in his grasp. I’ll explain later.He looked down at Violet who was looking up at him from between his talons, That is where you will stay until we are safe on the ground. He tightened his grip on her.

I knew you would catch me. She called on her signet and wielded back to the saddle making Tairn huff in annoyance.

That is not where I told you to stay. He grumbled.

Xaden and Sgaeyl slowed their pace until they were flying side by side with Tairn and Violet. Everything okay?

Violet nodded, Yeah, just trying to prove a point.

Trying to give me a heart attack. Tairn mumbled making Violet realize that all of the bonds were completely open and all of them could hear everything she was thinking. She put the gentle barriers back up, strong enough to protect her thoughts from wandering into their minds.

In the archives of her mind she took a moment to admire the different ways the bonds manifested.

Tairn’s door.

Andarna’s window.

Xaden’s shadows.

And through them the bonds to Sgaeyl and Naolin that, though they weren’t visible, could be felt.

Sgaeyl’s cold acceptance of the human her mate had chosen to bond.

Naolin’s confusion… Shit, she had forgotten that he had heard Tairn’s shout through the bond.

We’re fine Naolin, no need to wake everyone up. The message relayed through Tairn and Violet smiled when she felt his confusion settle.

Too late… So there’s no need to rally the troops?

No, sorry.

It’s fine. Though I think Imogen and your sister may kill me when I tell them it was a false alarm. You don’t want to know what I interrupted to tell them you might be in trouble. He paused for a moment, Garrick is glaring at me…. His pants are on backwards and I’m pretty sure he’s wearing your sister’s top.

We’ll be home soon. Try to survive until then. She laughed but paused when she felt Tairn’s disapproval. Making sure that the bond to Naolin was sealed, Tairn… will you ever forgive him?

Never. He betrayed the sacred bond between dragon and rider the moment he channeled from the earth, the moment he tried to channel from me.

I understand, that was a betrayal of the trust between you two. He didn’t need to say it, she knew what was in Tairn’s heart. He had chosen Naolin and Naolin had chosen Brennan, sacrificing himself and Tairn to try and save the man he loved. And now he felt she had broken his trust too. She had broken his trust. She had disregarded his concern and gone off with Andarna without pausing to think about how it would affect him.

She lay back against his spine, there was so much that they needed to work through. On top of that there was the whole venin and Navarre stuff to figure out, curing Naolin, keeping everyone in the dark while simultaneously asking them to fight with her and wipe out an entire population plus many key figures of the Navarrian government…

Hey, breathe. Shadows caressed her cheeks, gently turning her head to the side so she could see Xaden looking right back at her. I don’t know what’s going on in the beautiful head of yours but we’ll figure it out. Violet leaned into the shadows that cupped her cheek like it was his hand.

Would you think less of me if I said I’m scared?

Never. Anyone who says they aren’t scared is lying. None of us know what tomorrow will bring, hell none of us know what today will bring. All we can do is live every moment and cherish the time we have with the ones we love.

I love you. His steadfast faith in her and their purpose steadied her erratic heartbeat and soothed her frayed nerves. Yes, the task before them was daunting but they would face it as they always did, together.

I love you more. What she wouldn’t give to be able to kiss him right now. He must have been thinking the same thing because he stood on Sgaeyl’s back and started to walk toward her wing, his shadows ready to pull him over to Tairn.

You will not be mating on my back. Tairn growled making Xaden freeze and Violet blush because she won’t lie, if Xaden had come over and kissed her it wouldn’t have stopped at just a kiss. Maybe the squad had a point, maybe she and Xaden did let their desires run away with them a little too often.

Sgaeyl and Tairn made a wide turn heading back in the direction of Aretia. What’s going on, usually we fly for at least another hour? The sudden change had Xaden and Violet looking at each other, both trying to figure out why their dragons had decided to end their morning ritual early.

You have a guest.

Violet and Xaden shared a look, wondering who could be waiting for them. You can’t tell us who?

The flyer has arrived. The flyer… Syrena. Despite the fact that this was supposed to be the one time of day when they could relax and think without worrying about the future, Violet found herself anxious to get back and see what the heir to the Poromish throne had brought with her. Had she brought the books about bonds that the queen had promised her? Was there news of what was going on along their borders? Which reminded her, they needed to check the correspondence from the outposts to see if there were any problems after what had happened.

Xaden’s laugh trickled through her mind, I can hear you thinking all the way over here.

We have so much to do and I swear something gets added to the list every time I take a moment to breathe.

I know. We’ll figure it out. As soon as we get home and talk with Syrena we can sit down and start making a plan, figure out what needs to be dealt with first.

Violet nodded, that was a good idea. They just needed to sit down and make a list of everything that needed to get done and make a plan. She could do that. They were good at making plans.

The fortress came into view, below them the fields and roads turned into houses and shops. Little children waved, running in the shadows of Tairn and Sgaeyl. Parents watched fondly, raising their hands in greeting as the king and queen flew overhead.

This.

This was what they were fighting for. A peaceful life for their people, a chance for these children to grow up and become whatever they wanted to be. The future looked chaotic, Violet wasn’t sure which way to go or even where to start. But they’d figure it out. They had to.

The dragons landed in the flight field where their friends and Syrena waited.

“It’s about time.” Violet smiled as she hugged the woman who had become her friend. It was hard to believe that not long ago she had secretly, mentally, referred to Syrena as the bitch she hated. When she pulled back her eyes were drawn to the two other people standing behind the flyer. “Who are they?”

“It’s good to see you, Violet.” Syrena smiled and stepped back, “These are my guards Erik and Voran. I told my aunt I didn’t need them, that I was safe here, but she insisted.”

“That’s completely understandable, you’re the heir to the throne now.” She gestured for the flyers to follow them inside, “Im? Would you get someone to show Syrena and her guards to some rooms in the guest wing?”

She wanted to ask about the books but she refrained, knowing that the flyers were likely tired from the long flight from Poromiel to Aretia.

Xaden stepped up beside Violet, shaking Syrena’s hand. “Whenever you’re refreshed you can talk to anyone in the fortress and they’ll get word to us that you’re ready to meet. We’ll more than likely be in the office or the assembly room.”

Syrena nodded, “Thank you.”

Imogen reappeared with one of the fortress staff, “This is Orrick, he will take you to your rooms.”

Syrena nodded and thanked them one more time before gesturing for Erik and Voran to follow her as Orrick led them into the fortress.

Violet was almost giddy with the thought of new books to read, new things to learn that could help them cure Naolin, that could help them win the upcoming war. Because let’s face it, war was coming there was no escaping it. Soon they would be embroiled in battle with no end in sight, no way of knowing if they would come out on top or fall to their enemies.

She hoped and she prayed that the books Syrena brought would have the information they need to cure Naolin. Her eyes wandered over to where he stood next to her brother, his hands idly rubbing Brennan’s shoulder as they talked to Mira and Garrick who, as Naolin had informed her earlier, was indeed wearing one of Mira’s shirts.

Laughing she walked over to them, “Get dressed in the dark?” She asked gently nudging Garrick’s side.

He glared at her but the expression lacked any real heat, “Yes, yes I did. Care to inform us why Naolin came in screaming that you needed help and we needed to wake up only to take it back a moment later?”

“I jumped off of Tairn.” The way she said it, like it was no big deal, made them all look at her in disbelief.

Mira shook her head, “Now why would you do that?”

“I needed to prove to him that I still trust him, I knew he would catch me.”

“Your faith is astounding.” Brennan breathed, in complete shock.

Violet looked at all of them, “Don’t you trust your dragons to catch you if you fall?” There had never been a single moment where she had ever doubted Tairn. Ever since the beginning, since he first entered her mind and asked Do you trust me she had done just that, trusted him with an absolute faith that knew no limit.

“Well yeah, we trust them but… We’d never intentionally jump off of them.” Garrick looked around, the others nodding in agreement with him.

“Maybe you should. Wouldn’t it be better to practice having them catch you in a controlled atmosphere rather than risk it for the first time in battle?” The fact that this wasn’t a drill they regularly practiced slightly alarmed her. Was this seriously not a concern of theirs or was she just accident prone enough to always fall? “Add it to the drill rotation.”

“Vi, that’s not even a drill that’s practiced.” Mira didn’t argue but Violet could tell she wanted to.

“That’s something I can do, right? Add drills to maneuvers? And if it’s not one that is practiced, maybe it should be. You’re smart, you all are.” Violet looked from Mira to Garrick then Imogen. “If this drill doesn’t exist make one.”

“It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good idea, it’s simply that dragons don’t usually allow their riders to fall. It rarely happens.”

Violet looked down, “It happened to me. I was knocked from Tairn and I fell. I’m lucky that I am not dead right now. If we can prevent this from happening to anyone else, we should.”

The mood instantly sobered at the reminder of what had happened not that long ago, the memories of Violet’s broken and bloody body on the ground and the fear that she might not make it. “Okay Vi. We’ll come up with something.” Imogen gently squeezed her shoulder.

“Thank you. I can help, if it’s too much trouble for you all.” Sure it would add one more thing to the long list of things she needed to get done but she firmly believed that this was something that the riders needed to know how to handle if, for some reason, they were ever forced from their dragon.

Xaden’s arms wrapped around her from behind pulling her back to rest against his chest, “I’ll help create the drill.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. You don’t have to do everything yourself, Violence.

I know… It was hard giving up tasks, hard not to contribute to something that was her idea. It felt like she was making work then shoving it off on someone else. “Thank you.” She turned her head and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

“Hey hey hey, we got things to do.” Garrick stepped forward inserting his hand between their faces. As a joke, Violet bit his palm hard enough to sting but not enough to draw blood. “Hey!” He withdrew his hand and cradled it to his chest, “Not cool, Vi.” He blew on the sore skin, “What is it with you Sorrengails? Your sister’s a biter too.”

“Ew!” Violet covered her ears

“Am NOT!” Mira smacked his chest

“So’s Brennan.” Naolin laughed making Brennan blush

The entire group shared a look before all of them started laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Violet wiped at her eyes, “I understand that you all were woken up in a rush and I’m sorry for that. But Garrick, how the hell did you mistake Mira’s shirt for yours and why are you still wearing it?” Surely he had known the moment that he put it on that it wasn’t his, the fabric was stretched to its limits across the plane of his muscled chest and the hem stopped at least two inches above his belly button leaving a large portion of his stomach bare.

“There wasn’t enough time to change, Naolin said something was wrong and that you needed us. Then, after he told us it was a false alarm, well… I kind of like it. It’s sleeveless, you know I love sleeveless, and it lets the abs breathe.” He leaned in closer putting his hand beside his mouth to block what he was saying from everyone else. “And look how they can’t keep their eyes off of me.” His eyes flickered to Mira and Imogen who, like he said, kept darting little glances at the portion of his stomach that wasn’t covered. “I’m getting laid tonight.” He teased.

“We can hear you.” His laughter stopped when he looked back at Mira and Imogen who both stood with their arms crossed over their chests. “Like you’re not getting lucky every night.” They rolled their eyes, “maybe we should leave him out tonight, make it a girls night?” Imogen smiled at Mira resting her arm across her shoulders.

“Come on, ladies…” Garrick ran a hand through his hair putting on his best smile for them.

Violet shook her head as she watched him try to charm his way back into their good graces, knowing from the quirk of her sister’s lips that they were just giving him hell and had no intention of actually excluding him. “Why don’t we all go to breakfast?” She laughed, changing the subject.

Slowly the group filtered inside but something felt off to Violet… “Where’s Liam?” She stopped looking around for the towering blonde. If she had really been in trouble, she knew that he would be the very first person to come to her aid. The fact that he wasn’t here was… it felt wrong.

“Fuck, I knew we forgot something. After we found out that it was a false alarm, Bodhi took Liam and Sloane to start visiting the families of the fallen, to give them the news. They were going to see the local families this morning then head out to the families in other towns later this afternoon.”  Garrick explained.

“So the final count is in?” Violet whispered, afraid of how many they may have lost during the battle.

“Yeah. We lost 17 riders, Bodhi, Liam, and Sloane are informing their families. We lost 42 infantry, the generals in charge of them will inform their families. The Poromish haven’t reported their losses yet but, if I had to guess, they’ll be much greater than ours.”

She nodded, that was 59 lives that were cut short by this battle and the thought made her sick. Even though it had been voluntary, no one had been forced to go, it still made her sick. These people had gone to defend another country out of the goodness of their hearts and now they would never see another day, never get another moment with their loved ones. Her eyes flickered to Mira, she could have been number 60 if Violet hadn’t bargained for her life. Did that make her a bad person? All these other people had died and all she had been able to focus on at the time had been getting out of the realm of death and making sure Mira was leaving with her. Not once had it crossed her mind to bargain for the others too…

Cool shadows caressed her mind through the bond, You’re spiraling again. His voice grounded her, kept the whirlpool of emotions from sweeping her away into the deep abyss of her darkest thoughts. Talk to me. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

I should’ve asked for them too.

You said it was a fight to even get him to give you Mira. He never would have let all of them come back.

I know, but I could’ve at least tried.

You can’t change the past but what you can do is work to change the future. Learn from what went wrong but don’t dwell on it. No one holds you accountable because you didn’t bring the others back.

They would if they knew. Violet sighed looking up at him.

You can’t save everyone, Violence. It’s a hard lesson to learn, I know, I’ve been there too. But if you spend all your time focusing on the what ifs, you’ll lose sight of what’s in front of you.

I know. She sighed I know.

“Let’s go get breakfast.” He smiled softly at her, knowing her heart was tender from all she had endured over the past few months.

“Yeah.” She leaned against him and the group began to walk inside, their friends taking defensive positions around them.

As they walked Mira couldn’t help but notice those around her, watching for anyone or anything that didn’t belong. As they passed a corridor she paused, whispers echoing down the hall, calling her into the depths lit only by faint mage lights.

“Mira.” Garrick’s hand on her shoulder made her jump. “Are you okay?” He asked gently brushing his fingers through her hair and down along the slope of her jaw.

“Yeah.” She looked down the hall again, the whispers now silent. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

It was just after lunch when Syrena and her two guards joined them in the assembly room. Maps littered the table along with multiple sheets of parchment detailing what they currently knew about their enemies.

“You’ve all been busy…” Syrena said as she looked over the maps and lists, “I think I can add to this.” She grabbed the sheet detailing some information about the venin and held it up. “My aunt told me some things that she overheard while they held her captive.”

Xaden nodded, “Whatever you can contribute would be helpful and appreciated.”

“I can also tell you the approximate locations of some of their strongholds.” As she spoke she added to the list of what they knew, looking up once she was done.

“We have the strongholds covered.” Violet gestured to Naolin who was marking the map with all the important locations that he could remember and writing down important details about each one.

Syrena narrowed her eyes at him, “I forgot you kept the venin as a pet.”

Naolin looked up ready to retort but Brennan put his arm around his shoulders before he could even open his mouth. “Let’s a take walk, I think we’re due for a break.” He gently guided Naolin towards the door, trying to prevent an argument between him and Syrena.

“You’re not helping.” Naolin gave him a look but Brennan just looked puzzled making Naolin sigh, “She called me a pet, you’re taking me for a walk… Not helping.” He repeated.

“I’m just trying to keep the peace, we’ve had enough fighting.” Brennan explained as they walked out the door toward the gardens.

“I know how to behave.” Naolin rolled his eyes.

Brennan squeezed his shoulder, “You know how to behave but would you?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Naolin sighed, “Getting under her skin is too much fun to pass up. But I would have behaved for a few days at least before I started in, out of respect for what she went through.” Their voices faded away as they left the room and went to the gardens for a small break.

“Sorry about that.” Violet waved her hand toward the door but Syrena waved it off.

“No, don’t be. It’s nice to be treated normally. It feels like everyone has been walking on glass around us ever since the fight.” The flyer sat down looking at the map and noting where the Venin camps were and which ones were staffed by riders. “You know what I was wondering?” Violet and Xaden looked up giving her their full attention. “Why do the venin have armies of riders but not flyers?”

The royal couple shared a look, “We’ve wondered the same. We think it comes down to the type of dragon. When they attacked here, all of their dragons were golden. Liam still needs to talk to Esper, but we think there’s something about the golden breed that makes them valuable to the venin.”

Syrena nodded, “When they attacked us, it was the same. All of their dragons appeared golden. So what makes them so valuable to the venin? What is it about their breed that makes them what the venin covet?”

“That’s what we’re hoping Esper can tell us.” Violet said as she made another note on a sheet of parchment.

“Esper?” Syrena looked up, the name unfamiliar to her.

“Yeah, Liam’s second dragon. He defected from the venin when Liam spared his life, now he’s teaching Andarna everything he knows about their species.” Violet softly laughed, “Tairn hates it, he thinks Esper is trying to date his little girl.”

Syrena laughed, “Dads and daughters…”

“Dads and daughters.” Violet nodded and Xaden just looked between the two, not understanding but finding their shared amusement entertaining.

“Care to let me in on the secret?” He gently grasped Violet’s hips pulling her closer.

She laughed as she was forced to sit on his lap, “Some dads tend to be overprotective when it comes to their daughters. When it’s happening to you it’s frustrating as hell, but when you see it happening to someone else, it’s funny and adorable.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, “My dad had passed before I started dating but I got to watch him pull the overprotective dad routine on all of Mira’s dates.”

“Not just Mira’s.” Brennan grumbled walking back into the room with Naolin. “I swear that man had a sixth sense, Naolin and I hadn’t even been dating but I swear he knew that we would eventually.”

Violet settled onto Xaden’s lap and leaned against him, “I’ve never heard this story.”

Brennan blushed, “And that’s for a very good reason.”

“Come on, you can’t tease us like that then just not tell us what happened.” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table as she bat her eyes at her brother trying to use her little sister charm to get him to break.

He sat down across from her and sighed, “It was humiliating.” He put his head in his hands and looked straight down at the table.

“Come on, tell us… Please? Please?” He looked up and groaned.

“Mom gave you the sex talk, right?” He asked not knowing how things had gone after he had went off to train at Basgaith.

Violet shook her head, “No. I kind of just had to figure it out on my own.”

“Lucky.” He grumbled. “Dad gave me mine… both of them.”

“Both?” She asked, unable to fight the smile slowly growing on her lips.

He nodded, “One for when I went through puberty, the typical this is how your body works, this is a boy this is a girl this is how their parts fit together.” He took a deep breath, “Then when I came home for a visit my second year, he gave me the other one.”

“The other one?” Violet tried to fight back the giggles at how her brother must have felt getting the talk in his early twenties.

“Yeah, I must have mentioned Naolin too much because the moment I got home dad pulled me aside, sat me down, and I got the this is a guy this is a guy, this is how they fit together talk.” His face was red with the memory, “He had diagrams and visuals.”

Naolin burst out into laughter, “Is that why you couldn’t look me in the eye for weeks in second year?”

“Before that I hadn’t really thought about it, how close we were and how much I depended on you. After that, well I started to realize that maybe I looked at you a little longer than I should, a little longer than a friend looks at another friend.” He admitted, looking up at his partner.

“Then you had that rough day…”

Brennan nodded, “I’ll never forget the words you said to me when I asked you why you were always helping me.”

 “Because I love you, dumbass.” Naolin smiled and leaned down to kiss him softly, “And I always will.”

The two smiled at each other, getting lost in the memory of the night they had finally admitted that there was something more than friendship between them.

Syrena watched the both of them skeptically, “You’re sure he’s a venin? He’s a little soft…” The look she gave the pair was one of doubt mixed with disgust at having to witness such a display of emotions at the war table.

Naolin let his magic slip and hissed at her, his venin visage making her lean back away from him. Brennan slapped his arm and instantly the magic that hid his true appearance was back in place making him look normal. “Sorry.” He grumbled, sitting down next to Brennan and out of Syrena’s line of sight.

“And you trust him not to suck you and your country dry? How? All it would take is one hand hold and you’d be gone.” She asked incredulously, not understanding how they could trust someone like him.

Violet shifted some papers on the table, “We have an arrangement that works and keeps his venin urges under control.”

Syrena raised an eyebrow as she tried to work it out in her mind, “You mentioned the golden dragons and you have two here in Aretia. Are you letting him draw power from them?”

“No! Never!” Violet stood, the fact that Syrena would even ask an insult to her and everyone she cared about.

“Then how? How am I supposed to trust you if you don’t tell me these things? His kind just destroyed a large portion of my country’s fighters, they killed my uncle and sister.” She stood too, her voice raised a little higher.

“You’re supposed to trust us because we’re friends, because we just saved your asses.” Violet bit back, Xaden’s hand on her arm telling her that he supported her but she needed to remain in control.

He stood, his hand still gently resting on Violet’s arm, “The fact is we have the situation under control and while we trust you, that does not entitle you to know everything that goes on here. Naolin is a key member of our team and that will not change.”

Naolin looked at Xaden and Violet, he had known that they trusted him but he had never expected them to stand up for him like this. “I need another break.” He got up and strode from the room not wanting them to see how their faith affected him. Brennan watched him go knowing that he needed a moment. Naolin knew that they trusted him but to have them defend him so vehemently, it made him feel things he hadn’t in a long time. Family. Loyalty. Comradery. Love. Friendship. All things he hadn’t realized he missed until he had been captured by Violet, until he had made up his mind to change for good… for Brennan.

Violet put her hand to her head, feeling protective of the venin but knowing that they needed to deescalate the situation before it turned into something that couldn’t be salvaged. “We trust you, Syrena, and we need you to trust us.”

Syrena ran a hand through her hair, “Fine, just tell me how you can be so sure that he’s not draining things when your backs are turned. The venin crave magic, it’s like a drug to them. You cannot honestly tell me he has stopped, my uncle kept one trapped I’ve seen what they become when they are starved of magic.”

Violet nods, “You’re right, he hasn’t stopped but we have found a safe way to give him what he needs without anyone or anything getting hurt.”

Syrena narrowed her eyes, “You’ve found a power source?”

Though she hesitated for a moment, Violet eventually nodded. “Yes.”

“But you won’t tell me what it is?” The flyer was suspicious and rightly so after all she had been through.

“No. That is something that very few of us know and not something we want getting out.”

Syrena sat back, leaning her head back as she slowly took deep breaths. “You swear that no one is getting hurt? That this power source is safe?”

Violet and Xaden both nod, “It is, we swear.”

She sighed and sat back up, “I guess I’ll have to trust you then.” She looked up at them, “What? You look shocked that I’m giving up so easily.” And in truth, they were. Syrena had always been a fighter, it was surprising to them that she wasn’t pushing for more information. “One, I get it. There are things about my kingdom that I can’t share with you. And two, I’m tired. I don’t want to waste my energy fighting with people I know I can trust. So, while I don’t like not knowing what failsafe you have in place to prevent this disaster, I trust you when you say that you have it all under control. You haven’t lied to me yet, not when it counts.”

Violet reached over taking her hand and gently squeezing it, “We would never put you or our people at risk.”

“I know.”

Violet sat back down, “We do plan to try to cure him, which speaking of a cure… I know you just got here but I have to ask, were you able to get the books?”

Syrena blinked then shook her head after a brief pause, “Fuck, I knew I forgot something. I was supposed to tell you the moment we landed. I’m sorry Violet, but when we went to my aunt’s summer home… The venin had destroyed it, sucked it dry and burned the rest.”

It was like someone had taken hold of Violet’s heart and ripped it from her chest, the hope she had held for those books containing something that would help them with Naolin gone like a summer breeze.

Seeing Violet’s distress, Syrena held her hand out, “There may still be copies. You know my uncle was a collector, my aunt is sending some scribes to his home to search his archives for the texts. If they find anything, they are under strict orders to bring it here first.” Careful of the men surrounding them, Syrena took Violet’s hand and softly squeezed it. “We keep our promises.”

Violet rotated her palm and squeezed back, “I know you do. Thank you.” It wasn’t ideal but what could she do? Violet closed her eyes and counted to ten, “Really, Syrena, thank you. We appreciate your help and the trouble you’re all going through to get those books for us.”

“It’s the least we can do after you guys saved our asses.” Syrena turned to Xaden, “I’m well aware of all you have done for us and we are grateful. Sorry if it seemed like we weren’t.” It killed her to apologize but she knew that she was in the wrong in this particular instance.

Naolin came back in from the garden, looking at everyone and heading straight for Violet. He stopped next to her and pulled her into a soft hug, “Thanks Vi. I promise I’ll behave.” Despite the fact that she hadn’t said anything to him, that she had defended him, he knew it was a concern of hers.

She smiled and squeezed him back, “Thank you.”

He gently kissed the crown of her head and pulled away. “Anytime, little sister.” Naolin pointed his finger at Brennan, “Shut up.” He fell into the chair next to Brennan’s.

“But it was so cute.” Brennan laughed, finding the dynamic between Naolin and Violet adorable. It was all he had ever wanted, the love of his life by his side and his baby sister not only accepting but also supportive of their relationship. It was perfect, the only thing that could make it better was if Mira was here. He wrapped his arm around Naolin’s shoulders and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before going back to reviewing the information they had accumulated about the enemies.

Syrena pretended to wretch, “Gag me.” She looked around, “Where are the rest of your team? Shouldn’t they be here as well?” It was weird for her to see the royal couple without their massive entourage of friends. As it was, only Xaden, Violet, Naolin, and Brennan were in the assembly room planning for the upcoming war.

“Bodhi, Liam, and Sloane are informing families of the riders who fell in battle. Mira, Garrick, and Imogen are running flight maneuvers with the cadets. They’ll all join us later this evening so we can start making a plan.” Xaden picked up a few papers and handed them over to Syrena, “Violet, Naolin, Brennan, and Mira are in charge of the Navarre information since they all lived at Basgaith and are familiar with the Navarrian officials and protocols. We also have some informants who are going to be sending us information.”

“The cadets?” She asked making Violet and Xaden look at each other.

“Which cadets?” They asked wondering who she was talking about since the cadets could be referring to a number of people within their ranks.

“Before Hell Night, the one where…” She trailed off looking at Violet, her hand absentmindedly going up to touch the soft leather patch that covered her missing eye. It had been a terrible battle and all of them had suffered, losing so much. It had been the battle that had shown them who they could trust and who would turn on them for the right price. She shook her head, “Anyway, I remember there was a group of cadets from Basgaith there who had also been at the outpost after the Battle at Athebyne. I figured if anyone would be your source, it would be them considering they seem to have your trust.”

Xaden nodded, “You’re right. They’ve been our intelligence source in Navarre for a while now.” He knew that telling her was a risk but she had already put the pieces together and they needed to show her some good faith and what better way than sharing this little piece of information. Syrena had proven time and again that she was on their side, that she could be trusted. Today was no different.

“We have spies.” Syrena admitted. “They’ve gone to the barrens and infiltrated some of the human villages, pretending to be from the isles and looking to start a new life on the mainland. My aunt is supposed to be sending the reports to me as she gets them.” She pulled a clean sheet of paper to her and quickly wrote something down, handing it to Xaden when she was done. “We’ve set up specific messengers, these are their names.” She pointed to the first two lines. “They will be the only two to deliver messages, anyone else claiming they are from my aunt is lying.”

“And what’s this on the third line?” He asked noticing the word below the two names.

“If something happens to me, that is the codeword the messengers will use. No one knows this word except for me, my aunt, my guards, the messengers themselves, and now you four.”

“Thank you for trusting us with this.” He showed the paper to Violet, Brennan, and Naolin before going and throwing it into the fire. “Your information is safe with us.”

“I know it is.” She grabbed the papers near to her and began to go over them, adding information where she could and jotting down any extra information that came to mind. Behind her, the two guards stood against the wall still as statues.

They didn’t need to ask if the men could be trusted, if Syrena trusted them it was good enough for Xaden and Violet.

The group worked for hours compiling all the information that they could in preparation for when the rest of the group would join them and they could begin figuring out where to start and who was the biggest threat.

By the time dinner was announced and eaten, they had a substantial stack of papers sorted in three piles, Navarre, Venin, and Other.

The whole group returned to the Assembly room and took their seats, making sure to lock the doors and ward the room so nothing that went on inside could be heard from the outside.

“We all know why we are here.” Xaden addressed them, leaning back on his throne looking relaxed but feeling more tense than ever. “We need to decide where the biggest threat to Tyrrendor is and how we are going to… tackle the problem. Violet.” He nodded in her direction, turning all focus to her.

“We are surrounded by enemies and this is a decision that we have put a lot of thought into making. Navarre leadership has betrayed us, has stabbed us in the back one time too many which is why-“ She took a deep breath knowing this was going to shock a lot of them, “We have made the decision that Navarre leadership must be eliminated. They have proven to be dangerous; they are collecting bodies for some unknown purpose. The only way we can ensure the safety of our people is to take them out and replace them with the next generation who we know we can trust.”

Their friends looked around trying to determine just how they all felt about the situation. But Liam… Liam locked eyes with her and nodded. “I’m with you, Vi.”

“Me too… We all are.” Mira agreed.

It wasn’t a weight off her shoulders but the fact that her friends were willing to take this risk with her, for her, made her stomach unknot just the smallest bit. “The other problem is the venin. They’ve attacked our allies, attacked us. As long as they are alive, they pose a threat to everyone on the continent, to every being that needs magic to survive. Which is why we have decided that the venin need to be eliminated… entirely.”

“You plan to exterminate an entire people?” Sloane spoke up, looking around at everyone. “What about their children? The innocent?”

“There aren’t venin children.” Naolin spoke up. “When I was there, the human children went to school until they were 18 then it was kind of like Basgaith. They could choose which path to follow, one of those was the path to becoming a venin and wielding magic. Most of the venin are men and women who made the choice to draw from the earth. There are a few like myself who did it for necessity, to save someone they love, but most chose this path.”

Violet nodded, “The humans won’t be harmed.”

“And you think they’ll take all of this laying down? You think they won’t fight to protect the venin? They’ve chosen to live in the Barrens knowing that the venin ruled the land. They’ve lived side by side with them for… for a long time! And what’s to say that the venin won’t use the humans as shields to protect themselves? They’re all heartless bastards, they don’t care about the value of human life.” Syrena ranted.

Everyone looked to Naolin who ran a hand through his hair and sighed, “You’re right. The humans have been complicit. If I had to compare it to anything it’s like a parasitic relationship. They know what the venin are and you’ll be hard pressed to find a human who doesn’t have a handprint on them. But the venin protect them in their little villages, keeping them safe from the outside. They consider it a small price to pay to donate energy.” He explains.

“What about the golden dragons? What role do they play in all of this?” Liam spoke up, remembering the silver handprints that covered Esper’s sides and belly. By now they all knew what those handprints meant, that a venin had sucked the magic from that point.

Naolin licked his lips, “The golden dragons belong to humans, they would never let a venin ride them. They… it’s hard to explain, the golden dragons are more than the other dragon breeds. They have these extra abilities and power. The venin use them as a power source.” Syrena’s eyes flickered to Violet who shook her head.

“We would never allow anyone to draw energy from our dragons. Not even Naolin.” Violet could tell the answer didn’t entirely satisfy the flyer but it would have to do. Very few people knew where Naolin drew magic from and it would stay that way for as long as possible.

“There’s no way the dragons just let them take the energy.” Mira spoke up, knowing from all of her years as a rider that no dragon would ever willingly give their magic like that.

“Who said they had a choice? A dragon’s life is tied to the life of their rider and in the Barrens a person can bond at a much younger age than anywhere else on the continent. I believe the youngest on record was four.” Naolin looked to Xaden, “Your mother.”

“No dragon would bond with a child.” Imogen said in disbelief.

Naolin’s eyes were haunted as he looked up at her, “A hatchling who didn’t know any better would.”

The riders all shook their heads, “None of this makes sense, dragons would never let their hatchlings bond so young.”

“I didn’t go to the human villages, I was never interested because it reminded me of what I had lost.” Brennan reached over and gently took Naolin’s hand in his. “But I heard stories of the golden dragons being held captive, chained like trophies for the wealthy. The venin would drain them until there was barely any magic left for them to use, leaving them weak. But those were just rumors, I can’t say for certain what they did or why they were able to take energy from the golden dragons, I just know that they do.”

“That’s disgusting, to use a dragon like that…” Sloane shook her head, saying what everyone else was thinking. She narrowed her eyes at Naolin, “Did you ever-?”

Naolin shook his head, “Never, the only dragon I ever took energy from was Tairn and even though I regret breaking his trust, I would do it again to save Brennan.” He squeezed Brennan’s hand, “I’d do anything for him.”

Rolling her eyes, Syrena turned back to the rest of the group, “Anyway, where were we?”

“Eliminating the venin.” Violet supplied.

“Well, I can help you out and take one down right now.” Syrena smiled and pulled her blade.

Brennan moved in front of Naolin putting himself between the flyer and his lover. “I thought we were over this.” He stated, glaring at her.

Syrena held her ground, “His kind killed my people, my family. I’ll never be over this.”

He stepped closer to her, unafraid of the blade that was now pressed against his chest, “You can’t blame one man for the actions of others. He may be venin but he is not one of them.”

Shadows crept between the pair, gently pushing them apart. “You have suffered at the hands of the venin, we all have, but Brennan is right and if you can’t accept that then maybe you shouldn’t be here.”

Her eye looked to him, “Whatever.” The blade was returned to its sheath and she sat back down in the chair, recognizing a losing battle when she saw it.

“Syrena, we need to know that you’re with us. You don’t have to like Naolin but he is one of us and he will be an integral part of this war.” Xaden’s shadows returned to where they had come from as he spoke to the flyer.

“I’ll behave.” She didn’t like it but she knew that her country needed this alliance, that of everyone in the world they had the best chance of winning the brewing war. “Fuck, I’m going to have to work with him, aren’t I?” Out of everyone present, she and Naolin were the only ones who had prolonged exposure to the venin.

“We’ll make sure other people are with you to act as a buffer.” Xaden reassured her, “You won’t even have to speak to him.”

“And he’ll behave.” Brennan added, looking at Naolin with an expression that demanded compliance.

With a sigh, the venin nodded, “I already promised Violet I’ll behave. That’s not going to change just because she’s a bitch.” He leaned around Brennan to look at her, “You and Imogen should form a club.”

Imogen wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at him, hitting him on the head. He just smiled and raised his hand, giving her the middle finger.

“Very mature, guys.” Mira took the rest of Imogen’s paper while Brennan grabbed Naolin’s hand and held it tight.

“What we need to decide-“ Violet spoke up drawing all attention back to her, “Is where to attack first? Do we go for the bigger problem or the bigger threat and which is which?”

“If you plan to eliminate all the venin, that’s going to take a while. It might even be a lifetime job. Fuck Vi, it might not even be possible.” Bodhi shuffled through the papers looking for the one with information about the venin. “We don’t even know how many there are and what’s to stop people from just drawing magic from the earth to make more, I mean if the venin really do control humans can’t they just make them?”

“It’s a possibility.” Naolin supplied.

“So either we destroy every venin in existence or we overthrow the Navarrian government. As blasphemous as it feels to say it, I think the Navarre option may be the easier of the two.” Mira closed her eyes as she spoke, she had been part of the Navarrian army for years. Had grown up there among the people, still had friends at the outposts. Even though she was firmly with Violet and Tyrrendor, it went against a lifetime of training and memories.

“We’re not overthrowing the government, we’re staging a coup. Big difference.” Liam offered when he saw the stress weighing down Violet.

“Okay, let’s vote. All in favor of taking on Navarre first, raise your hand.” Every hand went up. “Do I need to even ask if anyone wants to take on the venin first?” They all shook their heads. “Then it’s settled, we’ll focus on Navarre for now. Brennan, Naolin I would also like you two to work on finding a cure for Naolin. I’ll help when I can.”

“And I’ll make sure to keep updated on the search for copies of the books that were destroyed.” Syrena added.

“Thank you. Alright, unless there’s anything else…” Violet looked to Xaden who shook his head, “let’s adjourn for the night. We’ll start fresh tomorrow.”

Everyone got up and said their goodnights before heading to their rooms to prepare for bed. Finally, Xaden and Violet were left alone in the assembly room. “This is going to be hard.” She sighed sitting on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, “Did you think it would be easy?” His hand brushed her hair over her shoulder, his lips pressing soft kisses to the skin of her neck.

“No, I just wish they’d get along.” She covered his arms with his, tilting her head so he had better access to her neck.

“Give it time. At least they’ve agreed to tolerate each other’s existence.”

“Did they though? They both promised to behave, I don’t remember anything about tolerating each other.”

“True.” He turned her head so she was looking at him, “It’ll work out.”

“Will it?”

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, “With you involved, I have no doubt.” She tilted her head, parting her lips and deepening the kiss.

“Why do you have so much faith in me?” She asked when they parted to breathe.

He smiled, caressing her face “Because you make the impossible possible, Violence.”

It was her turn to smile, pressing her forehead to his “Have I told you how much I love you today?” She asked, getting lost in his beautiful eyes.

“Once or twice, but I never get tired of hearing it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

In a blink she used her signet to wield them to their bedroom, allowing themselves a small reprieve from reality. In a few hours they’d be dressed, their friends sitting around the room for their nightly drink. But for now, it wasn’t planning for war or trying to make peace among their friends. For now, it was just them and the love they shared.

Chapter Text

They got started bright and early after their morning flight, the whole group dining together in the dining hall before going about their daily duties with plans to come together after lunch to begin planning.

Finished with informing the families of the fallen, Bodhi and Sloane were focusing on finalizing the battle records before they would join the group in the assembly room.

Mira, Garrick, and Imogen were still in charge of the cadets, putting them through their flight formations from dawn until lunch. Before they had left for the day, Violet had pulled them all aside wondering how things were going. “Xaden said he gave you the plans for the new drill… How’d it go?” She had asked, wondering how the first drill she had ever thought of had went over during class.

The three Generals shared a look, “It didn’t go over too well, Vi.” Mira sighed, figuring she would be the best one to break the news to her baby sister. “A lot of the cadets were concerned, they said if they’re knocked off their dragons then they’re not doing their jobs right.”

Violet tried not to let her disappointment show, this was the first drill she had ever suggested, the first time she had ever tried to have an impact in the rider’s quadrant, and it was being rejected without even being tried. “How many times has one of us been knocked from our seat and the only thing that saved our asses was dumb luck. If we do this drill, there’s a better chance of survival for all of them.”

“I know, Vi. But not everyone is as comfortable in the air as you are. It’s one thing to be miles in the air and flying on a dragon, it’s another to be freefalling wondering if someone will catch you.” Mira moved to her sister’s side and put her arm over her shoulders, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“The idea is to build trust and for the riders to know what to do if they see a member of their squad falling without their dragon to catch them.” She knew it was asking a lot, to have the riders show such faith in their dragons and each other but if she had learned anything, it was that you needed to trust your dragon and your team. Without that trust, it was like fighting alone and no one could win that way.

Garrick stepped up to Violet tilting her chin up to look at him, “We’re not giving up. They’re young and they’re scared. We’re going to modify the drill so at first they’re catching dummies instead of live humans. We’ll work up to actually jumping from their dragons on purpose.”

Imogen put her hand on Garrick’s shoulder, “Trust us, Vi. We’ll make your dream a reality.”

Violet looked around at all of them, “Do you guys think I’m stupid for trying to come up with a drill like this? I mean, my training was far from traditional. Maybe I should leave the war drills to the people who actually managed to graduate.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We may have more schooling in the subject but we all have the same amount of war experience, well except Mira, Brennan, and Naolin. You have just as much right to have input into drills as anyone else.” Imogen’s eyes narrowed, “Why are you suddenly doubting yourself?”

She looked aside, thinking through her answer before facing Imogen again, “Because I’ve only ever made plans in the heat of battle when I haven’t had time to doubt myself. I’m… I can’t rely on a good idea coming to me every single time someone I love is in danger. I want to be ready, I want to have plans in place because I don’t want to lose any of you. I don’t know maybe I’m doubting myself because I actually have time to think it over unlike in battle where I just react on instinct and pray it works.”

Almost like they shared one mind, the three reached for her, sandwiching her between them and hugging her tight. “We can’t promise there won’t be losses, Vi. But we can promise to fight like hell to make it through.” Garrick rested his chin on top of her head, her face pressed against Imogen’s shoulder with Mira at her side.

“Mira?” Violet looked over her shoulder at her sister when she noticed the goosebumps covering her skin.

Mira shook her head, “I’m fine, just got the chills.” She smiled, wondering about the sudden feeling of being dunked in ice water that had overcome her body. Just as fast as it had come on, it was gone, her body feeling normal again like the rapid drop in temperature hadn’t even happened.

Violet looked at her, trying to determine if her sister was telling the truth but like always it was like trying to read a stone wall, her sister’s defenses both mental and physical up so high they could never be breached, not without brute force. Her mind flew to a million different possibilities but one kept resounding in her head, they come back wrong. Malek’s voice echoed in her mind over and over. Was this what he meant, Mira’s temperature sensitivity? Or was there more going on that her sister wasn’t telling her? Maybe later she would be able to get Imogen or Garrick alone and pick their brains about if they had noticed something unusual about her sister. “You’d tell me if you weren’t okay, right?” She had to ask.

“Yeah. Promise.” Brennan the name came through clear as day, a faint whisper in Mira’s voice. Of course, Mira would go to Brennan if something was wrong, the both of them had spent their lives protecting her from as many harsh truths as they could. Part of her really wanted to go to Brennan and ask what was going on but she knew that Mira would be upset if she did and the probability of him actually telling her was low. He may be her brother but he took patient healer confidentiality very seriously. So she wouldn’t seek him out, even though she desperately wanted to.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with her sister. “Can we talk? Alone?”

“Sure, Vi.” Mira turned to Imogen and Garrick, “I’ll catch up to you two in a bit.” They nodded and headed off to train the cadets leaving the sisters by themselves. “What’s up?” She asked leaning against the wall and looking at her little sister curiously.

“Do you remember anything?” Violet’s head tilted to the side, watching her sister for the slightest inclination of truth or a lie.

Mira’s face scrunched up, “You’ll have to be more specific than that, Vi.”

“From that night, the night you…” She trailed off knowing that her sister would catch on.

“Oh…” Mira straightened up, pushing off from the wall and standing up straight. “Why are you asking about that?”

“Do you remember anything, yes or no?” It was a simple question and if the answer was no, Violet would drop the subject then and there.

Mira shook her head, “No. I…” The little hairs on her arms stood on end, goosebumps once more covering her body. “I said something to Garrick and I just remember feeling really heavy, like I was completely exhausted and I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. He… He was saying something and I tried to open my eyes but I couldn’t.” Her eyes were unfocused as she remembered that night, something she tried hard not to think about. “The next thing I knew I was waking up and everyone…” She licked her lips as the moment came back with crystal clear clarity, “Everyone said that I had died. They didn’t know how I had come back, that Brennan must have used a lot of magic to revive me.” She looked at Violet, “Did he?”

She nodded, “Yes, but not all his and he didn’t channel from the earth. Sloane and Naolin gave their energy to me and I… I shocked you to try to restart your heart while Brennan mended you.”

“Vi…” Mira began to protest.

She held up her hand to stop her, “Don’t. I’d do it again in a heartbeat and so would he if it meant we got to keep you.”

The words felt familiar to Mira, “I would do it all over again if it meant I got to keep you.” She whispered the words that seemed so… “I remember you saying that but I don’t remember when. When did you say that?”

Violet tried to keep her face neutral, to keep Mira from guessing that there was something about those words that she shouldn’t remember. “You probably heard me saying it sometime after you woke up.” She deflected trying to keep her from discovering the truth.

Mira narrowed her eyes, “Don’t lie to me Violet.”

She shook her head, “I’m not lying.”

“I know you Violet Sorrengail Riorson. I know that when you lie you get a tiny little frown line between your eyebrows. You always have ever since you were a kid. What aren’t you telling me? And why are you lying to me about it?” Gods, Violet had forgotten how intimidating her sister could be. Had forgotten why she was known as one of the best interrogators in Navarre.

She closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to calm her face, to relax her forehead so the line that gave her away would disappear.

“That’s not how it works, Vi. You can’t just will away your tells.” Mira rolled her eyes, knowing without asking what her sister was trying to do. “Your poker face sucks but that’s only because I‘ve been studying it since the day you were born.” She lowered her voice, “Why are you so averse to telling me?” Her hand softly rested on Violet’s shoulder.

“Put up a ward? So no one can hear us?” Violet sighed knowing that she needed to tell her what had happened.

Shorter than the time it took to blink, it was done. “What’s going on?”

“You can’t tell anyone. So far only Xaden really knows but since it affects you too…” Her eyes scanned the deserted hallway, “This really isn’t the place for this.” She grabbed her sister’s arm and wielded them to the one place she knew was absolutely safe, her and Xaden’s suite.

“Why’d you have me put up a ward if you were just going to bring me here?” Mira asked taking a seat at the table. Violet went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Fuck, you’re getting alcohol? How bad is it?” Mira asked taking the glass Violet gave her.

“Depends on your definition of bad.” Violet took a long sip and leaned against the table.

“Why wine, why not something harder?” Mira swirled the wine around in her glass watching the way the liquid moved.

“We still have to go to work after we have this conversation. This way we may be tipsy but not completely wasted.”

Mira nodded, “Alright… Tell me.”

Where to start? Violet mentally went over it all in her mind, choosing to figure out the most important parts first. “When we couldn’t get you back, I didn’t feel right and I ended up collapsing.”

“No one told me that.” Her voice was soft, she hadn’t known, hadn’t been told, what had happened in the short time she had been gone.

“I wasn’t out for long, just a few seconds.” When Xaden had told her that she had only been out for such a short time it had shocked her. In the realm of death it had felt like at least an hour had elapsed while she was talking and negotiating with Malek.

“Did you use too much power? Why did you collapse?”

This was the part that she knew her sister would struggle to believe. “Everyone thinks I used too much power trying to bring you back.”

“Everyone thinks…” Mira trailed off, catching on to what her sister was trying to hint at. “So why did you really collapse?”

“Do you ever wonder about the gods? If they’re real and what they’d look or sound like? What their personalities would be like?”

Mira’s eyes looked upward as she thought about the question, “When I was in the Rider’s Quadrant there was this cadet named Chancy and he would always pretend he was the god of luck when he got drunk. Other than that, no. I don’t think I’ve ever really thought of the gods as having human qualities. Why? What do they have to do…”

Violet nodded as she saw the realization dawn on Mira, as the memories became a little more clear.

“You were there…” Slowly the memory came back, soft linen clothes and standing with her sister in a barren wasteland in front of… “Was that?”

“Malek? Yeah. That was him.”

Mira sat up, “Vi, what the fuck happened and why were you in the land of the dead?” Her tone was serious, wondering what exactly had happened.

“He wanted to make a deal, he gave me a job to do…”

“And you just accepted?” Mira asked in disbelief before it registered, “Never mind, god of death, of course you accepted.”

Violet shook her head, “But I didn’t. I negotiated. He needed me to do a job and I needed you.”

“Vi… Of all the things you could have asked for, you asked for me?” Mira asked softly.

“I won’t lose you, any of you.” Violet said firmly, holding on to the hope and belief that all of her family, friends, and loved ones would make it out of this alive.

“And he just agreed? Just like that? What job did he ask you to do?”

“There are people who know things that they shouldn’t. I have to kill them. Anyone who knows must die, so I can’t tell you what it is that they know. But that’s not why I needed to talk to you about what happened… I was selfish.”

Mira scoffed, “You’re the most unselfish person in the world.”

“No, Malek warned me that if he brought you back there could be consequences because it would be defying natural law.”

“What consequences?”

“He said that people who are brought back from death unnaturally like you were, that you come back wrong.”

Mira raised her arm flexing her hand into a fist, “I don’t feel wrong.”

Violet examined her sister closely, “So you haven’t noticed anything weird or different since you’ve been back?”

“No.” Mira shook her head, “I’ve been getting cold a lot… But I don’t think that’s weird, right?” Normally she wouldn’t mention such a trivial thing like getting cold but it had been happening so often lately, even when it was so hot out they wore the bare minimum flight leathers.

“I don’t know, he didn’t specify what would happen just that people who were brought back came back wrong.”

“How would he even know? Has he done this before? In order for him to warn us like this-“ Violet dove forward and covered her sister’s mouth with her hand.

Her hazel eyes frantically looked around the room like at any moment something would jump out and take Mira away, “Just stop. Kill that thought and bury its body then forget the location.” She locked eyes with Mira and nodded, “Do you understand?”

“Vi-“

“Do you understand?” Violet asked, praying to every god except Malek that Mira would let it go and forget that train of thought had every crossed her mind.

Mira shook her head, “I don’t. But I trust you.”

Violet went to the little brown box on her dresser and picked it up, praying that it wouldn’t point to Mira. She lifted the lid and watched as the arrow wobbled, pointing toward the southeast. “Thank the gods.” She sighed when the arrow didn’t point to Mira.

“What is that?” Mira got up and looked over Violet’s shoulder at the compass. “Shouldn’t that be pointing north?”

Violet moved so Mira could get a better look, “That’s not how this one works. It points to people who Malek wants me to… eliminate.” The idea made her stomach turn, she was going to become a killer, a weapon for the gods to wield against those in the human realm who knew too much. If this quest were ever to end, would they just give her another one? Over and over until the day her body gave out and she was no longer useful?

“You’re serious about all this…” Mira looked at her sister, realizing for the first time that this wasn’t just a whim or one of her plans. This was a directive from a god. Not that she had doubted her before, but this made it all real. “Vi, we have to tell the others. At least the core group. They need to know how serious this is.”

Violet looked up at Mira, “But then we risk them finding out exactly why Malek wants the venin and the Navarrian command dead. You almost figured it out. Mira, I need you to swear to me you won’t try to piece together what he doesn’t want you to know. If you do… I can’t kill you, sissy.” It was rare that Violet called her sissy, a nickname from when she was small and scared, looking to her big sister for comfort that her mother would never provide. Mira grabbed Violet and pulled her in, hugging her tight.

“I swear, Vi. I’ll have Imogen wipe my memory just to be safe.” Her words made Violet freeze. “What?” She pulled back and looked at her sister, wondering what had caused her to seize up.

“Do you think that would work? Do you think if we erase the memory they would be erased from the list?” The little queen was thinking so hard, Mira could almost see the gears turning in her mind. “But I can’t ask Imogen to do it because then she would have to know and that puts her at risk…” She began to pace as she tried to connect the thought to the action, as she tried to find a way to see if it was possible. “I can mimic signets… I could do it… But who knows…” At this point she was pretty much mumbling to herself as she tried to figure out who would be a good person to test her theory on.

Mira put her hand on her shoulder, “Vi. Use me.”

Violet froze again, looking at Mira like she was crazy. “If it doesn’t work, that would be a death sentence for you. I just got you back, I’m not willing to risk your life like that.”

“So, it’s okay for you to risk your life but not for the rest of us to risk ours? How’s that fair Vi?” Mira let go and crossed her arms over her chest, fighting the urge to angrily pace the room.

“I can’t lose you. Any of you.”

“And we can stand losing you? You mean just as much to us as we do to you and yet you are always doing reckless things. This goes both ways, Vi.” Mira turned away but just as quickly turned back, her finger pointed at Violet, “And don’t think you can order me to stand down. You may be the queen but you will always be my little sister first.” Sure, it may be treason, but Mira would always see Violet as the little girl who followed her around, asking questions with that awed look in her eyes.

“I would never use my title to make you do things.” Violet whispered, reflecting on her past behaviors and wondering if Mira really believed that she would do something like that. “Is that what you really think of me?”

One look at the utter devastation on Violet’s face had Mira backtracking faster than she could blink. “No. No, no, no, no. Of course not.” She pulled her in for a hug and held her tight just like she would when Violet had been a little girl. “I shouldn’t have said that. I was mad that you take all the risks and I just said what came to mind. I’m sorry.” She ran her fingers through Violet’s hair, continuing to just hug her.

“Promise that’s not how you see me?”

Mira pulled away and smiled as she began to explain, “Violet, when you are in the zone and focused you are an amazing queen. Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but when you have time to think you tend to doubt yourself. Like with the training exercise you wanted us to implement. You’re the queen, you could have just told us to add it and that would have been that. But you didn’t, you talked it over with us and backed down when it looked like it wasn’t going well. When you have time to think, you tend to doubt yourself. Which is ridiculous because you are crazy smart and a hell of a strategist. You definitely don’t use your title to get your way.”

Violet smiled, “I worry sometimes that no one takes me seriously, it’s why I second guess myself. I was raised as a scribe; this is all new to me and you all know so much more than I do which is why I tend to defer to your judgement.” She admitted, well aware of how often she harshly criticized herself and feared people wouldn’t listen to her because of her beginnings.

The snort that came out of Mira startled Violet making her jump. “Vi, you have just as much experience as the rest of us. At least in the areas that count. You’ve been in battles, fought in wars, and if not for you a lot of those wars would have been lost. Don’t let anyone, not even that negative little voice inside your head, devalue your experiences. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Why do I feel like you gave up too easily?” Mira grabbed Violet’s shoulders and made a show of looking her over, “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” She joked making Violet laugh. “There she is.” Seeing the small smile on Violet’s face, Mira pulled her back in and hugged her tight, Violet’s arms wrapping around her and holding her so tight that Mira was certain she’d find nail marks on her back later.

“I can’t lose you again.” Violet whispered.

“I can’t promise that I won’t die, but I do promise to be careful when I can.”

“That’s the best I’m going to get, huh?”

“For now, yeah. So… tell me this secret and we can see if you can wipe it from my mind and that will satisfy Malek.” Violet pulled away and gave Mira that look again, the one that said she really didn’t want to. “Don’t give me that look, Vi. Come on, we both know that if anyone can find a way, it’s you. And in theory, if I don’t remember the secret then it should work? Right?”

Violet reluctantly nodded, “Right… In theory.” She emphasized. “You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”

Mira shook her head, “Nope.”

“If this doesn’t work-“

“You’ll find another way.” Mira smiled, full of confidence for her baby sister.

Violet pinched the bridge of her nose, “You all don’t realize how much pressure you put on me every time you say that.” She sighed.  “It’s like, oh something is impossible? Don’t worry Violet can figure it out.” She lowered her hand and looked at Mira, “What if I can’t?”

“Okay… I’ll talk to the others, we won’t say it anymore.”

“No. Because then… then they’ll know the truth.”

“And what truth is that?”

“That I’m just as scared and lost as they are.” In that moment, Mira saw what Violet didn’t want everyone else to see. Beneath it all, the brainy warrior queen exterior, she was just a scared woman in her early twenties praying she was doing the right thing and hoping her decisions were the right ones. It was vulnerability, something Violet never showed if she could help it because in the Sorrengail family, vulnerability was weakness and weakness was unacceptable.

Mentally Mira cursed her parents and the day they were born. “Fuck her for doing this to us. Fuck both of them.” It was probably the most Mira had ever hugged her sister in their entire lives, she thought to herself as she grabbed Violet and pulled her back in holding tight and not letting go. “It’s okay to be scared and feel lost. No one will look down on you for it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been up there terrified, wondering if I had made the right choice or if I was sending my riders to their deaths. Fear is natural, Vi, and no one will think less of you for feeling it.”

“I’m scared that if we try this, that erasing the memory won’t work and then what if I can’t find another way out of it. Malek made it very clear that this knowledge needs to be eliminated or magic could be taken away entirely.” In vivid detail she recounted what Malek had told her, how the gods would take the magic and everything that relied on it would wither away and die. And how if that didn’t work, the gods were prepared to do a total reset wiping the planet and starting anew. It made her wonder if it had happened before and if so, why had it happened?

There were so many questions, so many unknowns that made it all the more frightening. She had to succeed because the price they’d have to pay if she didn’t…

Mira cupped her face, “Hey. Stop. We’ll figure it out, together, as a family. All of us. You’re not alone.”

It was both what Violet needed to hear and what she was afraid of but she should have anticipated Mira’s adamant insistence that she be allowed to help. “Okay.”

Her sister stepped back and shook her arms out like she was about to run the gauntlet. “Okay, I’m ready, tell me the secret.”

The action made Violet smile and she said a quick prayer to the god of luck that this would work. “The information that Malek doesn’t want getting out is…” It was like icy fingers surrounded her throat, squeezing until her voice was silenced.

“Vi?” Mira’s smile fell as she watched her sister grab at her neck like something was choking her. “Shit, Vi!” She ran over and grabbed her, lowering them both to the ground. “What’s wrong?” Goosebumps covered her arms, every hair on her body feeling electrified like they wanted to stand on end.

Without warning the feeling disappeared as if it had never been there and Violet was left gasping for air, her head cradled in her sister’s lap. “What the fuck was that?” Mira asked, getting up to get Violet a glass of water.

She took the glass and drank, trying to catch her breath. When she tilted her head to take a drink, Mira examined her neck. “Shit Vi…” The skin was red and raw, it would definitely become a bruise. “It almost looks like…” She held up her hand for comparison and sure enough the mark looked like a handprint. “Malek’s serious about this information not getting out.”

Violet nodded, “He said he bound the secret to my soul. I guess now I know what he meant.” Her voice was raspy, her speech jagged like she had just run a marathon.

“So I’ll just have to figure it out on my own, without you telling me.” Mira sat back, her back resting against the foot of the bed. “When you told me to lose the idea, to bury it… We had been talking about Malek and how he brought me back.”

All Violet could do was blink as her sister began to puzzle out what she, apparently, wasn’t even allowed to say. She kept her expressions neutral, wondering if even so much as a nod to Mira indicating she was on the right path would trigger another attack.

“I asked how he knew they came back wrong, if he knew because he had done this before. Bringing people back? Is that what the Navarre command and the venin know? How to bring people back?”

Closing her eyes and preparing for another attack, Violet subtly nodded. But nothing happened. So she could acknowledge it but not say it… She added that information into her mental archives to think about later.

“They’re bringing people back from the dead?” Her eyes widened, “That’s why you weren’t too surprised when Dain showed up with Halden and they told us about the bodies they’re hoarding, you knew they were going to be experimenting on them to bring them back to life.”

Violet licked her suddenly dry lips, “I don’t know that for sure but I suspect that’s what they may be used for.”

“Fuck…” Mira sat down at the table, “Do you think they can be controlled? Or do they have free will?”

The chair scraped against the floor as Violet pulled it out and sat down next to her sister. “I don’t know. I just know that Malek wants them gone, that their existence defies natural law and, according to him, bad things happen when natural law is ignored.”

Mira jerked her chin at the little brown box that contained the compass, “Check. See if I’m a target now.”

With shaking hands, Violet reached for the compass and slowly opened it. No longer wobbly, the arrow now pointed straight ahead, directly at Mira. Just to be certain, Violet got up and moved around the room but the arrow stayed pointing to Mira no matter where she went. “It worked.”

“Okay, now erase the memory.” She straightened her spine and looked at Violet, ready to let her sister in.

Violet set the compass on the table and sat in front of Mira, “I’ve never done this. I don’t even know how.” Sure she had seen Imogen do it before but she had never asked about the nuances behind the act itself.

“Imogen touches their heads, maybe try starting there?” Mira suggested, her stomach filled with dozens of butterflies that seemed to be increasing by the second.

Violet put her hands on Mira’s head, her fingers gently resting on her temples. “Can you drop your shields? It might make it easier.” Her voice came out as a whisper.

“Okay.”

Closing her eyes, Violet focused on the need to get this information out of Mira’s head. She could feel it pulling her, the memory that she was looking for, so she followed it until she was certain she had found the end. “Okay, I think this is it.”

“Do it.” Mira closed her eyes.

With a thought the memory was blank, vanished as if it had never even existed. Gently Violet extracted herself from Mira’s mind, “Well? Did it work?”

Slowly Mira opened her eyes, blinking to reorient herself. “I… I think it worked?”

“Do you remember the secret? The information that you aren’t supposed to know?”

Mira’s face screwed up in confusion and she shook her head no, “I remember that there is a secret but I don’t remember what it was.”

A feeling of hope began to bloom in Violet’s chest, maybe this would actually work and she wouldn’t have to kill so many people. She picked up the compass, ready to see the arrow pointing to the southeast again as it had before Mira had figured out what Malek didn’t want them to know.

But it hadn’t changed at all.

“No!” Violet screamed, throwing the compass once she realized that it still pointed to Mira.

“It didn’t work…” It wasn’t a question but a resigned statement delivered on a sigh. “Vi, we’ll figure it out.”

“You always say that but what if we don’t?” She got up and began to pace, tears filling her eyes. “I basically just signed your death warrant, Mira! How can you be so fucking calm?”

She got to her feet and stood in front of Violet, stopping her in her tracks by grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look her in the eyes. “We’ll figure it out, there has to be a way.”

“What if there’s not? What if this is one problem I can’t solve?” Violet asked softly.

Mira pulled her in, “Don’t worry about that, not yet.” But her mind was already making plans and putting fail safes into place. She had pushed for this and if it came down to it, she wouldn’t allow Violet to be the one to do the deed. She pulled away, “Come on. We have work to do, we can think about all of this later.”

“You expect me to just go on about my day like I didn’t just condemn you to die?”

Without hesitating, Mira nodded. “Yes, because that’s what we do. We take the bad shit in stride and continue on doing what we can. It’s probably the one lesson mom taught us that’s useful.”

Violet nodded and wiped at her face, “Yeah… You’re right.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, walling away the thoughts and emotions that were making her nauseous. “I’m not going to let you die. I’ll figure it out.” The fact that it was a promise Violet was making was not lost on Mira. The words didn’t need to be said for her to know that Violet would do everything she could to fix it.

“We will figure it out. You’re not alone.”

Violet nodded, “I know.”

They hugged one more time before Violet grabbed Mira’s wrist and wielded them to the flight field so she could join the others on maneuvers.

Once her sister was where she needed to be, Violet walked to the library and began to comb through the stacks for any books that could help.

She wouldn’t let this be what ended Mira.

No. Her sister would not die, at least not because of this.

She would figure it out.

She had to.

Chapter Text

He followed the bond to the library, an unsurprising event considering that when they weren’t planning for war Violet was researching every book in the archives trying to find some hint of a way to cure Naolin. His steps halted when he saw her bent over a book, her face pressed against the pages and little snores coming from her barely parted lips.

Without asking he knew that she had been here since dinner, pouring over every sentence and translating every foreign text. Lately her focus had turned to the dead languages and the books that had come from the isles where the Poromish with broken bonds were sent to live out the remainder of their lives. She knew there had to be something there, some way to break Naolin’s bond with the venin and turn him human again.

“How long has she been asleep?” He asked Brennan and Naolin who were sitting across from her, both engrossed in their own research. The table was littered with books and pages of paper, notes scribbled on every inch of parchment with ideas or possible leads.

“About an hour.” Brennan’s gaze softened as he looked at his baby sister, “I told her she doesn’t have to push herself so hard but she’s so insistent.” He shook his head. Beside him Naolin looked downcast and guilty, feeling responsible for her burnout and hating that he was part of what was causing her distress

Xaden nodded. He would never forget the night she had told him what had gone on in the privacy of their own bedroom that day, how she had fallen into his arms the moment they were alone repeating the words, “I fucked up.” Over and over. That had been one of the hardest nights, holding her as the sobs wracked her tiny body and knowing that there was nothing he could do to make it better, no way he could shield her from the agony inside her mind. He had felt powerless, helpless, and it wasn’t a feeling he liked. All his life he had been able to protect those he loved, had been able to help them in whatever capacity they needed. Now, knowing there was nothing he could do, it had felt like a knife to his heart.

Gently he knelt next to Violet and lifted her into his arms, her head lolling to the side to rest against his chest. Her hair was wild, the strands sticking out of her braid from the number of times she had run her fingers through it. “Have you seen Liam?” Xaden whispered to the pair still at the table, hoping the distance wielder would be able to take them to their room so he wouldn’t have to walk and risk waking her with every jarring step he took. When he looked up to see what their answer was, they were watching him with sympathy.

“No, he was here earlier but he left. He said he had an errand to run and he would be back soon.” Brennan responded, his voice equally as soft. It hadn’t escaped his notice how the shadows under Violet’s eyes grew every day, sleep eluding her as she tried to figure out a way out of this mess.

Xaden’s eyebrows drew together as he processed the information. “He’s running another errand?” That made almost every night this week the blonde had disappeared to run some mysterious errand. None of them knew what it was, he was being incredibly tight lipped about whatever he was doing. Not even Violet had been told what it is he was doing and it wasn’t for her lack of effort. She had tried, had done everything but beg him to tell her but he wouldn’t. The fact that he was keeping whatever it was a secret was odd. That he wouldn’t even tell Violet, that made it concerning.

“Maybe he has a girlfriend?” Naolin offered with a shrug.

“Maybe…” Xaden trailed off, the explanation plausible but unlikely. “I’m going to take her up to bed then I’ll be back.” Making sure she was secure in his arms, Xaden carried her up to their room where he carefully lay her on the bed. He removed her shoes and clothes, amazed that she was able to sleep through it all. Amazed but not surprised. She had been working herself to the bone ever since the failed experiment with Mira, waking up for their flights at dawn and working late into the night. But at least she would agree to go to bed when he found her, putting up no argument when he told her that she needed to rest. He unwound the wrap from around her knees and set it aside for use the next day.

From the armoire he grabbed one of his oversized shirts, putting it on her before tucking her into the bed, gently brushing his fingers through her hair and unwinding her messy braid.  How he loved her hair, the soft silky strands slipping through his fingers as he rubbed her head with a gentleness reserved only for her. She softly hummed and leaned into his touch bringing a small smile to his face. He loved her like this, unguarded and unburdened by the chaos that was their lives.

Trying to be quiet and make as little motion as possible, Xaden got up and made his way back to the library knowing that if she needed him she would easily be able to distance wield to his location or speak to him through their bond.

When he got back, Brennan and Naolin were still at work, the pair cuddled closer together than they had been earlier and pointing out different things in the books they read. Grabbing the chair across from them he pulled it out and spun it around, straddling it and resting his arms on the back rest. “Any progress?” He asked picking up a sheet of paper and reading what was on it.

Brennan shook his head, his hand gravitated to Naolin’s “No. There’s nothing in these books about breaking bonds or curing venin.”

Xaden picked up one of the books and looked through it, his eyes nearly crossing as he tried to decipher the ancient text. “What the hell kind of language is this?” He asked, shutting the book before it could give him a headache.

Brennan gave it a quick glimpse recognizing it as one of the ones Violet had been pouring over for the past few days. “One only Violet can read.”

“I wish she wouldn’t, I can see how her eyes and mind strain when she tries to translate it.” Naolin ran a hand through his hair, “This is killing her.” He looked up, guilt evident in his dark brown eyes.

Xaden nodded, “I know. She’s working herself to death trying to find a cure, plan this war, and the other stuff.” He sighed and put his head in his hands, “I don’t know how to help her.”

The sensation of a hand closing over his shoulder made him look up, “You’re doing fine. You’re supporting her and taking care of her.” Brennan gave his shoulder another squeeze before letting go and returning to his seat.

Xaden nodded, “I’m trying. I just wish I could do more.” Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and pulled a book toward him, opening it and reading the information within. “I wish our archives had survived the war. Maybe it would have had some of the information that we need.” But the original archives had been burned to the ground along with over a third of Aretia during the war with Navarre and all that they had been able to save from the charred ruins had been relocated to the Riorson House library deep within the Fortress.

Brennan looked up from the page he was reading, “Has Syrena heard anything about the books at her uncle’s house?”

“She says they’re still searching. Apparently he had been hoarding more treasure than he ever let on and they’re still trying to sort through it.” Violet had offered to go to Tecarus’s home to help organize the books but the Poromish had declined, citing a need to preserve his legacy in the ways of their people.  She had snorted and mumbled about them probably worrying about her setting it on fire or trying to send it all to Malek with him. Syrena had laughed and nodded before swearing that the moment they found anything Violet would be the first to know. “They’re lucky she doesn’t know where Tecarus’s home is because I have no doubt in my mind that she would distance wield there whether they wanted her there or not.”

The guys nodded, all of them familiar enough with Violet to know that she would do anything to find the information they needed. “Maybe we should send someone to the isles for research? There might be something there that could help us.” Brennan suggested.

Xaden nodded, “That’s not a bad idea but who could we trust enough? Plus, we have the war that we don’t know where or even when it will happen.” He shook his head, “Sending someone off right now would be a bad idea.” A moment passed before he added, “And I don’t think Violet could handle any of us being away. With everything going on, she wants everyone close. I swear she thinks that if she’s with us she can keep us all from dying.”

“Do you blame her? We’ve all been through a lot but with the Malek stuff being placed solely on her shoulders. Well, I know if I were in her place, I’d keep my loved ones close too.” Naolin closed his book and set it aside, the contents nothing that would help them.

Telling the group about what had gone down with Malek had been hard. That evening, after she had broken down in his arms sobbing because she had condemned her sister to death, they had told the others.

Their friends had known something was off when they came for their evening drink and found Violet sitting on Xaden’s lap, her face stained with tears that still fell in silent streams down her flushed cheeks. Immediately Liam had been by her side, putting his hand on her shoulder and asking her, “What’s wrong?”

She had grabbed his hand and held it tight, watching as everyone cautiously settled into their normal seats. Mira’s eyes held a hint of guilt and a lot of sympathy as she briefly looked at her sister then away. “We need to talk about what’s going on… What’s really going on.” The group shared confused looks, all of them wondering what the hell she was talking about. But Mira remained silent, looking down at the table top as she tried to come to terms with what they had done.

Her heart stuttered in her chest, the beat felt weird like it wasn’t her heartbeat at all. Goosebumps rose on her skin, the chill that had seemed to have taken up residence in her bones making itself known once again. Her hands squeezed the armrest of her chair, her nails digging into the wood as she tried to keep herself from hyperventilating.

Dying had never been a foreign concept to her. All of her career as a rider she had known that at any moment Malek could take her from this world and into his realm. Before today that thought had never scared her and Mira fought to try to figure out why that was. Maybe it was because at least in battle there was always a chance of survival. Not now, not with this. Her soul was marked and at present there was no way of escaping the inevitable fate.

Her eyes flickered to Violet, taking in the absolute devastation on her face that she tried to hide. She wouldn’t let her sister do this, wouldn’t make her be the one to put her down when the time came. Mira looked over at Imogen and Garrick, they wouldn’t be able to do it and even if they could she couldn’t’ ask that of them. No, she needed someone who would be able to take her out without feeling guilty about it afterward. She shook her head, that could wait. There was still a chance they could figure this out, that they could find a way around Malek’s death order.

“What’s going on?” Brennan asked, his hand finding Naolin’s and squeezing it tight. The sight made Violet smile, it was rare that you ever found one without the other these days. They claimed they had spent enough time apart when he had been dead and Naolin had been with the venin, now they just wanted to be together. She would make sure that happened, she would fight for them. She looked around the table at the friends who had become family, she would fight for all of them.

Violet took a deep breath, “I haven’t been entirely honest with you all and I think it’s time that changed.” Xaden squeezed her hand giving her his silent support. “There’s more to the reason why we made the decisions that we did. A few weeks ago, when Mira died, I was taken to the realm of the dead. Malek gave me a quest and in return for my compliance he agreed to give Mira back.”

The widened eyes she saw when she looked to see their reactions didn’t surprise her, after all who would ever believe that a god would give a mere human a quest of this magnitude when they were supposed to be all powerful? “So the reason we have to take out the Navarre command and the venin is because it’s a direct order from Malek?” Liam asked, his slow utterance of the words an indicator of his disbelief in the situation conflicting with his belief in Violet to always be honest with them.

She nodded, “Yes. The venin and Navarrian command have information that cannot be passed on. I’m in charge of destroying anyone who knows it.”

“So, you can’t tell us what it is?” Garrick asked, his eyes narrowing as he tried to think of a way around the rule.

She shook her head, “No. Anyone who knows has to be killed.”

“Even if they’re your friend?” She could see the dots connecting in Liam’s mind.

“Even if. Let’s just pray that none of our friends have been let in on the secret.” She didn’t want to tell them what she had done, how she had so carelessly put her sister’s life at risk.

“What about me? I could erase their memories.” Imogen offered because she actually liked some of the Basgaith cadets and would hate to have to kill them if they knew this big secret.

Violet shook her head, “That won’t work.”

“You don’t know that for sure…” Imogen looked around, her eyes settling on the quiet Mira. Normally Mira was very outspoken when they got together, sharing her opinion on every detail. This silence was unusual, definitely not something that you would see unless something was bothering her. “Unless you’ve already tried it.”

Both Violet and Mira looked down, “What the fuck did you do?” Imogen’s voice was low, her eyes sharpening as they fixed on Violet who shrank back at her tone.

“Im, don’t-“ Mira put her hand on Imogen’s shoulder but the pink haired girl shook her off.

“No! How could you do that to your own sister? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Imogen leapt toward Violet but Garrick and Mira both jumped to their feet, grabbing her arms and holding her back before she did something she couldn’t undo.

“It wasn’t her fault!” Mira grabbed Imogen’s shoulders and made her look her in the eyes, “It wasn’t Violet’s fault!” She yelled to get her attention, relaxing slightly when Imogen refocused on her. “I figured it out, the secret. We had the same thought you did, that if we erased the memory maybe it would take me off the list but it didn’t.” When she was sure Imogen wouldn’t attack Violet, Mira let go. “Besides, Violet can’t tell the secret to anyone even if she wanted to. This was my fault.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means she can’t tell, Malek won’t let her… Show them.” Only Xaden and Mira remained unfazed as Violet moved her hair to reveal the hand print shaped bruise around her neck. Xaden’s nails dug into the wood of his chair, the sight making him mad. Malek was lucky that he had no way of getting into the other realm because god or not, Xaden would kill him for hurting his Violence.

“He did that to you?” Liam’s eyes were fixed on the mark, his voice low.

“Yeah, when I tried to tell Mira what the secret was. He wasn’t there but I could feel the hand around my throat squeezing until I couldn’t breathe. When I was negotiating, I asked him if I would have to die too when this was all over since I know the secret. He said no because he bound it to my soul and I would never be able to tell, I guess this was what he meant.” She gestured to her neck.

Liam’s hand slammed on the table startling everyone, “This isn’t right! You’re doing a fucking favor for him and he does this to you?” He got up and walked over to the window, fighting the urge to pace out his agitation. He wanted to punch something, wanted to fight, wanted to hit that fucking god in his fucking face.

“If it’s the price I pay for getting Mira back, then I’ll gladly pay it.” Violet watched after him, feeling helpless.

“But you don’t have her back, not if she knows the secret.”

“I know and I’m trying to figure it out. Maybe I can make another bargain with him, get him to bind the secret to her too or something. I… I don’t know.” Her voice quivered and Xaden held her tighter.

“We’ll figure it out.” He whispered, gently running his fingers through her hair and placing a soft kiss to her temple. “We’ll figure it out.”

It was the closest any of them had ever seen her to breaking down, her fear and pain an agonizing blow to their faith. Violet had always been the one with the plan, the one they went to when they needed to know something. Slowly they all sank back into their seats as reality sank in. There was a good chance that they would lose Mira, that they might not win these battles, that they could lose everything.

“Fuck.” Garrick breathed.

“Yeah, fuck.” Bodhi agreed.

Sloane gently rubbed Bodhi’s arm, looking from her brother who still stood staring out the window to the other occupants of the table. “You’re kidding me, right?” She asked in disbelief making everyone look at her. “There’s one setback and you all get this defeatist attitude? This is not the group I know, the group that there are already tales being written about.”

“It’s a pretty damn big setback, Sloane.” Bodhi covered her hand with his and held it, looking into her sky blue eyes. She squeezed his hand back.

“Yeah, and you’ve all overcome worse. Liam told me the story of when Violet was kidnapped, how she was able to break through the bond blocker and get to him so you all could find her. How time after time when things looked their absolute worst you all found a way. And you’re letting this get you down? No! Not only no but hell no!” She slammed her fist on the table. “This group is defined by beating the odds and I refuse to believe that that will change now. Come on.” Her voice softened and she looked around at all of them.

“She’s right.” Violet’s voice was soft but still managed to convey her conviction. “It’s not over until Malek himself drags our cold dead bodies to his realm.”

Liam came back to the table, “What do you need, Vi? How can we help?” He kneeled next to her, resting his arm on the chair and looking up at her.

She took a deep breath, “Right now, research and planning. When the time comes for battle, all the venin and… the Navarrians will be more tricky because we’ll have to rely on the compass to know who needs to be taken out.” At their confused looks she got up and grabbed the small leather box from the dresser, opening it and showing it to the group. “It points to everyone who knows, who needs to be eliminated.” She cringed when the arrow pointed to Mira. “I think it points to whoever is closest because earlier, before she found out, it pointed south east. When it starts to spin, that means my job is complete.”

“Our job.” Xaden grabbed her hand and held it tight. “We’re in this together.”

“He’s right. You’re not carrying this burden by yourself.” Brennan took the compass from her and set it on the table so he could hold her hand.

“Not to make light of the situation but should we group hug? I feel like this is a group hug moment.” Garrick stood up.

Violet laughed and nodded, “Yeah Garrick, I think this is definitely a group hug moment.”

He got up and pulled her to her feet wrapping her in a tight hug. “Well, come on. I said group hug. It’s weird if it’s just me and Vi.” He waved for the others to join them. Slowly everyone got up and joined in the hug until all of them were smushed together.

“You know, this probably doesn’t help the rumors that we’re codependent.” Bodhi deadpanned making Imogen snort.

“Fuck them. We’re family.” She held on just a little harder.

“Even me?” Naolin smiled at her.

“You’re like the stray dog that Brennan drug home. No one wanted you here but now you’re one of us.”

“I like you too, Im.”

“Fuck off.”

He laughed and leaned his head on Brennan’s shoulder.

The rest of that night had been laying everything out and working to make sure the plans they made with Syrena were things that would work with what they now knew. One benefit was that a little of the weight had been lifted from Violet’s shoulders, her eyes showing a little less stress than before.

Still the pressure of finding a cure and finding a way to save Mira plagued her day and night to the point where her dreams had become nightmares of losing two people who meant a lot to her. The only way she had been getting sleep lately was when she drifted off while working or when Xaden used their bond to lure her into his dreams. It had taken some effort and the help of Tairn and Sgaeyl but eventually they had figured it out and Violet now spent almost every dream with Xaden locked away in their own little corner of paradise in his mind.

“I should head to bed. Let us know if you find anything that could be of help.” He stood and closed the book he had been reading, making sure all the notes that he had written down were neatly stacked together with the pile Brennan and Naolin had made.

“The moment we find anything, we’ll let you know.” The two men reassured him and Xaden left to go back to bed with Violet.

When he lay down her body immediately gravitated to his, curling against him and laying her head over his heart. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight, his fingers stroking through her hair. His eyes slid closed and he felt for the bond, gently tugging the way he had learned would pull her to him, into his mind.

He was sitting on the Aretian hillside in his mindscape when she appeared, shaking and scared. “Thank the gods.” She leapt into his arms making them both fall into the soft grass. They didn’t need words as they fell together, searching for comfort in each other’s embrace and pretending their problems outside of this perfect world didn’t exist.

Hours later they were still tangled together in Xaden’s dream when Tairn’s voice broken through the silence. Silver One!

Violet’s head shot up and immediately she was pulled back to awareness, sitting up in bed and looking around. Tairn?

You need to come to me, now. Violet scrambled from bed, searching the room for her armored corset and leathers.

“The chair by the table.” Xaden groaned as he rubbed his eyes, “What’s wrong?” When he looked at the clock he realized they had only been asleep for a few hours, not nearly enough to be aware and alert the next morning.

“Something’s wrong. Tairn needs me to go to him.” She explained as she hurried to get dressed.

“I’m coming too.” He got out of bed and put on the leather and armor that he had removed earlier.

Instead of arguing, Violet nodded, “Yeah. It sounds like something is really wrong.” She finished tying her boots and held out her hand, “Ready?”

He took her hand and they were gone, Violet using the bond to pull her to wherever Tairn was. Xaden drew his blade, ready for any danger.

But what they saw when they appeared in front of Tairn was nothing at all like what they were expecting. The large dragon was curled over something on the ground, holding something that neither of them could see. Tairn, what? Violet tried to get closer but he growled, the sound muffled by whatever was in his mouth.

They’ve lost their minds.

Who?

Esper and Deigh… Tairn ground out, the struggle making his voice rougher than usual.

What? Violet froze, her eyes narrowing as she realized that Esper was using his camouflage ability to try to escape Tairn but it wasn’t working. Where’s Deigh?

Sgaeyl has him, Andarna is protecting the eggs. They went crazy, they both started bellowing and torching everything around them. They nearly crushed our eggs. He tightened his teeth around Esper’s throat. Already the golden dragon was on his bad side because of everything with Andarna, now that he had almost hurt the eggs there was little to no chance of Tairn ever being civil with him.

Violet paled as she realized what it could mean, “Liam…” She whispered, “Where’s Liam?” She turned to Xaden who shook his head.

“I don’t know. Brennan and Naolin said he was out on an errand again.”

Tairn! Ask if they can sense where Liam is… Is he alive? Is he in danger? She closed her eyes and tried to feel for Liam, tried to wield herself to him but nothing happened. “I can’t go to him, I can’t feel him.” Panic filled her veins, a sickening feeling blooming in her stomach.

They can’t either. Esper says that it was like he just vanished, they can’t feel him through the bond. They don’t know where he is.

Do they know where he’s been going?

No. They don’t know anything.

“Fuck!” Violet dug her fingers into her hair, “We should have done better, we should have asked him where he was going, insisted on him telling us.” She fell to her knees and closed her eyes, trying to focus on finding him.

“Violence.” Xaden put his hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve done it before… When no one could find me or feel me, I somehow broke through… I can do it again…”

His grip on her shoulder tightened, “And it nearly killed you. We’ll find him. Let’s go get the others and tell them what’s happened and we can figure out where to go from there.” She looked ready to protest but relented when she realized he was right, they would need help.

“We have to find him.”

“We will.”

Tairn, see what you can find out and let me know.

Yes, Silver One.

“Let’s go.” Violet grabbed Xaden’s hand and took them both back to the fortress, straight to Brennan and Naolin. The moment they appeared at the foot of the bed, Violet let go of Xaden and yelled, “Get up!”

Both men scrambled for their weapons, neither of them realizing that the voice shouting at them was Violet. “I’m going to get the others. Explain to them what’s going on?” Xaden nodded and Violet was gone a moment later repeating the process with Garrick, Imogen, and Mira.

“What the fuck, Xaden?” Naolin breathed when he realized it was the king at the foot of his bed and not an attacker, “We could have killed you.”

Xaden raised an eyebrow, “Doubtful.” He eyed the men, both in their sleep clothes and holding daggers. “You need to get up, Liam’s missing.”

Their eyes widened, “Fuck… He’s Vi’s favorite.” Brennan rolled out of bed and started looking for his clothes.

“Let’s be honest, he’s everyone’s favorite.” Naolin did the same, trying to put on his pants but stopping halfway, “These are yours.” He removed them and threw them to Brennan. “Can you tell us more?” Finally, he found his pants and slid into them.

“When everyone else gets here so we don’t have to tell it twice.” As he finished speaking the door opened and Garrick, Mira, and Imogen came in.

“Is it true? Liam’s missing?” Garrick asked, his hands held tight by the ladies on either side of him.

“Yeah. Deigh and Esper are freaking out, they can’t sense him and neither can Violet.” Xaden sank down onto the sofa and put his head in his hands. “Where’s Violet?”

“She’s going to get Bodhi and…”

“And Sloane.” Xaden finished for him. “She’s going to be apoplectic.”

“Should Violet be going to tell her alone? The two of them have a checkered history and Sloane hasn’t always been her biggest fan. I think she’ll find some way to blame this on Violet.” Mira looked out the door, wondering if she should go after her sister just so she had back up when she faced the littlest Mairi.

“Bodhi’s with Sloane, he’ll keep her grounded.” It was amazing how the pair of them complimented each other. He cooled her hot temper and she made him more bold and less chained to the jobs he was given. Since the pair had gotten together, he had started to prioritize his physical and mental health more and she had come to be more understanding and less likely to rush to judgement.

The group stood in silence, waiting for Violet, Sloane, and Bodhi to join them.

~

Violet’s hands shook as she appeared in Bodhi’s room at the foot of his bed. The pair were tangled together with looks of rare peace on their faces. It killed her to know that in a moment she would destroy all of that with the news she needed to deliver. Unlike the others, this couldn’t be spoken in a rushed sentence, she needed to handle telling Sloane her brother was missing with tact and delicacy.

“Hey… Hey, you need to get up and come with me.” She gently shook their legs.

Bodhi groaned and covered his eyes with his arm while Sloane sat up, “What is it?” She rubbed her eyes as she tried to process why Violet was waking them up.

“Something’s happened. You need to come with me.”

That got their attention, both of them getting out of bed and rushing to get dressed, “What is it? Are we under attack?” Bodhi asked as he tried to put both pant legs on at once.

Violet shook her head, “No… Liam’s gone missing.”

Chapter Text

Sloane froze, her shirt halfway on as she turned to look at Violet. “What?”

“Esper and Deigh can’t feel him and neither can I. We need to meet with the others and try to figure out where he went and what happened.” Her voice was soft, the notes wavering as the panic she was trying to temper started to show through.

Despite the fact that she was only halfway dressed, Sloane began to weapon up and try to put on her remaining clothes at the same time not caring if her clothes stretched and ripped with the effort. “Let’s go.” With one hand she grabbed Bodhi who was still trying to fasten his pants and with the other she held onto Violet waiting for her to wield them to the rest of the group. “Come on, let’s go. Every minute we wait is another minute Liam is missing.”

They appeared a moment later in Brennan and Naolin’s room where everyone else was waiting for them. Sloane let go of Violet and marched forward, “Alright, what do we know. What happened to my brother?”

Violet went and sat next to Xaden, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. “Tairn used the bond to contact me tonight because Deigh and Esper lost it. They were torching everything in sight and destroying everything, picking fights with the other dragons, getting too close to the eggs. Once Tairn and Sgaeyl had them subdued, they found out it was because their connection to Liam had vanished. Once we found out we came directly here to get all of you.”

“They lost the connection?” The words felt foreign on Sloane’s tongue, it wasn’t an unfamiliar concept but the idea that something could happen to Liam to make the connection go stagnant was unfathomable.

“Yeah. They’re sure he’s alive, unless…” She trailed off, regretting letting that little word leave her mouth.

“Unless what?”

“It’s a theory I’ve been thinking of for a while but I… I could never bring myself to try it on anyone so I don’t know if it would actually work.” Violet bit her lip as her mind once more went over the logistics.

Sloane slammed her fist against the table, “Just tell us already. God damn.” She got up and began to pace.

“It’s likely that if the bond blocker is administered that maybe it could be possible to kill the rider without the dragon feeling the loss. I don’t know for sure because, like I said, I could never bring myself to try it on an actual person or dragon.” Brennan looked at his sister in a new light, he had known she was smart bordering on brilliant but he had never expected that intelligence to spill into the medical field.

He nodded, “In theory, it’s possible. It’s also possible that the moment the blocker wears off the agony of losing the bond with overwhelm the dragon causing it immense pain, worse than if they had just lost the rider in battle.”

Violet nodded, “Another reason I could never test that theory. I could never risk a dragon’s life like that.” The room fell silent as all of them processed the possibility, “But the likelihood of him being dead is low.”

“Low but not impossible. We need to find him.”

“Does anyone know anything about these errands that he’s been running?” Garrick asked.

His question was met with a chorus of no’s.

“It’s not for lack of trying. I begged and pleaded with him to tell me but he wouldn’t. So one night I followed him but he used his signet to distance wield himself somewhere else. I don’t know where.” Sloane admitted. Inside she was thinking she should have pressed harder, should have demanded that he tell her where he was going every night. If anything happened to him… The thought was unbearable.

“Maybe there’s a clue in his room? It wouldn’t hurt to check.” Bodhi suggested.

“Grab on.” No one needed to be told twice, everyone grabbed onto Violet and a moment later they were inside Liam’s room.

It was immaculate, everything clean enough to eat off of. His clothes were all hung up, his weapons put away, there wasn’t a speck of dust to be seen anywhere…

“Anyone else think this is odd?” Garrick asked as they all let go of Violet and branched out around the room.

Sloane shook her head, “No. When Liam’s stressed he cleans. He says organizing his environment helps him organize his thoughts.”

Everyone began to gently look around, picking things up and looking for any indication of what he had been doing on these errands. “Does anyone know what we are looking for?” Imogen’s voice came from inside the armoire, looking through his clothes for anything that might be hidden.

They explored every nook and cranny, leaving no drawer unsearched as they tried to figure out where Liam had been going.

“Xaden help me.” Violet reached for the mattress, attempting to lift it so she could look under it. Immediately he was at her side, Garrick joining them on the other side, and together the two men lifted the mattress until she could look under it. “Nothing.” She sighed and motioned for them to set it back down.

“Okay, if I were Liam, where would I hide my secrets?” Naolin muttered going to the door and turning like he was walking in.

Imogen shook her head, “You’re a fucking moron.”

“Liam never had secrets. He always told me and the things he didn’t tell me, he told them.” Sloane gestured to Violet and Xaden.

“He never said a word to us.” Xaden leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. “How the hell did we let this happen again? We’re supposed to be a team, a family, and one of our brothers is missing because, like before, we were too fucking ignorant.” He punched the wall, angry at himself for letting his friend, his brother in all but blood, fall through the cracks. It was like the Garrick situation all over again and he hated himself for not seeing it sooner.

Naolin went to the table and sat down, still attempting to get inside Liam’s head. His bag was open, hanging by its strap from the chair. “Has anyone checked in here?” The venin asked as he began to unload the papers out onto the table.

“It’s just research for the cure and war.” Violet came up next to him and began to shuffle through the documents.

The notes were detailed, looking like something she would have written… “Wait, these are my notes…” She brows drew together as she looked over the papers with confusion, wondering why he had them.

Brennan peeked his head out from the bathroom, “Yeah, he wanted to read over them. He thought maybe he would be able to pick up on something that we missed.”

She nodded and continued to look through the numerous papers, most in her handwriting. There were the plans they had made, maps they had marked up, notes about the best ways to attack…

“Does he keep a journal?” Naolin asked as he thumbed through the books, looking for any slips of paper that could contain a hint.

Nearly everyone shook their heads. “No. He was always worried about it being stolen.”

“Then what’s this?” Naolin held up a bound leather book, the pages wrinkled and worn from repeated use. He opened it and quickly read over the contents. “Never mind, it’s a battle reflection. And it’s pretty detailed.” There was so much information inside, detailing every battle Liam had ever fought in. He had written who had been there, what had happened, who had died, who had survived, and completed it with a detailed reflection of what they could have done better and things they could do in the future to prepare for similar situations. “Did you know he kept this? It's… It’s really good.”

Xaden, Garrick, Bodhi and Imogen all looked over his shoulder at the contents of the journal. “He’s always been detailed, being a rider is all he’s ever wanted.” Sloane came up to look too, reaching out to gently run her fingers over the words he had written. “Being here, with you all, he said the only thing that made it better was when I got here too.” In a rare moment of vulnerability, a tear slipped free from her eye, falling down to stain the page below.

Bodhi wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his side, “We’ll find him and bring him home.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. She leaned against him, praying to the gods that he was right.

“Why the fuck are we doing the training when Liam is this good? He should be the one leading and preparing the riders.” Garrick asked as he thumbed through the pages, Imogen nodding her agreement.

Sloane lifted her head from Bodhi’s shoulder. “We all know why.” Her eyes locked in on Violet, “There’s no way he would take on other responsibilities as long as there is a chance she could be in danger. In fact, I’d bet that where ever he’s been disappearing to, it has to do with her.”

“Sloane-“

“Don’t act like it’s not true when we all know that it is. Liam would do anything for her. Whatever happened to him, where ever he is it has to be because of something he was doing for her.” The words weren’t accusatory, merely a matter of fact that no one in the room could dispute.

Violet shook her head, “I never asked him to do anything that I haven’t asked of the rest of you.”

Sloane sighed, “You didn’t have to. Liam would just do it, that’s the kind of brother he is and let’s face it he thinks of you as another sister.”

“I’m sorry.” Violet wanted to reach out, to squeeze her shoulder or pull her into a hug but she knew that she had to tread carefully.

Letting out a loud groan, Sloane stepped forward and pulled Violet into a hug. “Look what you made me do.” She grumbled. “A year ago I would have been pissed, I would have blamed you and punched you for making him disappear. But now that I know you, I get it. I get his loyalty to you and even their loyalty to you.” She took her voice down to a whisper, “I don’t blame you. Liam is an adult and I know better than anyone how once he gets an idea in his head, you can’t change his mind.”

Violet squeezed the blonde, “Thank you.”

The women pulled apart, laughing at the tears building in their eyes and hurrying to wipe them away before anyone else could notice. “Come on, let’s figure out where he went. He had to have left some clue somewhere.”

“We’ve searched every inch of this room and all we’ve found out is that Liam is definitely being underutilized.” Naolin waved the journal around before tossing it onto the table pausing when he noticed something odd. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Everyone gave him a weird look.

Naolin held up his hand for silence and picked up the journal, dropping it back down onto the table. The book made a dull thud. He picked it up again and dropped it a few feet down, the sound completely different when it hit the new section. “It’s hollow…” He went back to the end and began to examine it.

“Are you sure?” They all knelt down to examine the edges, noticing the details Liam had carved into the delicate wood. “Maybe it’s just from the carvings he has done.” Imogen suggested as she felt around the intricate figures he had carved into the table edges trying to figure out if there was a secret lever or button that would reveal a hidden compartment.

Naolin examined every carving carefully, “No…” He smiled as he found what he was looking for, a dragon carved into the edge of the table, its mouth open as if ready to unleash a torrent of flames. Examining the figure closely he pressed his finger to its chin and pushed up closing the mouth and triggering the secret door to unlock. Carefully he pulled, opening a secret drawer filled to the brim with papers.

“Liam did this?” They all looked on in amazement at the careful craftsmanship that had gone into creating the hidden drawer.

“Check for others.” Xaden ordered as he helped Naolin and Violet to lay out the papers on the table.

“It’s a map.” Violet gasped as she unrolled a sheet of parchment, looking at the incredibly detailed map of the continent.

Naolin unrolled another sheet laying it out next to hers. “Here’s another.” But this one was more specific, an enlarged map of the Barrens with the venin encampments, strongholds, human cities, and rider outposts marked. “Why does he have this?”

“Hey! I think we have another.” Sloane called from down the table, “Naolin, come here.” He went to offer his assistant. “I don’t want to break it… He worked so hard to carve it and if… if anything happens, I don’t want to destroy something he put so much effort into creating.”

The venin nodded and carefully examined the figure, finding and pressing the trigger to open the drawer. “What’s in that one?” Violet asked as she read through the pages inside the first drawer.

“A map of Navarre…” He trailed off as he looked through the other sheets of paper.

Violet’s face paled when she reached a new document, “Shit.” She muttered as she took in all the red ink covering the page.

“What?” Everyone gathered around her to look at the paper.

“I don’t understand.” Sloane looked at the list of headings and tally marks.

Violet licked her lips, “The headings are cities in the Barrens.” She pointed out the names and the corresponding locations on the map.

“And the marks?”

Her hazel eyes looked up, “I think it’s a body count.”

“A body count? What makes you say that?” Bodhi came closer to examine the pages. He had been the one to show Liam how to do paperwork and to keep track of things, if anyone would be able to determine what he was trying to do, it would be him.

Beneath the papers they found another journal. Violet closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening it and reading. “It’s dated two weeks ago.”

The room where Cat had been kept was empty, the blood on the floor and walls a dark color indicating that they were at least a few days old. Carefully I tested first my powers then the door. The rune stones must have still been active because I couldn’t wield. So I tried the door and to my surprise it was open. Had anyone been here since that day we had rescued Cat? Or was the door unlocked because they simply didn’t have a prisoner at this time? I made my way down the hall, evidence of the devastation we left still marring the walls. Was this even an active base anymore?

The room outside showed signs of life, a record book open on a table, the dates recent, the last occupant of the cell marked terminated three days ago. They were still here, still using this room to torture people. But who? Were they Poromish like Cat? Were they the human residents of the Barrens? Venin? The book gave away no other information other than health stats of when the prisoner had been alive. They must keep the information that they get in another book or off record.

A sound at the end of the hall made me pause, were they coming? Did they have a new prisoner to break? I hid against the far wall just to the side of the door. When they came in there were two of them, two men in purple robes dragging a body between them. Without thinking I acted, throwing my daggers so they lodged in the venin’s backs, right where their hearts should be.

Both of them went down, the victim falling to the ground with them. I rushed over and checked on them, it was a man and he was alive but barely the two venin were slowly turning to ash thanks to my special blades. “Where are you from?” I asked him but he was too beaten to respond. “Are you from the Barrens? Nod for yes, shake your head for no.” The man shook his head no. “Poromiel?” This time a nod. “Okay, I can get you back.” I adjusted my grip and used my signet to take us to Poromiel.

We appeared in the infirmary of the Cordyn stronghold where I immediately found the healer in charge. I explained the situation to him and brought him over to the man. To my surprise the healer greeted him by name, his face slack with shock. “This is one of our top generals, he is in charge of the southern region of Poromiel. The venin had him?”

“Yes, how is it he was gone and you didn’t notice? The flyers didn’t report him missing?” I asked, wondering why, if this man was so important to the crown, why had they not noticed he was gone?

“He went missing during the battle. We assumed the venin had drained him. How many more of us do they have?” The healer looked panicked and I didn’t blame him.

“This man was the only one I found. If I find more, I’ll return them to you.” The healer nodded his thanks and started to treat the traumatized general. I couldn’t risk going back to the venin outpost so I returned home.

The following pages included detailed diagrams of the rooms he had been in along with two marks on the bottom right corner. “Two marks… two kills.” Bodhi flipped to the next page. “But there’s no explanation for why he is doing this, why did he go to the venin outpost again?”

Sloane gave him the side eye, “You really have to ask?” Bodhi looked up, everyone’s attention focused on her. “It was for Violet. Look at the date.”

She turned back to the first page, the date two weeks ago. “What happened on this day?”

Violet closed her eyes and fell into the chair putting her head in her hands, “That’s the day we told everyone what was really happening. Fuck, this is all my fault.” He was doing it for her, trying to save her the pain of having to kill. Like Xaden, he knew that she wasn’t a cold blooded killer, that she wouldn’t be able to swing her blade at the innocent even if they were venin.

“At least we now know where he probably is. He’s in the Barrens somewhere.” Garrick spoke up, trying to see the silver lining.

Hating to be the bearer of bad news, Bodhi shook his head. “We have two weeks here and it looks like he never went to the same place twice if he could help it.” The pages made a soft whoosh as he turned them, each page detailing a new place he had visited. “He started in the torture chamber and branched out every time he went, it looks like he made it outside of the city.” He continued to read, his eyes breezing through the text. “We need to talk to Deigh and Esper.”

“What? Why?” Imogen looked over the page but she couldn’t read nearly as fast as Bodhi or Violet.

“It looks like once he got far enough outside of the chamber, he found a place where he could distance wield Deigh and Esper there too.”

“Because dragons in the Barrens are all golden… He would be able to move around without attracting attention.” This was not good at all and the knot in Violet’s stomach began to tighten as the pieces started coming together to tell a story that none of them liked.

Tairn! We need Deigh and Esper. Violet sent the thought through the bond.

That’s not possible, Silver One.

What? Why not?

They’re gone… and so is the Golden One. Violet could feel her heart drop.

What? Andarna’s gone? Her face paled and her knees gave out, Xaden’s constant awareness of her the only thing that saved her from hitting the ground, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her tight against his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“Deigh and Esper are gone and Andarna’s gone with them.”

“But that’s good, right? There’s no doubt Esper and Deigh are going to search for Liam and if Andarna is with them then she can keep us updated on their progress.” Sloane perked up, feeling a little optimistic since the dragons were going to search. Out of everyone, they had the best chance of finding him since their lives were so intertwined with Liam’s.

“No. The bond only goes so far before it fades. It’s like, you can hear me talking to you right now because we’re close but the father apart we go, the harder it would be for us to hear each other until we couldn’t at all. Andarna is going who knows where with Deigh and Esper, if something happens to her…” That would be it for them. Xaden, Tairn, Sgaeyl, Naolin and Violet would all be dead. “Fuck…”

“Can’t you just wield to her?”

Violet’s head jerked up, “Yes…” She had forgotten about that, in her focus on Liam and the fact that she couldn’t currently wield to him she had forgotten that the limitation didn’t apply to Andarna, Deigh, and Esper.

In a blink she was gone, appearing on Andarna’s back. For the first time in their relationship, Violet raised her voice at the no-longer little golden dragon. Andarna, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? You left without saying a damn word to me, do you know how bad of an idea this is?

If Andarna was shocked that Violet was suddenly there, on her back, she didn’t let it show. I did what needed to be done.

No, you didn’t need to come with them. You made that choice on your own without even telling me. Do you know how dangerous this is? I won’t be here to protect you.

I don’t need your protection, I can look after myself. And if something happens, I have Deigh and Esper to look after me.

Andarna if this is some way to get closer to your crush by helping him with an important task…

That is not it at all! Esper would never ask that of me, he would never out my life at risk like that. And I would never leave you because of a crush.

Then why are you here? What purpose do you have on this quest?

I’m doing this for you! Andarna’s enraged voice made Violet pause.

What?

I’m doing this for you. Liam is like a brother to you and losing him would destroy you. For weeks you’ve been saying that you don’t want to lose anyone. You won’t, not if I can help and I can. I know you and Tairn think I’m young and foolish and impulsive but I know what I’m doing and I need you to trust me.

The words stirred something within Violet, a memory from the day she met Tairn and Andarna. The whispered Do you trust me? And the blind faith she had put into the voice inside her head telling her to jump.

Okay. Just promise me you’ll be careful and you’ll find a way to reach me if you ever need me.

I will, I promise.

Violet gently caressed Andarna’s scales, getting up and walking up her neck to her head, sliding down the slope of her snout so she could look into Andarna’s eyes. I don’t like this.

I know but Deigh and Esper think that if they can find where Liam went, they can use his scent to track him. We’ll be careful.

I can’t lose you, Andarna.

You won’t. I promise.

Be careful.

You too.

Violet pressed her forehead to Andarna’s for one brief moment before wielding back to the fortress. “They’re going to try to find where Liam wielded to and track him from there.”

“Three dragons in the Barrens? That’s asking for trouble.” Garrick rubbed her shoulder, wincing when Mira elbowed him in the stomach. “Ow! What was that for?”

Mira glared at him, “You’re making it worse.” She hissed low enough that only he could hear. She wanted to say something, to give her sister some sort of advice that would make it all better but her mind was blank. In her experience this was unprecedented, no dragon had ever left their rider like this, going so far away that the bond was dulled and almost unusable. So she just wrapped her arm around Violet’s shoulder and squeezed her tight, “Andarna is smart, she’ll be okay.”

“I hope you’re right.” Violet wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay, so what do we know?” Like she had been doing ever since she was a little girl, Violet pushed the pain and worry into the corner of her mind and focused on what she could control.

“Liam has been going to the Barrens, most likely to kill venin.”

“He’s made 73 kills over the past two weeks, if this table is correct.”

“Wait.” Xaden shuffled through the loose papers that had been in the hidden drawer with the notebook then, when he couldn’t find what he was looking for, grabbed the ones from Liam’s bag. “Look.” He pulled out the map and spread it out over the table. “I knew something was different about this map.”

“It looks just like the one down in the assembly room.”

Xaden shook his head, “It’s different, look at the markings.” He gestured to small gold, black, and red x’s that they had overlooked. “Give me the journal.” Bodhi handed him the book and he started to compare. “Black is when he was alone, red with Deigh, and gold with Esper. The x’s are places he’s been.”

Their eyes scanned the map, “If you’re right, he’s been all over the Barrens. He could be anywhere.”

“No. I know Liam, he’s very methodical.” Sloane pushed to the front, “Give me a pen.”

Xaden pulled a pen from Liam’s bag and handed it to the young blonde, watching as she grabbed the journal and began to draw on the map. “He had a pattern. He always has a pattern.” Before their eyes a path began to develop as she drew lines from one x to the next based on the dates Liam had written in the journal. When she was done she stepped back so everyone could see. “If this pattern is right,” She drew a big circle on the map, “Then he should be somewhere in here.”

“What do you know about this area?” Violet asked Naolin.

He stepped closer, tracing his finger over the city’s name. “It’s one of the largest venin cities in the Barrens. Liam wouldn’t have been able to sneak in a dragon, not even a golden. This is where the second in command to the venin lord rules. 73 venin don’t just disappear into thin air. My guess is, they figured out the pattern and set a trap. If we were able to figure out the pattern, then they were too. Prisoners are held in the keep which is about…. Here.” He took the pen from Sloane and drew a small black dot. “It’ll be impossible to go in without them knowing and the majority of people in this city are venin.”

“You think going in is a bad idea?” Violet asked what they were all thinking.

“Pretty damn dumb. But it’s Liam, we can’t leave him.” The blonde had worked his way under Naolin’s skin and into his heart, the blonde needing only Violet’s shining endorsement to accept the venin into their folds. “We’ll have to be careful.”

“We don’t even know for sure that this is where they have him.” Imogen looked around, concerned for what they were getting ready to plan to do.

“If they have him, this is where he’ll be.” Naolin tapped the map where he had made the mark.

“We can’t just go charging in, we don’t even know for sure that this is where he is.” As much as he hated to say it, Xaden knew he needed to point that fact out again even though Imogen had just said the same exact thing. They could hypothesize all they wanted but they couldn’t say for sure that this was where Liam had gone. Yes, it was a good educated guess but it wasn’t a fact.

Violet looked to Naolin, “You’re still connected to them, right?” She didn’t need to specify who, he knew who she was talking about.

He nodded, “Yeah. I have them blocked as much as I can and with the distance it’s easier.”

“So if I got you closer, you could listen in, see if you could tell where he is?” She looked so hopeful, it broke his heart that he was going to have to let her down.

“Not without them actively thinking about him and even then, if they were thinking about him, it would be like trying to pin point a single voice in a crowd. It’s not impossible but it’s unlikely.” The way her face fell made his heart hurt, but he knew that he needed to be honest and not give them false hope.

The disappointment lasted for all of a second before Violet straightened up, looking over at Xaden in that way that told the rest of them there was more to the look they were sharing than just eyes meeting eyes. “Okay. Have you ever been there? Would it be possible for me to wield us there?”

Again he had to shake his head, “I’ve never been. I was trained here.” He pointed to a city on the map all the way across the Barrens from where they assumed Liam was being held.

“How close can you get us?”

He pointed to a place a little closer but still farther than she would have liked. “Here. This is a training outpost, heavily fortified and well guarded.” Every pair of eyes in the room looked at the map, all of them trying to come up with a plan that would work.

“It wouldn’t be possible to take Tairn with us without getting caught, would it…?” Her eyes widened as she trailed off, a thought coming to her. “Fuck, I’m an idiot.” She brought her hand to her head, pushing her hair back as something occurred to her that hadn’t before.

“What?”

“The dragons!” She pointed to the red and gold x’s. “They’ve been close, they can get us there.”

“That’s assuming that they let you into their minds to use the memory.” Xaden watched as Violet began to pace, her nervous energy coming out.

“You saw how frantic they were. And I don’t need to get into their mind, they can share it.”

Garrick began to nod, “Yeah, isn’t that what Deigh did when Violet was kidnapped? He shared Liam’s memory with all of us. And if he wants Liam back as bad as we do, he’ll do it.” For the moment things were looking up, the pieces coming together in a way that just might work.

“Okay. Anyone who is going, go get what you need. We’re going to wield to the dragons in ten minutes.” Every single person in the room got up to go get ready. Violet grabbed Xaden’s hand and used her signet to take them to their room so they could weapon up. “What are you thinking?” She asked the moment they were alone.

He went to the weapons wall and started putting blades into the sheaths on his armor. “I think this is dangerous, reckless, a big risk… But it’s Liam. He’s my brother.” He answered honestly.

“We need to be prepared for anything. And the moment it looks like things are going wrong, I’ll get us out of there.” Violet came to stand next to him, grabbing her own daggers and sticking them into the sheaths on her armor.

“I think we’re forgetting something… The dragons… There’s no way we can take them and not draw attention.’

Violet lowered her head, “I know. We’re going to have to leave them behind.”

“None of them are going to like that.”

“Maybe not, but it’s what we have to do. And it’s not like we’ll be totally alone. We’ll have Deigh, Esper, and Andarna.” Even though the three would have to be left outside of the city in order for the humans to sneak in undetected.

“Tell that to Tairn. We both know how protective he’s been over you.”

Violet snorted, “And we both know Sgaeyl doesn’t trust me to have your back.”

Xaden went to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him and pressing a kiss to her neck. “She might not but I do. I trust you with my life, Violence.”

She turned in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck and looking up into his gorgeous onyx eyes. “I feel the same about you. There’s no one I trust more.” He leaned down pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. “I love you.”

“And I love you.” They pressed their foreheads together and just stood for a second soaking in this moment together.

“We should finish getting ready.” He whispered, closing his eyes and wishing for a peace that felt out of their reach.

“One day.” He didn’t have to voice his thoughts for her to know what he was thinking. “One day we’ll be able to just rest and relax.”

“And when that day comes, I’m taking you to somewhere no one else can find and we’ll spend at least a week in bed.”

She smiled and kissed him one more time, “That sounds perfect.”

It may be a long time coming, but both of them had hope that one day their dream would become a reality and they would someday get the peace they so craved.

But until then, they would fight.

There was no other option.

Chapter Text

His eyes couldn’t open and it wasn’t for lack of trying. With gentle fingers he pressed against his eyelids trying to figure out why it hurt when he tried to open them. A thick layer of crust coated his eyelashes making them stick together, so he began to squeeze at the clumps until they crumbled under his skilled fingers making it possible for him to finally open his eyes. “What the fuck?” The last time his eyes had done something like this was when he was seven and he had had an allergic reaction during harvest. But he hadn’t had an allergic episode like that in years, so why was his eyes doing this now?

Blinking until his vision was no longer blurry, Liam tried to focus on what was around him. The lights in the room were dim allowing him just enough brightness to see everything. “Where the fuck am I?” He muttered when he didn’t recognize the location.

The rickety bed he lay on creaked with every move he made, a thin threadbare blanket that wasn’t even big enough to cover him was haphazardly tossed over his body, covering his privates … His exposed privates… and little else. “Why am I naked?” He asked himself, bringing a hand to his head and rubbing it to try to ease his swiftly growing headache. Try as he might, he could barely remember what had happened to get him here let alone where he was or why he was naked.

Through the fog of confusion and disorientation, Liam felt for the bonds to Deigh and Esper, his heart frantically beating when he realized that for the first time in years he could only feel himself in his mind. Deigh? Esper? But he was only met with silence in the dark cavern of his mind. What had happened to his mindscape? The normally bright and sunny obstacle course now dark and dreary. Where were his bonds? The zip line that connected him to Deigh? Esper’s net that kept him from hitting the ground when he fell? The blinding light dancing through the sky, a lingering effect after Violet had forced her way into his mind when she had been held captive in Basgaith, a small sparkly part that brightened up even his darkest days. All of it was gone.

“What did you do to me?” He yelled, staggering to his feet and wildly looking around. His hand came to his head, trying to stop the room from spinning as he staggered toward the iron door. “What did you do to me?” He repeated louder, banging on the door with as much strength as he could muster. No matter how hard he hit, the door didn’t budge. The metal didn’t even dent even though he knew he was hitting it with enough force that there should have been some sign of damage to the metal.

Again and again he beat on the door until his fist was bloody and his muscles aching. Giving up, he went back to the bed and sat down putting his head into his hands. Without windows there was no way to tell what time it was or how long he had been in here. Had it been hours since he had left Aretia? Days? Judging by the fact that his stomach wasn’t aching with hunger yet, it couldn’t have been too long since he had left in the dark of night wielding his way to the Barrens to carry out his self-appointed task.

Not for the first time he began to question his decision to come to the Barrens. There was always that doubt in his head, was he doing the right thing? What would Violet say if she knew what he was doing? Would Xaden be disappointed in him for putting his life at risk? Would Imogen smack him upside the head and call him an idiot? He knew that what he was doing was dangerous and definitely maybe not the best idea he had ever had, but if it helped Violet he would do it.

A lot of people thought they were co-dependent and way too reliant on each other for two people who claimed to be just best friends, close as siblings. But they didn’t understand the things they had gone through, the things they had seen. Violet wasn’t just another friend who was close as a sister, she was a part of him. It wasn’t a bond like what was shared between rider and dragon or even like what was between Violet and Xaden. This was different, special.

They had discussed it once and only once, the little piece of her power that still resided in his mind, the lingering trace of him that she could sense no matter where she was. It wasn’t like a normal bond that worked like a road between dragon and rider, no it was… If he had to explain it, it felt like she was always with him standing beside him, a constant warmth, a beam of ever shining sparkling light. It was like she was part of him.

So when she had sat on Xaden’s lap, her face stained with tears as she revealed the deal she had made, what she and Mira had done, it had destroyed him too. Her pain as vibrant as if it were his own. That night he had tossed and turned, trying to figure out what he could do, if there was any way that he could make things easier for his little shadow. When he finally gave up on sleep it was still early in the morning, closer to midnight than it was to daylight. He had gotten out of bed and dressed, storing weapons on his person just in case. Did he need them? Probably not, but it never hurt to have that added layer of security. Currently his plan was to wander the fortress and maybe the grounds in hopes of wearing himself out enough that he would be able to fall asleep when he eventually made his way back to his room. He didn’t plan on running into any enemies but if life had taught him anything, it was to be prepared for everything, so more daggers and other blades were stashed on his person.

The only sound in the halls were the echoes of his boots on the marble, the noise loud in the absolute silence surrounding him. His mind wandered, what could be done? What could he do? His thoughts were making his skin itch, he was a man of action and at this point it felt like there was absolutely nothing that he could do. His friends were suffering, his shadow was suffering and that bothered him. What good was he if he couldn’t protect his friends? What purpose did he have? Xaden had tasked him with protecting Violet and it felt like he was failing at every step.

You’re distressed Deigh’s voice whispered into his mind, the dragon in tune with his dour mood.

He didn’t even bother to deny it, Yeah. Care for a night flight?

We’ll be there shortly. And as promised, both Deigh and Esper were landing in the flight field a few minutes later. In the short time they had been together they had come a long way from the fighting that had dominated the bonds when Esper had first decided to bind himself to Liam. While there was still tension and frequent arguments, both dragons had come to find they had a common passion: keeping Liam alive and well.

To keep things civil, for training and recreational flights, Liam alternated who he was riding with and he always made sure that whoever was flying solo felt seen and heard. Sometimes midflight he would wield over to the other dragon, testing his ability in case such a maneuver was ever needed in battle. It had become almost a game to them, to see just how far he could push himself, to learn what the extent of his power was. One thing he knew for sure was that he would never be on Violet’s level, her grasp of magic exceeding everything he had ever learned or even thought possible. There was no way he would ever be able to do even a fraction of what she could, even with the extra power provided by Esper.

They took off into the night, no particular location in mind as they soared through the sky. What do I do? What can I do? He wasn’t expecting an answer, the questions just floating through his mind as he tried to figure out how he could help.

A strong thrumming feeling vibrated through his mind, reminiscent of anger, determination and other strong emotions he tried to keep locked away. Deigh? Liam sat up from where he had been reclining on his dragon and looked around, What’s wrong?

It’s not me…

Liam looked over to where Esper flew beside them, his golden eyes narrowed. What is it, Esper? Do you see something? The golden dragon let out a stream of smoke and dove down into the clouds out of sight, Esper!Liam focused on the dragon and used his signet to take him to where he was spiraling, his wing tips making the clouds swirl around him like a cyclone. Esper what is it?

But he remained silent, the turbulent feelings turning their bond into an electrified wire, tingling and shocking. Liam knew this feeling well, trying to hide something and the self-hatred that came with keeping a secret from someone you loved. What are you hiding? What aren’t you telling us?

The sickening twist of his stomach told him he had hit the nail right on the head, Esper was hiding something from them. Reaching down into the bond, Liam flinched, the agonizing pain radiating from the bond nearly making him lose his seat with its intensity. Esper what’s wrong? What are you hiding!

The roar that split the silence of the night was deafening, Liam covering his ears to protect them from the noise. Flames surrounded them heating the cold air until beads of sweat broke out over Liam’s skin. Are you hurt? What’s wrong? Liam carefully began to move, checking over Esper for any injuries. Making sure every handhold was secure, he made his way to Esper’s front leg, perching on his claws as he checked over his arms and chest for anything that could be hurting the dragon.

He shrieked, wildly jerking. Deigh! Liam screamed through the bond as he fell, wielding his way back to his first dragon, landing on his spine with a dull thud and narrowly missing one of the sharp spikes that lined Deigh’s back. Thanks Deigh. Do you know what’s wrong with him?

I do. Deigh growled, tucking his wings in close to his body to increase his speed. The wind whipping around him made Liam start to slide, his hands frantically grabbing on tight to keep himself from falling again.

Will you two tell me what the hell is going on? His thighs locked tight around Deigh’s spine and his hands held on tight to the closest spike.

But Deigh didn’t respond and neither did Esper, both dragons focused on something else that Liam didn’t understand. Deigh flew faster and faster, the distance between him and Esper decreasing at an alarming rate. Deigh… Liam watched as the golden dragon grew larger and larger the closer they got. Deigh… He repeated when he realized they were on a collision course. Deigh! He screamed one second before the two collided, Deigh’s claws locking in to Esper and pulling him down from the sky toward the ground.

Their landing wasn’t gentle, Deigh forcing Esper down into the dirt with a force that left a crater where they had impacted the dry land. The golden dragon tried to get up but Deigh was faster, locking his teeth around Deigh’s neck and biting hard enough to draw blood. Submit. He growled.

In an instant Esper’s body relaxed, the fight gone from him almost as fast as it had come on. What the fuck was that? Liam slid down Deigh’s leg and walked over to look into Esper’s eyes. You could have killed us.

It is my job to keep you safe. Esper panted, his jaw clenched so hard that Liam was surprised his teeth weren’t breaking.

That wasn’t trying to keep me safe.

I tried but the call was too strong.

The call?

Esper’s breaths came faster, his body tensing beneath Deigh, The call. There’s one of my kind nearby.

Another golden? What was another golden dragon doing in Tyrrendor?

Liam got his answer when Esper growled, And its master.

His blood ran cold. In all of his years as a rider, even when he was growing up and learning the ins and outs of becoming a rider, he had never ever heard a dragon refer to their rider as its master. And considering he had known being a rider was his calling pretty much since he could comprehend what a rider was, that was saying something. Esper, I need more information if I’m going to help you.

Esper’s body tensed again, like an electrical shock was being delivered to his system. Get… out… his voice was raspy, delivered on ragged breaths into the depths of Liam’s mind.

What? Liam backed away, seeing the clarity in Esper’s gaze fade until only wildness remained.

GET OUT! Esper unleashed a torrent of flames setting the dry grass around them ablaze. Deigh let go of the golden dragon’s neck and back up, trying to put out the fires before they could spread.

Now free, Esper leapt to his feet and jumped into the air, his scales twitching.

Control the fire, I’ll get him. Before Deigh could protest, Liam had wielded away again back to Esper who was spinning through the air like he was being attacked. Esper!

Make it stop, GET THEM OUT!

What is going on? Liam had to shout through the bond to be heard, Esper’s agonized voice drowning out all other sound. Anchoring his body as much as he could, Liam closed his eyes and focused on the bond, diving head first into the safety net that represented his connection to Esper. Esper! He broke through into Esper’s mind, his body immediately buffeted by hurricane force winds as he landed in the never-ending sky of Esper’s mind. Chaos was the only word that could describe the hell that he had entered into, winds so wild he could barely open his eyes. He felt the push trying to shove him back into his own mind, toward the golden sun glowing in the infinite blue. But he used all of his mental strength to stay, to delve deeper into what was causing Esper so much pain, so much distress.

Let me help, let me in. It was like a glass ceiling shattering around him as Esper quit fighting, letting him into the true turmoil, the barrier keeping him from Esper’s innermost mind disintegrating to dust in the wind. Day turned to night as the illusion gave way and Liam plummeted deeper into Esper’s mindscape. What’s going on? But he didn’t need to ask as the darkness began to reveal its secrets, tendrils of wispy dark power curling about his body. It felt wrong, the power squeezing him to the point of pain, the power scalding his skin. He cried out, What is this? Whatever it was, agony was the only word he could think of to describe how excruciating it was.

My riot. Esper groaned as he continued to fight, continued to try to force out the power that had invaded his mind. Liam was unsure of what to do, the dark tendrils wove through the darkened sky blinking in and out of sight.

The goldens? He asked, trying to make sense of it all. Why would a dragon do this to one of their own?

Irids… They call us Irids, but yes.

Why would they do this to you? Liam’s arms were beginning to blister where the darkness touched his skin.

It’s not their choice. They’re being forced by the venin.

Because they’re bonded to the venin?

An Irid would never bond a venin. Not by choice. Venin are everything that we oppose.

Then how-? He wasn’t sure how to finish the question. He shook his head and decided to focus on the current problem, everything else could wait. Never mind. This, the darkness, is it venin magic or the Irids?

It is Irid magic, tainted by the venin’s perverse form of magic.

Liam thought, trying puzzle it out and wishing Violet were here to bounce ideas off of. No doubt she would have had a plan by now to get the Irids and the venin out of Esper’s mind. Her ability to think quickly and wield would really have come in handy. But he had to remember, he now had Irid magic too and there was something different about the gifts given by the golden dragons…His eyes widened, that was it!

Irid magic is different than regular dragon magic, isn’t it?

Yes.

He wasn’t sure how to do what he was planning but Violet had always said that her second signet depended on need. Well he needed a way to shield Esper’s mind from the other Irids and the venin. Almost like a… a ward! He knew wards, had studied them relentlessly when they were trying to restore Tyrrendor’s wards. Calling upon all the magic he could, Liam began to focus on creating a ward around Esper’s mind, a barrier that would drive out he darkness until only the light remained.

Let me help. He could feel Esper’s magic building, ready to aide in the effort.

No, it can’t be your magic. You can’t block them because of the type of magic Irid’s carry. You’re more attuned to magic, your power is fluid, yes?

It is.

So to block them out, we need a different type of magic, we need Deigh’s magic.

Will that work?

I don’t know, but it won’t hurt to try. You try to drive them out, I’ll build the ward. His focus shifted to creating the barrier that would block everything else out, starting small with a warded orb that grew and grew the more he focused. Soon it was the size of a person, the ward swelling until it encapsulated his body, the tendrils of darkness shrieking as the ward made them burn. It’s working. The orb grew.

Horse sized

House sized

Dragon sized

With a loud scream and one final violent push of his power, the barrier grew to the farthest reaches of Esper’s mind pushing out everything that didn’t belong. Light began to filter through until all of the darkness was gone, the winds calmed and everything was peaceful.

Liam closed his eyes and returned to himself, to reality where they still flew through the air, though now their speed was reduced and Esper began to level off, no longer spinning like he was trying to escape. We need to talk. All of us.

Esper turned and began to fly back to Deigh, the red dragon finished with putting out the fire that Esper had inadvertently started. He landed on the charred earth and looked around at the ash that remained. I’m sorry.

What happened? Liam dismounted and went over to affectionately rub Deigh’s snout, You did good.

The Irid was able to get into my mind, he was trying to make me come back.

To the venin?

Yes.

How was he able to do that? Liam took a seat between the two dragons and lay back, looking up at the starry sky.

All dragons are connected, we’re able to speak to each other at will because of it, but the connection between Irids is different. We are more attuned to magic so our connection runs deeper. We can reach into each other’s minds though it is not usually done as that is one of the worst violations a dragon can commit.

If that’s true then why did he do it?

Not he, she. The Irid who was in my mind was my sister.

Your sister?

Yes. The venin and her rider made her.

But how? How can anyone make a dragon do anything?

From the way Esper hesitated, Liam knew that he was trying to determine if he could reveal the information. Listen, I know dragons are big on secrets but you need to tell us so we know what we are dealing with. What do the venin have over the Irids that make them stay and do their bidding?

Our families. Our mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, friends, eggs, and our riders. They have all of it! It’s how they keep us in line, how they force us to let them draw power from us, by telling us that if we don’t, they’ll drain them dry until there’s nothing but dust left over. Those who don’t have loved ones held captive are kept in line by the bond between dragons. They do as they did tonight, infiltrating our minds until the agony drives us to them.

Who do they have from your family?

My mother, my sister and her rider, my mother’s eggs. They killed my father because my mother tried to escape.

I’m sorry.

You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to resist.

Will your family be punished because you’re with us?

Most likely. But the venin will wait until I can be there to witness them drain my family. They’ll keep trying to get into my mind and drive me back.

Well then we won’t let them. I hate to do this to you but you’ll stay in Aretia at the nesting grounds where we can keep you safe. Because distance is a factor, right? You have to be within a certain distance to be able to use the bond?

That is correct.

We’ll save your family, Esper. I promise.

I won’t stay in the nesting grounds like a scared hatchling, this is my fight too. I need to get my family.

It’s not permanent. I swear, once we find your family I will take you there myself and let you unleash hell on all of them.

You swear.

On everything that I am. We’ll get them back.

Esper let out a low growl, Fine. I accept your terms.

Liam smiled, Thanks. I know it’s not easy but it’ll be worth it when we take all of them down. And then you can be with your family again.

Unless they choose to come to Aretia, I’ll never be with them again. I chose to bond you and I will remain with you until the day one of us takes our last breath.

Liam turned his head to look at him, Why did you choose to bond with me? You knew I was already bonded.

You chose to spare me, even though I was the enemy. I knew then that if I ever wanted to free my kind, that you and your friends would be the best chance to help me.

Speaking of my friends, Andarna? Is it possible for them to get into her head like they do yours? It hadn’t occurred to him before then to ask because, even though they all knew the golden dragons were special, none of them had ever fathomed just how much their magic differed from the other dragon breeds.

She has never been part of the Irid collective so they should not be able to get into her mind though it isn’t impossible. Esper bowed his head, Though I am sad to admit that her connection to me does make her vulnerable. The fact that I have been in her mind makes her susceptible to their machinations.

Fuck, we need to tell Violet.

I’ll request more time for her lessons, there is still much that she needs to learn about our kind and our powers. And how to protect herself.

Liam nodded, That might make being held back easier for her to handle. He got up and dusted off his leathers, We should head back. I’m going to ride with Esper. Deigh nodded and took off, heading back to the nesting grounds just a few miles outside of Aretia. Liam climbed Esper’s leg and settled in, bracing himself as, with one beat of his massive wings, Esper launched them into the air.

There was so much going on that Liam was having trouble processing it all. His stomach was in knots at the thought that with just a little distance the venin controlled Irids could get into Esper and Andarna’s minds, forcing them to the Barrens and into a horrible existence of slavery and always wondering if your loved ones would be the next to be drained because of a mistake you made.

Esper dropped Liam off in the flight field and headed back to the nesting grounds with the promise that he would remain there and let either Deigh or Liam know if anyone tried to get into his mind again.

He wielded to his room and sat at his table, just thinking through everything he had learned this evening. Honestly it was almost overwhelming. They needed to kill all of the venin, they needed to free the Irids. How the hell did Violet handle the pressure? He was struggling with just the venin aspect of it all, she had Navarre to worry about too.

But, somehow, for some reason, it all felt like something was missing, a piece just out of reach that would pull it all together and make it make sense. He grabbed his bag and opened it, pulling out the notes he had been taking during their planning sessions and a map. His eyes raked over the markings on the map, lingering on the location where Cat had been held captive. It would be so easy to go there, just to scout the location and try to figure out a few things in the process…

That had been the first time he had wielded to the Barren’s, into a venin stronghold, and it definitely hadn’t been the last. Every few nights he would wield back to the Barrens going a little further every day. Any venin he met, he did his best to neutralize, most of them falling to his blade because who would ever expect to run into an enemy in the heart of the venin territory?

Some nights he would take Deigh and Esper, asking the golden dragon to feel if any Irids were near before returning him to the nesting grounds. In the two weeks he had been making his secret trips, they had never found another Irid. So he had kept going, kept taking down the venin as he could so he could make Violet’s life easier and help Esper get his family back.

His mind wandered to where everything had gone wrong tonight, the memory slowly coming back to him. Always he had tried to be careful, tried to make the pattern untraceable. Never the same place twice, never at the same time, but he must have made some mistake because when he had wielded to a small village, they had been ready.

How they knew his heart was soft, he would never be able to guess, but when he had come across a crying woman on the side of the road leading into the village with what appeared to be an injured ankle, he had felt compelled to help.

No one knew he was there, no one could for sure say that he wasn’t one of the humans living in the barrens. By all accounts, he should have been safe.

“Are you okay?” He had knelt next to her.

She had turned tear stained violet eyes to him, “I didn’t see the hole in the grass and twisted my ankle.”

“May I?” Liam gestured to her ankle.

She nodded and he gently lifted her foot to examine her ankle, “It looks fine, it’s probably just a sprain. Can I help you get somewhere?”

“Yeah, my house is just up the road a ways.” He stood and offered her his hands.

She placed her hands in his and let him pull her to her feet, making sure to keep the weight off her injured ankle. “You know I’ve never seen you around here before and I’ve lived here all my life, I know everyone.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist letting her lean on him as they began to walk. “I’m from a town a little further north, I’m travelling to the coast to see my family.”

“That’s sweet, are you and your family close?”

“Yeah. My parents are gone but my sister… She and I are very close.”

The woman wiped at her eyes, “I lost my parents too but I don’t have any siblings, it’s just me and my cat.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. May I ask what happened?” He never anticipated what she was going to say, didn’t see it coming.

“You killed them.” His vision went dark as something crashed into his head from behind knocking him unconscious.

Looking back, he should have known that it was a trick. He should have known better than to trust anyone in this country. Now he was stuck here, unable to wield, unable to communicate with anyone, naked, and freezing his fucking ass off.

“Can I at least get more than this little blanket?” He yelled looking to the door but getting no response. “Hello!” Rolling off the bed, he lay on the floor and began to do some pushups. There may be no way out but that didn’t mean he had to sit and let his body deteriorate. No, when they opened that door he would be ready for them, he would get out.

He worked out until his muscles were warm but not tired, then he began to inspect the cell more closely. All four walls were made of stone, there were no windows and the only way out was the solid iron door. He ran his hands over the metal looking for any weaknesses that he could exploit.

Nothing, just a tiny flap not even big enough to squeeze his hand through. It was probably how they would deliver food to him. That is, if he was lucky enough to be fed. He still had no idea who had him and why he was being held. Based on the fact that there were no hinges on this side of the door, it must open outward. Smart considering if it opened inward he could hide behind it and surprise them. He pressed on the flap, testing it but it must have been locked from the outside because, like the door, it didn’t budge.

“Do I at least get food? Or a clock? Water? A bathroom? Fuck!” He kicked the leg of the bed, getting frustrated. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, surprised it was still standing considering how much it creaked and groaned with even the slightest movement, he put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. “Violet found a way, I can too.” He muttered taking himself into his mindscape and looking for anyway to get through to anyone. Esper, Deigh, Violet…

“About time you shut up.” The voice made Liam jump up and look around but there was no one there.

“Looking for me?” A man appeared out of nowhere, smiling.

Chapter Text

The first thing he noticed about the man who blinked into existence in front of him was the purple robes elegantly draped over his lithe figure. Bulging black veins extended from his mahogany eyes up to short silver hair that faded to black at the ends. He shuddered as he thought of the lives this man must have taken to have such an appearance, the magic he must have drained. “Who are you?” Liam asked, trying to appear nonchalant which was hard considering the fact that he was completely naked.

“Your captor. And you… you’re the rogue Irid’s new rider.” The venin smiled, stepping closer and making Liam take a step back. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he could not let this venin get his hands on him, not if he wanted to live. He wasn’t sure what would happen or what this guy even wanted. Did he want to drain him, to use him to lure Esper back so they could capture him again? There were so many possibilities but he couldn’t risk anything until he knew this guy’s end game. But one thing he wouldn’t tolerate was someone talking bad about his dragon.

“His name is Esper and he’s not rogue. For the first time in his life he got to choose and he chose us.” Between the fights and the trainings, in the calm moments that were far and few between, Liam had gotten to know Esper as they soared through the air. He had been born in captivity, his mother held prisoner by one of the venin higher-ups. His father had been the sacrifice to keep his mother in line, hurting her just enough that they were able to take her rider without her putting up a fight and since he and his siblings were only hatchlings at the time, they hadn’t known better and had followed her, growing up in captivity and not knowing any better than what they were taught. He hadn’t known that feathertails shouldn’t bond before reaching maturity and had chosen his first rider when he was only a few years old. That had been the beginning of his suffering at the venin’s hands and every reminder that these were the fuckers who had hurt his dragon made Liam seethe. He wanted to kill them for what they had done to Esper and all the other Irids.

The venin shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. He’ll return to us soon and once we sever your bond to him he’ll come back. Choosing you was an act of self-preservation, he doesn’t actually care for you. He simply latched on to the nearest human to save his pathetic carcass.” The words were like fuel to the fire raging inside of him, making his determination to take down every venin burn brighter than the hottest dragon fire.

But one thing the venin had said piqued his interest, his curiosity brought on by the venin’s words about breaking bonds. “Sever our bond? You mean you’re going to kill me? That’s how you plan to break our bond, right?” This was one of the things they had been looking for, a way to save Naolin. If there was another way to break the bonds other than by killing the dragon or the rider, that would be another thing off of Violet’s overflowing plate. Maybe he could find out what they needed to know and get the information back to Violet and the others. Because, unlike the venin wanted, Liam had absolutely no plans of dying anytime soon. He would make it out of here and back to his family.

The venin’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Liam, almost like he could see into his mind. “Your face is very easy to read, has anyone ever told you that?” He took a step closer and Liam instinctively took a step back, wanting to make sure that there was plenty of space between them. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you yet. You’re safe… for now.” His words were tinged with laughter, like this was all one big game to him. “So why the interest in bonds? I know it’s not to save the traitor.” The venin tilted his head, “It is… You are trying to save him… That’s very… interesting.”

“Naolin’s nothing like you, he’s a good person in a bad situation.” Perhaps it was showing his hand, letting the venin know that they were working on a cure, but sometimes you had to sacrifice a little to gain a lot. His friends would forgive him and if things went like he was planning, then this venin wouldn’t live to tell anyone.

The venin laughed, “If that’s what you want to tell yourself. You never saw him in action. He was glorious, had the potential to rise in the ranks and be one of the best. Too bad he grew a heart.”

“At least he has one, he cares about life and doing the right thing. But you don’t. You don’t care about the humans or the land you drain, the dragons who suffer under your care. I bet you’d turn on your own kind if it would get you ahead.” He just knew without knowing that it was true, that this was a man who would look out for himself and only himself.

He shrugged, “You’re not wrong. I don’t care about others, just how I can use them to benefit me. I’ve drained land, villages full of humans, men, women, children, dragons. Even a kitten. Sometimes even my own kind.”

Liam’s eyebrows drew together, “And you’re proud of that?”

“My job is to get the information I need by whatever means necessary, to acquire resources no matter the cost. And right now, the Irid pair in Tyrrendor is what I’ve been tasked with getting and you… you’re the bait.” He tapped Liam’s shoulder, the force making the blonde step back and rub the spot.

“So what? You’re just going to keep me in here until Esper shows up?” The tap had surprisingly hurt, he hadn’t expected the venin to be that strong what with his slender build.

“Oh don’t worry little human. You won’t be bored, if that’s you worried about, I’ll play with you.”

Liam rolled his eyes, “Somehow I don’t think we have the same idea of fun.”

“Perhaps not, but I can assure you I’ll be having a lot of fun during our time together. I’m sure there’s a lot going on in that little brain of yours that you would love to get off your chest.”

Liam snorted, “I won’t tell you a goddamn thing.”

“You’ll change your tune and by the time your Irid gets here, you’ll be spilling your guts and begging for death.”

“You’re going to wait to kill me until Esper gets here, aren’t you? That way it hurts him more… Why do you think he’ll go back to you after you’ve killed his rider? How do you know the pain of losing a second rider won’t kill him.” The venin’s certainty of what was going to happen made Liam think that this had to have happened before, or at least something similar.

The man snorted, like the whole situation was nothing more than a scene for his amusement, “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you, since you won’t live to share with anyone else.” He took another step closer, Liam taking another back but freezing when he realized his back was against the wall and there was nowhere else for him to go. “You’re not the second rider he’s lost. If I remember correctly, you’re the fifth… no sixth.”

“Esper’s had five riders before me?” He couldn’t help but ask, the idea unfathomable. Never had he ever heard of a dragon having six riders, let alone surviving the loss of five of them.

He nodded as he stepped closer, “Yes, you’re number six. It’s amazing the things you can learn, the things you can do when your power isn’t limited by what a dragon charitably chooses to give you.”

Liam shook his head, “But that power comes with a price.”

“And it’s worth it, every drop of power in exchange for a piece of my soul. I can do things you can only dream of; my power isn’t limited to a single talent. If only you knew what you were missing out on.” He spoke like a man obsessed, addicted to the allure of the untamed magic of the land, the spark that lived in every living thing.

Despite the venin making it sound like a dream, worth the cost of his soul, Liam wasn’t tempted. “I’ll never be like you. I’ll never take what isn’t freely given.”

“Your loss.” The venin shrugged, “I guess the Irid will just have to watch as I drain you dry.”

“His name is Esper.”

“His name isn’t worth learning, he’s expendable as are all dragons.”

Liam lunged forward, ready to strike the venin for talking about his dragon like he was nothing more than a piece of trash to be used and discarded when it no longer had a purpose. Right as his fist was about to collide with the venin’s face, the man disappeared making Liam lose his balance and fall forward.

“Careful there, you almost fell.” A hand grabbed his arm from behind, pulling him upright again.

Liam jerked away, glaring at the venin, “How did you do that?”

“Do what? This?” The venin disappeared from in front of him and reappeared right beside him. Liam jumped and tried to put more space between them.

“Are you a distance wielder?”

The venin laughed, “No.” He blinked and moved again, this time appearing so his face was millimeters from Liam’s, his index finger touching the blonde’s forehead. “I’m in your mind.”

Liam slapped his hand, “Get out.”

“No, I don’t think I will. I’m having too much fun to stop.” He moved again, this time appearing across the room sitting on the edge of the bed. “It would be so easy to just-“ He reappeared behind Liam, wrapping his arm around his neck in a chokehold, the grip enough to let Liam know he was there but not enough to restrict his ability to breathe. “Snap your neck.” He gently twisted his arm, stressing Liam’s neck but not hurting it. Liam tried driving his elbow backward but the venin was already gone, standing a few feet in front of him.

He closed his eyes trying to regulate his breathing, trying to keep from panicking. “If you’re not a distance wielder, how are you moving around like that?” There was so much about this situation that wasn’t making sense. All of the other captives he had encountered had been tortured for information, chained up and beaten until they gave up their inner most secrets. So why was he still unchained? Why wasn’t he being tortured? Was this just the beginning? Could he expect it to get worse?

“I’m not moving, you are.” In a blink Liam was on the other side of the room from where he had previously been standing.

“What the fuck?” He had felt nothing. What the hell was going on? “How are you doing that? What’s your signet?”

The venin laughed, “Why should I tell you? It’d be more fun to watch you try to figure it out.”

He needed to figure out how to get him to talk, play to his ego or something… There had to be a way. “Like you said, I’m going to die anyway, what’s the harm in telling me? It’s not like I can tell anyone since you’ve blocked my bonds.”

“You’re being relatively calm about that, not being able to contact your dragons or your friends. Normally the riders have gone a little crazy by now with the silence.” So this was normal, the taunting and conversation before the torture would start.

“Yeah, well, I’m not a normal rider.” Liam shrugged pretending to play it cool.

The venin shook his head, “No. You’re not normal.” He stepped closer, “I was there, you know? The night you killed Esper’s rider. I was his handler. He had such promise, number five. Watching him fly was like watching art. The only other person I have seen take to the air like that is your queen, she would be magnificent if she would just give in to her desires.” He mused.

“Violet would never become a venin.” His words were stated with absolute conviction, he knew his shadow and could say with absolute certainty that she would never be tempted.

The venin smiled, “Everyone has a breaking point, even her. The venin lord has big plans for her.”

“She’ll never cooperate.” Liam shook his head.

The answering smile was sinister, hinting at a knowledge that would make Liam’s blood curdle. “She will, with the right leverage. Rumor has it she’s organizing a rescue mission for you as we speak. Soon enough she’ll be in our grasp and we’ll be unstoppable.”

His face paled as he realized maybe he had been wrong, maybe there were somethings that Violet would turn for… Like Xaden, Tairn, Andarna… him… He began fighting harder against whatever was blocking his bonds. He needed to tell Violet not to come, that it was a trap. She, Esper, and Deigh needed to forget about him and stay away. “What did you do to me?” He growled when he couldn’t get through no matter how hard he tried. “It can’t be the poison because I feel fine. Was it the serum? A rune? What did you do to me?” His calm was beginning to fray as the reality that his friends were walking into a trap began to set in.

In a blink the venin was in front of him, grabbing his wrist and holding it up. For the first time Liam noticed a thick iron band on his wrist, so tight he couldn’t even work a finger under the metal. “How did I miss this?” He mumbled to himself, rotating his wrist so he could see the entirety of the cuff. It was easily three inches wide and at least a quarter inch thick, but there weren’t any markings.

“They’re on the inside.” It was like the venin had read his mind, answering the question he had been wondering about. “What? You’re not the first person to wear that cuff and you definitely won’t be the last. Earlier models had the runes on the outside but those were easily deactivated when the wearer damaged the metal by hitting it on the wall. We began putting them on the inside and making it so tight there was no hope of being able to destroy the markings that nullify your power.” Jerking his wrist from the venin’s light grip, Liam began trying to push the cuff off of his wrist but it wouldn’t budge, not even a centimeter.

Laughing, the venin walked away. “The only way that is coming off of your wrist is if you cut off your hand.” He leaned against the wall by the door, crossing his arms over his chest. “And the only way that is happening is if you use your teeth to chew it off.”

He stopped trying, “What if my wrist swells and it cuts off circulation?”

“Then I guess you’ll lose your hand and we’ll move it to the other wrist.” The venin pushed off the wall, “Face it, you’re stuck here. There’s no escape and everyone who tries to rescue you will face the same fate.”

Fed up with the venin and the increasingly bleak situation, Liam rolled his eyes, “Do you have a name?”

His lips quirked at the corners when he saw the venin quickly try to mask a puzzled expression. “Why do you care about my name? You won’t know it long before you’re dead.”

“I’d just like something other than little bitch to call you in my mind.”

Instead of taking offense, the venin laughed. “That won’t work. Trying to goad me into doing what you want, getting me to blindly react with rage so I make a mistake. I’ve been playing this game longer than you’ve been alive, I know all the tricks.” He flicked Liam on the nose making the blonde flinch back. “But I suppose there’s no harm… my name is Braeden.”

“Well, Braeden, you should know now that I am going to get out of here and when I do, my target is on your back. So sleep while you can, enjoy your life, because I am coming for you and this…” Liam tapped the metal cuff on the wall, “This won’t stop me.”

Braeden nodded, “I think I’m going to like having you as a prisoner, the others… they were no fun. Always crying for help or screaming in pain. I wonder how long until you’ll break?”

It was Liam’s turn to laugh, “What makes you think I’ll break?”

“They always do.” He shifted again this time appearing behind Liam, his lips next to his ear, “I’m in your head, you’ll break just like the rest of them.” On instinct Liam swung his head back but the venin was already gone, back over by the door laughing like this was all one big comedy. “I hope you’re not expecting food, you won’t be getting any.” He turned and the door vanished allowing him to walk out into the empty hallway.

Liam ran for it, trying to get out but the door reappeared right as he made it to the entry. There wasn’t time or space to stop and his body slammed into the hard metal, bouncing back onto the harsh stone floor. “Fuck.” He rubbed his head, cringing at the sight of blood coating his hand. Getting up he went to the blanket and ripped off a piece, tying it around his head as a make shift bandage. He wrapped the remainder around his waist giving him a small semblance of modesty. What was going on? Was the venin really in his head? Was this all an illusion? What was the damn guy’s fucking signet? Between the pain and the confusion, Liam’s anger began to build but he knew he had to keep a cool head if he wanted to have any hope of escape. A scream, a single, solitary primal scream, was all he allowed himself to show of his frustration before he settled down and began to plan.

Time passed, he couldn’t say how long. Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was hours, all Liam knew was that he was cold, hungry, tired, and his head hurt from where he had hit the door. That damn door. Liam couldn’t figure out if the door was real or if Braeden was in his head and it was just an illusion. It sure as hell felt real when he had smacked into it head first but he had a sneaking suspicion that the venin’s specialty may lie in the mental arts, specifically illusions. Who was to say what was real and what wasn’t. Was the door even really there or was the venin in his mind making him believe it was there? Had Braeden ever really even been in the room or was he the illusion? Now that he thought about it, he had never managed to land a hit. Then again, he had grabbed Liam’s wrist and his grip had felt very real. It all was making his head ache even more than it already was. He put his head in his hands and sighed, he needed to figure this out so he could figure out how to get out of here before his friends and dragons fell into the trap.

An echoing sigh from right beside him made Liam jump up, falling off the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud. “What the fuck?” He rubbed his bruised ass cheek and looked up at Braeden, “Is this the torture? Am I the first person you’ve ever tortured? Damn, I think I’ve hurt myself more than you’ve hurt me.”

Braeden peered over the edge of the bed, sighing dramatically. “They say I have to feed you.”

“What?” Were they really going to give him food? What was the catch? His mind went back to Basgaith and how they had tried to drug the food when they were interrogated “I won’t eat it.”

Braeden smiled, “That’s what I told them but they never listen.”

The expression on the venin’s face creeped Liam out, making him shrink back and seriously question this man’s sanity. “One, why are you smiling and two, who is they?”

His laughter echoed around the room, “See, already you’re suspicious. You’re going to get a delicious meal but you won’t eat a single bite because you will always wonder if it’s drugged or not. Did I put poison in it? Serum to nullify your power? You’ll never know. The best part is, eventually you’ll become so hungry that you give in and regardless of whether there is anything in the food or not, you’ll eat…” He lay back on the bed, arms spread wide with a blissful smile on his face.

“You’re insane.”

“I’m effective, there’s a difference. My job is to make your life hell until you tell me what I want to know, then as soon as the Irid arrives, I’ll kill you in front of him and just like the night he bonded you,” Braeden’s cheer vanished replaced with a seething rage, “the coward will cling to the nearest human to save his sorry hide.” He got up and walked over to the door, “He’s pathetic, really, I don’t know how you can stand being bonded to him.”

“He’s not pathetic, he’s a good dragon.” Liam stood up, his hand clenching into fists at his sides.

Braeden rolled his eyes, “He changes allegiance more frequently than you change your underwear… I assume.” The way Braeden’s eyes rakes over Liam, lingering a moment longer than necessary on the cloth covering his hips.

Unconsciously Liam’s fingers gripped the thin material making sure it was still securely tied. “You’re demented, how the hell do they trust you?”

He disappeared and appeared in front of Liam, digging his fist into the blonde’s hair and slamming his head into the wall. “They trust me because I know what has to be done and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.” He let go of Liam’s hair, his body sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. A knock from outside made Braeden smile, “Your meal is here.” Gleefully he walked to the door and opened it revealing a familiar face.

“You…” Liam may have been seeing double but he would recognize her anywhere, the girl with the injured ankle.

“There she is…” Braeden pulled the girl close and pressed a kiss to her temple, “our beautiful actress.” He pulled back and looked down at her with a grin, “What did you bring for our precious prisoner, my dear?”

The girl laughed and pushed him away, “I brought exactly what you asked for.” She set the plate down on the bed revealing the contents to Liam. The sight made his mouth water. Meat, grilled and seasoned to perfection, surrounded by mashed potatoes and other vegetables. His stomach let out a loud rumble, the smell surrounding him until all he could think about was lunging for the food and shoving it into his mouth before they could take it away. He hadn’t realized how hungry he actually was until faced with this dilemma. Did he eat and risk being poisoned or drugged, or did he continue to starve?

The woman stepped back and Braeden pulled her close, pressing another kiss to her temple. “Good girl.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him adoringly, leaning into his touch as he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

Liam watched curiously, studying his opponents in their moment of unguarded weakness. The way Braeden held her told him all that he needed to know, “So how long have you two been together?” His mind was made up then and there, he knew that to get out of this he would need every advantage he could get, and that included giving his body the nourishment it needed. Walking over to the plate he picked up a piece of the meat and popped it into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously. If it was poisoned it would be a slow acting one so he would still be alive when Esper arrived, he could only hope that Brennan would be with them and would be able to counter act it before it claimed his life. The other possibility was that it was drugged with the bond blocker just in case he managed to dismantle the cuff on his wrist. Violet had managed to find a way around the serum before, he had to believe that he could too. So he ate, staring at the couple and doing his best to make it awkward.

Braeden looked up, “Why? Jealous that she’s mine?” His fingers tightened where they rested on her waist, digging into the fabric and her skin.

Liam scoffed, “Are you kidding? She knocked me out and gave me to you. I’d rather kill her than fuck her, if I’m being honest.” The girl’s mouth dropped open in shock but Braeden just laughed and laughed like he had told the funniest joke ever written. “What? It’s true.” He gave her a sympathetic look, like he felt bad for saying it but not really.

She slapped Braeden’s chest and tried to pull away but he held her tight, “Don’t be like that. We all know how this is going to end and if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you deal the killing blow.” He whispered in her ear, loud enough for Liam to hear.

“Promise?” Her eyes met Liam’s, blue clashing with violet as she remembered finding her parents bodies and the smell of dragon fire that lingered around their charred remains. There was nothing more she wanted in this world than to make him suffer and if Braeden was telling the truth, she’d get her chance soon enough.

“Promise.” He leaned in, his nose brushing against hers. She smiled and lifted up just enough to kiss him. “That’s my girl.” Braeden leaned down to deepen the kiss but stopped, an odd look coming over his face. “I’m being summoned before the council. You’re in charge of the prisoner until I return.” Straightening up, he adjusted his purple robes and ran a hand through his hair.

The girl did what she could to help, dusting off his shoulders and making sure Braeden was presentable. It was a routine Liam had seen a thousand times between Violet and Xaden but there was something different about watching it play out between these two. “What do they want?” She asked stepping back and giving him a final once over.

“I don’t know. Probably information about him and the rescue mission his friends have no doubt launched.”

She nodded, “Be careful.”

“Your worry is unnecessary but appreciated.” He caressed her cheek and walked to the door, opening it and walking out. What surprised Liam was the sound of the lock clicking essentially trapping her inside with him.

“That doesn’t bother you?” Liam sat down and pulled the plate onto his lap as he continued to eat. “By the way, this is good. Tell your chef I send my compliments.”

The girl rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, watching him with those haunting violet eyes. “Why would I be bothered? It’s not like you can hurt me.”

“I may not have my signet or magic but I’m still much bigger than you.” He stood up emphasizing the fact that her head only came to his pec.

She smiled at stepped closer so they were toe to toe, “You may be bigger but I still have my powers.” Reaching up she tapped the tip of his nose leaving the tiniest faint gray dot from the brief touch.

“Don’t do that!” Liam covered his nose and took a step back.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” She began to circle him, “Powerless, even against a dainty woman like me. There’s nothing you can do to save yourself. Tell me, how does it feel?”

His eyes never left her, his body rotating so she was always within his line of sight. “I’m not scared.”

“Sure you’re not.”

“I’m not. You can’t kill me, not until Esper is here.” He was smug, confident in the knowledge that he wouldn’t be killed until the moment that would cause his dragon the maximum amount of pain.

“I don’t want to kill you. Not yet. I want you to suffer. I want you to feel every ounce of pain that you inflicted upon my parents, I want to hear you cry in agony as I take everything that you love!”

“You keep saying I killed your parents, you’ll have to be more specific. I’ve killed many people over the past few weeks.”

“They were generals, living in Yinna. You burnt their home to the ground with them inside!” Now it was starting to come back to him, but only barely.

“Yinna, is that the city on the coast or the one closer to the mountains?”

“The coast. My mother loved the beach.” A venin liking the beach? Liam thought to himself, shocked at the revelation. Maybe they were just people like them, lost and alone.

He nods along with her, “I remember Yinna. It’s a beautiful town but there’s one problem. I’ve never taken my dragons to the coast.”

She rolled her eyes, “Don’t lie. Who else would it be? You’re the only human stupid enough to infiltrate the barrens without back up.”

He shook his head, “Wasn’t me. I was in Yinna, I did kill about six venin but I did so without the help of my dragon.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.”

“Finish eating, I’m sick of being in here with you.” She turned to face the wall, waiting for him to finish.

The subject of her parents was clearly a sore spot and it was no wonder because if he had allegedly been the one to kill them it had to have occurred over the past two weeks so the wound was still fresh and painful.

Now he just needed to figure out how to use this to his advantage…

Chapter Text

Liam continued to eat, reclining on the rickety bed like he didn’t have a care in the world. He wanted to make her mad, wanted her to get so emotional that she gave up some information or made some mistake. Every bite was overexaggerated making so much noise that she had to hear it, and if the repeated tensing of her shoulders with every obnoxious chew was any indication, his plan was working.

“Tell me about your parents. I didn’t know venin had parents, I always just imagined you all spawned into existence.” She glared at him over her shoulder, her arms crossed over her chest as she fought the urge to respond.

Ultimately, her desire to argue with him won out and she turned to face him, her light purple robes flaring around her. “Don’t you dare talk about my parents!”

He held up his hands, “It was just a question. You said they were Generals in Yinna?”

The girl shook her head holding up a finger, “This won’t work. You’re not going to make me feel bad for you by bonding with me and asking me personal questions.” She stepped closer, “You killed my parents!”

Maybe it was stupid but at this point Liam was convinced they needed him alive, so he leaned in and said with a smirk, “Prove it.”

“I don’t need to! You’re the only dragon rider who has been to Yinna in months. It had to have been you.” She poked his chest angrily.

“And like I said, my dragons have never been to Yinna. It wasn’t us.” He set the plate aside and stood up, his larger body making her take a step back. Interesting he thought to himself taking a step forward to test his theory. Sure enough, just as he anticipated, she took a step back to keep space between them. She was scared of him… But why the sudden change? Before she had been angry, violent, like she was looking for a fight. Now, he was powerless and she could drain him with a simple touch yet she was the one retreating while he advanced. It didn’t make sense, unless…  “You’re fresh, aren’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her voice was offended but her expression told him that she knew exactly what he was talking about.

Another step forward and she was taking another one back away from him. “You’re an Initiate, aren’t you. You don’t have black veins yet and the red in your eyes, it’s not prominent. How long have you been a venin? Because my money is on less than a month.”

“You don’t know anything.” She shoved him aside and grabbed the plate from the bed, walking with pounding footsteps toward the door.

“Hey, where are you going? We’re not done talking.” He called out with a smile as she knocked rapidly three times on the door until it swung open and let her out, slamming shut with a loud clang the moment she was clear. His laughter echoed around the room as he went back to the bed and lay down. This information was useful, he just had to figure out the best way to exploit her weakness so he could break free.

More time alone, more silence, many more moments of thinking over the situation. It was starting to come together. Braeden was the one in charge and the girl, whatever her name was, was under his complete control. If he was going to make a move it needed to be while she was the one in charge. He needed to get her back in here but first he needed to make a plan. There was something about her behavior that was off, that made him suspect that despite her rage and threats, she wouldn’t actually hurt him.

The opportunity came to test that theory when the door opened and she came back inside carrying a bundle of clothes. “Get dressed.” She threw them at him, not caring that the ball of fabric fell apart in the air and landed everywhere but in his hands.

“What’s wrong? Am I too distracting?” He flexed his muscles, his biceps bulging and his pecs dancing. “Oops.” He stood and shifted his hips so the raggedy blanket unraveled from around his waist leaving him completely naked.

“You wish.” She rolled her eyes but he felt he was on to something when she was unable to look at him.

He stepped closer, “Afraid to look? Afraid you’ll see something you like?” He smiled, turning on his full charm. Liam was well aware of how he looked, of how people looked at him when he would remove his shirt in the training room when they were sparring. Women’s eyes would follow him, some of them building up the courage to approach him for a date. But deep down he was a serial romantic, looking for that connection and true love that he saw between Xaden and Violet, and Garrick, Imogen, and Mira, Sloane and Bodhi, Naolin and Brennan. It was hard being the only single one but he was happy to see his friends so in love, so happy. He only hoped that when this was all over they all got the chance to live in that love without the constant fear of war taking it away. And maybe, just maybe, one day he would find someone to love like that. The all consuming love that made everything else fade to the background. He would give anything for that kind of love, would die for it.

Rolling her eyes, she turned her head toward him, looking up and down over his exposed body. “Oh… Oh my… I suddenly have the urge to rip off my clothes and have sex with you until I’m so lost in pleasure you escape….” She waited a moment before she burst out laughing, bending over and clutching her stomach. “Did you really think that would work? I mean has it ever worked for you?” As she straightened up she wiped her eyes, “I mean you’re… okay looking, I guess, but definitely not enough to tempt me.”

It was Liam’s turn to laugh, “I don’t believe you.”

She took a step forward, “Why not?”

“Because your cheeks have the tiniest hint of a flush on them. You like what you see and I don’t blame you, I am pretty attractive.” He waved his hands over his body like he was showing off a piece of art in a museum.

“You wish. I’m not attracted to you because I am in a loving and committed relationship.” She held up her hand showing him the ring on her finger.

Liam took her hand and examined the ring, “Nice. With who?” He looked up, for a moment forgetting that this was supposed to be his captor. She raised an eyebrow and it dawned on him, “No! Braeden? Really? Come on, we both know he only cares about himself. I’ve only known him for five hours and I can tell that man would throw a baby into a fire if it would save his own skin.”

“Ugh! He would not, he’s very caring. You just don’t get to see it because it’s his job to make you miserable.” He made note of her devotion to Braeden, how she defended him even though he knew that he was right, if given the choice to save her or himself, Braeden would always choose himself. Liam just didn’t understand why this girl couldn’t see that. It had only taken him a few hours to figure it out, this girl knew Braeden, was engaged to him, and he still had her fooled.

Liam scoffed, “You’re telling me that beneath that psychotic exterior is a kind and caring man?” When she nodded her agreement, he laughed. It was full and loud and made his stomach hurt with the intensity, his eyes watering the longer it went on.

She ripped her hand from his grasp as if finally realizing that this was the enemy and not a friend, smacking his chest trying to get him to stop. “Stop laughing, you don’t know him like I do.”

“And I pray to the gods that I never know him like you do.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall.

“You only see the man he has to be to get the job done, you don’t get to see the real him.” She turned and walked a few paces away.

Liam sobered and looked at her, “You really believe that, don’t you?” She nodded and he looked away rubbing his hand over his face, “You’re so green.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She may not have been sure but one thing she could tell was that it was meant as an insult.

He tilted his head examining her, small petite body, little to no muscle mass, delicate features… “How old are you?” Based on her appearance and the way she spoke, she couldn’t have been older than Sloane.

His question confused her, “What does my age have to do with anything?”

“You’re naïve. I’ll bet Braeden could tell you the sky is red and you’d believe him. You’re also, and if you take offense at this that’s fine, but you’re terrible at being a captor. You’re more afraid of me than I am of you. I should be terrified, in agony, and so far the only suffering I’ve endured is absolute boredom.” He knew that he shouldn’t be saying these things to her, that it could only make things worse for him but he wanted to know what was going on. Why was she so terrible at this? Why did Braeden have such a hold over her? His mind kept fluctuating between how to use her to escape and wanting to help her because deep down he thought she may have at one point been a good person.

The girl stepped forward, ignoring everything he had just said and focusing on his accusation “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Really? Then why can’t you look at me? You’ve been in here for a while and getting you to look me in the eye is almost impossible.” He took a step forward, “I come closer and you take a step back. You’re scared of me and I don’t know why because like you said earlier, you hold all the power.”

As if realizing what she was doing, she stopped moving and stood her ground, “Do you blame me? You killed my parents. Who knows what else you’re capable of even without your power.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away and then back at her “For the thousandth time, I didn’t kill your parents!”

“Then explain this!” She lunged forward grabbing his head in her hands. Immediately it was like electricity flooding his brain, the sensation painful as she ripped through what barriers he had left and forcefully pulled him into her memory.

He staggered as they landed on an uneven cobblestone floor, the air was rife with the scent of fire, smoke clouding the room and halls until they could barely see five feet in front of them. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along through the memory into the grand chamber. “I remember this room, but it didn’t look like this when I was here.” In truth, he would never forget this room mainly due to the beautiful stained glass window that took up the entirety of the east wall, the art depicting a silver haired goddess floating in the air, surrounded by lightning. He had stood in awe of it for at least five minutes, thinking how it bore an uncanny resemblance to Violet.

He watched as the memory of the girl ran to something on the other side of the room, the girl herself pulling him along to watch.

“Mom? Dad?” The girl in the memory cried kneeling next to what he thought was a pile of rags and rubble but was actually two charred bodies. “Daddy…” Her voice wavered as she reached for him, hesitating when he let out a ragged cough.

“Elara…” The voice was rough, spoken through charred vocal chords that threatened to give out at any moment. He reached for her, his burnt and bleeding hand trying to grasp hers.

“Daddy, it’s going to be okay. I can fix this.” Liam could see her trying to pull energy from the ground but the stone was already drained and gave nothing. Tears fell down her cheeks as desperation began to set in.

He could see the man’s hand tighten as much as it could around her petite palm, “It’s too late.” He let go of her wrist and caressed her cheek leaving a smear of ash and blood in its wake, “Take care of yourself. And never forget we love you.”

She grabbed his hand and held it tight, “Don’t talk like that, I’m going to go and charge up and I’ll be back. I can heal you….” Liam had seen death before but never like this, the way the man’s head lolled to the side like the life had left his body. “Dad…. Daddy! No!” She gently shook his hand, pressing her palm to his scorched chest but finding no sign of a heart beat. “Daddy….” She sobbed, the sound so utterly heartbreaking that Liam felt his eyes tearing up as he watched the memory of her fall apart, collapsing in on herself until her head rested on the burnt fragments of his chest, her tears leaving trails in the ash marred skin.

Unable to watch it and not wanting her to know that the memory was affecting him, he turned and began to look around the room with tears building in his eyes. He remembered what it was like, losing his dad. Having to watch as he was lined up with the others in the village square, made to kneel as Lilith passed her judgement finding him guilty and ordering Aimsir to execute him. The smell of burning flesh still haunted his nightmares, the pained grunts as his father refused to scream, refused to give her the satisfaction. It was an aching stabbing pain that felt like it would never go away, that lingered in his darkest thoughts and cloudiest days.

“I didn’t do this.” The entire room was burned, embers glowing amidst the rubble giving it an ominous red aura. “I may have killed venin but I never burnt anything. You can check that.” There was something off about the whole scene, something that just didn’t sit right with him, a lone thought tickling the back of his mind repeating this is wrong over and over.

She grabbed his arm and drug him to the window, “Then who is that?” She pointed to the dot in the sky, the spectral memory of her looking out of the window to see the figure retreating on dragon back.

Liam narrowed his eyes trying to make out as many features as he could but even he had to admit that it looked pretty damning from this angle. The dragon was most definitely a red and the rider was a bulky blonde similar in size and shape to him. “I don’t know but I never flew away and if that is me, where is my other dragon? I don’t see Esper.”

Elara ripped her hands away from his head pulling them both out of the memory. Liam fell to his knees, the pain of having his mind so forcefully invaded agonizing and overwhelming. “Fuck.” He held his head in his hands and pressed his forehead to the warm stone, looking for any way to sooth the roaring pain. When he opened his eyes, head still bowed, he saw a puddle of bright red blood beneath his face. Reaching up he found the source, a steady trickle stemming from his nose. “That fucking hurt.” He wiped his bloody nose on his arm and stood up, closing his eyes to fight the light headedness.

Elara growled, her glare piercing “You deserve it after what you’ve done.” That hatred was back, the one so powerful that it made her forget her fear. He knew that courage well, the one brought on by a rage so all consuming that it blinded you to everything else. This didn’t bode well for him.

“I didn’t do it.” He repeated, picking up the clothes she had earlier thrown and ripping a strip of fabric from the shirt to press against his nose, blood still flowing freely.

She shoved him hard enough that he was knocked back, the back of his knees hitting the bed and making him sit. “Then who did? No one else had a red dragon, only you. Do you deny that it looked like you?” It was like she was daring him to argue, to contradict what they both had seen.

“No, I don’t know who it was, but it wasn’t me.” He would not admit guilt to a crime that he didn’t commit.

“Quit lying!” Her hand landed across his cheek, making his face turn to the side from the force.

Liam licked his lips and turned back to face her, a perfect handprint on his cheek, “It wasn’t me.” He repeated slowly, enunciating every syllable.

She reached for his throat and the moment her skin touched his he could feel the energy being sucked out of him as she began to drain him. He wrapped his hands around her wrist trying to pull her off but touching her was agony and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get her hand to budge, couldn’t put the needed distance between them. He should have seen this coming, her variable emotional state making her unpredictable. She had been timid, scared, brave, outraged, a rainbow of emotions that came with the grief of losing the ones you loved most in the world.

He could hit her, it would be easy to just punch forward and knock her out but she reminded him of Sloane after their parents had died. A young girl in agony over the loss of her parents, striking out at the one she had deemed guilty. Sloane had done the same thing only instead of placing the blame on Lilith where it belonged, she had transferred that anger to Violet. He was in the process of pulling his fist back to strike when something caught his eye.

“Darling, we must leave him alive.” Braeden’s voice came from the door, the venin leaning against the frame with a proud smile on his face.

Elara squeezed Liam’s throat one more time before letting go, leaving him gasping on the bed. “This isn’t over.” With a final glare she turned and walked into Braeden’s embrace, the venin holding her close as she took the comfort she needed from him.

Watching them, still gasping and weak from having his energy drained, Liam catalogued every interaction, every emotion and expression that passed between the two. Braeden whispered something in her ear and she nodded before letting him go and walking out of the room.

Once she was gone and the door was shut, Braeden walked over, roughly grabbing Liam’s chin and tilting it up so he could look at the damage that she had caused. “It’s deep but you’ll survive… sadly. It’ll most definitely leave a permanent mark.” He roughly let go and stepped back. “What did you say to make her lose it like that?”

“She thinks I killed her parents and I told her that I didn’t.” Liam answered, massaging the skin of his neck. It was a weird feeling, the skin tingling where she had drained him of magic.

“I’ve seen the memory and you have to admit, it does look like you.”

“But it’s not, I never flew and I never had my dragons burn down anything.” He didn’t know why he was having this discussion, this was the enemy. What did he care if they thought that he was the villain in their story? It wasn’t that it bothered him that they hated him, they were the enemy the hatred was to be expected. No, it was the idea that anyone could think him capable of something like what he had seen in the memory. He was a good person, he tried to live his life as honestly and honorably as possible. Sneaking up on his opponents was not something that he did because if he was going to kill you it would be while you were aware and able to fight back.

“If not you then who? You have to admit that it doesn’t look good. You’ve been slaughtering venin from Balcastle to Yinna.” The venin leaned against the wall, waiting for Liam to argue.

“I won’t deny that. I have been killing your kind, but never in cold blood. Every venin I killed fought, I don’t sneak up on my enemies or use underhanded tactics like your kind.”

“Then how do you explain seeing you and your dragon? Make it make sense.”

Liam stood and paced, “I don’t know because it doesn’t make sense. Any time I brought the dragons it was both of them and there was only one in the memory.”

Braeden scoffed, “That doesn’t mean that the irid wasn’t cloaking.”

Liam paused, he had forgotten about the irid ability to cloak. He shook his head, “No. Esper never used his ability to hide. He wanted you all to know that he was here and fighting for his kind’s freedom. Esper wanted to be an inspiration to the irids you have in captivity.” It was a cause Liam had supported whole heartedly, had even encouraged.

Braeden nodded and began to move around the room, his hands doing things on the walls and in the air. “What the hell are you doing?” It was like watching a mime, the way the venin acted like he was adjusting things.

“Getting ready. The council believes that your dragons will be here within the next day. They gave me their blessing to start our little party.”

Liam rolled his eyes, “There’s nothing there.” He was literally adjusting air making Liam think that either he was insane or this may be another illusion.

“There’s not? Are you sure?” Braeden smiled as the illusion dropped revealing the chains strung up against the wall and dangling from the ceiling. The color drained from Liam’s face. How long had those been there and he hadn’t known? He looked to the bed, his blood turning to ice when he saw the restraint straps. He had been voluntarily laying on that bed…

“How much of this is real and how much is in my mind.” He whispered, feeling like he was losing his grip on reality.

Braeden held up one of the shackles, “Will you put it on yourself or do I need to make you?”

“Fuck that.” Did he actually believe that Liam would willingly put the ice cold iron on himself?

“Would it make it better if it was prettier?” In front of his eyes the shackle morphed into a leather bracelet, one similar to the one Liam always wore, the one that held the runestone his mother had carved for him all those years ago.

“No. I won’t.” He wanted to close his eyes and count to ten but he knew that taking his eyes off of Braeden would be a bad idea.

The venin sighed, “I suppose we’ll have to do this the hard way then.” In the span of a blink Braeden was in front of him, his fist punching into Liam’s nose. He reached for Liam’s wrist but Liam was faster, pulling away and kicking Braeden hard in the stomach. He flew back landing on his ass with a dull thud, laughing as he picked himself up off the floor. “Well done, usually the people I get to play with don’t have such fast reflexes.” Braeden dusted himself off, “I knew you were going to be fun.” Again he was right in front of Liam, punching him again this time with enough force that Liam fell back against the wall, his vision doubling. The twin Braedens danced in front of his eyes making it hard to determine which one was real and which was the hallucination. “What’s wrong little rider? Seeing double?” Suddenly there were four Braedens…

Then six

Then eight.

“Stop.” Liam closed his eyes grabbing his head, the scene overloading his aching brain.

“Look at me.” Braeden whispered into his ear giving Liam the chance he needed.

He swung his head hard, colliding with Braeden’s and making the hallucination stop. He wiped his temple feeling a jagged gash where the venin’s teeth had dug into his skin where he had hit him. Seeing his chance Liam raised his fist, determined to break free and get out before they could hurt his dragons, but the moment he tried to punch the venin again he felt resistance. Looking down he saw the thick shackle Braeden had been holding, locked around his wrist and attached to a chain. “What? When?” Feeling an unfamiliar weight he looked to his other wrist and saw the matching shackle. How the hell had Braeden managed to get them on him without him knowing?

The room went pitch black and for the first time Liam began to feel scared.

“Boo!” The mage lights flared to life revealing Braeden standing right in front of him with a sinister smile, blood smeared on his face like war paint.

“Ah!” Liam screamed as the chains pulled tight lifting him off the ground and holding him suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the room. His wrists were pulled tight together about a foot from the ceiling, his entire weight hanging from them his feet dangling about a foot off the ground. “Fuck!”

“What’s wrong little rider?” Braeden stood in front of him pushing on his thigh so his body swung back and forth. “Does it hurt? Would you like me to make it better?”

Liam but his lip hard enough he tasted blood, refusing to answer and give Braeden the satisfaction. Violet had endured worse for days, he could last until his dragons got here.

Braeden laughed, “It’s cute that you actually think you can tolerate this. I’ll tell you what, scream for me and I’ll go easy on you.” It was what he wanted, what he loved, music to his ears and the balm on his twisted soul.

Pursing his lips, Liam spit at the venin hitting him on the cheek. “Fuck you.”

He wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his purple robe. “You’ll regret that.” Braeden pulled off his cloak revealing the sleeveless tunic and pants he wore beneath, both stained with blood. “Scream for me little rider…”

“Never.”

Braeden shrugged, “Have it your way.” He reached out grabbing Liam’s ankles and pulled hard making Liam scream as his shoulder joints were ripped from their sockets, the bones dislocating with a sickening crack. “See, I knew you’d scream for me.” He turned and picked up something from a table, “Now let’s see what other sounds you can make for me.”

From the look in Braeden’s eyes, Liam knew that this wouldn’t be over quick. The venin was going to draw this out and make it hurt. He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse that the venin planned to keep him alive until the dragons arrived.

Violet had made it, he could too.

He could…

He…

His screams echoed through the outpost as Braeden began to work on his latest victim.

Chapter Text

His body hung limp from the chains, still suspended in the air. Blood ran down the slope of his nose, dripping to form a puddle on the ground beneath him. Above his body floated a solitary mage light, barely bright enough to illuminate his body. It had become a game to Braeden, turn off the lights and see how long it took him to land a hit on Liam’s battered body.

Everything hurt. His muscles, his bones, his joints, everything. Every inch, every cell, nothing was spared from feeling the pain that Braeden had inflicted upon him. He tried to protect himself, tried to lock himself away in the confines of his mind but Braeden somehow managed to get there too, even infesting his unconscious dreams and turning them into nightmares.

At this point he was convinced that Braeden was a mind magic specialist. There was no other explanation for the things that he could do, the things that he could make Liam see. And if he was right…. Maybe that’s why it had looked like it had been him and Deigh flying away from the wreckage at Yinna, maybe he had messed with Elara’s mind making her believe that the dragon and rider she had seen had been him. But why would he do that? It just didn’t make sense.

Every possible scenario played itself out in his mind, every possible reason for why he would do such a thing. But there was no good reason, at least not one that he was able to come up with with the information that he had available to him. Or maybe there was and his aching brain was having trouble putting the pieces together. Between the pain in his head and the pain in his body, there was little else he could focus on. Every time he tried a different body part would start to ache making it difficult for him to think.

The door creaked open but his eyes were so swollen he could barely crack them open to see who was coming inside. “You look like shit.” At this point he would recognize her voice anywhere.

“Thanks, the blood adds to my charm.” He coughed, little specks of red dotting his lips.

Delicate fingers gripped his chin making him look up, “That’s not good. Coughing up blood is a good sign of internal bleeding.” A soft sound and suddenly he was being lowered until his toes could barely graze the ground.

Liam tried to jerk his head away but his body was weak and the effort yielded no results, her fingers still tight on his face. “I’m…” He coughed again, “I’m more concerned about the place on my nose where you drained me… My eyes keep focusing on it, I feel like I’m gonna go cross eyed.” If his attempt to deflect, to make her think that he wasn’t falling apart piece by piece, had any affect it was to make her smile. She knew that they were wearing him down, that soon he would lose his mind to the pain.

“You poor thing. Don’t worry, I’m sure the women and men will still think you’re attractive… If you put a bag over your head.” She laughed, holding her stomach as her entire body shook with the force.

Liam’s eyes met hers, “You’re so funny, I forgot to laugh.” He rasped, wincing as another wave of pain washed over him. How the hell had Violet endured this? She had been gone for nearly a week, her body broken until it was barely able to be repaired. He had’nt even been here a full day, his wounds were nowhere near as bad as hers had been, and he was ready to pray to Malek for a merciful death. The memory of the days after the fall that led to her staying in Aretia came to the forefront of his mind. Her condition… Her incredibly high tolerance for pain is what had made it possible for her to endure. It was possibly the one time Violet’s condition had ever been envied.

“Quit whining, it’s just the upper dermis. Your skin will shed and it will fade within a week.” She gently tapped his cheek, the small gesture aggravating the bruised and broken skin making it hurt much worse than it should have. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, the taste of blood permanently etched into his brain. So he retreated into himself falling back on old habits.

When he was younger, after his parents had been killed, he had been lost and had clung to the nearest person who had been kind to him… His best friend who was like a brother, Xaden. As the youngest in the group, Liam had looked up to him and the others, using their examples to guide his own life. From Xaden he had learned quiet strength and loyalty. Imogen had taught him all about pushing through and never letting others push you around. Bodhi had taught him about honor and duty. But what he needed now wasn’t any of those things, the kaleidoscope of character traits that had come to comprise his personality. No, right now he needed a skill he had learned from Garrick, the art of pissing off your enemy and distracting them so you could try to escape.

“Upper dermis, that’s a fancy term. Sounds like something a mender would use. Last I checked menders took a vow to do no harm. But I guess that philosophy doesn’t apply to a low-life venin like you.” His plan worked because the gentleness was gone as her fist slammed into his already broken cheek bone. “Oh, was that supposed to hurt?” He pushed back the pain and forced himself to laugh.

She grabbed his shoulders and drove her knee up into his gut, “You…” another hit, “Know,” Another hit, “NOTHING!” She screamed and hit him one final time, pushing him away and watching as he helplessly swung back and forth. “My life is ruined because of you!”

Liam spat blood at her feet, “Your life was ruined the moment you took magic that wasn’t given to you freely.”

She growled, the anger back and overwhelming her grief, “You think you’re so much better than us.”

He shook his head even though the motion made the room spin, “I don’t think I’m better, I know I am. Your life is cursed and it will only get worse the more you channel energy that wasn’t given to you. You’re nothing more than a thief living on borrowed time.”

Elara raised her fist to strike again but stopped, her eyes darting toward the door like she was hearing something that wasn’t there. Liam used her distraction to wiggle his wrists a little more, the blood running beneath the iron cuff making his skin slippery. It would hurt like a bitch but he was pretty sure that with the right leverage he would be able to dislocate the bones in his hand and squeeze out of the cuff inhibiting his bonds. But then he wouldn’t be able to use his hands in the escape… Back and forth he went between convincing himself not to do it and being certain it was the only way that he would be getting out of this alive. He slid his wrist down as much as he could, feeling where the cuff bit into his skin. Could he do it? Could he actually destroy his hand to get free? Because if the cuff was gone he would have access to his bonds and the magic that came with them. And Brennan would be able to mend it when he got home…

When Elara finally looked back at him, it was like the wind had been taken out of her sails. “They say I have to heal you…” She reached out to touch him but he sucked in his stomach and used every ounce of strength he had to try to pull his body out of her reach, as much as he could while hanging from the ceiling. “Quit moving!” She lunged forward and grabbed him, making him hold still.

“I don’t want to be healed with your tainted magic.” He struggled, kicking out at her until she was forced to let him go when his foot connected with her ribs.

She clutched her side, “That hurt.”

“Good. It was supposed to.” Liam growled. Panic set in when he felt his entire body tense, like he was frozen and he couldn’t even manage the energy to blink.

Elara grabbed him again, “Good boy.” He could feel the pain start to ebb as her magic worked its way through his body, healing his wounds. It made him sick knowing that he was being fixed with magic that was stolen. Where had it come from? The land? An innocent person? One of the irids?

“I can see the wheels turning in your mind.” Elara murmured as she continued to fix what was broken on his poor abused body. “We have donors who freely give us their energy. I didn’t steal anything.” She glared up at him. “You know nothing about us, only the horror stories that your scribes have generated to make you fear us.” She got a look on her face, a far off fanciful look that spoke of unfulfilled dreams and desires she’d had to quash. “I would never hurt anyone.” She ignored the sound of disbelief that he made and continued on, “I had been on the path to become a mender.” She looked up at him, “Until you killed my parents. And you’re right, even venin menders swear an oath to do no harm to our patients.”

He rolled his eyes and groaned. “Good to know I’m the exception to the rule.” Liam muttered when he felt that she had dropped the magic freezing his mouth shut.

“You’re not my patient, you’re my prisoner.” She finally removed her hand and he was distressed by the fact the he felt much better, that she had used her evil magic to fix what she and Braeden had broken.

“I didn’t kill your parents! Why don’t you ask your fiancé who did.” He yelled, the sound making her flinch. It made him curious how at one moment she could be this fierce torturer then the next she was back to being a meek mender who was afraid of a raised voice. Which was the true Elara?

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that I have two dragons yet you only saw one?”

“The irid could have been cloaking.”

“He didn’t cloak anywhere else. In fact in all of the other outposts that we attacked not only was he fully visible but none of us burned down the place.” Despite the logic and facts, he could see the doubt in her eyes and the inability to believe that someone she loved would be capable of something like destroying an outpost and murdering her parents.

She shook her head, “No. You’re lying. You’re trying to turn me against him and it won’t work.” Her firm denial told him all he needed to know, she would keep deluding herself into believing Braeden unless he could provide her with concrete proof. From a table over on the other side of the room she grabbed a water skin and walked back to him. “Drink.” She held it to his lips waiting for him to take a sip.

“No.”

“Do it.” Fed up and angry she grabbed his cheeks and squeezed until his lips parted and she could stick the lip of the water skin in his mouth. She squeezed, shooting the water into his mouth until he was sputtering and coughing. Throwing the water skin aside she used both of her hands to hold his mouth shut. “Drink or drown, I don’t care which option you choose.”

He had no choice but to swallow, the water bitter and warm. “That’s disgusting.” He gagged when she finally took her hands away and he was able to open his mouth again.

“It’s supposed to be.” She reached up and enclosed her palms over the iron cuff on his wrist until it fell away, landing on the ground with a loud clank.

“Why did you do that? I’ll have my powers back now and my bonds.”

She bent down to pick up the metal bracelet and he was able to see the runes inside that had completely cut him off from his bondeds. “No you won’t.”

He looked ready to argue but then he realized, “The water… You drugged it.”

“I did. The cuff blocks your bonds so you can’t feel anything and neither can your dragons. The serum… It just blocks you and allows your bondeds to feel everything that you feel.” She smiled and placed the cuff on the table by the door.

“So I can expect another visit from Braeden soon?” He hung his head.

“Yes.”

“What does he have over you?” He couldn’t help but ask, needing to know why she was so enthralled by this man.

She rolled her eyes again, “I love him. He doesn’t need to have anything over me.”

“You hate this. I can see it in your eyes, it’s easy for you to hurt me because of what you think I did to your parents. What about when he asks you to hurt someone else? Someone who hasn’t done you wrong? Will you be able to do it? Will you be able to hurt them and heal them knowing you’ll be doing it all over again and again?”

By the way she paused he knew he had struck a nerve. “He already has, hasn’t he? But when you refused suddenly he came up with a reason, some way they had betrayed you or hurt you.” Her already pale face was draining of color with every word he spoke. “Did he tell you they contributed to your parent’s death too?” Wide violet eyes looked at him and she shook head in denial. “How convenient.”

“You don’t know anything, he loves me!” She argued pointing to herself.

“Does he? Or does he love what you can do? Face it, Elara, you’re just a pawn in his twisted game.”

“I AM NOT!” She screamed, “He loves me and I love him! I’m going to marry him!” It was hard not to smile, knowing he had broken through and was starting to get to her.

“Are you?”

She nods, “Braeden makes me very happy. He’s taken care of me since my parents…” She looked away and it was all he could do not to do a happy dance at seeing the doubt in her eyes.

Her robe slipped down her shoulder revealing shades of gray on her neck and giving Liam the final nail to put in this coffin. “Maybe he does… But he also hurts you.” His blue eyes traced the gray fingerprints on her skin.

She jerked back like he had struck her, “Those aren’t from him.” She pulled the robe tighter around her hiding the marks from sight. But he had already seen them and he would bet that there were more.

“Liar.” Their eyes locked and he could see the vulnerable fear she was trying so hard to hide, “They’re in the exact place where I would put my hand as I’m fucking a woman.” He said softly.

“You don’t know anything about how we make love.”

“I didn’t say make love, I said fucking. Because it’s never slow and sweet with him, is it? Always rushed and brutal. Does he even care if you finish? My bet would be no, he seems very self serving.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.” She turned and walked to the door.

“If he really loved you, he wouldn’t hurt you.”

She turned on her heel and walked back, poking him in the chest with her finger, “And what would you know about love? I’ve heard about you, hopelessly chasing after the queen who is soul bonded to another. You don’t know love.”

He was so sick of people bringing up his relationship with Violet, she was his shadow, like a little sister or a part of him. Nothing more, nothing less, and definitely nothing romantic. “What’s between me and Violet is a different kind of love, she’s part of me and I’m part of her. And maybe I don’t know about romantic love, but I do know that no man should ever hurt a woman, especially not one he intends to marry.”

“Fuck off.” She turns and walks out, slamming the door behind her. With her gone he was able to focus on escaping. Now that the cuff was no longer on his wrist there was a chance that he would be able to break through to access his bonds.

“Violet did it so can I.” He murmured over and over as he closed his eyes and focused on trying to feel for the bonds. But his mindscape was covered in fog making it hard to see, the wispy clouds of the serum had invaded his mental gauntlet forming barriers around the links to his dragons and Violet. He tried everything, hitting it, manipulating it with his mind, but nothing worked. How he wished he had asked Violet how she had managed. All he knew was that she had been desperate and when Violet felt backed into a corner there was nothing that was impossible for her.

“We have the same access to magic, the same number of bondeds. She did it so can I.” He repeated.

He didn’t hear the door open or the loud footsteps until Braeden was back, shoving a blade deep into his shoulder and twisting until Liam screamed. “Sorry, did I disrupt your daydream?” Braeden asked sarcastically.

“Fuck you.”

“No thanks, I have a fiancé for that.” He pulled the blade free and watched as the blood began to pour down Liam’s chest. “Red is a very good color on you… I bet your dragons felt that. They’re probably going crazy right now trying to find you, but they won’t.” He laughed, patting Liam on the shoulder like it was a shared joke between them.

“I’m going to get out of this, I’m going to break free and the damage you accuse me of inflicting at Yinna? I’m going to make it look like a child’s tantrum. I will burn this fucking outpost to the ground, no prisoners, no survivors. My dragons will burn you alive.” Unable to lunge at the venin, Liam settled for using the chains holding him in the air to swing himself forward, his kick narrowly missing Braeden who had seen the move coming and moved to the side.

His pale hand gripped Liam and stopped his momentum, “That was a cute attempt.” Braeden leaned in, his breaths tickling Liam’s ear as he whispered, “The joke’s on you… Venin don’t burn.”

Liam’s eyes widened as he connected the final dot, the thought that had been lingering in the back of his mind just out of reach coming out into the light of day and exposing itself. “Venin don’t burn.” He had seen it first hand in previous battles, Deigh breathing fire on them and the venin walking away entirely unscathed. It was the proof he needed. “If venin don’t burn, then how did you kill her parents?”

“I never said I killed them.”

“You might as well have just admitted it! They can’t burn but it looks like they were burned to death, I saw the bodies.” He grimaced as the pain from the stab wound began to ache. Liam knew Braeden had done it… He couldn’t explain how, he just knew in the very marrow of his bones that this venin was to blame. He had destroyed the outpost at Yinna and killed his own people. But why? What did he have to gain and how did he do it.

“Stop, I can practically smell your brain having a meltdown.” Tossing the knife aside he picked up what looked like a saw.

Liam closed his eyes, trying to think and ignore the sickening smile on Braeden’s face as he got closer and closer. “I’ve always wondered if a mender could regenerate body parts…”

Biting his lip, Liam tried to put the clues together. If he could only figure it out he could maybe stun Braeden into backing off and giving him a chance to escape.

Venin couldn’t burn but her parents had burned. The place had smelled of dragon fire so he knew it was real, unless Braeden had tampered with Elara’s memory. But that was too complex and Liam had the feeling that Braeden was a blunt force type of guy. There was something with the fact that the bodies had been burned. Why did Elara believe it if venin couldn’t burn unless… What if they could burn? But Deigh had tried, hell Tairn had tried and if Tairn couldn’t torch a venin then the rest of them didn’t stand a chance.

Wait… He opened his eyes, “Esper…. It’s why she was so convinced that Esper was here during the attack. Irids can burn venin!” Liam shouted, everything coming together. It was the only explanation that made sense and it also explained why the irids were only in the Barrens. The Irids were energy rich and they were the only dragons who could kill venin with fire alone. “Fuck yeah!” Liam cheered, his shout making Braeden freeze. “Didn’t see that coming, did you? Yeah, I’m not as dumb as you think!” He cheered, elated that he had been able to figure it out. And from the look on Braeden’s face he was right, the venin had thought that Liam was too stupid to put it all together.

It was a high like no other, a euphoria that had him convinced that he could do anything. Forgetting the pain, forgetting the fear, Liam used his core strength to pull his body up and drop all of his weight down, the shackle around his wrist cutting into his skin as it was forced up his hand. He could feel the blood running down his arms, could see Braeden start to panic and run forward. But Liam kicked out, his foot knocking into Braeden’s chin and dazing him enough that Liam was able to lift himself and drop again and again until the cuff was forced over his wrist and he was free, falling to his feet and stumbling before he hit the ground.

The skin of his wrist and hands was mangled and bloody, his thumbs surely dislocated but he was free. Walking up to Braeden he put his foot on the venin’s chest and pushed, reaching down to rip a strip off of his cloak. “Thanks buddy.” Liam grinned taking the purple fabric and wrapping his hands, doing what he could to reset the joints and hold them in place until he could get to Brennan.

Braeden reached up but Liam lifted the foot holding him down and kicked his hand, “Bad venin. Stay.” He stomped his foot down hard into Braeden’s stomach and walked away to the clothes that still littered the floor from where Elara had thrown them at him. While getting dressed he kept his eye on Braeden, making sure he was still curled up in a little ball on the floor clutching his stomach. For sure he had broken a few of his ribs, maybe punctured a vital organ if he was lucky. He grabbed the knife from the floor, pushing the pain to the back of his mind as he walked over and pressed the blade to Braeden’s neck. “How do I open the door?”

“Fuck you.”

Liam smiled, “Oh, so now you want to fuck me? I thought you said you had a pretty little fiancé for that?” He pressed harder, blood dripping down Braeden’s neck. “Tell me how to get out.”

“I’d rather die than be the one who let you get away.” He closed his eyes, waiting for the death blow.

Liam knew that that wouldn’t work, he needed Braeden in order to open the door. It locked from the outside, the hinges were on the outside, if the damned venin died he would be trapped. Pulling back, Liam looked down at the poor pathetic man, if he could even be called a man, and thought. “Fine. Don’t tell me.” He stood up and lifted his leg bringing it down hard on Braeden’s thigh. The sound of the bone breaking was one that always made him cringe but he knew it had worked and Braeden’s scream of agony was music to his ears. “We’ll just stay in here together until someone comes to let us out.”

Braeden shook his head, sweat beading at his hairline as he tried to fight through the pain. “No one will come, I’ve already told them to stay away.”

The words made Liam grin, “Someone will. Or are you forgetting your completely devoted, almost fanatical, fiancé?”

What little color remained in Braeden’s face faded as he realized that Liam was right. Elara would come for him, even if he told her not to. “Ah… There it is… That look of pure terror. You’re probably regretting making her fall so hard for you, aren’t you? Tell me, why her? What’s so special about her that you would massacre her parents and convince her that it was me?”

“You’re delusional, I did no such thing.”

Liam tsked and shook his head, “See, that my friend, is a lie. And lies must be punished.” He lifted his leg above Braeden’s other thigh and prepared to stomp on it.

“Stop!” Liam froze, “She had potential and it was being wasted in that infirmary. I did what I needed to in order to make her great! To make her into a weapon that we could be proud of!” Liam backed away.

“She told me she had plans to be a healer but that’s not her strong power, is it? What can she do that made you put her through so much hell just to get her?” They were locked in a staring contest, neither one willing to budge.

The slight twitch of Braeden’s eyebrow was the only hint Liam got before the he lunged up, vanishing before his body hit Liam’s.

“Where did you go?” Liam spun around with the blade held in front of him, ready to stab anything that got to close. Around him the room began to waver, details changing. Where Braeden had been on the floor was a broken table leg, the table it had been attached to leaning precariously against the wall. “No. I know I broke your leg.” He closed his eyes and listened but there wasn’t a sound to be heard. Not a footstep, not the whisper of clothing, nothing. “Get out of my fucking head!” He screamed backing up so his back was against the wall and protected from attack. The heels of his palms pressed into his eyes, like if he pushed hard enough he would be able to tell what was real and what was an illusion.

Why had they never trained for a situation like this? Where you weren’t sure what was real and what was fake? Probably because none of them had ever dreamed of anyone wielding a signet with this kind of power.

The hairs on his arm stood on end, like his body knew danger was close and it was trying to warn him. Without warning Braeden appeared in front of him, his hand shooting out to grab Liam’s throat.

Something shoved his shoulder knocking Liam to the ground. When he looked up he had to sigh in relief, “Violet.”

“You may be in his head, but you’re not in mine.” She elbowed Braeden in the face. Scrambling over to the table by the wall, Liam grabbed the metal cuff, “Violet!” He yelled throwing it to her.

She plucked it from the air and spun slamming it shut around Braeden’s wrist. Suddenly the illusion fell and for the first time Liam was able to see the room he was in for what it was. Chains lined the walls and ceiling, crisscrossing like a morbid spider web. Blood stained the floor, some of it fresh but most of it dry and crusty with age. A skeleton hung on one wall, limp and still a little gooey with decomposition. “Liam!” Violet ran and hugged him.

“Vi. Thank the gods.” He held her like it was the last time, holding her tight to him as if afraid that she would be just another one of Braeden’s illusions.

“Where is everyone?” He asked because he knew that there would be more than Violet and his dragons on the rescue team.

She smiled, “Outside causing a distraction so I could get to you. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“They drugged me, I can’t wield.” He shook his head, feeling useless.

“It’s okay, you’re a badass even without magic. I’ll get us to them and then we can get out of here.” She pulled back and grabbed his hand ready to take them back to the dragons and their friends.

“Wait. I need to know.” Liam moved to Braeden, “Why is Elara so important to you? What is her signet?”

“I’ll never tell.” He shook his head.

“Leave him alone.” The door swung open and the girl in question ran in kneeling next to Braeden and shielding him with her body.

“He killed your parents, think about it. Only irid fire can kill a venin. What’s your signet? Why does he want you on the battlefield so badly?” She looked to Braeden then back to Liam.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“He’s using you, you’re just a tool to him.”

For the first time he saw her start to doubt, “You have an irid. It was you.” But her voice didn’t hold it’s previous conviction.

“Why would I destroy that outpost and none of the previous ones? Why would I change from killing venin with my blade to setting them on fire? What’s your signet, Elara? Why does he want your power do desperately?” His voice softened and he took a step forward.

“It doesn’t matter, I won’t use it. I’ll never use it.” She narrowed her eyes glaring first at Liam then and Braeden. This proved what he had been suspecting, whatever her signet was, it was a game changer. “Is it true? You only want me for my power?”

“Elara…”

“No! You only became interested in me after I turned venin, once my power manifested. Was it because of that? Because of what I can do?” Her voice rose with every word until she was yelling at him.

“No…”

“Did you ever really even love me?” Her lip quivered and her voice took on a soft.

Faster than Liam could comprehend Braeden pulled a blade from beneath his robe and lunged at him but Elara was faster, grabbing his wrist and disarming him, shoving the blade deep into his heart. Tears fell from her eyes, “Go. Get out of here.”

“Elara…”

“I’m going to blame this on you so you had better leave now.” Violet grabbed Liam’s hand and held it, ready to take them to the battle outside.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.

She shook her head, “I’m a fool for ever thinking he could love me. Go.”

“I won’t forget this or you, I promise.” Liam nodded and squeezed Violet’s hand.

In a blink they were gone, leaving Elara to collapse into tears by Braeden’s slowly disintegrating body.

Chapter Text

The air over the outpost as pure chaos when they landed on Deigh’s back, the dragon first growling then purring when he realized his rider was back where he belonged. Liam knelt down gently rubbing the red scales with enough force that he knew Deigh would be able to feel it, smiling as he heard the low warble of affection. “I know bud, I’m back.”

“Vi!” Brennan shouted from overhead, Marbh inverting so Brennan hung upside down, holding on with only the strength of his thighs. His hand was outstretched with a small bottle clutched between his fingers. Carefully Violet grabbed it as they flew overhead, not even a foot between them. It was daring and risky, one wrong move and both dragons would go down possibly to never get up again, but they had trained so often together that there was a trust between all of them that couldn’t be described. They weren’t seven individual riders they were seven extensions of the same being when they were in the air.

“Here.” She turned and held the bottle of purple liquid out to Liam.

“What is it?”

“They drugged you, right?” He nodded and took the bottle sniffing the contents. “Brennan hasn’t had the chance to test it thoroughly but the times he did, it reversed the effects of the bond blocker.”

Liam didn’t need to hear anything else, he downed the bottle in one go. “Tastes like grape.” He wrinkled his nose, preferring the more alcoholic taste of grapes to this one.

“I’ll tell Brennan your critique.” Violet laughed, gently slapping his shoulder and wincing when she realized that it was the shoulder with the stab wound. “Sorry…”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Violet shook her head, “I may not be as good as Brennan but I can get you fixed up.” She placed her hand over the wound, careful not to press too hard, and began to channel her power into him. He watched her intense concentration as she focused and made a note to talk to her more about her powers and how she could do the things she did. There was, he knew, a very likely chance that she would tell him that it was just natural instinct but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Thanks Vi. For this and for coming for me.”

She smiled up at him and he would swear that the sun shone just for her, the light hitting her features making her glow. “You’re welcome…. Better?” She asked when she felt like her magic wasn’t doing anything else.

He lifted his shirt and looked at the smooth skin, “Perfect. Thanks.” In his mindscape the little piece of energy that belonged to her pulsed with happiness, glad to be back with his shadow. “Let’s go kick some ass.”

“Scorched earth?” It was a plan they had discussed while trying to determine whether to attack Basgaith or eliminate the venin first.

He looked down below to the outpost, knowing that somewhere inside Elara was mourning. Closing his eyes he groaned, “No. There could be innocent people in there, men, women and children who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Violet squinted as she looked at him and Liam felt like he was standing naked before her, all of him exposed to her scrutiny. “Is this about that girl?”

“Partly.” He couldn’t lie, not about this. “It’s why I haven’t burned any of the outposts I’ve attacked so far. I didn’t want to kill anyone who wasn’t a venin.”

Nodding, Violet pat his shoulder. “You’re a good man.” Stepping back but never breaking eye contact, Violet drew closer to where Deigh’s back curved to meet his ribs. “I’ll give the order, no scorched earth. We’re talking about this later.” She pointed at him, letting him know that this was one conversation that he wouldn’t be getting out of.

“Of course we are. Thanks Vi.”

“Anytime.” Bending her knees, she leapt into the sky falling down to where Tairn was flying below them.

The bonds in his brain were beginning to feel tingly, like an appendage that had fallen asleep and was just starting to wake up. It was a prickly pain more irritating that painful but at least it meant his bonds were coming back to life. Deigh. Liam closed his eyes, loving how the bond between them almost vibrated with how happy they both were to be back together.

You are never coming here without me again. The dragon’s voice was barely audible but the emotions he conveyed were very clear.

Wouldn’t dream of it. Thanks for coming for me.

I will always come for you.

And I’d do the same for you. Now let’s go kick some ass. Deigh let out a stream of fire, banking left and diving down to join the fray.

It was only later, when they were surrounded by wyvern that Liam realized what was missing. Where’s Esper?

~

Now that Liam was back with them and safe, Violet was able to turn her full focus to the battle and what had to be done. From the number of wyvern and venin who had been waiting it was clear that they had been expecting this rescue mission, there were too many of them for it to have been anything else.

As Tairn flew through the sky she called down strike after strike, her aim better than ever as she hit almost every venin she aimed for.

Silver One Tairn spoke after a particularly close call, his concern evident in his tone.

I know, Tairn. I’m being careful. She sent a soothing calm down the bond hoping that it would help ease his worry.

It’s not that I’m worried, the venin controlling the wyvern aren’t in the sky.

Violet began to look around, Where are they then?

Inside the north tower. She looked in that direction and sure enough every window had a venin in it, watching the battle unfold before them.

Got it. She nodded, What’s the plan?

Someone needs to go in and eliminate them.

Me… Automatically her mind jumped to herself because she was unwilling to put her friends and husband in danger. Maybe it was arrogant and cocky but to her it was saving the people she loved more than anything else. Are you with me, Tairn?

Always, Silver One.

I’ll send a message when I’m ready to make my exit.

I’ll be waiting. She wielded her way into the tower, surprising the venin who was looking out the window.

“You!” He gasped, pointing at her like she had offended him by daring to defile his personal space with her presence.

“Me.” She grinned and pulled her blade, not giving him a chance to prepare as she lunged forward aiming for his heart. He dove to the side, fumbling with his weapon as he rolled and tried to regain his footing.

For a moment Violet had to stop and just watch as he nervously dropped and picked up his dagger… twice. She knew she should be attacking but there was something odd about this venin, something different than the ones she usually faced. Then it hit her. “Gods… You’re a baby, aren’t you?” She groaned, rubbing at her temple.

“I’m not a baby.” His face flushed at how easily she was able to tell.

“I don’t mean age-wise. You’re an Initiate, basically a baby venin.” From the way he tightened his grip on his dagger and charged, she knew that she had hit a nerve. “I have so many questions.” She sighed as she went on the defense, “Would you mind answering them while we fight?”

The venin froze and looked at her like she was crazy, “Are… are you serious right now?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Because you’re the enemy!” His voice cracked as he yelled at her.

“It was worth a shot. You know I’m going to have to kill you.”

“Why? What did I ever do to you?”

She raised an eyebrow, “Am I hallucinating or have you not spent the last fifteen minutes trying to kill me and my friends?”

The venin lunged and Violet dodged, hitting him on the back with the flat of her blade. “That was the order that came from command.” He growled.

“Now we’re getting somewhere. And where can I find your commander?” She demanded, their blades clashing together. To her surprise she was forcing him back, she had been getting stronger over the years but this was the first time she had ever actually been able to push someone back based on pure strength alone.

Before he could answer or give some other harsh comeback, something ran into her, shoving her forward into the venin she was fighting, his blade digging into her shoulder. “What the fuck?” There was no time to waste, something had attacked her and she needed to get back to her feet.

Pulling a dagger from the sheath at her ribs, she stabbed the venin she had fallen into in the heart and rolled away narrowly avoiding the sword that plunged down where she had been. It was another venin, this one wearing darker robes and clearly more experienced if the dark veins surrounding his eyes were anything to go by.

Kicking out she was able to put some space between them, his arms blocking the blow and his body jerking back from the force. “Your friend said you have a commander. Where? Is he here?”

But the venin didn’t respond, he just kept attacking and attacking making Violet fend off every frenzied thrust. He just kept coming and coming making it hard for her to even think of attacking, her mind too preoccupied with the next blow to deflect. “You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?” Still no response. “Fine.” She knew it was a risk but at this point she knew her powers and this would either work or fail.

Calling on her signet she unleashed a bolt of lightning, the crackling energy filling the room and striking the venin in the heart. He dropped like a rock in the ocean, his charred body slowly starting to disintegrate.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she dusted off her clothes and collected both her blade and the blades of the venin she had downed. Her shoulder was bleeding freely but it wasn’t deep, taking a deep breath she ran her fingers over it and watched as it started to seal itself shut.

The room she was in was sparse, literally a circular room with windows looking out in all directions so whoever was inside could monitor both the horizon for foreign enemies and the inside of the outpost just in case their walls were ever breached. There was nothing worthy of investigating, no maps, no notes, not even a speck of dirt or debris on the floor. Either they were clean freaks or they were well versed in protecting their intel.

If she recalled correctly, she had seen venin higher in the tower so she took the stairs that wound up around the exterior of the room, pulling out her sword and making sure her feet didn’t make a sound as she cautiously climbed upward. There were no voices, no rustling of clothes, no clanging of swords, all she could hear was the chaos of battle going on outside. But she knew they were up there.

The closer she got to the next floor up, the more vigilant she became; watching every flicker of shadows and every movement no matter how big or small. At the window there stood a venin in robes a shade darker than the venin on the floor below. The varying gradients made her wonder… Were they some sort of ranking system? The darker the robe the more experienced the venin was? If that were the case, it would make sense. The lighter robed venin had clearly been novices and the darker robed ones had been able to actually give her a run for her money.

On that analysis alone, Violet knew that this woman would be more of a challenge than the two she had just downed. Slowly so as not to make a single sound, Violet drew a dagger from the sheath at her hip, trying to make the least movements possible so her flight leathers wouldn’t give her away by making that weird creak. Pulling her arm back she hurled the dagger forward, knowing that she would need the element of surprise on her side if she was to win.

Right before the blade could sink into the venin’s heart, she turned and caught the blade by the hilt, plucking it from the air like it had just been hovering there and not flying at her with the intent to kill. “You’re aim is good but you’re too noisy.”

Violet silently cursed herself, she knew it! If they made it out of this she would be following in Garrick’s footsteps and removing all sleeves from her fighting leathers and she would just start carrying a jacket in her pack in case she got cold or needed it to fly. Tucking and rolling, she narrowly avoided the venin’s sword as she swung it down, sparks flying as it collided with the stone floor. But this venin was fast and the moment Violet was back on her feet the woman was there swinging again making it hard for her to go on the offensive. So she wielded her way behind the venin kicking out and striking her in the spine.

The woman fell forward, sliding across the rough stone in a way that Violet knew would leave scrapes on her already thin venin skin. Rushing forward she pulled her blade back ready to strike…

“Wait!” The venin held up her hands, recognizing the blade for what it was. “Please, I have children.”

Violet paused, “You… You have children?” She asked incredulously.

The venin nodded, sensing Violet’s hesitation. “Yes. A boy and a girl, ages 4 and 6. They’re downstairs in the keep. I’m… I promised I would make Derek’s favorite dinner tonight for his birthday.”

For a moment it was like she was somewhere else, watching the scene from another person’s eyes… “You have kids…”

The woman nodded again. “Yes, please have mercy… for their sakes.”

Suddenly it was like Violet was thrust back into her body. She could feel how her lips were pursed, her eyes aching, her heart pounding in her chest. But the room around her, it had gone dead quiet, like someone had shut off all the sound leaving her in a noiseless void that was slowly shrinking. “Why?”

The venin looked confused, wracking her mind trying to think of a good reason for Violet not to kill her. “Because… Because you’re kind and merciful.” She stuttered.

Violet shook her head, “No.” She stepped closer pressing the tip of her sword to the venin’s chest, “Why does someone like you get to have kids? How is that fair?”

Realizing that Violet wasn’t feeling sympathy, the venin began to crawl back. “Please…”

“No!” Violet slammed her sword against the wall before pointing it at the venin again. “You’re a horrible person who steals magic from the innocent! How the hell did the gods see fit to bless you with not one but two children?” Her voice rose with every word until she was yelling, the edges of her vision hazy.

The venin looked up in fear, “You don’t understand, I did what I had to so I could feed my children.”

Violet stopped in front of her, the sword once more pointed at her heart, pressing into her skin until it drew blood. “I don’t believe you.” She used the sword to flick the dark purple robe, “The color is rank, right? Meaning you’re pretty high up in the chain of command. That’s not doing what you must to survive, that’s killing and enjoying it.” The venin paled, crying out as Violet pushed the sword into her chest, “And if you really do have kids, if they aren’t a lie you made up to try to appeal to my kindness…” She leaned in and whispered, “They deserve better.”

Twisting hard, the venin’s body went limp and began to desiccate. With a grunt, Violet pulled the sword free and went to the staircase to climb higher. Anxiety began to claw at her chest, repeated thoughts of why? Why her? Why me? Why? Why? Why? Over and over until she was all but running up the stairs as if trying to escape the thoughts and the pain, her lungs burning with the effort of trying to escape. She knew it was dangerous to be so unfocused so she tried to breathe, focusing on the scene around her rather than the clawing feeling in her chest or the stone in her stomach. She heard a shout from outside and her body froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins, the spiraling anxiety transformed into sheer panic when she heard someone shout, “Mira!” She ran to the window and looked out.

~

The battle was raging all around them and Mira was focused as she ripped through enemy after enemy. Teine’s claws shred through wyvern wings like they were made of thin paper, felling every enemy that had the misfortune of crossing his path. The two of them were battle forged, working in sync that could only come from years of training and experience.

A ways away Garrick fought on Chradh, the two of them working in tandem with Bodhi and Cuir to eliminate a swarm of wyvern. Her eyes flickered to them after downing yet another wyvern, looking to see who was finding the venin controlling these monsters. To her left she could see Tairn delightfully ripping through the masses, biting through necks with one snap of his mighty jaws. Blood rained down on the venin on the ground, Imogen and Sloane among them despite everyone telling them not to. The two women were stubborn but had a good point as the stones were ashen white, already drained of any magic they had once held making it impossible for the venin to use their magic to drain them unless they were directly touching them.

That was one thing Mira had noticed, there had to be a physical connection for the venin to be able to drain something. Almost like a string connecting everything, the venin to the land to the rider, and if that connection was broken, say the land had already been drained, then the chain was no longer possible.

Xaden offered what support he could, Sgaeyl perched on one of the towers as he tore through the ramparts killing all venin who got in his way. His shadows were everywhere, his control so refined that they did what he wanted on instinct rather than command.

Mira narrowed her eyes when she realized what was missing, or rather who. Looking around, she couldn’t get her eyes to settle on Andarna, Esper, or Naolin and it took a minute and one full revolution of her body to realize that was because they weren’t there. Part of her was worried but the larger part had suspected that something like this would happen. Once the group had come up with the plan, it had been easy for Violet to wield all of them to the dragons and convince them to stop and hear them out. The dragons hadn’t liked having to land and listen, but they had been soothed by the idea that Violet could wield them to where Liam was and save them the long flight and make up for any time that they would lose. This appealed to them, if they didn’t have to fly such a long distance then they would have more energy for the inevitable battle that would take place when they finally made it to Liam. It was a win win, even if waiting made their skin crawl.

Mira gestured to Liam, trying to get his attention.

Teine, ask Liam if he knows where Esper and Andarna are.

He says they don’t know.

Fuck. I don’t see them. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something bad was going to happen. Looking around again, she saw Violet fighting through the window of the tower and took some relief from that. If something was wrong with Andarna, Violet wouldn’t be here, she would be with the golden dragon. It just worried her since Violet’s life was connected with Andarna’s.

Taking a moment to shake out the tension and tingling in her arms, Mira dove back into battle driving her sword through anything that dared to get close enough to Teine.

She had just finished gutting another wyvern that had attempted to attack Teine’s back when she felt it, the little goosebumps breaking out over her skin, the sudden chill even though the sun was beating down on them, their bodies coated with sweat, faces flushed. “No… No… not now.” She grit her teeth and closed her eyes, trying to fight this feeling that was becoming more and more common.

But this attack wasn’t like the others, where she got the chills and a little light headed. No, this was different. Her hand went to her chest, her fingers digging into the leather over her heart. “Help…” She whispered, trying to fight it, unable to muster more than the barest amount of sound. “Help…” Teine… Her eyes rolled back and her body went limp, tumbling from Teine’s back toward the ground far below.

“Mira!” Garrick yelled, urging Chradh to dive after her since Teine was entangled with a wyvern. “Liam! Violet!” He looked around, trying to find the two people who may have a chance of catching her if he missed.

But Deigh was too far away and Violet wasn’t within his sight. Come on, Deigh, faster. The dragon tucked his wings in, doing everything he could to increase his speed. She was just about within their grasp when Violet appeared grabbing Mira and wielding her to safety on the ground.

Deigh landed and Garrick jumped off, running over to where Violet was shaking Mira trying to wake her up. “Is she breathing?” He slid to his knees beside them putting the back of his hand under her nose to check for air flow.

“Yeah, she’s breathing and her heart is beating but she is ice cold.” Violet said as she hurried to take off her jacket and put it on her sister.

“Why isn’t she waking up?” Garrick stripped off his shirt and added it to the layer surrounding Mira.

“I don’t know. Where’s Brennan?” When she didn’t see him, Violet asked Tairn Tell Marbh to get Brennan here NOW! He didn’t need to respond for Violet to know that he was doing as she asked and getting her brother. “Mira… Come on Mira, wake up.” She continued to shake her shoulder, “Did you see what happened?”

Garrick shook his head, “No, I just happened to turn at the right time.”

“Fuck! Where’s Brennan?”

“Here.” He hadn’t waited for Marbh to land, jumping off the moment he knew he could without breaking his legs. His hands hovered over her as he used his magic to try to figure out what was wrong.

When Mira suddenly shot up, her hand clutching at her chest, they all jumped from the sudden movement. Her lips were blue, her other hand coming up to grab at her throat.

“Mira! What’s wrong?” Brennan grabbed her wrists and pulled them away when he noticed her nails digging into her skin.

“Cant… Can’t breathe… My Heart…” She doubled over.

Garrick, Violet, and Brennan all shared a look, whatever was happening was out of their expertise, none of them had ever dealt with anything like this before.

Suddenly Mira’s body tensed and she shot back up, “Imogen!”

They looked around but none of them could see Imogen. “She’s not here.” Brennan said softly, trying to get her to look at him. “Imogen isn’t here.”

“Get to her, we have to get to her!” Mira tried to get to her feet, but her legs wouldn’t support her weight. She grabbed at her heart and collapsed into Garrick’s arms. “Imogen…”

Violet had never seen her sister like this before, tears falling down her cheeks, her voice broken. “I’ll go find her, okay. I’ll go.” She ran her hands through Mira’s hair before wielding to wherever Imogen was.

When she appeared in the courtyard of the fortress, it was like time slowed down as she took in what was happening.  Sloane was on the ground, fighting against a venin who was standing over her and Imogen had her blade locked with two others, somehow managing to fight off both of them at the same time. It was what was behind the pink haired girl that made Violet’s heart stop.

Unbeknownst to Imogen, a third venin was sneaking up behind her, its sword levelled at the perfect height to pierce right into her heart. Violet wasn’t sure if it was a latent effect of Andarna’s time stopping gift or if her brain was working faster than ever to comprehend it all but whatever it was, she was grateful as she pulled her weapon and wielded in between them, blocking the blow before it could strike Imogen.

The sound made Imogen jump and glance over her shoulder, “Vi?”

“Mira needs you.”

Nodding, Imogen kicked one venin, freeing her blade so she could stab it into the other. Between the two of them, the venin were dispatched in short order. “Sloane…”

“No, you need to go to Mira, I’ll help Sloane.” Violet wielded Imogen back to where Garrick still held Mira tight to his chest, Brennan watching helplessly. But the scene they were met with was different than the one Violet had left. Mira’s lips had returned to their normal pinkish hue and her hands were no longer trying to dig into her chest to soothe her aching heart. “You can explain to me later.” Violet muttered to Brennan before wielding back to help Sloane.

Imogen knelt down beside Garrick and Mira, “What happened?” For a second the battle was forgotten even as it raged above them.

“She collapsed, fell from her dragon.”

“Mira, what the fuck? What happened?” Imogen’s eyes widened.

Mira shook her head, “I don’t know. I got really cold and at first I thought it was just another one of my episodes. But then my heart started hurting, like I was being stabbed over and over again. That’s the last thing I remember before I woke up here, on the ground.”

“When you woke up, you said you needed Imogen. Can you remember why?” Garrick moved over so Imogen could sit next to him, Mira cradled between them, still too weak to sit up on her own.

She shook her head, “I don’t remember that.”

The two shared a look over her head. It wasn’t normal and it sure as hell was concerning. “Listen, we need to get you somewhere safe.” Garrick was hesitant to admit, he hated leaving her but he knew that he and Imogen would be needed in battle.

“You two go, I’ll stay with her until Liam or Violet can take her back to the fortress.” Brennan spoke up for the first time since Imogen had arrived. “I can monitor her condition, she’ll be safe with me.” He reassured them when he saw how reluctant they were to leave.

“Go, I’ll be fine. I’m already feeling better.” That, more than anything else told them how serious this was. Mira would never sideline herself unless she felt like absolute crap. No, that wasn’t right, Mira would attempt to go into battle even if she were dying. Whatever this was had clearly scared her.

But now wasn’t the time to argue because all around them the battle was still being fought. “Okay, but we’re all talking about this when we get home.” The pair got up but not before pressing a kiss to Mira’s temple. “Keep her safe.” They instructed Brennan, even though the order was unnecessary.

“With my life.” He smiled, moving so Mira could lean on him.

The moment was cut short when a war cry came from behind them, a venin with his sword raised as he leapt through the air toward them. His momentum was stopped when Deigh flew by, catching him and crushing his body in a shower of blood. “Get your asses in the air!” Liam yelled from Deigh’s back.

That got them going, Garrick and Imogen running and calling their dragons to come get them. “Come on little sister.” Brennan hooked Mira’s arm over his shoulder and helped her stand, her weight heavily supported by his body.

“Where are we going?” Her voice was soft and somewhat slurred, her feet stumbling as he led her along.

“Marbh is going to give us a ride to somewhere safe.”

Mira shook her head, “I need to be in battle. They need our dragons.”

Brennan stopped and made her look at him, “I know it feels that way but Mira if you go into battle like this you’ll be more of a liability than a help. So you and I are going to go a little ways away and I’ll protect you while Marbh and Teine help the others.”

She shook her head, “No, I don’t like that idea.”

“Mira. I know you’ve been through a lot, you’ve earned your battle scars. But there’s still things I can teach you as your elder and as your big brother and this is one of those things.” He made sure she was looking into his eyes, “Mom always taught us that as riders our lives are dedicated to the country we serve, that we give it our all, always, even if we have nothing left to give. But in the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve learned that sometimes, it’s better to sit out than to go into a fight you know you’ll lose.” He rested his hands on her shoulders, “I love you, Mira, but look at yourself right now and tell me you really think you would make a difference in this battle? Or would you just be a distraction that would put the people you love at risk?”

His words were a knife to her heart but she knew, “You’re right.” In the past, when it was just her, she wouldn’t have hesitated to jump into battle no matter how poorly she felt. But now she had Garrick and Imogen to think about, Violet, Brennan, her friends… “You’re right.”

Brennan put his arm back around her waist and they started back toward Marbh. “We won’t go far, we’ll still be able to watch the battle.”

“Thanks Brennan.”

“Anytime.” They made it to Marbh and he turned his back making Mira smile.

“A piggyback ride?” She raised an eyebrow.

“How else am I going to get you up there?” He pat his back as an invitation for her to climb on.

“This reminds me of when we were kids.” Her arms felt like they were made of lead as she lifted them to wrap around his neck and shoulders, his hands grabbing her thighs and lifting her up onto his back.

“Yeah, you always wanted to tag along, you swore you could keep up but half way in you’d get tired and I’d have to carry you.” He chuckled at the memory.

She laughed with him, “You always took such good care of us, always looked out for us.”

His smile fell, he knew that wasn’t true. He knew that he had failed them big time when he had let them believe for years that he was dead. “Yeah, well mom always said our duty was to our country. But I knew, deep down, my duty was to you and Violet.” He began to climb up Marbh’s leg, trying to balance finding good hand holds and making sure Mira didn’t lose her grip and fall back to the ground. “I’m sorry, you know, for what I did and I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life regretting letting you two down.” He felt her nod against his back, “I truly am sorry, Mira.”

“I know.”

“I wasn’t thinking straight, I had just lost Naolin. I made a bad choice but my biggest regret is hurting you and Vi, breaking your trust the way I did. I wouldn’t blame you two if you never forgive me.”

Mustering what little strength she had, Mira swat the back of his head. “Don’t be a dumbass. We may be mad, but you’re still our brother. And I like to think we’ve gotten past all that.”

“Maybe, but I’ll never not feel guilty for abandoning you two like that.”

She swat him again, “Stop. It’s over, it’s done, we’ve all moved on. It’s like Violet says to Xaden, every decision we have made has led us to here, to this point in time. It may not be ideal, being in the middle of a war with two nations, but I have two people I love more than life itself, I have Teine, I have you and Vi, and I have friends. Yes, you hurt us but it brought us to this and I love this life.”

He nodded, “You’re right. Who knows where we would be if I had stayed with Navarre. Xaden and Violet may not have met, I may not have found out that Naolin was alive.” He stopped when he heard Mira snort, pulling himself up onto Marbh’s back and gently setting her down so he could look at her. “What?”

“You’re honestly telling me that Xaden and Violet may not have ever met? Have you seen those two? If there was ever a case for fate it would be them. Seeing their love, I have to believe that no matter what they would have ended up together.”

Brennan smiled and nodded, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“I’m always right.” She sat down and Brennan sat behind her, holding on to her as Marbh took to the sky.

The dragon left them a few miles away from the battlefield, safe and out of the way. Together the siblings sat on the rocky terrain, watching as their friends and dragons fought.

“We’re going to win this, right?” Mira asked softly, a rare moment of vulnerability.

“Yeah. We’re going to win.” Whether or not that was true was to be determined but he had to believe in the light at the end of the tunnel, that the gods wouldn’t put them through all of this only for them to fail.

They would win. Any other outcome wasn’t an option.

Chapter Text

It was so weird, watching the battle and not taking part. Both Mira and Brennan struggled just sitting on the sidelines, waiting for their friends to win. What made it even harder was knowing that Violet, their baby sister, was out there fighting and they were not. They had spent their entire lives up until they had left for the rider’s quadrant protecting her from harm, now she was out there risking her life while they sat safely out of the way. It was a sobering realization of how the tables had turned, their weak baby sister now one of the strongest riders in existence, if not the strongest rider in history.

It took another two hours before the enemies in the sky were defeated and who knew about how many remained on the ground. Were reinforcements on the way or were the people of this outpost on their own, written off by the venin who were supposed to protect them. Feeling better, both Mira and Brennan stood when five dragons flew toward them, knowing that it was their dragons, Imogen, Garrick, and Violet.

“You look better.” Violet smiled as she slid down Tairn’s leg.

“I’m feeling better.” Mira hugged her baby sister, “You look like you kept busy.” She laughed, licking her thumb and wiping dried specks of blood from Violet’s cheek.

Violet laughed as she tried to swat Mira’s hands away, “Stop it!” The rest of the group smiled as they watched the two sisters, Mira trying to aggressively clean Violet’s face and Violet using not even a fraction of her strength to try to push her away. Laughing, Garrick looped his arm around Mira’s waist and lifted her off of her feet depositing her between him and Imogen.

“You’re feeling okay?” He asked even though she had just said she was feeling better, knowing better than anyone how she would hide if she were hurt and put on a brave face so no one would know.

She nodded, “Really. See.” She held out her arm so he could see the smooth skin, not a goosebump in sight.

He pulled her in for a hug, glad to see that she was okay and feeling more like herself. “Did the two of you figure out what happened?” He looked over her shoulder at Brennan who shook his head no. Garrick let her go, cupping her face in his hands, “Swear you’re feeling okay?”

Mira rolled her eyes but nodded, “I’m fine.”

“You won’t be when I’m done with you.” Imogen punched Mira’s shoulder but everyone present could tell that there was no strength behind it. “You scared me Sorrengail.”

“Sorry.”

Imogen ran a hand through her hair, wanting to maintain her tough image but ultimately giving up and joining the hug. “Don’t be sorry for things you can’t control.” She whispered, squeezing Mira just the tiniest bit tighter.

Brennan and Violet watched the interaction, happy that their sister was happy and had two people who loved her very much. “Did you ever find Andarna and Esper?” Brennan whispered to his baby sister, not wanting to disrupt the sweet moment happening before them.

“Andarna says they’re okay and I can feel that she’s nearby but she won’t tell me what they’re doing.”

“Think it’s because it’s something you’d disapprove of?” Brennan looked down at her.

She shook her head, “I don’t know.” Tapping his side, Violet pulled away and gently touched Mira’s shoulder, “Hey, I need to go help with clean up. If you want to wait here, that’s fine or if you want to come and help, that’s okay too. I’ll let you decide.”

“Yeah, I’ll help. It’s the least I can do after sitting out the whole battle.” Mira nodded, Garrick and Imogen looking at her like she was crazy.

“You fainted, you don’t need to help with clean up.” They chorused.

She waved off their concern, “I’m fine. You can ask Brennan, I haven’t had another attack since the last one and I think I can recognize the signs that I’m about to have one.”

Brennan nodded, “We did discuss how she felt before the attack came on and, we’ll need to confirm, but it seems that chills and tunnel vision are two of the main signs of an oncoming episode.”

“If I start to feel like that, Teine’ll either take me to the ground or he’ll hold me until he can get me somewhere safe.”

The rest of them nodded, happy that at least there was a plan in place should something like this happen again. But it wasn’t enough for Violet. “Can I talk to you?” She asked her sister, gently touching her elbow, “Alone?”

Mira nodded and followed Violet a few feet away. “What’s wrong?”

Taking a deep breath, Violet revealed what she knew would probably set her sister off. “I want you to take my saddle.”

Immediately Mira looked offended, “I am perfectly capable of keeping my seat!”

“I know you are but Mira, you passed out. If I hadn’t been there to catch you it would have been up to Garrick and he was close but there’s no guarantee he would have made it in time. It’s not forever, just until we figure out why you’re fainting.” She reasoned, hoping her sister would understand.

“I’m not an invalid, Violet.” She growled, taking it personally even though she knew Violet was just trying to protect her. The moment Violet’s eyes widened, her body flinching as if she had been struck, Mira knew she had fucked up.

“You’re saying I’m an invalid because I have to use a saddle?”

“No, no, Vi, that’s not what I meant…”

“Then what did you mean, Mira? Am I less of a rider than you because I have to use a saddle? No… I’m sorry, it doesn’t make me less than, it just makes me an invalid.” Violet growled, a tear falling down her cheek.

Mira reached out but Violet stepped back, “I have to go help.” Before Mira could protest Violet had wielded herself onto Tairn’s back and the pair were taking off back toward the outpost.

“Fuck!” Mira kicked a rock, burying her hands in her hair as she watched them fly away.

“You definitely could have handled that better.” Garrick put his hand on her shoulder.

She glared up at him, “You think?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I do.”

Imogen came up on her other side, “She was just trying to help.”

“I know.” Mira sighed, she was well aware that Violet was just trying to protect her and instead of being grateful she had insulted her.

“No, I don’t think you do. Do you know that she is terrified of losing us? She’s been working her ass off day and night trying to find a way for all of us to make it out of this.” Brennan stepped in front of her making her look at him.

“She has?” Guilt began to creep in.

“Yeah, Xaden carries her to bed more often than not because she’s fallen asleep in the library. But she’s up again before day breaks flying with him, planning with the council, and researching until her body can’t take anymore and she passes out again then the process repeats the next day.”

Mira fisted her hair, “Why did no one tell me she was working herself to death?”

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, “You know Vi. What’s the one thing she hates above all else?”

She closed her eyes and groaned, knowing the answer immediately. “Appearing weak. I need to talk to her.”

“Now’s probably not a good time, Tairn gets really protective of Violet when she’s upset.” Imogen spoke up, her and Garrick having heard every word. And Mira knew it was true, all dragons were protective of their riders but Tairn took it to a whole other level. She had heard about threshing, how Violet had learned of Brennan’s betrayal and Tairn had flown her away protecting her from scrutiny and the pain. “Tonight, when we’re back at the fortress you can talk to her. Until then it’s probably best if you give her some space.”

“Yeah. You’re right. I’ll talk to her tonight after dinner.” Satisfied that they at least had a plan for her to make amends, Mira wiped her hands on her pants and turned back to the group, stress lining her eyes. “Let’s go help clear the area so we can go home.”

Everyone agreed, all heading to their dragons so they could fly back to the outpost.

A hand on her elbow made Mira pause, “Yes?” She asked, following the hand up a muscular arm and shoulder to Garrick’s concerned face.

“You’re sure you’re good to fly?”

For a moment Mira wanted to be mad at him for questioning her ability but the argument with Violet sprung to the forefront of her mind reminding her that they weren’t being condescending, they were just worried because they cared. “Yeah, promise.”

He studied her face for a moment before deciding that she was telling the truth and nodding. “Love you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and turned to go to Chradh.

“Hey.” She caught his hand in hers and made him stop, “Love you too. And I’m sorry, for being defensive and all… that.”

He just smiled and brought her hand to his lips kissing her knuckles, “Fly safe, Mira.”

She couldn’t help but smile back and nod, his actions making her feel just the smallest bit better.

The group mounted their dragons and flew back to the outpost, all of them ready to finish clearing the area so they could go back home.

~

Violet arrived back at the outpost, her mood still sour but hidden behind a forced smile. The moment Xaden saw her, he knew. Come here. He jerked his head for her to make her way to where he stood by the outpost’s main entrance. The moment she was close enough he lifted his arm so she could tuck herself against his side, What happened? He brushed the hair from her face and looked into her eyes, the world around them disappearing as he surrounded them with a wall of shadows.

I’m just being too sensitive again. She wiped at her face, her eyes feeling dry and itchy after the tears that had fallen on the way back to the outpost.

Xaden gave her a look, one that said he knew she was lying. I know you better than that, Violence. You don’t cry because you’re too sensitive. He brushed her hand aside and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, massaging the skin the way he knew she liked.

Violet closed her eyes and spent a moment just letting herself feel cared for and vulnerable. Can we talk about it when we’re home?

Of course. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, then her lips. Want me to change the subject?

Please?

He smiled, Have you heard from Andarna, Esper, or Naolin?

She nodded, thankful that he was so easily able to read her and always knew exactly what she needed. The best part, she knew it was nothing to do with his hidden signet and everything to do with the fact that he loved her and had genuinely put in the time to know her. At this point he didn’t need his second signet to read her like an open book and that fact alone made her heart melt for him. Yeah, Andarna and Esper won’t tell me what they’re doing but they said they’re almost done and they’ll tell me when they need my help.

And Naolin?

He’s almost done with his sweep of the outpost. She paused for a moment, Speaking of sweeps, have… did… do we know if there were humans in the outpost?

Xaden tilted his head just the slightest bit, curious as to why she was asking, Yes, a few.

Were there… were there children? It killed her to ask, her stomach tumbling around and around, wondering if she had just orphaned two children or if the woman had been lying. She prayed to the gods the woman had been lying because the more she thought about it, the harder it was to cope with the idea that she was the reason that two children would never see their mother again. She kept imagining scenarios, someone having to explain to two young children why their mommy was never coming home and it only got worse every time she thought about it. Especially if it turned out to be true that she had only turned venin to feed her kids…

Seeing Violet’s breaths start to come faster and recognizing a panic attack when he saw one, Xaden pulled her in tight to his chest, one hand cradling her head to the area over his heart, the other on her hip holding her close and not letting her go. Listen to my heart, copy my breaths. He instructed as he began to gently run his hand over her hair. You know the drill. Give me five.

Your shadows, the hilt of your dagger, your eyes, your scar, and your runes. Her fingers slipped beneath his leathers so she could see the scar over his heart that marked her as his responsibility and the runes that made them husband and wife.

Good. Now four.

Your hair, your daggers, your leathers, your skin. He was warm beneath her fingertips, his heartbeat steadily thumping against her palm.

Three.

Your voice, your breaths, your heart.

Two.

Smoke she ran her nose along the slope of his neck, you.

He smiled, Is that a compliment or an insult? His body was covered in sweat and he was well aware that he probably didn’t smell too fresh at the moment, but Violet always managed to smell beneath that to the unique scent that was him, the smell that felt like home.

Always a compliment.

He kissed her temple, Good to know. Last one.

Your lips.

He laughed, Well, since you’re asking so nicely. Leaning down he captured her lips in a soft sweet kiss, taking her mind off of what was bothering her and letting her get lost in him and their love.

Thank you. She rested her forehead against his, her eyes still closed.

You know I’d do anything for you, Violence.

She nodded, opening her eyes and looking into his. I do know and I love you so much for how supportive you are and how you love me despite all my flaws.

What flaws? He brushed her hair behind her ear. She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile that broke out on her lips. Now would you like to tell me what happened?

She bit her lip, Later? I don’t know if I can talk about it here, now.

He nodded, We’ll discuss it when we get home. And no, there weren’t any children in the outpost.

Her body sagged in relief and he made a mental note to make sure to talk to her about it tonight when they got home. We should finish up so we can head back to Aretia.

About that… Violet pulled back and looked up at him, I have a really bad idea.

Go on.

What if we took over their outpost? I know that it’s a bad idea because we’re on the coast, a long way from Tyrrendor. Never mind. She knew that it wasn’t the best idea, their troops, whoever stayed, would be far from home with no access to back up. They would be easily overwhelmed should the venin decide that they wanted the outpost back. But if they could find a way to make it work, it would be beneficial to have a stronghold in enemy territory.

It's not a bad idea but we need to think carefully about how to make it work.

Just admit that it’s not a good idea. It’s way too risky, I don’t know why I event thought of it in the first place.

Just because it’s not ideal in the moment doesn’t mean that it’s not a good idea. We just have to figure out how to make it as safe as possible for our people.

She nodded, We’d better start helping.

Xaden kissed her once more before dropping the shadows, “I’ll see you soon.” They held hands until they absolutely had to let go, Xaden walking toward the stairs that would take him up to the ramparts.

Watching him go was always one of the best and worst things about having to part with him. On the one hand, he was leaving which meant that they wouldn’t be together for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. But on the other hand, them being apart meant that sooner or later they’d be back together and she loved how it felt seeing him again after a separation. It was like seeing the sun after a year of night, his presence lighting up her life like the brightest star to ever shine down from the heavens.

Quit staring at my ass, Violence. He laughed, looking over his shoulder at her and winking.

I was not! She began to protest but he turned the corner and was gone, taking his glorious body with him. Okay maybe she had been staring at it just a little bit, but it was hard not to when he always looked so handsome, his body like a sculpture that would be displayed in a temple of the gods. And gods help her she would happily worship at his alter.

Across the courtyard the others began to file in from where their dragons had dropped them off outside, all of them well trained in how to make sure the fortress was clear, no one needed to tell them what to do. Garrick caught her eye and nodded, Violet returning the gesture as she turned and made her way into the fortress, following the bond to where she would find Naolin.

At first it had been hard using the bond to find him, Tairn’s firm block between himself and the venin protecting her from being detected by the venin and others of his kind. But now it was easy to trace the bond, using it as a tether that pulled her toward him.

“Anyone?” She asked when she found him examining rooms deep inside the outpost.

“No. We’ve eliminated all the venin, I can’t sense any more in the area.” That had been his mission, to infiltrate the base and eliminate any venin he came across. Was it dangerous? Yes, there was always a chance he could be captured, they could mess with his mind, there were so many risks but he had been happy to take them.

“I can’t fight on dragon back, Marbh is the only one who will even let me near him and that’s only because of Brennan. This is how I can contribute, let me.” He had plead when they were making the plan to rescue Liam. Naturally Brennan had been the biggest opposition, standing firm until the very end that Naolin shouldn’t be put in a place where he would be tempted.

The only thing that had swayed him was Naolin looking into his eyes and asking “Do you really think they could ever take me from you again?” The sweet words combined with the way he looked deep in Brennan’s eyes convinced the eldest Sorrengail to finally give in and go with the plan.

Violet’s eyes narrowed, “No one?” Her mind went to the female venin who had held Liam captive. “You’re sure.”

He nodded, “I’m certain. There’s no other venin in the area.”

Where had she gone? Xaden, someone’s been watching the perimeter, right? And no one has come in or out.

No, no one’s come or left. Why?

There was a venin here but Naolin didn’t find her.

Maybe she died in the battle.

Violet nodded, Maybe. Thank you.

“What?” Naolin asked when he noticed her distraction.

She shook her head, “It’s just, there was a girl who both tortured and helped Liam escape. I was just wondering what happened to her.”

“There’s always the possibility of tunnels that lead outside of the outpost. Maybe she escaped that way?”

“Yeah… Maybe.” Still it bothered her, how had this girl managed to disappear? “Do we need to check the tunnels? Do you know where they are?”

Naolin shook his head no, “Only the command of the outpost know where the tunnel entrance is.”

Smiling Violet pat his shoulder, “Thanks Naolin. I think Brennan’s in the courtyard if you want to head out.”

He nodded, “You okay down here?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks, Naolin.” His concern was heartwarming, the sweet sentiment of him looking out for her like a brother making her happy that he was with Brennan. Despite his bad decisions, Brennan needed someone like Naolin. Someone who would call him on his bullshit while at the same time caring for him more than anything else.

When she was left alone, Violet closed her eyes and focused on Andarna. How is it going? She asked, wondering what the golden dragons were getting up to that was so secret.

We’re going to be gone for a while.

Wait, what? How long is a while? Violet asked, the golden dragon’s silence all the answer she needed. You never told me that you’d be leaving.

I’m sorry.

No! Andarna! Violet pulled on the power of her signet, ready to wield to wherever the golden dragon was but a sudden ripping pain made her stop and double over. What? It was the most agonizing pain she had ever felt, like her soul was being ripped in half. She fell to her hands and knees, bracing herself against the ground as wave after wave of agony washed over her making it hard to breathe. When she could suck in a breath she screamed, the sound piercing through stone and wood, so loud it could be heard all the way outside the outpost.

~

He had been in the process of looking through the officer’s quarters when he felt Violet’s pain and panic through the bond. Immediately he dropped everything and began to run. Violet! But she wouldn’t respond.

His panic increased and he pushed himself harder than he ever had when he heard her scream, running so fast his body was almost a blur as he jumped from the ramparts and ran into the outpost following the pull that was all but dragging him to where she was. “Violet!” He yelled, hoping that even if she couldn’t hear him through the bond she would hear his voice yelling for her, letting her know that he was on his way.

All heads turned, every single person they had brought with them to rescue Liam following the moment they had heard her. Liam felt for their bond, the small spark that would always connect them, and he closed his eyes ready to wield to her when it hit him. An intense pain that took him to his knees, the others who were behind him tripping over his downed body.

“What the fuck, Liam?” Sloane rubbed her head, a bump forming from where she had hit the wall, looking at him angrily until she realized that he hadn’t stumbled. He was in pain. “Liam!” Those in front of them paused, looking back at the blonde who was curling in on himself.

“Go… Get to Violet…” He gasped, every word a struggle to form. “I’m… I’m fine.” But it was obviously a lie.

The group split: Bodhi, Garrick, Sloane, and Imogen staying with Liam while Mira, Brennan, and Naolin kept going to find Violet.

Xaden had never stopped, sliding to his knees beside her when he finally found her crumpled up and sobbing. “What’s wrong?” He gently tilted her head up to look at him, her eyes bloodshot and heartbroken.

She shook her head and reached out for him, like a child seeking comfort. He gathered her into his arms and held her tight, cradling her against his chest and rocking back and forth trying to give her some sort of relief. “You gotta tell me what’s wrong, Violence. I can’t help if you don’t tell me.” Her body seized as another wave of pain washed over her.

SGAEYL! Get Tairn, ask him what’s wrong.

Her answer was almost immediate, her voice frantic, Andarna… she broke their bond…

Xaden’s face paled. In all of his years as a rider, he had never heard of a dragon breaking the bond with their rider. He hadn’t even known that it was possible. Suddenly Violet tensed, letting out a low pained moan.

He tightened his hold on her, Sgaeyl, there has to be something he can do. Breaking every boundary the dragon had ever established, Xaden felt through the bonds to the one that connected him to Tairn Can’t you do something?

I’M TRYING! Tairn yelled back, GET HER TO ME! From the way he was shouting, Xaden knew that Tairn was outside attempting to destroy every wall that stood between him and his rider. Xaden stood, holding her tight and began to run back toward the outside.

He paused when he saw Liam on the ground, pale and sweaty. “Esper broke their bond too?” Liam nodded, unable to do anything else. “Get him to Deigh.” He ordered and continued running to the courtyard where Tairn was waiting.

Give her to me. Xaden complied without arguing, knowing that Tairn would know better than anyone how to fix this. The moment his clawed hand curled around Violet, she sighed in relief her body fading into unconsciousness.

What did you do?

I blocked the wound left by Andarna breaking the bond. It won’t last but it should dull the pain until it’s no longer as intense.

Why would Andarna do this? Xaden looked up at the imposing black dragon, wondering why she would do such a thing to Violet.

Smoke curled from Tairn’s nostrils as all of his bonds were slowly filled with a hatred that burned so bright it threatened to consume everything and everyone connected to him. Esper… He corrupted her, seduced her, made her think that this was the right thing to do…

He broke his bond to Liam too. Do you think this was his plan all along? Infiltrate us so he can lure Andarna away?

I wouldn’t put it past him.

I just don’t understand why Andarna would break her bond to Violet. They’ve always been so close.

The Golden One is afflicted with the impulsiveness of youth, never thinking of the future only the present.

Xaden nodded, he could understand that. Andarna had been very impulsive as of late, always wanting to prove herself and clearly infatuated with Esper. But something about it all didn’t sit right with him, he just couldn’t see her breaking the bond just to be with Esper. There had to be something else going on. His eyes caught on something… “Tairn!” He leapt forward once he realized there was a steady drip coming from Tairn’s hand that held Violet, blood pooling on the ground beneath her.

The dragon opened his paw and, fuck decorum, Xaden jumped in trying to figure out where the blood was coming from. He pulled out his dagger and cut through Violet’s leathers… Her back… blood was slowly oozing out from beneath her armored corset. He unlaced it and gently peeled the scales away, cringing when he saw her back. The tattoo that had once featured a large black dragon with a golden dragon centered over it was covered in blood. Ripping off a piece of his shirt, he wiped until he could see where it was coming from.

The golden dragon was now a raw bloody red, the gold completely gone. Where before it had been the symbol of the bond she had shared with Andarna, now it was nothing more than a wound that would leave a nasty scar.

“Violence…” He whispered, feeling her pain like it was his own. She sniffled, looking up at him, reaching for him.

Not needing to be asked twice, he pulled her to him and held her as she cried. For once Tairn didn’t threaten Xaden, he simply allowed him to be as he held Violet. He folded his taloned fingers around them and curled his body and tail around them, protecting them.

One thought ran through all of their minds,

Why would Andarna do this?

Chapter Text

Their friends stood guard, each one taking a post around the perimeter of the courtyard while Tairn and Deigh worked to soothe the pain their riders were feeling. Xaden lay reclined against one of Tairn’s fingers, holding Violet as she altered between being awake and unconsciousness. Her back had stopped bleeding but until they were able to get her into a bath and remove the blood from her skin, they wouldn’t know how severe the wound was. He suspected the entirety of the golden dragon that had taken up nearly a quarter of her back would be nothing more than raw flesh, like the mark had been skinned from her body.

None of them could figure out why Andarna and Esper had done this, what had driven them to sever their bonds. Had they been influenced by the captive irids? Liam had recounted in his journal the tale of the night Esper had been called back, the night that had started all of this. Had the venin been able to use the irid bonds to control them? Were they being threatened? Or was there some greater reason that none of them knew?

Deigh had settled close by, gently warbling as Liam struggled with the pain. Xaden looked up when he heard the crunch of gravel beneath a pair of boots, shocked when he saw Liam peering in through Tairn’s fingers. “You’re up?”

Tairn parted his fingers allowing Liam to climb inside and sit next to Xaden, his hand reaching out to hold Violet’s. “I don’t think I felt it as bad as she did. My bond with Esper was still young, she’s been bonded to Andarna for years. You know the longer the bond the more it hurts, the more intertwined the souls are.” Xaden nodded, noticing that though Liam was pale and sweaty, he was indeed doing better than Violet. “I just don’t understand.”

“None of us do.” Xaden pushed the hair from Violet’s face, watching as her face scrunched up again.

“We need to get her home.” Though she was unconscious, Violet squeezed Liam’s hand as if she knew that it was him next to her trying to provide her comfort even though he was hurting too.

“She’s in no condition to wield and neither are you.” Xaden looked up at him, ready to stop him from trying.

It hurt to have his weakness pointed out but Liam couldn’t argue. It had taken all the energy he could muster just to walk over to Tairn, there was no way he would be able to wield them back to Aretia. “We’ll have to fly.”

“It’s going to take days and I don’t know what’s going to happen with her condition.” Xaden looked down at Violet in his arms, his heart breaking for the pain she was having to endure.

“Maybe I can help.” Brennan’s voice came from outside of Tairn’s clawed hand, two brown eyes peeking inside.

I am not a council chamber. Tairn growled into Xaden’s mind, tired of people trying to come and go into is hand to see Violet.

Are you really going to stop them from seeing her? It was more a statement than a question because Xaden knew that at this point in time, Tairn would do anything if it meant making Violet feel better.

“Stay with her for a bit?” He asked Liam who nodded, resting his arm around Violet’s shoulders as Xaden gently moved her from his lap. “I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her forehead, unsure if she could hear him. Stretching, he stood and walked out of Tairn’s hand to where Brennan stood waiting with his bag slung over his shoulder. “Walk with me.” Waiting while she was unwell was horrible, he just wanted her to wake up and smile at him with those big hazel eyes and unending adoration. He missed her even though she had only been unconscious for a few hours.

They started walking, their pace slow, both of them not wanting to get too far from Violet. Brennan reached into the pocket of his bag and pulled out a small vial, handing it to Xaden who looked at it curiously. “What is this?”

“The bond blocker. If Violet takes it, theoretically, it should numb the pain and give her some relief.”

Xaden shook his head and handed it back rather forcefully, “No.”

“What? Why not?” He took it but held it still in his outstretched palm between them, “This will help her.”

“It may numb the pain but it will also numb her bond to Tairn and that is one of the only things holding her together right now. She needs to know that she’s not been abandoned by him too.” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling helpless because there was nothing that he could do to help her. “When she wakes up, we can let her decide, but I will not make that decision for her after everything that’s happened today.”

Brennan nodded his understanding, “Okay, you’re right. I’m going to offer it to Liam as well.”

“And if he wants to take it, no one will stop him or blame him.” Xaden put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the clear blue sky, wondering how it could be such a beautiful day when the woman he loved was breaking apart in front of him. It should be rainy, cloudy, freezing, snowy, miserable. Not nice and sunny, not the kind of weather they would take advantage of, making love under the sun or swimming in the lake. “I can’t imagine how they must feel.”

Brennan looked over at him, “Can’t you feel it through the bond?”

“At first I could and it was awful. But once we got her to Tairn he blocked all of her bonds except the one to him. He’s trying to cocoon her from the pain.”

“But it’s not working.”

Xaden shook his head, “No. I think you’re right and the only way she’ll get relief is if she takes the blocker. But I won’t make that choice for her.”

“No, I get it. You’re right to let her make that decision.” She had been drugged with the bond blocker in the past, the last thing they needed was to send her into a panic attack by drugging her against her will.

“Thank you.” Xaden took a deep breath and looked at his brother-in-law, “Sometimes I wonder if I’m making the right choices, doing what’s best for her.”

Brennan put his hand on Xaden’s shoulder, squeezing lightly, “You are. Having been there for most of her life, I can honestly say that out of everyone, you are the only person who has always put her and her well being first. She’s lucky to have you.”

He shook his head with a wry smile, “No, I’m the lucky one.”

“Well, that too.” Brennan laughed, the sound hollow given the circumstances.

Sighing Xaden stopped and ran his hands through his hair again, looking up into the sky. “We need to make a plan to get back.”

“You know, Poromiel is closer than Tyrrendor. We can always head there and rest in Cordyn before making the final leg of the journey back to Aretia.”

Xaden carefully considered the option, “Maybe. I don’t know how well Violet or Liam will travel.”

“I’ll do what I can to heal them, that way at least physically they will be comfortable.” Xaden nodded along as Brennan spoke, the two of them drawing closer to their friends who had gathered in the courtyard to see if there were any updates.

Seeing Xaden walking with Brennan, the rest of the group approached. “How are they?” Garrick asked, every one of them wearing solemn expressions.

“Not good. They’re hurting.” He motioned for them all to gather around. “We have some decisions to make. Violet and Liam are in no shape to wield us home so we will need to fly. We can either go to Cordyn and rest there for a day before going on to Aretia or we can go straight home.” He watched their expressions, trying to gauge how they were feeling about all of this. Violet was an integral part of their group, now that this had happene who knew how things would change.

The group looked around, “Going to Cordyn would add time to the journey but it would also give us a safe place to rest.”

Mira shook her head, “I know my sister, she’ll want to go home.” It didn’t escape Xaden how Mira now referred to Aretia as home. He knew Garrick had also caught on to that fact by the way his lips quirked up, happy that his girlfriend considered his country home.

“Does anyone object to heading straight home?” All around the circle, every single person shook their head no.

“They’ll do better at home.”

“So it’s decided, we’ll head home. Wrap up, pack up, we’ll leave in an hour.” They all nodded and went their separate ways to make sure everything was ready to go. “Brennan, I need you to come back and check them before we leave.” They hadn’t told anyone about the bond marks yet, the raw skin that burned with the slightest breeze. In fact, he was the only one who knew just how deep, literally, the breaking of the bonds had cut into the pair.

They headed back to Tairn, Deigh now resting beside him and Sgaeyl resting on the opposite side, her head on his in the dragon version of a hug. Like their humans, Deigh and Tairn were clinging together, both lost as to how to help their riders. “There’s something I haven’t told the others yet. I should have gotten you sooner but…”

“I know, she was hurting and need the emotional comfort.”

Xaden shook his head, “You don’t understand, the wound isn’t just emotional.” Tairn moved his finger letting the two men into the sanctuary he had made in his palm for his rider and the man who called her his shadow. “Liam.” Xaden gently shook him awake, the blonde blinking hazy eyes up at them as he tried to figure out what was going on. “You need to show Brennan your mark.”

Liam shook his head, “No, Vi’s is worse. Her first.” The more they spoke, the greater Brennan’s concern grew.

“What’s going on?” He stepped closer kneeling in front of Liam and Violet.

“Show him.” Xaden commanded leaving no room for argument.

Groaning in pain, Liam sat up and unbuttoned his shirt pulling it down enough that Brennan could see the skin where the bonding mark from Esper had once been. “Dear god….” Brennan murmured, reaching out to touch it but stopping at the last minute. “And Vi?”

Xaden nodded, looking at her sleeping form and wishing there was more that he could do. “Hers too. Can you heal them?”

Licking his lips, Brennan cracked his knuckles and reached out, his hands trembling. “I can try.” He grabbed Liam’s shoulder, touching it like it was the most delicate glass, and began to channel his magic into his skin, praying to the gods that it would work. “I’m not sure if it will take since this… I’ve never treated anything like this before.” He shook his head, watching for any sign that the wound was beginning to close.

“It’s not working, don’t waste your energy.” Liam groaned, the wound radiating pain down his arms and into his fingers. It was like he was being stabbed with a million hot pokers all at once and in the same spot.

“Shh.” Brennan glared at him, “I need to focus.” He returned his attention to the raw and bloody flesh, “Sometimes it takes my magic a minute if it’s a type of wound I’ve never encountered before. Just let me try for a little bit longer.” This had to work, now that he knew what his baby sister was going through, he needed to help her. He NEEDED this to work. He had let her down in the past, he wouldn’t fail her this time.

“I’d rather you spend your energy on Violet.” Liam coughed, looking down at the wound with wide eyes when he realized there was a ring of pink scar tissue steadily growing as the wound began to seal itself shut.

Brennan’s shoulders relaxed, “Thank the gods…” he breathed, it was working. Liam waved his hand away, “That’s enough. Heal Violet.”

Knowing that arguing with Liam was a lost cause, Brennan turned his focus to his little sister. “Has she woken up at all?” He asked when he saw her pale face crumpled in pain and devastation.

“Not while you two were gone… I think. I may have passed out.” Liam was ashamed that he had been left to look after her and he had fallen asleep.

“The last time she woke up was when we made it to Tairn. After that she passed out and hasn’t regained consciousness since.” Xaden informed them.

Brennan carefully moved her so she was laying on her stomach, Xaden unlacing her corset so her bloody back was visible. “Fuck.” Brennan grimaced when he saw how extensive the damage was. “It’s like it was cut out.” He had been through battle, had seen some pretty gruesome things, but this was definitely one of the worst things he had ever seen. Maybe it was the fact that skinning people alive wasn’t a torture technique that was practiced any more. Or maybe it was the fact that this was his baby sister laying here looking like someone had taken a meat carver to her back and sliced out a large section. Tears came to his eyes, why was it always her who had to suffer? What did the gods have against her? Had they painted a target on her back that any pain and suffering had to be directed at her? When would she get a break and be able to be happy and care free?

He rested his hands on her ribs, careful to avoid the open sore, and began to channel his magic into her. “Get Naolin or Sloane.” It had taken a lot to heal Liam’s wound and it wasn’t even half the size or depth of Violet’s. This was going to take a lot of power, power that he didn’t have.

Liam got up and staggered out, “What do you think you’re doing?” Xaden stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

“Getting help.”

“The fuck you are. Sit down, I’ll get Sloane or Naolin.”

Mustering what strength he could, Liam shrugged off Xaden’s hand. “If she wakes up, she’ll want you, not me.” He started trying to walk again but Xaden’s shadows wrapped around his ankles and held him in place.

“In the time I’ve spent arguing with you, I could have gone and gotten one of them and come back. Now sit down and if she wakes up, tell her I’ll be right back.” The shadows gently sat Liam back down beside Violet, holding him in place while Xaden went back out to find one of the two siphons on the team.

By the way Tairn growled low in his throat, his belly heating up with unreleased fire, Liam knew who was going to be joining them. Sure enough, Naolin made his way in a moment later, kneeling next to Brennan and cringing when he saw the wound on Violet’s back. “What do you need?” He rested his hand on Brennan’s shoulder, already anticipating what his boyfriend would be asking of him.

Xaden came back in and sat down next to Violet’s head, holding her hand gently in his and running his thumb across her knuckles.

Brennan looked up at him with broken eyes, “I hate to ask but I might need energy. These wounds take a lot of power to heal.”

Naolin nodded, “You know I’m here, whatever you need it’s yours.” He could tell Brennan was barely hanging on to his calm and all it would take was one more thing to send him over the edge. How many times had he had to piece his sister back together? To look at her broken body and pray that his powers would be enough to fix it?

“If you need it, you can take energy from me. Freely given is different, right?” Xaden offered, his eyes never leaving Violet.

Naolin nodded, “Yeah. If it’s freely given it doesn’t damage the soul like draining someone against their will does.”

“You can take all of it, whatever it takes to help her.”

That won’t be necessary. Tairn’s voice made both Xaden and Naolin jump.

Looking up through the gaps in Tairn’s claws, Naolin met his eyes, his body shaking as he realized You’re talking to me.

Ignoring the statement, Tairn breathed out a stream of smoke Take the energy you need from me.

Tairn…

Do it. I have the energy to spare, the Dark One doesn’t.

Are you sure? His mind went back to when he had been trying to save Brennan, how Tairn had refused to give him the extra energy needed to save him and as a result Naolin had channeled from the earth to get what he needed.

That was different, back then my energy was depleted and you were going to take more than I had to give. Take what he needs and heal her.

Not for the first time Naolin realized the difference between how Tairn had treated him and how Tairn treats Violet. But after knowing her, he wasn’t surprised. She had this ability to draw you in, there wasn’t a person alive that he had met who hadn’t fallen under her spell. It would be easy to be jealous that his relationship with Tairn had never been like this but he understood. More than that, he could never bring himself to be jealous of Violet. He had seen first hand how she suffered, the hell she went through almost daily because of the hand she had been dealt. Her weak joints and chronic pain that she always tried to hide, the target on her back because of the power she could wield and the fact she was bonded to Tairn. If there was anyone in the world who deserved Tairn and his unwavering loyalty, it was her.

You’re sure.

Just do it. Naolin pressed his hand to Tairn’s palm, noticing the slight flinch of his muscles as if his touch repulsed him. And maybe it did, Naolin had betrayed him and turned venin to save Brennan. It was only natural that his touch would disgust Tairn. He began to pull the energy from him, using his other hand to funnel it into Brennan and fuel his power to continue healing Violet. You’re wrong. Tairn whispered, the sound like he was speaking through gritted teeth.

What?

It took a moment for Tairn to respond, You don’t disgust me. I didn’t understand back then how you could betray my trust, how you could try to take my energy even though I had nothing left. Tairn’s eyes flicker to Sgaeyl then back down to Violet, I understand now.

Part of him wanted to be offended but deep down he knew. We were partners, rider and dragon. She’s part of you and you’re part of her.

Tairn nodded, But you’re part of me too. And suddenly it was like the magic changed as it flowed from Tairn through Naolin and Brennan and into Violet. Where before it had felt cold and rigid, now it was warm like heated honey on a cold winter day. The warmth spread through him from the hand touching Tairn’s palm across his body and out into Brennan. The wound on Violet’s back began to close, the scare tissue a silvery pink as it drew together and sealed shut.

Brennan removed his hand, his forehead and body coated with sweat from all of the energy it had taken to heal her. Xaden let go of her hand and laced her corset back up, keeping the laces loose so it didn’t irritate the new skin. When he was done he turned her over, brushing the hair from her face. “At least now she’ll only have to deal with the emotional pain and not the physical.” He whispered. “Thank you.” There wasn’t a single person there that he wasn’t grateful for. “How long until she wakes up, do you think?”

“With trauma like this, it’s hard to say. It could be a few minutes, it could be a few days, it could even be months. In all of my years, I have never seen or heard of anything like this ever happening. I didn’t even know dragons could break their bonds.”

“None of us did.”

Liam leans back against Tairn, holding his midsection as another wave of pain washes over him. “Fuck that hurts.” He groans, biting his lip to keep from screaming.

“We need to get them home.” Brennan stood, the others rising with him. “You’re with me?” He asked Naolin, holding out his hand for the venin to take.

Looking up at Tairn, Naolin nodded. “Yeah, I’m with you.” Thank you.

I didn’t do this for you, I did it for her.

I know, but you trusted me to only take what you were willing to give. That means something to me.

One of Tairn’s taloned fingers bent inward to stroke Violet’s side with a gentleness no one would have suspected from such a large dragon. I’d give everything I had if it meant she got to live.

Naolin looked down, trying to hide his smile so Tairn wouldn’t catch on to how much he had missed this, the friendly banter they had shared when they were rider and dragon. His eyebrows drew together as he focused in on Tairn’s palm. Where his hand had been drawing the energy should have been drained to an ashen gray or even a snowy white. Instead there was a patch of midnight black scales in the perfect shape of his palm, the color so dark they stood out against his black scales.

“What?” Brennan asked, gently tugging on Naolin’s hand.

He shook himself out of it, “Oh… Nothing. Just got lost in a thought.” He smiled, “Ready to go?”

Brennan nodded, “Take care of my sister.” He instructed Xaden even though he knew he didn’t need to.

Xaden nodded and the pair left leaving him and Liam alone with Violet. “Do you need help getting to Deigh?” He asked when he noticed Liam leaning heavily on Tairn’s hand.

“No, I’ll be fine.” But he didn’t look fine.

“You’re sure you’re good to fly?”

“Are you kidding? Deigh’s already spoken to me in great detail of how he’s going to literally carry me back to Aretia in his hand. I won’t lie, I’m looking forward to losing consciousness for a while.” If it meant he got a break from the pain of the broken bond, he would happily pass out for a few hours.

His steps were uneven but he eventually made it out of Tairn’s cavern like hand and into Deigh’s, sinking down into the dragon’s grip and closing his eyes. “Wake me up when we’re home or when there’s food. I don’t care which.” He breathed, his eyes fluttering shut as he finally succumbed to his body’s exhaustion.

“Take care of him.” Xaden called out to the red dragon.

“He always does.” Liam mumbled, his body listing to the side until he was laying down, protected by Deigh’s hand and claws.

Satisfied that Liam was taken care of, Xaden returned to Violet’s side. He desperately wanted to wake her up, to see those beautiful eyes, but he knew that if she was going to make it through this, she needed her rest. Tairn, you’ll look after her? He asked, wishing he would be able to stay with her during the flight.

You insult me, Dark One. I always look after her. He closed his fist tight around the pair until there were barely any gaps.

What are you doing?

We’re going home.

But I need to get to Sgaeyl… He trailed off.

Today you’ll fly with me. It was unprecedented, an event that had rarely ever happened in the history of dragon riding. Riders never flew with dragons that weren’t bonded to them.

Thank you. He hadn’t wanted to leave her so this was a blessing. If he had been forced to ride with Sgaeyl, it would have driven him crazy. And if she had woken up without him there… He didn’t want her thinking he had abandoned her too.

The others are ready. Sgaeyl informed him.

Thank you, beautiful. Are you okay with me riding with Tairn. He didn’t want to offend her or hurt her feelings by riding with Tairn so he could be with Violet.

It’s fine. Your mate needs you.

Thank you for understanding.

Instead of responding, Sgaeyl spread her wings and shot up into the air, flying in the direction of Aretia and home. Xaden sank to Tairn’s palm, gathering Violet in his arms and holding her close to his chest, making sure that he wasn’t aggravating her wounds, even if they were healed.

Pressing his forehead to hers, he went into his mindscape and found the lightning, attempting to follow it back. Violence? A tugging sensation behind his navel pulled him deeper into the bond, out of his mind and into her own. The room where he landed was completely dark, not a single source of light to be seen anywhere. It was only the soft sniffles that told him someone else was here. Violence, is that you? He asked, summoning a mage light so he could see. She sat curled in the middle of the room, hugging her knees to her chest. Slowly he approached her, like he would a frightened animal, “I’m here.” He whispered sitting down next to her and wrapping his arm around her.

“Xaden?” She asked, looking up at him with red swollen eyes and tear stained cheeks.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He nodded. “Come here.”

It was like the dam broke, her sobs intensifying as she crumbled into his arms, clinging to him like her life depended on it. “It’s okay, Violence. I’m here.” He kissed her temple and ran his hands through her hair, gently rocking her back and forth.

Even in her mind, she was light as a feather. He gripped her hips and adjusted her body so she was straddling his lap and hugging him, her arms wrapped around him, her face tucked into his neck, her tears running down his shoulders and chest. He didn’t care that his shirt was getting soaked with tears and snot, all he cared about was making sure she knew that he was here and he wouldn’t leave her. He brought he knees up so they rested against her back, supporting her and making sure she felt completely surrounded by him.

“Why did she leave?” Her whisper broke his heart.

“I don’t know.”

“Everyone always leaves, why? Why can’t I keep the people I love? Why am I not worth staying for?” The newest hurt had dug up old wounds, feeling of inadequacy and questions of why no one ever seemed to stay, to choose her.

It was hard to fight back the tears, licking his lips and trying to steady his voice, Xaden responded, “You are worth staying for.” He pushed on her shoulders so she had to sit back and look at him. Cupping her face in his hands, he stared into her eyes. “I swear, Violence, I will never leave you. Not even the gods could take me from you. I swear.” She bit her lip and nodded, “And Tairn, he’ll never leave you either. You’re stuck with us.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Her body, though still tense, relaxed against him, her sobs quieted to silent sniffles. “You’re stuck with me, Violence. Forever.” Laughing he pushed the hair from her face, “Don’t forget our friends. Do you really think the CB squad’ll ever give us a moment’s peace?” He asked making her laugh. They sat in silence, him holding her as her body tensed with every new wave of pain.  “Is it getting better or is it still bad?”

“Still bad but not as bad. It feels like I’m missing a piece of myself.”

“Brennan has the bond blocker, he wanted to know if you wanted to take a dose to help you through the worst of it.” Biting her lip, she thought it over before shaking her head no.

“I need to feel our bond and my bond with Tairn. I need to know that you both are still with me.”

Xaden nodded, “Then you won’t take it.” He looked her over, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“This helps, you holding me. And I know Tairn is protecting me from the worst of it. I just can’t understand why she would do this, I thought things were good.”

“We have some theories. Tairn thinks Esper may have planned this and if you think about it, he might be on to something. This all started when Esper had that episode with Liam, what if it wasn’t the venin trying to control him but an act instead?”

Violet shook her head, “No. I don’t believe that. I was there when they first were learning to work together with Deigh, I saw how Esper looked out for Liam. You can’t fake that.”

Xaden nodded, “You may be right. Maybe there’s a reason that none of us have thought of.” He ran his finger down the slope of her cheek, “But I think she’ll come back. Andarna loves you.”

Closing her eyes, Violet leaned against him, “I used to think so. But if she did, how could she do this?”

He held her tight, “I don’t know, but I promise you Violence, we’ll find out.”

She nodded, drifting off into sleep. “Don’t ever leave me.”

“Never.” He kissed her temple, content to just hold her as she slept. In his mind he began to plan. There was so much that they needed to do but more than that, he needed to think of a way to convince Violet that he would never leave her.

This was a major setback and the last thing they needed while preparing for a war. He didn’t want to think what would happen if Tairn was right and Andarna had switched sides, if they met in battle as enemies rather than bondeds.

With a sigh he settled in, drifting off to sleep with his beloved in his arms.

Chapter Text

The dragons requested a stop as evening began to fall, finding a large lake where they could camp for a few hours before continuing their journey home. They set down, their riders dismounting and groaning as they all stretched, trying to get the kinks out of their muscles. The only exceptions were Liam and Violet. Liam was doing better than he was, still sore and in pain but managing. Violet was still in and out of consciousness, barely waking up enough to have a small chat before falling asleep again.

Xaden lay her down on Tairn’s palm and caressed her cheek before leaving to stretch his legs. He found his friends gathered around a small campfire one of them had made, all of them falling silent when he approached.

“How is she?” Mira asked, hopeful that her sister’s condition had improved and not worsened. Brennan had filled them all in on what had happened, detailing the wound on her back and the immense amount of power that it had taken to seal it.

“Still in pain.” He sat down on a log next to Garrick and put his head in his hands. “It’s hitting her really hard.” During the flight, he had held her close, the two of them cuddled together in her mindscape, protected by Tairn’s magic. The dragon had used his power to shield her from the broken bond, at least as much as he could. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t protect the piece of her soul that was now broken. She would be okay, it might take some time but she would eventually recover. However, like a mirror that had broken and been put back together, the cracks would always be there, a reminder of the hurt Andarna breaking the bond had caused.

“Is there anything that we can do?” Garrick put his arm around Xaden’s shoulders, patting him softly.

“Be there for her. She’s been in and out of consciousness, I’m sure she’d love to see you the next time she wakes up.” They nodded, “Thanks.” He smiled at them, a simple quirk of his lips all he could manage.

“And we still don’t know why?”

He shook his head. “We have some guesses but without talking to them we won’t know. None of us saw this coming.”

The air was silent, not even the sound of wildlife in the woods surrounding the lake disturbed the quiet that shrouded them. “We were just figuring out who would go hunt for food.” Bodhi spoke up.

“I can.” Everyone’s heads turned to look at Liam who was slowly walking toward them with Violet tucked tight against his side, the both of them staggering together toward their friends, somehow managing to hold each other up despite the fact that both were weak as newborn foals.

At once everyone got up and rushed to them, reaching out to support them. “What are you doing up?” Xaden took Violet’s weight from Liam and let her lean against him, his shadows caressing her skin as they helped to keep her steady.

“I woke up and you weren’t there. I figured you were with everyone and… well I wanted to see them.” She looked around at all of their friends, happy that they were still here.

“You should have called for me.”

“I didn’t want to be a bother.” Her voice was soft as she admitted the reason, knowing that he was going to protest.

Sure enough he shook his head, “You are never a bother.” He reassured her, squeezing her shoulder as he led her to the fire, “Get that thought out of your head.”

Sloane and Bodhi helped Liam to the fire, both of them sandwiching him between them. “Just what I want, to be the barrier between my sister and her boyfriend.” He joked, “No kissing while I’m here.” His voice sounded exhausted and he was pretty sure that when everyone laughed, it was a pity laugh. “It’s okay if you don’t laugh.”

“No, it was funny.” Sloane took his hand and held it.

“Liar.” He rolled his eyes and looked around, “Like I said, I can help hunt.”

Immediately he was met with a chorus of no’s. “You’re still recovering, you can sit here and tend the fire.”

“I can use my farsight to spot prey and I can wield to it to kill it. We’ll have dinner in no time.”

Sloane squeezed his hand tighter, so hard it almost hurt, “No. You’ve been through too much to risk wielding right now.”

“I’m fine.” He argued, looking around for anyone who would back him up. No one caved, every single person nodding with Sloane’s assessment. “Fine.” He grumbled, giving up.

The rest of the group finished dividing up the task and headed out into the woods to look for something for them to eat. In all the chaos of leaving to go find Liam, none of them had stopped to get rations. It was supposed to be an in and out rescue mission, no one had anticipated that this would happen, the two they depended on to wield them across the distance between Aretia and the outpost to be out of commission. This was definitely a learning experience and something they would be covering in battle brief. They had been reckless and now they were far from home and no one back in Aretia knew where they were.

Violet and Liam were left around the fire with Mira and Sloane. When he left, Violet could tell that Xaden had been reluctant to leave her side. “I’ll be fine, promise.” She had whispered, holding his hand until they couldn’t anymore.

He had nodded, I’ll be back soon. She had watched him go, happy that he was listening and taking some space for himself. He had been with her for hours, holding her and taking care of her, and as much as she wanted him to remain by her side, she also knew that dedicating so much time to one person’s care was exhausting and took it’s toll.

“Vi?” Mira got up and sat next to her, fighting the urge to wrap her arm around her to help her stay sitting upright. She could see how her sister swayed, the amount of energy it was taking her to keep from falling back to the ground, and it killed her. The desire to take care of her was almost overwhelming, an instinct woven into her being from the first time Violet had gotten hurt and they had realized she was more delicate than the rest of them.

“Go ahead.” Violet sighed, knowing that look in Mira’s eyes. In truth, as it was in the moment, she wouldn’t mind the extra support.

Mira wrapped her arm around Violet’s back and pulled her so she was leaning against her side, her head resting on her shoulder. “How are you doing?”

“Surviving. It’s better than it was. It still hurts but… I’ll be okay eventually.” She wiped at her face, tears falling even though she could have sworn there were none left.

“I’m sorry about earlier, I never ever meant to call you… what I did. It’s not what I was saying. It’s just… you’ve been doing so well. You can fight, you’re a rider, you’re one of the strongest people I know. It’s hard to remember that… that you are still…. Fragile.” Finding the words to use without causing offense was hard but Mira needed Violet to know that she didn’t think she was what she had called her, it had been a word used in the heat of the moment when her emotions and fear had been running high.

“I’ll always be fragile and I’ve come to terms with that a long time ago. There’s nothing I can do to change it, I can only do what I can and pray to the gods that it is enough. But you do need to think before you speak and I’m not only saying that because of me.” Groaning, Mira nodded. Violet was right, she had forgotten that Garrick was also someone who needed special accommodations due to his physical limitations. It was so easy to forget that he had lost his leg to save her because with the way he walked and got around, it was nearly impossible to tell. The only time it was obvious was when it rained and his leg began to have phantom pains, the ache making him limp more than normal. She couldn’t count how many times she and Imogen had rubbed the skin of his leg where it had been amputated, trying to ease the ache, the massage turning into a tangle of limbs and nights of passion.

“I’ll try to do better. You and Garrick both deserve it.”

“Thanks Mira.”

“Please, don’t thank me. It’s a common curtesy that I have been neglecting to give the two of you. I’m so sorry.” Violet pulled her into a hug, gently rubbing her shoulder as she held her close. “I have a proposal.”

Mira sat back and looked at Violet, “I know you all are worried about me and my episodes. I don’t need a saddle for when we’re flying however, I am willing to compromise and use one when we are in battle. After everything that’s happened, you’re right, we can’t take the risk.”

Violet lunged forward and pulled her into another hug, “Thank you.” It would be a relief to know that if Mira passed out again, at least she would be safe.

“No, thank you for always looking out for me and taking care of me. I hope you know how much all of us appreciate you, Vi.”

“I do.”

Mira opened her mouth to say something but Xaden and Garrick coming back with a large elk being carried by Xaden’s shadows disrupted the moment, Garrick letting out a loud whoop of excitement. “Daddy brought dinner!” He cheered, waking up Liam who had been dozing on Sloane’s shoulder.

“Not my dad.” He grumbled wiping the drool from his chin.

“I am tonight.” Garrick sat on Liam’s other side and ruffled his hair playfully.

Shaking his head, Xaden took the seat next to Violet and whispered into her ear, “He tripped and startled it. My shadows did the hard part.” She giggled resting her forehead on his shoulder.

“Hey, what did you tell her?” Garrick asked pointing at Xaden.

“I just told her what a fierce warrior you are.” He leaned back, biting his lip to reign in his laughter when Violet laughed so hard she snorted.

“You’re lucky she’s cute when she laughs like that.” He grumbled, not really able to find her laughter offensive after everything she had been through. She needed this, deserved it after all she had done and all she had lost. If Xaden making fun of him was what it took, he would gladly play it up for her.

“Well, since you boys hunted, I guess it’s up to us to butcher it.” Mira stood and pulled a knife from her waistband. Violet made to get up but stopped when she felt Xaden’s hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” He asked, gently guiding her back down.

She looked at him confused, “I’m going to help.”

He wanted to protest, to tell her that she didn’t need to because she was still recovering but Mira’s laughter stopped him. “What?” He asked trying to figure out what Mira thought was so funny.

She waved her hand at him, “Sorry…. Sorry… it’s not you…. It’s…. it’s… Violet helping…” Getting the words out was a struggle as she fought to breathe.

Xaden looked at Violet who was glaring at her sister. “I can help.” She argued, trying to stand but wobbling and falling back to the log.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Brennan asked as he and Naolin appeared from the forest line both of them carrying a few birds. They set their catches down and stood in the fire light, trying to figure out what was wrong with Mira and why Violet looked ready to kill her.

“Vi said she could help butcher the food.” Brennan looked from Mira to Violet, cracking up laughing when he connected the dots.

“Would anyone care to tell us what is so funny?” Imogen and Bodhi came into the light adding a few rabbits to the pile of meat. “Seriously, we could hear you from the other side of the lake.”

Violet glared at her siblings, “Don’t you dare.”

The two of them shared a look, smiling when they looked back at her. “When we were kids we lived at outposts a lot and one of the requirements for children at the outposts was survival classes that everyone had to take. Even Violet.” Mira began, making sure to put some distance between her and her sister.

“One of the lessons was making traps to catch food if we were ever to get lost in the woods.” Brennan explained, following Mira’s example and putting some space between him and his littlest sister.

The group of friends began to smile, having an idea of where this was going. “Let me guess, Violet couldn’t catch a thing?” Imogen smirked.

“Oh no, her trap worked.” Brennan grinned, “But the moment she saw the little bunny dangling from the snare she started bawling and demanding it be released.”

“Keep in mind she was six when this happened.” Mira stepped next to Garrick, figuring she could use him as a shield if Violet decided to try to attack. “Anyway, the instructor got the rabbit down and told her to kill it.”

Xaden put his hand on Violet’s wrist and squeezed, giving her his silent support.

“She kicked the instructor and not only freed her little bunny but everyone else’s catches too. I’m pretty sure she’s the only kid to ever get banned from survival class.”

“They banned her just because she released the animals?” Liam asked looking over at her, taking in the red staining her cheeks and the way she couldn’t meet their eyes.

“Oh no, they banned her because she made it her mission to sabotage all the traps. For weeks no one was able to catch anything because Violet would find the traps and dismantle them.”

“Awe! That’s so cute!” Garrick cooed and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was still physically weak and Xaden holding her back, she would have went after the laughing man who at least had the decency to try to hide behind Mira and Imogen.

Narrowing her eyes, Violet looked back and forth between her siblings, “You really want to start this war?” She asked.

Their laughter died down when they saw the serious look on their sister’s face, the one that told them she meant business. They looked at each other then back at her, “Now Vi, remember, you may have stories but we do too. You don’t want to do this.”

Grinning and happy that she had them right where she wanted them, Violet smiled. “I’m just finishing what you started. I mean it’s only fair. You two shared a fond memory of me, it’s only polite that I do the same.”

Before Mira and Brennan could lunge forward to cover her mouth, Garrick and Naolin grabbed them and held them in place, both wanting to hear stories about their loved ones when they were little. “Go on, Vi.” Naolin covered Brennan’s mouth with one hand and used the other to lovingly stroke his hair like he was petting a cat.

“I may have been banned from survival class but it had the opposite effect on Brennan. He had a wildman phase.” She smirked when her brother started struggling against Naolin to get to her. “He enjoyed the lessons so much that he decided he was going to reject humanity and live as one with nature. In front of mother and father he stripped off his clothes until he was butt naked and swore to live off the land and what he could catch.”

Naolin was giggling as he pictured a little Brennan trying to survive in a forest by himself.

“Oh that’s not the best part.” Violet held up her hand, “He lasted about two hours before he had to come home.”

Brennan nipped Naolin’s hand, “Vi, don’t you dare continue that story!”

Defiantly she looked at him as she continued speaking, “He came home because he had tried to fashion a loin cloth out of leaves. Turns out they were poison oak leaves and his little tushy and private area were covered in itchy welts.”

“Awe! Poor baby…” Naolin cupped Brennan’s cheeks and cooed, feeling bad for his sweetheart. Seeing his opportunity to get some sympathy, Brennan nodded along with Naolin playing upon his good natured heart.

Smiling, Violet turned her attention to Mira, the one who had started this mess. “What story should I tell about you, Mira?” She asked, watching her like a hawk.

“Make it a good one, Vi.” Imogen called from where she sat by the fire.

“Oh, I know. Have you told them about Devin?” Her sister’s face paled and she started struggling harder against Garrick to break free.

“Who’s Devin?” Imogen and Garrick both looked from Violet to Mira wondering who the fuck Devin was and why Mira didn’t want anyone to know about him… her… it… whoever the fuck it was.

Crossing her legs and leaning against Xaden, Violet looked around, “You have to understand Devin came into our lives when Mira was… thirteen… I believe. Brennan was starting to prepare for the Rider’s quadrant and was spending more time with other teens training and he was also discovering the opposite sex so naturally the last thing he wanted was his little sisters around ruining the mood. Now up until this point, he had always made time for us and spent almost all of his time with us and little Mira was jealous that he no longer would play with us, take us on hikes, or any of the other things we used to do. That’s when Devin came into our lives.”

By now Mira was struggling hard to break free and get to her, Brennan just sitting back and watching as Mira got her dose of Violet’s revenge.

“She came home from school one day talking about this boy named Devin. How cute he was, how sweet, how he was going to take her on a hike. And unlike before, where she would try to follow Brennan around everywhere, now she was ignoring him and leaving to go spend time with Devin.” Violet smiled and looked at her brother, “After a few days little Brennan got jealous. He didn’t like that someone was stealing his little sister’s time from him even though he had started pulling away first. So he started investigating. Would you like to share what you found out, Bubba?”

It was Brennan’s turn to smile, “Turns out Devin didn’t exist.”

“What?” The group gasped, not expecting that turn of events.

“Yeah, she had just made him up to make me jealous.” He looked at Mira, “And it had worked. After that I made sure to make time for both her and Violet, both together and separately.”

“Awe…” Naolin changed the way he was holding Brennan from restraining him to hugging him, “You’re such a softie.”

“Am not.” Brennan blushed.

“Yes you are and I love it.”

Imogen and Garrick turned to Mira, “You made up a fake friend to make him jealous?” She nodded, “I’m so proud of you Sorrengail.”

“If we’re done now, can we butcher the meat before it spoils?” Her face was red with embarrassment and all she wanted to do was forget that all of this had ever happened.

They pat her shoulder and let her go, “Sure Sorrengail.”

“This isn’t over Vi.” She stared at her for a moment before going to prepare the meat with the others.

Through the butchering process and even as they cooked the meat over the fire, the group kept up a stream of playful conversation, all of them telling stories from their childhoods. Despite the circumstances, Violet would rank it as one of the best nights they had ever experienced as a group. They were together, laughing and talking. It would have been perfect if not for the gaping wound in her soul where Andarna’s bond used to be connected.

Since the dragons needed rest, they decided to stay the night at the lake, most of them falling asleep around the campfire as it slowly burned down until only glowing embers remained.

What’s wrong? Xaden asked when he felt Violet still awake.

Just can’t sleep. Why are you still awake?

Because I can feel you. He sat up and looked down at her, Come on. He held out his hand, grinning when she took it without a second thought.

Where are we going?

He helped her to her feet and led her down to the water’s edge, Well, it’s nice out I figured maybe the two of us could take a little midnight swim?

She looked around, the area lit only by the light of the half moon. Yeah, okay. But what if the others wake up?

A wall of shadows sprung from the ground hiding them from the view of the others. Don’t worry, Violence. It’s just you and me. He removed his clothes with practiced precision, folding them and setting them down on a nearby rock.

Slowly she began to remove her clothes until all she wore was her underwear and the wrap around her knees that held them in place. Allow me. Xaden knelt before her and began to unwind the wrap, kissing every new inch of exposed skin. Next went her underwear until she was bare before him. On his knees before her, he ran his hands over her legs and thighs kissing every inch of skin that he touched.

Keep that up and we won’t make it into the lake. She ran her hands through his hair, shrieking and covering her mouth as he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and carried her toward the water.

He walked in until the water was knee deep and gently lowered her, laughing as her skin broke out in goosebumps from the chill. Cold, Violence? She nodded, her teeth chattering. Let me warm you up. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, letting his warmth seep into her skin.

Did you have ulterior motives for getting me out here all alone? She asked running her finger down the slope of his nose.

Me? Ulterior motives? Never. He scoffed as he gently nipped at her finger, but his tone gave him away.

Leaning in Violet kissed him with a tenderness only he had ever seen. His lips moved against hers, the barest brush as they lazily kissed while floating in the still water. This isn’t why I brought you out here. You’re recovering.

I need this, I need you She deepened the kiss pulling him closer.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes, unable to deny her anything but also not wanting to push her already weakened body too far. Did he trust that she knew herself well enough to know her limits or did he tell her no? I’m worried it’ll push you too far.

Please? She leaned in kissing him again, his hands cradled her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

How can I resist when you ask so nicely? But first… He walked further into the water until it was up to their necks and let her go. Turn for me. She twisted in the water so her back was to him.

What? It all started to make sense when he ran his hands over her back and she could feel the layer of dried blood begin to wash away in the water. She hadn’t realized how stiff her back had been until the blood was gone and her muscles loosened up under his wondrous touch. Her feet kicked the water to stay afloat, the motion stressing her joints but he was ten steps ahead, his shadows wrapping around her knees and holding them tight. Not only that, they helped her stay afloat until she didn’t even need to kick to keep her head above water. You always anticipate my every need. She looked over her shoulder at him with nothing but absolute love and devotion, How did I get so lucky?

His shadows turned her so she was facing him, his arm going around her waist so he was helping her stay afloat not his shadows I thought we had already established that I am the lucky one in this relationship.

We’re both-

“GARRICK!” Mira’s yell from the shore disrupted their moment, Violet laughing as she rested her head on his chest.

“The CB squad strikes again.”

Xaden held her close, “Though I don’t think it was intentional this time.” He kissed her forehead, “We should probably go see what he’s done now.”

She nodded and they returned to the shore to get dressed.

~

They had all been deep asleep around the campfire when Garrick had picked his head up, watching as Violet and Xaden walked down toward the lake. He carefully untangled himself from Mira and Imogen and got up, walking over to his pack.

“Where are you going?” Mira grumbled, not bothering to open her eyes.

“Uh… I’m still hungry so I’m going to eat a little more.” He lied, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on the nervous tone in his voice.

“You’re going to get a stomach ache.” Imogen spoke up, looking at him through partially cracked eyelids.

“Don’t expect us to rub your belly.” Laying her head back down, Mira and Imogen drifted off back to sleep while Garrick went to the meat still suspended over the fire. He pulled off a few pieces and went to his pack, opening it to reveal a tiny orange kitten.

“Hey there fella.” He pulled him out and sat him on his lap, feeding him little bits of meat. “You’ve been a good boy staying hidden.” His fingers gently ran through the kitten’s fur.

“Who are you talking to?” Mira asked sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

Garrick looked around, panicked. “Um… myself. Go back to sleep, babe.”

She froze when she saw the little orange lump on his lap, “What is that?”

Seeing that there was no other option, Garrick held up the little kitten. “A present?”

“GARRICK!” She yelled, startling the kitten and waking everyone else up.

Moments later Xaden and Violet came running in, both still dripping wet from the lake and worried about what was going on.

“That is not a present that is a responsibility!” Mira scolded him, feeling bad when she saw the little kitten dart from his lap and hide in his pack.

He got up to face her, “I couldn’t just leave him! He was all alone at the venin outpost. Knowing them they’d drain him or eat him for dinner.”

“I understand that but you need to talk to us before deciding to bring another responsibility into our lives. We already have a lot going on, now we have to care for a kitten too?” She thrust her hands into her hair and began to pace. “No. I’m saying no. We’re not keeping it.”

“I want to keep it.” He argued, looking to Imogen who only held her hands up. This fight was between them and she was staying out of it.

“Garrick, we don’t have the time or the energy to care for it, it wouldn’t be fair to the kitten. Gods it’d be like deciding to have a baby in the middle of the war, reckless and irresponsible.” Violet’s hand unconsciously went to her stomach, Xaden immediately noticing and wrapping his arm around her, whispering sweet words through the bond.

Seeing the movement, Mira realized what she had said and groaned, “Fuck. Vi, that’s not what I meant.”

Xaden turned and led Violet away from the fire and toward their dragons, “Figure this out.” He growled as they disappeared into the dark.

“Why am I always the bad guy? Why am I always the one to say no and to put my foot in my mouth?” She grumbled sinking down onto one of the logs and resting her head in her hands.

Brennan sat next to her, “You can’t control everything, no matter how much you want to.” He rubbed her shoulders. “We know it’s your way of saying you care and looking out for everyone but sometimes you have to let go.”

She sighed, “Why do I always say the wrong things around Violet?”

Liam kneeled in front of her, “We all do it, you’re not alone.” He took her hand in his and shook it until she looked up at him. “Violet is fragile, but she doesn’t act like it. She doesn’t let her limitations hold her back. It’s easy to forget that she even has those limitations when she can out fly and out magic us. And as for your comment about the baby. That will hit her hard, they had only known about it for a short time before that dream was ripped from them in one of the cruelest ways imaginable. They knew it was reckless and irresponsible but it wasn’t like it was planned. They really tried to do their best given the situation.”

“You need to quit judging others.” Imogen put it bluntly. “Until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, you have no right to judge or criticize.”

Mira nodded, “You’re right. Gods, if I keep fucking up like this eventually she’ll run out of forgiveness.”

The core group laughed and shared a look, “That’s the thing about Violet. She’ll never run out of forgiveness. Give her space, apologize when you can, and learn from this.” Imogen slapped the back of her head.

“Ow, what was that for?” Mira groaned holding the sore spot.

“To help make sure the lesson sticks.”

A tiny pressure on Mira’s ankle made her look down, the tiny orange kitten standing on its hind legs with its tiny paws resting on her calf. “I guess you are kind of cute.” Reaching down she picked it up and held it. “Does it have a name?”

“I was thinking Carrot.” Garrick smiled, coming up to rub behind the kitten’s ears making it purr.

“No… No, I think it should be called Broccoli.”

“Broccoli?”

“Yeah, because at first I wasn’t too fond of it but I think it’s going to be good for us.” Maybe it was a bad idea bringing a kitten into their lives but there was also the chance it could be one of the best decisions they had ever made.

He nodded, “Broccoli… I like it.”

They all settled back in for the night and in the morning when they took off for the final part of their journey, Broccoli was sitting proudly on Garrick’s lap as they took off into the cool morning sky.

Chapter Text

It was late in the evening when they finally landed back in Aretia, the dragons dropping them all off on the flight field before heading back to the nesting grounds. Tairn, Deigh, and Sgaeyl lingered, worried about their riders.

You’ll be fine? Tairn asked for the millionth time, his snout gently pushing against Violet’s abdomen and making her smile.

I’ll be fine. I’m already feeling better than I was. She rubbed his scales affectionately. Thanks for taking care of me.

You’re mine to care for. I’ll check in soon. And she knew he would, he had been very attentive ever since Andarna had broken their bond, checking in with her every half hour on the dot. He nudged her once more and took off with Sgaeyl toward the nesting grounds, the blue dragon following his lead and gently touching her shoulder with her snout. It was the most affection Sgaeyl had ever shown her an it made Violet’s heart melt.

Thank you. She said softly, watching as the pair flew off into the distance. Xaden stepped up by her side, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“You good?” He asked, knowing that Violet was feeling pretty emotional right now. It was one thing they had discovered since everything had happened, the pain of losing Andarna’s bond had made her very emotional, everything hitting her a thousand times harder than it normally would.

“Yeah. That was just really sweet of her.” He chuckled softly, rubbing her arm and holding her tight. Trying to stifle the overwhelming urge to cry, Violet looked around. “Xaden, what’s wrong with this?”

He followed her gaze around the flight field, noticing in a moment what was off. “No one is panicking or asking where we’ve been.” It was curious, they’d been gone for nearly two whole days without a word to anyone and yet everyone was acting like everything was… normal.

“You’ve noticed it too?” The rest of the group joined them.

“This isn’t right. They should be panicking and wondering where the hell we’ve been. I mean, the fucking King and Queen were missing!” Garrick waved his hand around in complete bewilderment.

Brennan nodded, “It is odd. This is definitely not what the protocol states for everyone to do should the reigning monarchs disappear.”

All eyes turned to him, “There’s a protocol for that?” They asked in disbelief. Brennan opened his mouth to respond but was cut off-

“You’re welcome.” A voice called to them from the balcony making them all turn.

Syrena was leaning over the railing looking down at them with a smile on her face. Standing up, she started to walk down to meet them on the flight field.

“What did you do?” Xaden asked, wanting to know how she had managed to keep the situation under control.

She stopped in front of them, “When you didn’t show up for breakfast, I went looking for you. When I couldn’t find you, I figured you all had gone off to deal with some crisis so I told the council that you were called away on an urgent mission and you’d be back soon.”

“That’s pretty risky considering you didn’t know if that was true or not.” The group gathered together, huddled close so no outsiders would hear what they were saying.

“I was giving you until tomorrow morning to get back before confessing that I had lied and didn’t actually know where you were.” She shrugged, not really all that concerned with the fact that she had deceived almost all of Tyrrendor.

Already Xaden and Violet’s minds were racing, this wasn’t good. Sure she had done them a favor and kept the country from falling into chaos, but it had been all too easy for her to convince the council that they had gone on an errand and entrusted her to relay that information. They needed a system for verifying information… The pair shared a look, both of them knowing that they would be having this conversation later and they would most definitely be having a word with the council.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Xaden finally spoke.

Syrena raised an eyebrow, “You would rather have your country in chaos trying to figure out where the hell you went?”

They had to admit she had a point, in the uproar of finding them it would be easy for an enemy to infiltrate the kingdom and attack. The whole country would be vulnerable. “Don’t get us wrong, we are grateful for your quick thinking but you have to understand the problems this is going to cause.”

She shook her head, “I don’t see a reason to tell them the truth.”

“We have to. This exposes so many holes in our security that we need to address so it doesn’t happen again.” Xaden took a deep breath, “If you’re worried about not being trusted we can tell them it was a test and we ordered you to lie.”

“That would probably be better for me. Everyone here already thinks flyers are not trustworthy. I’d hate for my actions to undo the obstacles we have overcome.”

Violet reached out and touched her arm, “We really are grateful. Your quick thinking probably saved the country from who knows what kind of trouble.”

Syrena rotated her hand so it was clasping Violet’s, “I knew you wouldn’t leave without a good reason. Plus, when your dragon stopped by she told me you were on your way.” The words made everyone freeze. “What? What did I say?” Syrena asked when she noticed all eyes suddenly on her.

Violet grabbed her wrist, “Andarna was here?”

“Yeah, yesterday evening. You know, I didn’t know that dragons could talk to humans they’re not bonded to.” From the looks she was getting and the way everyone’s jaws were dropped open, she knew that maybe she was off. “That’s not normal, is it?”

“No. Dragons aren’t supposed to be able to talk to humans who aren’t their riders.” As the one who had read the most and the daughter of a renowned dragon specialist, Violet answered. “What did she say?”

Syrena closed her eyes as she tried to remember the exact details. “It was just a brief conversation, she landed here and there was this sharp whistle then I could hear her voice in my head. She said… she said you were hurt but that you all were on your way home.” Her golden brown eyes looked up, “She said she was sorry.”

Tears filled Violet’s eyes and she turned into Xaden’s embrace, hiding her face so the others wouldn’t see how hurt she was. Lovingly he ran his hand over her hair, soothing her through the bond.

Syrena looked from Violet to the sad faces all watching their queen try to hold herself together, “Why do I feel I missed something?”

“Andarna broke her bond with Violet.”  Sloane whispered.

Biting her lip, Syrena nodded. “I… you have my deepest… sympathy? Condolences? What’s the right thing to say here?” She asked looking to the others for help but finding nothing, all of them focused on Violet who was wiping her eyes and turning back to face them.

“Sorry.” She forced herself to smile, “Did they say where they were going?”

“Was Esper with her?” Liam asked, stepping forward so he stood next to Violet. Even though his bond with Esper was still relatively fresh, it was still a bond. They had been connected, had worked together, grown together. He had to believe that deep down the Irid pair had a good reason for doing what they did.

“Esper is the other golden one, right?” He nodded, “He wasn’t here but I think he was nearby. She kept saying we, I think she meant him.”

“And where they were going? Or what they were doing?”

Syrena shook her head, “All she did was relay the message then fly off West.”

“West… What could be…” The only thing to the west was the coast and the… the nesting grounds…Violet’s face paled, “No…. they wouldn’t…”

“Vi, what?” Mira looked at her, wondering what she was talking about.

Tairn! The eggs! Check the eggs! She yelled down the bond, grabbing Xaden’s hand and squeezing it tight.

Fear raced through her veins, not her own but Tairn’s as he pushed himself to fly harder, faster, demolishing the distance between him and his eggs. Even Sgaeyl’s fear began to bleed through until her body was covered in goosebumps as they waited with bated breath to find out if what she suspected was true.

“Vi?”

Agony like she had only ever felt once before ripped through her, bringing both her and Xaden to their knees. Worried hands tried to cushion their fall, holding them up against the wave of torment. “Vi! Xaden! What’s going on?”

Tears fell down her face as she looked first at Xaden, his expression just as heartbroken as her own, then at their friends. “They took the eggs. Andarna and Esper stole them.”

Silence surrounded them, none of them able to comprehend what was happening or even why it was happening.

“Why would they take the eggs?” It was something none of them could fathom.

I need to get out of here. The threads holding her together began to unravel, fraying at the edges until everything felt like it was falling apart. Violet looked to Xaden who nodded and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him and walking out of the group and toward the fortress. It didn’t matter that they were leaving without a word, he didn’t care that their friends were giving them concerned looks. All that mattered to him was getting Violet to their room where she felt safe.

“Guys…?” Mira looked after them helplessly.

Imogen grabbed Violet’s wrist as she passed, “Vi, what.. why?”

“I don’t know!” She yelled jerking her hand free. “I don’t know, Imogen! I don’t know why she broke the bond, I don’t know why they stole the eggs, I don’t fucking know!” Her breaths were short and sharp as she struggled to keep it all in. But the pressure was too much, the dam about to burst. It was too much, it was all too much.

Imogen let go, “I’m sorry.”

But Violet had finally had all she could take and now that she had started she was finding it hard to stop the flow of words that spilled from her lips. “Sorry for what? You didn’t make her break the bond, you didn’t make her do any of this.” Before she could say another word, Liam grabbed both her and Xaden, wielding them up to their room.

The second she felt the safety of the wards around their room, Violet broke. Liam pulled her in for a hug then left the couple to themselves, wielding back to the flight field as her scream echoed through the room, Xaden barely managing to throw up a wall of shadows to try to contain the sound.

He held her, both of them sinking to the ground. “Let it out. I’m here.”

“I can’t do this anymore, I’m not strong enough.” She sobbed clutching his shirt and crying into his neck. “I can’t do it.”

Tightening his grip he let her continue, knowing that this had been coming for a while. Unable to hold them back anymore, tears fell down his cheeks as he tried to hold her together even as she was falling apart. “I’m here and I will never leave you.” He repeated over and over. “Let it out, you don’t have to hold it in anymore.”

“It’s too much. It’s all too much. The quest from Malek? I don’t know how I’ll ever complete it and if I don’t he’s going to take all of you. I can’t lose you, I can’t.” Her sobs broke his heart.

“You won’t.” For the first time his voice trembled as he fought to be strong for her. “You’ll never lose me.”

“You can’t promise that! I have to complete Malek’s quest and if I don’t he’ll take you. But Xaden, I don’t know if I can do it.” Redness surrounded her eyes, the swirls of blue and gold standing out more against the harsh color of her pain.

“Do what? Kill the venin?”

She pulled back looking at him, “They have families, Xaden. The venin have families. The people in Navarre we have to kill, they have families too. What if she was telling the truth and she had only turned to feed her kids? And I orphaned them! I killed their mother even as she was begging me for mercy.”

“Who?”

“The venin at the outpost… She said it was her son’s birthday… I orphaned him on his birthday…” The amount of disgust she felt toward herself was increasing the more she thought about it.

He cupped her cheek guiding her to look up at him, “Hey… There were no kids at the outpost. The chances are she was lying to try to play on your kindness.” His thumb brushed the apple of her cheek, trying to soothe her.

“But what if she wasn’t? Xaden, I don’t like who this war is turning me into. I used to abhor violence and killing. Now I do it without a second thought.”

“That’s not true.” He lowered his hand so it rested over her heart and the runes that linked them. “This is still the heart I fell in love with, the heart of a good and kind woman who would do anything for the people she loves.”

Ducking her head, she whispered, “I lost it. When she told me she had kids…. I lost it. My mind immediately went to why does she get to have kids, why was she able to carry them to term and birth them when I wasn’t? All I could think of was why? Why was our child taken from us but the evil of the world gets to have a family and be happy. Why not us? When will it be our turn?”

“I don’t know for sure but one day, one day we’ll get our family and our happy ending. And I don’t know why bad things happen, but we have to have hope that it won’t last forever. We may have to fight for it but that will make our happy ending that much sweeter.” He rested his forehead against hers, not even trying to fight back the tears any more as the two of them fell apart together.

“I was so happy when I found out… I shouldn’t have gone into battle, I should have stayed back.”

“We would have died if you had, the only reason any of us are alive today is because of what you did. Sweetheart… we didn’t lose the baby because you fought. It was Lilith’s fault.”

“But-“

His finger pressed against her lips silencing her argument, “No. If you had stayed back we would have died. We were outnumbered, betrayed. You did what needed to be done and everything would have been fine if it hadn’t been for Lilith’s betrayal.” He refused to call her Violet’s mother because no mother would ever do what she did to her child.

“You really think so? You don’t blame me?”

He shook his head, “I know so.” Closing his eyes he kissed her forehead, “I wish you would have told me you still felt guilty. You don’t have to carry all of this on your own.”

“I didn’t want to be a burden.”

He smiled softly, “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you every day for the rest of our lives and beyond, you could never ever be a burden to me, Violence.”

“Promise?” The way she looked at him, like she really needed him to answer made him weak. He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles before pressing her palm to the runes over his heart and the scar that marked her as his responsibility.

“I swear.”

She nodded and leaned in to kiss him, “Sorry.” She let out a watery laugh when she realized she was getting tears and snot on him.

Grabbing the edge of their comforter, he began to gently dab her face until it was clean. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

Leaning back against his knees, she rolled her eyes, “Our friends probably think I’ve lost it.”

He leaned his back against the foot of their bed, his hands gripping her thighs, “I think they understand more than you think.”

“I just don’t understand why Andarna would do this. Breaking the bond, stealing Sgaeyl and Tairn’s eggs… It doesn’t make sense. What if he breaks the bond too to go after her and get them back?” She sighed running her hands through her hair pulling it free from the braid he had carefully woven for her before they had left the lake. “I didn’t even know it was possible for dragons to break bonds. If they can, this changes everything.”

He shook his head, “I don’t think it is, otherwise Tairn would have broken the bond to Naolin by now.”

“But would he have? I think, deep deep DEEP down Tairn still loves him.”

“I think we need to talk to Tairn and Sgaeyl.”

Violet nodded, “Now?” She felt for the bond to Tairn but the door connecting them was blocked and wouldn’t budge. “He’s blocking me.”

“Sgaeyl is blocking me too.” He leaned his head back against the bed.

Violet grabbed his hand, playing with his fingers. “Can I ask, how did it feel for you? When they found out about the eggs?”

“Honestly?” She nodded, “It felt like we had been told we had lost our baby all over again.”

“That’s how I felt too. I think that’s why I… why I reacted the way I did.” She tangled their fingers together, “I won’t let him lose his children too.”

“Okay. We’ll add it to the list.”

Leaning in she kissed him, soft and sweet. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” She asked, smiling that smile that was only for him.

“Have I told you lately how I love you just as much?”

“A few times.” He pulled her to his chest, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

“Rest and the moment we can contact them, we’ll talk with Sgaeyl and Tairn.” Exhausted from all the emotions and the stress of the broken bond, Violet was drifting off in his arms within seconds.

He held her close, closing his eyes and finally allowing himself to sleep.

They were home and for now they were safe, they would deal with everything else as it came.

~

The second his feet touched the ground, Liam could feel his knees buckle from the exertion of using his signet while still recovering from the broken bond. Luckily Naolin, the closest person to where he had reappeared, had quick enough reflexes to catch him before he hit the ground.

“Brennan! Help!” Naolin groaned, sagging under Liam’s weight. “Damn you’re heavy.” He grunted trying to hold up the solid chunk of muscle that was Liam Mairi.

“Calling me fat?” Liam tried to joke, his words slurring as the power usage caused him to backslide in his recovery.

“Muscle weighs more than fat.” Naolin laughed, breathing a sigh of relief when Brennan and Bodhi helped support the blonde’s massive frame.

Smiling, the exhaustion hitting him like hard liquor, Liam pointed at him, “I’ll give you my workout routine.”

Playing along, Naolin nodded, “I’d like that. Maybe you could train me.”

The guys put their arms under Liam’s and began to walk him into the fortress and toward his room. “You couldn’t handle training with me. Your arms are so lean.” Liam grabbed Naolin’s hand and lifted it to look at the venin’s bicep, poking the muscle. “I bet you’d be chewy and kind of tough.” He pretended to bite him.

Imogen stepped up and gently tapped Liam’s cheek. “We don’t eat our friends.” She was torn between wanting to laugh and feeling sorry for him. Clearly he was exhausted to the point that his filter was lowered, almost like he was drunk. Pushing Naolin aside, she took his place pulling Liam’s arm over her shoulder and helping Brennan walk him into the fortress. “You need to quit pushing yourself so hard, it’s not good for you especially not with what you just went through.” She chastised even though she knew it was pointless when it came to Violet. Even if it killed him, he would always do what he could for her.

“It’s Vi. She needed me.”

“You can’t help her if you push yourself to burnout, I swear the two of you take this shadow stuff way too far.” It was frustrating, the two of them like two halves of the same whole, both of them willing to do whatever they had to in order to save the other. The only person who Violet would put before Liam would be Xaden.

“Liam… Do you love her?” Everyone froze when she asked the question, all of them having thought it at one point but none of them ever having the courage to voice it.

His head turned to look at her so fast that it popped his neck, “What? No! Why would you ask that?” The question woke him up, sobering his behavior.

“Do you blame me? You are always doing this, risking your life for her.”

He took his arm from her and tried to stand on his own power, his body swaying with the effort. “You’re honestly telling me that you wouldn’t do the same? That all of you haven’t done the same.”

“Not to the extent you have.”

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t? Not just for her but for any of us? That if I were in trouble, if I were struggling that you wouldn’t push yourself as far as you could to save me? What about Garrick? Mira? Sloane? Bodhi?” He challenged her.

“Of course I would!”

“Then why are you questioning me? She’s not just my best friend, not just my adopted sister, she’s my shadow, she is a part of me. And don’t you dare question it because how many times has she done the same for us? She hasn’t just pushed herself to her absolute limits, she had put her life on the line over and over. She has lost more than ANY of us. How could I do anything less for her?” He settled, his body almost vibrating with the anger he felt at having his loyalty and feelings questioned. “There’s nothing romantic between us just like there’s nothing romantic between you and me. I’d do the same for you… for any of you.” He glared at all of them, hoping this finally put that idea to rest.

“Naolin, if I promise not to bite will you…?” Liam lifted his arm, unable to say the words help me out loud.

“Sure big guy.” The venin came forward again, wrapping his arm around Liam’s waist. He and Brennan shared a look as they began to walk again, helping Liam up the stairs and into the fortress.

“Fuck this is going to be a long walk.” Liam grumbled when after five minutes they had managed to only cover the distance of one hallway.

“DON’T WIELD!” Everyone yelled, making him laugh. The further they got into the fortress, the more people broke off to go to their own rooms. They didn’t make plans to get together later or to meet up for their usual drinks. Right now their priority was resting after the past few days and trying to recover.

Eventually they did make it to his room after lots of groaning and complaining, up all the stairs and down all the halls. “How the fuck did you do this?” He asked Garrick as they led him in.

Garrick shrugged, “Violet would wield me around a lot, I never had to use my crutches on the stairs.” He admitted as he helped Brennan and Naolin guide Liam toward his bed.

“No, not the bed the table…” They turned and sat him in a chair at the table instead of on the bed. “Don’t want to get the bed dirty.” He explained, looking at the table with a curious eye. “What did you all do?” The papers were still scattered all over the surface.

“We raided your room to find out where you went. How much time did it take you to carve the table?” Brennan voiced the question that he had been wanting to ask, “Your carpentry skills are amazing.”

Liam shrugged, “A few months, I did it when I was bored and couldn’t sleep.”

“Think you can sleep now or do you want us to keep you company?” Sloane asked sitting next to him and rubbing his shoulder.

He took her hand and squeezed it, “I feel like I could sleep for a lifetime.”

“Well, if you’re still asleep at noon we’ll wake you up for lunch.” She let go and stood up to leave with the others. “Sweet dreams.” He nodded and watched as most of them left.

“I’m going to help him.” Naolin told the others when they looked back and he was still standing there in Liam’s room. Brennan turned to come back but Naolin shook his head, “You check on Violet. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah. If you need anything…”

“I’ll let you know.” Satisfied with that answer, Brennan left. Now that they were alone Naolin looked at the blonde, “Bed or shower?”

Liam rubbed the back of his head bashfully, “If you don’t mind, I’d kill for a shower right now.”

Leaning down, Naolin wrapped his arm under Liam’s and helped him up. “For the record, this will probably be very awkward but I want to reassure you that while you are a very handsome man, you aren’t my type.”

Liam laughed, “Noted. And just so you know, you’re not my type either.”

They walked into the bathroom and Naolin let go, letting Liam take a few wobbly steps by himself. “Are you good to go in by yourself or do you want me there just in case?”

Thinking it over for a moment, Liam shook his head. “I’ll be fine. But stay close, just to be safe?”

Naolin lifted himself onto the counter and leaned back closing his eyes. “Sure thing.”

Liam undressed, leaving his dirty and ragged clothes in a pile and stepping under the steaming spray. “Gods that feels amazing.” He moaned, the water relaxing his aching muscles.

Laughing, Naolin peeked his eye open “That good?”

“You have no idea.”

“I might have some idea.” He looked down at his hands, remembering when he had first been taken by the venin. The months of torture before he started playing their game and they finally let him shower. The memories made him sick, those years a time he would rather forget. “Listen, there’s a reason I stayed behind. We need to talk.”

Liam asked as he scrubbed the blood and grime form his body, “About what?”

“Something doesn’t feel right about all of this. Right?”

“You feel it too?” Liam peeked his head out of the shower.

“Yeah. Something…. I don’t know, the way Syrena just smoothed everything over for us without really knowing what was going on… Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”

He nodded, “Yeah. After everything, we haven’t been very open about what’s going on, the plans and the timeline. When you all were coming to get me, was she anywhere near that she could have overheard?”

Naolin shook his head, “No, we were in the bedrooms and those are all warded so no one outside can hear what is happening inside.”

“Do you think she knew?”

He dug his hands into his hair making it stand on end, “I don’t know. But it’s like she knew we were gone and for her to have that knowledge she would have either have heard the plan or…” He trailed off not wanting to consider the alternative.

“Or what?” Liam finished washing and wobbled out of the shower, grabbing a towel and beginning to dry off.

“Or she knew.” He looked up.

“She knew?”

“She knew the venin had you and we had gone to rescue you.” He clarified, the thoughts tangling in his head as he tried to unravel the connections his brain was attempting to make but it only got worse the more effort he put into it.

Liam wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped closer. “You think she’s working with the venin?”

“Maybe. Ugh, I don’t know but something about the whole thing isn’t right… Am I crazy?”

“No. I think you may be on to something.”

“Really? You believe me?”

Liam nodded, “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Well why did you decide to come to me and not the others?” He countered, leaning against the counter next to him.

Naolin thought for a second, “During the battle at Cordyn, I feel like we came to understand each other. I don’t feel at that point with the others yet but I know that I can trust you.”

“I feel the same about you. We’re battle brothers.” He grabbed Naolin’s hand and brought him in for a hug.

Naolin laughed, “Don’t make this weird… but thanks.” He tried to ignore the fact that Liam was only in a towel and pushed him back after making sure to return the hug. “So what are we going to do?”

“For now? Nothing. We’ll keep this between us and see what we can find out.” Liam nodded as the plan began to form in his mind.

“What about Vi?” There was something wrong about not telling her, something that bothered Naolin more than it should.

Liam shook his head, “No. She already has enough going on, we can handle this without her.”

Figuring they could always change their minds later, Naolin shook his head yes. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

“We should have a name.” Liam put his hand to his chin as he thought.

“A name?”

“Like a code name. Like the Bro Squad.”

“The Bro Squad?”

“Yeah, because we’re doing this for Violet and I’m like her brother and you’re in love with her brother and will more than likely be her brother by marriage. The Bro Squad to save the day.” He opened his arms like he was presenting the idea.

Naolin nodded, “Alright. Bro Squad it is.”

“Let’s do this.” Liam set off toward his armoire but stopped when a wave of dizziness made him stumble.

Naolin rushed to his side, “Maybe after you’ve had a nap.”

Liam agreed, letting Naolin help him to his bed. “Yeah. But once I’m rested…”

“The Bro Squad is activated.” They bumped fists and Naolin left him to rest, snores coming from Liam’s worn out body before Naolin had even reached the door. He looked back and smiled. Things weren’t perfect and there was something going on, but he wasn’t alone and they would figure it out.

He shut the door and went to find Brennan.

Chapter Text

Maybe it was selfish to stay holed away in their room and not immediately set out to find out what had happened in their absence but Xaden and Violet needed the time. Not only were they reeling from the events of the past few days and what Andarna had done, but now their dragons were actively blocking them to try to protect them from the pain. It was odd, the silence, the numbness, it wasn’t as bad as being under the effects of the bond blocker but it was pretty close.

When the light of morning broke, instead of their usual morning flight, they lay in bed cuddled together. They didn’t even attempt to contact Tairn and Sgaeyl, knowing that the pair probably needed time to process their emotions over the fact that a dragon they had treated like a daughter had stolen their eggs.

“We need to talk to them but… I don’t want to bother them.” Violet drew patterns on Xaden’s bare chest, her fingers tracing the runes over his heart as she lay snuggled against him.

His fingers played with her hair, his other hand resting on her bare stomach beneath the blankets. “We’ll handle things here and when they are ready, we can start to figure out what to do.”

“What if they left? What if they went after her?” She looked up at him.

It took a second for him to respond, “I don’t think they would leave without telling us.” She nodded, he was right they wouldn’t leave without saying anything and surely they would have felt it if they had. “Even though they’re blocking their emotions, I can still feel that she is close.”

Closing her eyes, Violet felt the bond and realized he was right. Even though she had no idea what Tairn was feeling, she could feel his presence. “I guess I’m just worried. After Andarna left I don’t like not being able to feel you all. Even Sgaeyl. If I can feel you… it means you haven’t left me.” He pulled her closer pressing a kiss to her hair. “I know.” She giggled as he pulled her on top of him, “You’ll never leave me.”

His hands gripped her waist keeping her steady as she propped herself up on her elbows to look down at him. “Good, it’s starting to sink in.” He slid his grip down to her thighs, pulling them apart so she was straddling his abdomen. “Wonder what else I can get to sink in?” He smirked up at her, making her laugh.

“You did not just say that.” He caught her hand before it could playfully swat his chest, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing the tip of each one. “You are so cheesy.”

“Maybe, but you love me.”

Her smile softened, “I really do, more than anything.”

Sitting up, he kissed her, his hands tangling in her hair and holding her close. Using his legs, he pushed himself back until he was sitting against the headboard, pulling Violet so they were pressed together hip to shoulder. Again? She giggled through the bond.

I’ll never get enough of you, Violence. His hands ran along her neck down to her waist, grinding her hips against his. You’re my addiction, the one thing I can’t live without.

She pulled back and looked at him, trailing her fingers along his cheek and down to his chin. Xaden, I- From the corner of her eye she saw movement, screaming when the large golden eyeball came into view of the window. Xaden rolled himself over her, pulling a dagger from under his pillow and using his body to shield hers. Fuck, it’s just Tairn. Violet groaned when she recognized the eye surrounded by onyx scales.

It's good to see our pain has not had an effect on your libido. He growled sarcastically.

Immediately, his tone put Violet on the defensive. You blocked the bond. She didn’t need to say any more, that was enough. She and Xaden were taking comfort in each other, he had known that losing Andarna and not being able to feel Tairn was getting to her so he had distracted her in the best way he knew.

Tairn ignored her words, We must speak. He flew up and out of sight, leaving Xaden and Violet to try to calm their racing hearts.

“So much for our plans.” He ran his hand over his face, pacing his breaths until they were no longer short and rushed.

“This is good, it means we can figure out what’s going on and make a plan.” Violet kissed him and got up to get dressed. He groaned but followed suit, pulling on his typical rider’s clothes. These days rider’s clothes were all he wore. There was no time for fancy tunics or soft materials that would rip with the slightest wrong move, with war on the horizon it was always fighting clothes.

The last thing they added to their attire was the daggers and swords stashed in the sheaths sewn into their clothes. It never hurt to be cautious and if the past few years had taught them anything it was that they needed to be prepared for anything at anytime, even in the safety of their own home.

Hand in hand they walked to the flight field where Tairn and Sgaeyl were waiting for them. Tairn. Violet reached out and gently touched his arm.

Not here.

She nodded and climbed up taking her seat. The moment he knew she was safe, Tairn took off, Sgaeyl and Xaden not far behind. They flew far and fast to their usual spot, a clearing a few miles away from the fortress where they were sure they wouldn’t be seen or heard by anyone.

The riders dismounted and turned to face the dragons, watching as the pair stood so close together their shoulders were touching, leaning on each other for not only support but comfort. How are you? Violet asked, knowing that they had to be struggling.

We’re fine.

Tairn, it’s-

DON’T SAY IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE FINE! It was the first time he had ever raised his voice at her like this, Violet stepped back in shock.

Tairn… But she wasn’t sure what to say. What did one say to a dragon who had just had their eggs stolen by someone they trusted.

He shook his head, Sorry, Silver One. This is not your fault, I should not have raised my voice.

Reaching out she caressed his leg, It’s okay. Tairn, I wasn’t going to tell you that it’s okay to not be fine. I was going to tell you that it’s going to be hard but we will get your eggs back. I swear.

He leaned down nudging her with his snout, Thank you, Silver One.

Even though he was absolutely massive and if he opened his mouth he could probably fit ten humans, Violet wrapped her arms around his nose as much as she could in what she hoped he would understand was a hug. Your comfort is appreciated. His growl turned to a low rumble, meant to be soothing.

Pulling back she looked at both dragons, making sure the bond from her to them and Xaden was completely open. We need to figure this out. Do either of you know why Andarna and Esper would steal the eggs?

If he is being influenced by the venin, they could be replenishing their forces. He looked away unable to finish but Xaden and Violet could put the pieces together, the eggs would be hatched, forced to bond at too young of an age, and made to obey the venin.

Did any of the other dragons see what happened? Xaden asked, sitting down and looking up at them.

No one saw a thing, that’s the problem. Sgaeyl growled.

No one? They must have used their ability to blend to sneak in. The idea was crazy but not impossible.

And their scents were already there from before so they wouldn’t stand out as dragons who didn’t belong.

Violet nodded. We need to make a plan. How long until the eggs hatch?

The dragon pair shared a look, The hatching process is unique to every dragon. Some may hatch after a few months, others may hatch years or even centuries later. They knew it was hard for Tairn and Sgaeyl to reveal these facts, things that the dragons had hidden from human kind for years.

So we have time. Violet jumped back as Sgaeyl snipped at her for daring to say such a thing.

Hey! Xaden yelled standing up and putting himself between his wife and his dragon. Tairn growled a warning but did nothing else to stop his mate from acting out.

I know what she is thinking, putting our eggs last while she has everyone work to complete her quest.

Sgaeyl, stop. Xaden’s voice was soft, trying to soothe her.

The blue dragon roared, unleashing fire into the air. I will not stop! MY CHILDREN ARE MISSING!

At least you have a chance of getting yours back! Violet screamed through the bond making everyone stop and look at her. At least you still have hope. We lost our child too and we will never get them back so trust us we know your pain. And I am sorry if it feels like I am being harsh but you can either wallow in the anger and pity or make a fucking plan. Maybe it was callous but, in Violet’s eyes, it was the truth. When no one spoke after a minute of pure silence, she continued, We can’t search if we are being targeted and hunted. You said it yourself, they may not hatch for months. We need to eliminate the threat before we can focus on bringing them home. And I’m not saying we can’t search now, but we need to make sure we focus on the things trying to kill us. You can’t save your eggs if you’re dead.

Xaden grabbed her hand and squeezed. If you two want to search, we won’t stop you. But it would leave us defenseless. I know it’s a lot to ask that you stay…

Stop talking. We’ll stay. Tairn reluctantly grumbled, hating that he was caught between two impossible situations. Either he left his bonded to search for his children or he left his children to help his bonded. There was no winning.

We’ll change our focus. I know we had planned to deal with Navarre first since it’s the easier task because of how few people we need to eliminate but we’ll change our focus to the venin. It’ll be two birds with one stone, we’ll eliminate them and hopefully find your eggs in the process.

That… that is an acceptable compromise. Tairn breathed, completely exhausted.

Sgaeyl? Xaden looked to her, trying to gauge how she was feeling.

What do you need? Still she refused to look at them, her eyes focused on something off in the distance, like if she would look hard enough the eggs would appear.

Information. And we need you to be honest with us, to tell us everything. Both dragons looked at Violet.

There are some things…

That are more important than winning and getting your eggs back? Because that is what I am hearing right now, that your dragon secrecy is more important than helping us and getting them back. Both of them growled but neither could deny it.

Let’s start with the bonds. Did you know they could be broken?

No, we did not.

And Andarna and Esper never mentioned anything, never gave any hint that they were going to do this?

No, they did not.

Can you feel your eggs? Do dragons have bonds with their children?

No, the only bonds are mate bonds and the bonds shared with our riders. We can’t feel them. Violet nodded and started to pace, trying to figure it all out.

We need to talk to Naolin, see if he knows where they take the eggs… if there’s a hatching ground in the Barrens… Do either of you know what Andarna and Esper were doing before they broke the bonds? Did they say anything?

You were there, the little one said the same thing to you that she said to us. Violet remembered when they had broken off, Andarna saying something about needing to check on something.

If we were to go back, would you be able to track where they went? Maybe if we find out where they went and what they did it could tell us why they did all this.

The scent trail would be gone by now, it’s been too long. Tairn grumbled.

What about from here? Could you trace their scents from here? Since the trail is more recent?

It’s possible. Sgaeyl sounded almost hopeful.

Then that’s what we’ll do. You two see if you can tell which way they went and while you’re doing that, we’ll talk with Naolin and start making a plan. Does that sound okay to you?

For now.

Once we know what way they went, we can start our attacks in that direction. Tairn, Sgaeyl, I swear to you that we will do everything in our power to get them back. I swear.

We believe you, Silver One.

She looked back and forth between them, Okay. Let’s go back to the fortress. Xaden and I can start planning the attack and you two can go see if you can trace their scents.

The dragons stood, Xaden climbing up Sgaeyl’s leg to take his seat while Tairn held his leg out giving Violet an easier climb. Sgaeyl took off while Violet was still in the process of settling in, heading back to the fortress with Xaden.

Tairn? For the first time in their relationship, Violet was unsure of where she stood with her dragon. Was he mad at her? Was he regretting bonding her?

Never. There are many things I regret in my long life but you are not one of them, Silver One. His words made her smile.

How did you know I needed to hear that? She asked, stroking the scales of his back.

The bond is still open, I can hear every thought in your head.

Do you want me to… She trailed off unable to bring herself to ask if he wanted her to start blocking again.

His sigh echoed through the bond, No, Silver One. Leave it open. Instant relief flooded her body, her tensed shoulders relaxing. It was wrong of me to block you out after what happened. I apologize.

No, Tairn, I understand. You were hurting and… I know you were just trying to protect me from your pain. I’m the one who should be apologizing for… well, you know, for being intimate with Xaden while you and Sgaeyl were hurting.

Never apologize for taking comfort in your mate. I’m grateful that he was there for you when I was not. Leaning down, Violet wrapped her arms around him as much as she could and squeezed.

For the record, I’m hugging you right now.

I know, Silver One. He landed in the flight field and extended his leg allowing her to slide safely to the ground. Before her feet could even hit the dirt he was scooping her up into his clawed hand and pressing her tiny body to his gigantic chest. For the record, I’m hugging you right now. She could hear the beat of his heart, feel the rumble of his chest, the heat of the flames that always lingered within him.

Spreading her arms wide she reciprocated, I love you, Tairn.

I know. I love you too, Violet. Him saying those words and her name did her in, tears falling down her cheeks. After a minute he carefully returned her to the ground, making sure she was steady before pulling away.

Keep us updated?

We will. He flared his wings and with a gust of wind that knocked everyone down he was gone, taking off after Sgaeyl toward the nesting grounds to start trying to track Andarna’s scent.

Xaden and Violet got to their feet, dusting themselves off and watching as their dragons disappeared. “Think he did that on purpose?” He asked.

“No. I think he’s just anxious to start trying to figure out where they took the eggs.”

“I would be too.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they turned to head inside, “Come on, we have a war to plan.”

~

The sun shone into Liam’s room leaving a streak of light across his face but the heated ray did nothing to wake him up, his mouth open and a little trail of drool leaking out of his parted lips and onto the pillow. Three gentle knocks on his door but he didn’t hear them, lost to the exhaustion of the past few days. Three more knocks, this time louder.

“Liam?” Naolin called from the outside, trying the door knob and peeking in when it creaked open. “Liam?” He looked around, laughing when he saw how passed out the blonde was. Walking over to the bed, Naolin crawled in and lay down facing him. “Liam, baby, wake up.” He gently shook his shoulder, watching as his eyelids began to flutter.

Naolin could see the confusion as Liam opened his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. “Morning baby.” He kissed the tip of his nose making Liam’s eyes fly wide open as he threw himself backwards out of the bed. Naolin laughed his ass off, clutching his stomach as he tried to reign it in.

Looking down and patting his body, Liam breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he was still fully clothed. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Scare you? Waking up to a handsome man in your bed is scary to you?” He asked sitting up.

Liam shook his head, “No, waking up to anyone in my bed is scary when they weren’t in there when I went to bed.” He ran a hand through his hair, “I thought maybe I had sleep walked or gotten drunk.” His hand settled over his heart as he tried to calm it down.

Naolin shook his head, “You’re lying.”

“Yeah. I am.” Liam admitted, knowing that deception wasn’t one of his skills. “I just got back from being held prisoner. They would let me get to sleep then wake me up. I think I just had a flashback.”

“Fuck, Liam, I am sorry. I didn’t think.”

He waved a hand, “Nah, don’t worry about it.” Taking another deep breath he went to his armoire to find his clothes for the day, “Why are you here, what do you need?”

Naolin lay back down, putting his hands behind his head. “I couldn’t sleep, figured we could start our plan.”

Liam looked up at the clock as he put on his pants, “You couldn’t sleep or Brennan woke you up and you couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“How do you know me so well?”

He laughed, sliding blades into the sheaths on his body. “It’s pretty easy once someone gets to know you.”

Naolin sat up looking at his new friend, “Alright then, tell me about me. What makes me tick?”

Finished with everything, Liam moved so he was standing in front of him, towering over Naolin’s seated form. “Brennan. You would do anything for Brennan,” He waved his hand gesturing to Naolin’s body, “Obviously. And now that you two are back together, you tend to get a little bit of separation anxiety whenever he isn’t in your immediate line of sight.”

His nostrils flared, “Should I be offended that you’re able to so easily figure me out?”

“Should I be worried that it was too easy?” Liam crooked his head, thinking that Naolin would deny it.

The venin shook his head, “No. First rule of the Bro Squad, all honesty all the time. Plus it’s true, I don’t like it when Brennan isn’t within my view. I get restless and nervous, afraid that someone or something will take him from me again.” He stood and started walking to the door, “Sometimes it all feels too good to be true. I have Brennan, I have friends, hell I have hope for the first time in years. I worry that something will come to rip it all away again.”

“Well, we’d better make sure that doesn’t happen. Where do we start?” He asked following him to the door.

“I don’t know, I was hoping you had an idea.” They both paused realizing they were going off to spy on someone without a plan.

“What does she do all day?” Liam asked since he was usually out leading maneuvers or some other task delegated to him by Xaden or Violet.

“Plan. Usually she’s in the Council Chambers helping them plan.” Naolin shook his head, “I pray to the gods we’re wrong because if we’re right we’ve had a spy listening in on everything.”

Liam slapped him on the back, “Let’s go plan then. We’ll say we’re helping, watch her, and see if we notice anything suspicious.”

Naolin raised an eyebrow, “So basically do what we always do?”

“Yeah, it’s the best way to remain undetected by the enemy. She’ll never suspect a thing.” They left Liam’s room and headed to the Council Chambers, giving each other a subtle fist bump when they opened the door and saw Violet, Xaden, and Syrena already around the table discussing what to do next.

Violet looked up, “Morning guys.” She got up cracking her back, “About time you joined us.”

Liam made a beeline for her, pulling her into a hug. “How are you feeling, Little Spy?” Despite everything that was going on, his first concern was for her and her well being.

“I’m alive and breathing so I can’t really complain and all things considered it could be worse, so I’d say… I’m okay.” He ruffled her hair making her laugh, “How are you? And why are you here, usually you lead maneuvers.”

His mouth opened but no sound came out, fuck they hadn’t thought of an excuse for why he was here.

Thankfully, Naolin came to the rescue, “Brennan told him to take it easy for a few days. He said you should too, just to be safe. I told him that telling you to stay off Tairn was like telling me to stay off him, it’s not going to happen.”

Violet laughed, “Thanks for the visual, Naolin.” She rolled her eyes and sat back down, patting the chair next to her for Liam. “I’m glad you’re here, we could use your insight since you were their captive.”

He took the seat and looked at the papers in front of them, his eyes briefly darting up to look at Syrena then back down.

“Don’t sit next to me.” She growled at Naolin when he tried to take the chair beside her. Rolling his eyes, he took a seat three chairs down and pulled the papers to him.

“You never answered my question, how are you doing?” Violet asked Liam bringing his attention back to her.

“I’ve been better but I’ve also been worse.”

She grabbed his hand and squeezed, “You know no one would blame you if you took a few days off to recover.”

He squeezed back, “I’ll rest when the war is over. Now tell me, what’s going on?” She let go of his hand and started explaining the new plan to them.

Currently it consisted of little more than the fact that they were going to go for the venin first instead of Navarre like originally planned. “We’ve only just started.” Violet admitted with a slight flush to her cheeks.

Both men waved off her explanation, “We understand. Are we going for the eggs first or the venin lord and we’ll worry about the eggs later?” Liam asked while Naolin pulled the map of the Barrens closer to himself so he could make some more annotations.

“We’re hoping to kill two birds with one stone.” She turned to Naolin, “What do you know about where the venin keep the dragon eggs? Do they have a nesting ground? Do the venin keep them?” She had so many questions.

When Naolin shook his head, her heart sank. “Sorry Vi. I never rose high enough to know that information.”

“It’s okay. We just need to think. The venin, the older ones who required more power, where did they draw from?” She asked, reading over the notes Naolin was writing.

“They never told me but I do know that they never had to go out and search for it. When I first started cooperating, they made the initiates and the lower ranked venin go out and find someone to draw from. The older, more senior venin never had to do that.”

“So it was brought in to them or…” Her eyes widened and she began to look through the papers for a blank sheet.

“Or what?”

“What if the source they drew from was already there?” She asked looking at him with wide eyes.

He nodded, “It’s possible, a lot of the outposts are built on cave systems so the dragons can sleep close to their riders.”

“Maybe that’s what Andarna and Esper were looking for when they separated from us, before they broke the bonds. Maybe they were checking to see if there were any other irids down there?” It was a long shot but not entirely impossible. She got a curious look on her face, “You know what bothers me? Why did Andarna break her bond first? I mean, if Esper is the one who led her astray, wouldn’t he have broken his first and asked her to break hers?” It was a thought that had been bothering Violet all morning. There was no way Andarna would have done it first.

Everyone around her had to agree, they had all seen how close Andarna was with Violet, Tairn, and Sgaeyl. For her to leave them, completely cut ties and run away, it was out of character and just crazy. For her to steal Tairn’s eggs… none of them ever would have thought she was capable of this.

“Have Tairn and Sgaeyl found anything?” Naolin asked, some of Tairn’s emotions bleeding through to him even though the dragon kept that bond locked down tight and nearly completely sealed at all times.

Violet shook her head, “No. Their scent is all over the nesting grounds so it’s hard for them to pinpoint which way they went.”

“Damn… Well, I know it’s the last thing Tairn wants to hear but if there is anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

“I’ll let him know. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

Silence overwhelmed the room as all of them continued working on their tasks, trying to compile enough information that they could make a safe and achievable plan. “Syrena, have you heard anything from your aunt recently?”

“Huh?” She looked up, “Oh, yeah. I just got a letter from her yesterday. She said the rebuilding efforts are going well. They haven’t found the books you want in my uncle’s summer home but they’re going to keep searching because if anyone has them, it would be him. They’re thinking he might have some hidden rooms where he keeps the stuff that they tried to erase from history.”

“Good. Is there anything that she needs from us?” Xaden made a note of it on a sheet of paper, making sure everything was documented in case they need to go over it later.

Syrena thought for a moment then shook her head, “No. But I’ll let her know that you offered when I send my reply later today.”

“Hey Syrena-“ Naolin looked up from the map he was working on.

“Yes, vermin?” She sneered at him, still unable to trust that he was on their side.

He held up his hands, “I just wanted to know if she had mentioned anything about venin attacks on the borders? It would help us know where they are focusing their forces if we could find out.”

“There haven’t been any attacks. She’s actually concerned because of how quiet it’s been. She’d have thought that by now they would have retaliated.”

He nodded, “Thank you.”

Ignoring him, Syrena went back to looking through the papers in front of her and making notes.

The door to the council chambers opened, Brennan walking in and making sure it was sealed shut behind him. It was a new feature they had implemented after everything that had occurred, as long as that door was shut it was warded to be sound proof. No one outside would be able to hear what was being said inside, in fact the only place more secure was Violet and Xaden’s room.

“Hey, how are the patients?” Naolin asked as Brennan took the seat next to him, squeezing his arm and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Good. I don’t know what the hell Imogen, Garrick, and Mira are doing but those cadets are coming in to be mended one right after the other.”

“I think they were having the cadets do a project to see who could come up with a new dismount method or battle tactic.” Syrena spoke up, having seen the three of them at breakfast that morning.

“That explains most of it. What’s the reward?” He asked grabbing the stack of papers he had been working on before everything had went down.

“Free day.”

The group of riders groaned, “I bet the cadets love that. You know, it’s actually a pretty good idea.” Liam nodded, it never hurt to see what the next generation could come up with.

Brennan put his head in the hands, “You’re not the one who had to mend a strained glute muscle or seal a wound where the cadet had fallen on one of his dragon’s spikes.” They all made a face at the image. “Speaking of, how are the patients I left at Cordyn? Are they doing okay?” He asked Syrena.

“My aunt hasn’t mentioned them.” She stated, not looking up from what she was writing.

“That’s weird, I asked her to keep me updated. There was a patient I was especially concerned about. She’s said nothing?” He asked again finding it weird that the queen wouldn’t say anything after he had specifically asked her to.

“No, nothing.” She shook her head. “Maybe the menders have healed them?” Her suggestion was met with his curious stare.

“I thought all of your menders were out of commission? Either deployed at outposts or declared dead in battle?” It was what they had told him after the battle.

She looked up, “If they were needed, I’m sure my aunt could easily call them back, she is the queen.” Her eyebrows were raised, like it was a simple solution and she was surprised he hadn’t thought of it.

Brennan looked at her, “Maybe I should make a trip, just to check in on them.” Everyone turned to him, their expressions varying from shock to disbelief to nothing.

Naolin and Liam both watched Syrena, the two men looking at each other when her eyes squinted just the slightest bit. “If you want to.” Syrena shrugged knowing how dedicated some menders were to their patients.

“You really want to make a trip now?” Violet asked, “What if something happens and you’re gone.”

“It’ll be a two day trip, I’ll be back before you know it.” He gathered the papers and stacked them in the middle of the table, his mind already made up.

Liam hurried to start doing the same, “I’ll escort him, make sure he gets there and back safely.”

“I can go too.” Naolin rolled up the map and set it in the center of the table, “You know how I get when we’re apart for too long.” He explained.

Xaden raised an eyebrow, “No wielding. You’re still recovering.” He pointed to Liam.

He held up his hands, “No wielding, I swear. We’ll just fly there and come back.”

Xaden looked between the three of them, “I don’t blame you for wanting to go.” He started to massage his head, all the planning and logistics giving him a headache. “Go and hurry back.” When he felt Violet about to protest, he grabbed her hand. “They’re adults and this is important to your brother.” We can’t keep them locked up in the tower until the war is over. He finished in her mind, not wanting the others to hear.

I know. I know. She leaned her head on his shoulder, “Be safe and come back, please?”

Liam came over and squeezed her shoulder, “Of course, Little Spy. We’ll be back before you know it, okay?”

Taking his hand she squeezed it back. “Promise?”

“I promise.” He let go and followed Naolin and Brennan toward the door, “We’ll be back before you can miss us.”

“Not possible.” She smiled and went back to work, no one noticing how she clutched Xaden’s hand beneath the table feigning being okay with it but secretly hating that they would be away.

The three waved and left the room, shutting the door behind them. Brennan waited until they were three floors up and in a secluded hall before turning to Liam and Naolin with a serious expression on his face. “Okay, so what the hell is up with you two?”

Chapter Text

“Okay, so what the hell is up with you two?” Brennan looked back and forth between them, his boyfriend and his little sister’s shadow looking like two kids who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Naolin and Liam shared a look and if Brennan didn’t know better, he would have assumed that they were having a quiet conversation with just their eyes and facial expressions. “Well? Are you going to tell me or not?”

Biting his lip, Naolin used his hand to gesture no before pointing to the stairs. It was a code they had come up with back in Basgaith when they had first started dating, the signals easy to understand. No, not here, we’ll talk in our room. He nodded and the three continued up the stairs to the room Brennan and Naolin shared.

It was only when they were safe inside, the door shut behind them that Naolin and Liam started to speak again.

“We have to tell him.” Naolin argued, knowing that it would be hard to keep things from Brennan.

Liam looked at the eldest Sorrengail, “I guess he is Violet’s brother so technically he gets automatic entry to the Bro Squad. And if he tries to tell we can always tie him up.” He shrugged, his expression telling Brennan that he was being completely serious.

Naolin laughed and slapped him on the back, “He might like that too much if I’m the one to do it.”

“Are you two done?” Brennan was exasperated, “All I need to know is what has the two of you acting so weird. That’s all I want.”

“We think Syrena might be a spy.” Naolin confessed, watching Brennan for his reaction.

Of course, as he had suspected, Brennan looked confused. “Why? Because she doesn’t like you? She’s never liked you. Naolin, you can’t accuse everyone who doesn’t like you of being a spy.”

He shook his head, “Don’t you think it’s weird that she covered for us even though she had no idea where we had gone? That’s suspicious.”

Admittedly it was odd that she had come up with a lie without knowing what had happened but at the time he had been so tired and busy checking on everyone that he hadn’t even given it a second thought. “Okay, yeah, that is weird and very suspicious.”

“And what about the patients? Do you honestly think they called their menders from the outposts to come back and heal them?”

Brennan shook his head no, “Okay. You’re right. Things aren’t adding up. What’s the plan?”

“Well, you gave us the perfect opportunity without us having to say a single thing. We’re going to go to Cordyn and just check things out, see how much of what she says is true and what is a lie. Worst case scenario, we’re wrong and no one is the wiser because we were just going to ‘check on patients.’” Naolin said using air quotes.

“You know I hate when you do that.” Brennan laughed shaking his head.

Naolin grinned and slung his arm over his shoulder, “Don’t lie, you think it’s cute.”

“Okay, maybe just a little.” Brennan shoved him away, “Go pack. We’ll leave in half an hour.”

Liam nodded and left to go to his room, leaving Naolin and Brennan to start to gather their things into their packs. “Take some extra ration packs.” Naolin instructed, knowing that Brennan always took two or three extra bags full of supplies just in case.

“I always take extra.” He looked up from where he was putting some bandages and medicine into an extra bag.

Naolin shook his head, “Liam was captured and there’s a good chance he was deprived of food. Take extra.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Brennan got into his flight pack and added a few extra ration packs.

“Actually, they fed me.” Liam said from where he was leaning on the door frame with his bag slung over his shoulder. “It was pretty good too. The people who held me enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t sure if it was poisoned or not. So I could either starve or eat and risk dosing myself with the bond blocker.”

Both of the men made a face, “What did you do?”

“I ate. From the way they were talking I knew that they wanted me alive. They already had blocked all of my bonds with this metal cuff. So I ate because I knew that making sure I had my strength was more important.”

“That was a good decision.” Brennan said somberly.

“Yeah, I tend to make those from time to time.” Liam joked coming in and shutting the door, “Speaking of my brilliant plans, I have another one.” He set his bag down and leaned against the bed post. “How are you feeling, Naolin?”

Both men looked at Liam curiously before it hit Naolin what he was wanting. “No.”

“Come on, I can take it.”

Brennan watched as they argued back and forth, “What is he asking?”

Naolin frowned, “He wants me to siphon some energy into him so he can wield.”

“What? No!” Brennan shook his head, agreeing with his boyfriend. “Your body has been through too much, it might not be able to take it.”

Liam sighed and sat down on the bed, “Hear me out. Syrena is down there, she knows that we are going to be going to Poromiel. I bet she’s already sent out her letter warning them that we are coming. We need to get there before that letter gets there. The only way to do that is if I wield us there.”

“That’s assuming she even is a spy, you could be wrong.” Brennan argued, not liking this idea one bit. His gaze wavered back and forth between Liam and Naolin, trying to get them to see sense.

Laying back on the bed and covering his eyes, Liam groaned into his hands. “But what if we’re not? What if we’re right?” He sat back up, “We need to get there before her letter does and the only way to guarantee that is by giving me enough energy to wield us there.”

As much as he hated to admit it, Naolin agreed with Liam. It was the only way for them to beat any letter. “I’ll need to siphon some more energy.”

Brennan’s jaw dropped, “You’re not actually going to do it, are you?”

Naolin ran his hand through his hair, using his arm to gesture to Liam. “He’s got a point. We have to do it.”

“No. I’m saying no. And if you think you can ask Vi for more siphons and she won’t ask why, you’re not as smart as I thought. She’ll know something is up if you ask for more and she’ll want to know.” Brennan stopped when he saw Naolin flinch, “Fuck, you know I didn’t mean it like that. You know I think you’re smart. Fuck!” He yelled, hating that his mouth had once again ran away with him, saying things he didn’t actually mean.

Naolin gave him a look, “You’re lucky I knew you were a dumbass when I started dating you.” He grumbled walking over to the closet, “And I don’t need to ask Vi for any siphons. I’ve been attempting to reduce my dependence on them so I haven’t been using as many. I’ve built up quite the stock pile.” He pulled out a bag that glowed with a faint blue light. “Listen either you’re with us or you’re not. If you don’t want anything to do with this, fine. We won’t hold it against you.” He moved so he was standing next to Liam, resting his arm on the towering blonde’s shoulder.

Liam raised his hand, “Actually, I’d hold it against you.” Naolin rolled his eyes, “What? It’s the truth. We’re trying to help Xaden and Vi and the entirety of the country. He’s all hung up on technicalities that shouldn’t even matter. It’s my body, I can choose how far to push it.”

Realizing that there was nothing that he could say to convince them otherwise, Brennan nodded. “Fine, but as your mender I have to tell you that it is unwise to push your body so hard after a recent trauma and this could cause irreparable damage.”

“Noted. Now are you with us or not.” He extended his hand and waited for Brennan to make up his mind.

“I’m in. Someone has to keep you two from falling apart.” He took his hand and they shook.

Liam nodded, “Welcome to the Bro Squad.”

“You mentioned something about that before, what is it?” Brennan felt like ever since this conversation had started he had only gotten more and more lost in the terms and explanations that the two were using.

“I’m like Vi’s brother, Naolin is dating her brother, and you are her brother. We’re the Bro Squad, doing what we can to protect the monarchy.” Liam explained gesturing to each person as he spoke about them.

Sighing, Brennan nodded “I guess I’m part of the Bro Squad.” He reluctantly agreed.

Naolin perked up, “Now that that’s settled, I’ll charge up and transfer the energy to Liam.” He poured out a few of the siphons onto the table and began to drain them of their energy, his use of the venin magic making the magic hiding his features fade away until his true appearance remained.

“Damn…” Liam whispered when he got a full, really good look at what Naolin looked like without the magic covering it up.

Dark eyes, pale skin streaked with blackened veins, and hair that was starting to turn silver at the roots.

“We’ll have to act like we’re flying off on our dragons, like everything is normal and we are all still in the dark.” As hard as he tried, Liam couldn’t look away from Naolin. It was hard to believe that this man and the magic he wore like a second skin were one and the same.

“Is Marbh good to carry me?” Naolin asked as he finished the last one, the power like a hearty meal after weeks of being on a diet. He felt good, amazing, like he could conquer the world but beneath that, lurking in the shadows of his mind was the shame. What he was, what he could do, what he had done… All of it weighed on him, staining his soul in a way that he knew would never be able to be repaired.

“Yeah, he’ll carry you.” Brennan watched sadly, hating that this is what Naolin had become because of him.

“Stop looking at me like that.” Naolin frowned, sliding the used siphons back into the bag. “I made my choices and I’ll stick by them. Turning venin let me save you and this, draining the siphons, it’ll help me save the people we love.”

“I know.” Brennan whispered.

Dropping the bag, Naolin swept Brennan into his arms. “I know.” They didn’t need to say it. All of their choices, everything they had done had been for each other and that was how it would always be.

Liam sat back down, giving them a moment to just be together and take comfort in one another.

They pulled apart, both solemn but laughing at the emotional mess they had both become. “I better charge our little brother.”

Nodding, Brennan gently pushed Naolin toward Liam, the venin grabbing Liam’s hands in his and holding them tight. “This might tingle but it shouldn’t hurt.” The blonde nodded and squeezed back, ready for whatever was getting ready to happen.

A slow trickle of warmth began to flow down from his palms to his arms and up into his chest. It was like the sun rising on a summer morning, the power growing warmer and steadier the more Naolin pushed the power into him. It was wonderful and powerful, he felt like he could do anything, there were no limits. His mindscape lit up with the energy, the little sparkle of Violet’s power that always resided in his mind pulsating as it recognized the original source.

“I think my magic recognizes that this came from Violet.” He smiled, feeling like she was there with them, holding his hand as they fought against unbelievable odds. It was comforting.

The notion made Naolin smile, “Magic is so much more than we can ever hope to understand, it wouldn’t surprise me if it recognized that it came from the same source.”

When Naolin felt like his power levels were almost back to normal, he pulled away. “How do you feel?”

“Like I could wield around the world a thousand times and still have the energy to do it all over again.” It was like waking up well rested with a full belly, his body perfectly at peace and ready to take on whatever was thrown at them.

“Let’s just stick to going to Cordyn.” Brennan pat his shoulder, concerned that Liam actually would try to wield his way around the continent.

The three picked up their bags and headed toward the flight field, pausing when they saw Violet standing on the balcony that overlooked where their dragons were waiting for them. “Here to see us off?” Brennan asked pulling her into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight for a moment before letting go and doing the same to first Liam then Naolin. “Here to ask you to be careful. Liam can’t wield.” He held his hands up in surrender when she gave him a look. “You’re not going to have a quick way home, so please please be careful.” Stepping back, she looked at the three of them, all of them starting to feel guilty for lying.

“We’ll be careful, Vi. We promise.”

“Two days, little sister. If we’re not back in two days you have our blessing to send out the search party.”

Rolling her eyes, she looked away then back at them. “You’re ridiculous. Come back to me, that’s a royal order.”

“Yes my Queen.” They chorused making her laugh.

“Go before I change my mind and lock you in the dungeon.” She gently pushed their arms.

“Tyrrendor doesn’t have dungeons.” Liam quipped, walking backwards down the stairs.

“No but they have some pretty desolate cellars.” Naolin chimed in, remembering his time in captivity.

“I’ll build them just for you.” The men turned and headed to their dragons, Violet’s heart nervously beating with every step that they took away from her. “Two days.” She whispered, trying to convince herself that everything was going to be okay. “It’s just two days.”

She stayed on the balcony until they could no longer be seen, her skin prickling with nerves as she went back inside to continue planning their next steps.

~

Just to make sure that they wouldn’t be seen, the men had their dragons fly for an hour before they landed for a break before Liam would take them all to Cordyn.

“You know she’s going to know something’s up when we’re back in less than two days.” It was something Naolin had been thinking about since they had taken off. The flight to Cordyn took anywhere from 16 to 20 hours depending on the weather conditions. If they were to come back in less than two days, Violet would for sure know what they had done.

“If our suspicions are right, that won’t matter. And if we’re wrong we’ll just fly home.” Liam jumped down from Deigh and joined them on the ground. “Where do we want to land?

Brennan pulled out a map and unrolled it, laying it on the ground and using rocks to hold the corners in place. “If we wield straight into the city, it would cause a panic. I think we should land in the meadow where we gathered before the battle.”

The other two nodded, “Yeah. That’s a good place. It’s isolated and out of sight of the city. We can land and fly in like we had just made the trip.”

Brennan’s eyes scanned Liam’s body, looking for any sign that he was still feeling fatigued from losing the bond and all the energy he had lost over the course of the past few days. “You’re sure you’re up to this? We can always fly there and fly back.” As much as he knew they needed to figure out if Syrena was a spy, and the sooner the better, it wasn’t worth risking his friend’s life.

Liam nodded, “I can do this. I feel good.” The ache of the missing bond was still hurting, like a wound that hadn’t yet closed, but otherwise he felt normal. Better than normal.

“Okay then, if you’re sure.” Brennan gave him another look, giving him one last chance to back out but Liam shook his head.

“Alright gentlemen. You’ll need to touch your dragon.” Deigh and Marbh came closer until Brennan and Liam could rest their hands on them. “Then you’ll need to touch me.” He glared when Naolin snickered, “Not like that…. Pervert.” But inside he was smiling, glad that for one moment they could have a sliver of the normalcy they all craved.

Brennan and Naolin grabbed his wrist tight. “Alright, in three… two… one.”

They reappeared in the meadow, the grass still trampled from where the dragons had lay in waiting that night not too long ago. “Liam?” Brennan immediately let go of his wrist and checked his temperature when he noticed the blonde’s silence.

“It looks so different in the light of day.” He did a slow turn taking it all in.

“Let’s mount up, fellas. It’s time to catch a spy.” Naolin pumped his fist into the air.

Brennan climbed up onto Marbh, speaking softly to the dragon through the bond before gesturing for Naolin to climb up and join him. It hadn’t been easy getting the dragon to let a venin ride him, it had taken a lot of convincing and pleading before he would even consider it. In the end, it had only been Brennan’s unwavering faith that had managed to sway Marbh, the dragon allowing the venin to ride him even though it went against everything he had ever known.

Liam took a running start, easily scaling Deigh’s leg and taking his seat. “See, perfectly fine.” He grinned, laughing as his body was thrown forward with the force of Deigh launching himself into the air.

They rose up out of the meadow and began the final leg of their flight into the city of Cordyn. In the light of day, the damages looked so much worse than they had that night. Beautiful stone structures were reduced to ruble, walls crumbled to dust. The bodies of the fallen wyvern and venin were gone, more than likely burned in accordance with the customs of the Poromish culture.

Like Tyrrendor and Navarre, the Poromish would burn the bodies of their dead, commending their souls to Malek. It didn’t matter who they were, the bodies of the dead were always treated with respect. Liam had to fight back a smile as the spark in his mindscape reminded him of Violet and how if she had been present she probably would have rambled off some fact about the history of the custom and the one time the bodies hadn’t been treated with respect and the country had suffered some huge natural disaster for angering the gods.

As they flew overhead, the people hid in fear. Were the two dragons and their riders here to cause more trouble? Were they here to help? None of them could be certain so they locked themselves in their homes, holding their children tight and praying their next breath wouldn’t be their last.

The sight made their hearts ache, especially knowing that as much as they had tried to protect their people, some of the people in Tyrrendor felt the same. The closer they got to the palace, the more attention they drew. A pride of gryphons and their flyers came to escort them in, their demeanor softening when they realized it was their allies.

Brennan looked at Naolin as if to say, see no indication that they are spying on us.

The venin’s eyes narrowed, a look Brennan knew meant, just you wait, I’ll prove you wrong. When they landed Maraya was already on the flight field to meet them, smiling with extended arms when Brennan slid down to the ground. “You didn’t tell us you were coming to visit.” She smiled, politely kissing both of his cheeks.

“I wanted to check up on the wounded, if that’s okay?” She took his arm and began to lead him and the others into the palace.

“There’s no need. I called in one of the menders from active duty to come and stay here while the patients recovered.”

“That’s what Syrena said but, well you know how it is with us menders. We form attachments and we become very invested in the recovery of our patients.”

Maraya turned to him and caressed his cheek like a grandmother talking to her grandchild. “Would you like to see them?”

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

“Of course not, right this way.” She led them inside, Brennan turning to Liam and Naolin, raising his eyebrows like See, you were overreacting.

The two shared a look, still not entirely convinced. As they walked through the palace toward the medical wing, they kept their eyes open looking for anything that might indicate that something was amiss.

Liam looked at the man that walked next to him, doing a double take. “Hey… I know you.” He looked different without the cuts and bruises but Liam would always remember him, remember how he had found him in the venin outpost and brought him home to Poromiel.

The man nodded and smiled, “I was wondering if you would remember me.”

“I’m glad to see that you’ve healed.”

He shrugged, “It was touch and go for a while, the healers weren’t sure if they’d be able to save my leg. Luckily Mender Nelson came back at our Queen’s request and was able to stave off the infection.”

Naolin watched as Liam engaged in conversation with the man and with every second that both Liam and Brennan grew more comfortable, he began to doubt himself. Was he just being biased against Syrena? Was she really just acting normal and he was being paranoid? He shook his head, no. No. There was no way she could have known that they were gone and to make an excuse unless she knew where they were or she was working to buy someone time to infiltrate Aretia and take over.

The group arrived at the entrance to the medical wing and entered, the Queen gesturing for an older man to come over. “Brennan this is Mender Nelson.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind, I just wanted to check on a few patients.”

The man smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Of course, come on in.” He led them deeper into the room, asking about which patients Brennan wanted to see and informing him of their recovery status.

All the while Naolin kept watching. His dark eyes raked over every bed taking in every patient and making a note of everything that seemed off. Many of the patients were asleep, their recovery draining them of any energy they may have once contained within them. Mender Nelson looked over at him, his eyes narrowing before he fixed his expression and continued enlightening Brennan on what they were doing for the patients he had left here.

“Hey…” A small voice called from one of the beds.

Naolin looked around before pointing to himself, “Me?”

“Yeah, you. Can you help me get a drink?” The preteen’s eyes flickered to the glass of water on the table beside his bed.

“Yeah, sure.” He picked up the glass and held it to the kid’s lips. “So what happened? You’re too young to fight so why are you here?”

The kid drank deep, draining the entire glass in one go. “Thank you.” He tried to lift his hand to wipe his lips but he just didn’t have the energy. The napkin Naolin grabbed from the bedside table was soft and a soothing color, the material delicate on the kid’s skin as Naolin gently dabbed is mouth dry. “I got sick. One day I was fine and the next I was here.”

“Do you feel better than you did?” He asked, setting the napkin aside and looking down at the frail boy.

The kid shook his head, “No. I don’t think… The way they look at me, I don’t think I can be saved.” The kid’s absolute certainty made Naolin’s heart break.

“Hey, don’t say that. I’m sure it’s not true. Did they say what they think is wrong?”

He shook his head, “Every day I’m getting weaker and weaker.”

“Where are your parents?”

“They died in the battle.”

“So it’s just you?”

“Yeah, me and my little sister.”

“Where is she?” He sat on the edge of the bed, invested in this kid’s story.

“There’s a place… a home for kids whose parents have died in battle…” He trailed off, still upset by their loss.

“Were they flyers?”

He shook his head, “No. My dad was a baker and mom worked as a seamstress for the queen.”

“So they were casualties of the battle?”

“Yeah.” The boy’s eyes began to droop, “I miss them.” Tears fell from his closed eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Naolin stepped forward, grabbing the edge of his blanket and pulling it up so the boy would be warm. His hand fell off the bed dangling down and Naolin grabbed it to put it back on the bed, freezing when he saw the boy’s wrist.

It was barely noticeable, the tiny gray ovals over the boy’s pulse point. His eyes widened and it took every ounce of his will power not to yell for Brennan and Liam. He may not know if he was right or not, but this was a pretty damn good indication that there was something not right in the city of Cordyn.

He put the boy’s wrist under his blanket and rejoined the group down at the other side of the room where Brennan was checking on one of the men he had mended. There was so much he wanted to say but with everyone around he couldn’t not without letting everyone know that he was on to them.

The question was how to get Brennan to check on the boy without letting the Poromish know they were on to them? Liam looked over and Naolin raised his eye brows, using his eyes to gesture to the kid.

Brennan’s brow furrowed as he tried to decipher Naolin’s expression and not draw attention to themselves. Giving up, Naolin started walking around again just to be certain that he was right. Most of the patients were asleep making Naolin wonder, were they genuinely tired or were they serving as an energy buffet. And were the venin here or did they come in?

He hated that part of himself, the venin part that reminded him every day of what he had sacrificed. He hated how Brennan looked at him as if he still looked normal, even when the magic faded and his true visage shone through. But, if they wanted to figure this out, he would need his venin powers and the bond that came with them.

Slowly, he opened the block he had that kept him separate from the venin mind collective trying to make it so slow and subtle that they wouldn’t realize that he was using the bond again. It was like his mind lit up with red, his eyes flickering between colors for a moment as his magic reacted to the presence of so many venin.

Every person in the room… Every single one. Even the Queen.

They needed to get out and get home. Now.

“Brennan, are you almost done? If we want to be back home on time we should leave soon.”

He nodded as he moved to yet another patient. “Yeah, just a few more minutes.”

Naolin turned to Liam, “He’s going to be late to Vi’s birthday dinner and have to admit that I was right.” It took a moment for Liam to process but the second Naolin’s words and true meaning registered, his eyes widened.

Brennan looked up curiously, “Vi’s…” Naolin raised his eyebrows, “Shit, I forgot Vi’s birthday.” He groaned, catching on to the signal they used to use that meant to get out quick. “You were supposed to remind me.” He straightened up and looked at the patients, two of them he wanted to check on but now… now he knew there wouldn’t be time. “How many people are coming again?”

“I think she invited everyone, I think it was an open invite to the entire city.”

“Gods, she’s going to be overwhelmed.” Despite the fact that Naolin was basically telling him everyone in the room was a venin and possibly the entire city, Brennan kept his cool. “Give me a few more minutes and we can head out.” He turned to the next patient but stopped and smiled at the Queen, “You’re invited, if you would like to attend.”

She shook her head waving him off politely, “Oh no. I’m much too old to travel.”

It was only luck that Brennan had ducked his head to check on a patient, his expression of disbelief quickly hidden. The Queen Maraya he knew would never say something like that, would never admit to weakness, even to an ally. Fuck Naolin and Liam had been right and it may actually be worse than they thought. “We’ll definitely miss you at the festivities.”

She chuckled, “I’m sure. Please send my regards to Violet and Xaden.”

“I will.” Brennan finished up with the patient he was on and moved to the final one, smiling when he saw that other than fatigue the patient was healing nicely. “You’re doing a good job, Mender Nelson, top notch.”

“Thank you.”

“I-“ A sound from down the way caught his attention.

“He’s seizing!”

Not waiting, Brennan ran to where the man was standing over a bed, Naolin and Liam right behind him. “No.” Naolin whispered when he saw it was the boy.

Taking charge, Brennan started to assess the situation, turning the boy on his side and sending his magic through his body trying to diagnose what was wrong. It took everything he had not to drop the kid when he realized, “He’s drained.” He whispered looking up at the people in the room, this time unable to hide his disgust.

The disguises dropped, all of the guards and even the Queen showing their true faces only for the Tyrrendor group to realize… “You’re not Queen Maraya.”

“No. But, like her, I do owe you a debt of gratitude. You see, if it weren’t for your blonde friend here bringing my son back to Poromiel, our invasion would never have been possible.”

Liam’s face drained of all color. “What?”

“Did you really think it was that easy to liberate a prisoner from the venin? Once we knew what you were about, it was easy to plant my son for you to find and rescue.” It was his fault… He had thought he was helping but… but he had just helped the venin infiltrate one of Tyrrendor’s allies instead… Gods he felt sick.

“Where’s Maraya?” Brennan growled, torn between facing them down and helping the boy who was still shaking from the seizure.

“She’s alive… for now. Probably not for long though since you’ve discovered our little ruse. Then again, I suppose we could just kill you instead that way our secret remains just that, secret.”

Why were they keeping her alive? This went against everything they thought they knew about venin. “And Syrena?”

“She’s alive too, we’re taking very good care of her, after all we wouldn’t have been able to infiltrate Aretia without her knowledge.” So the venin were capturing their allies and taking their places… How many were there, how many had replaced their friends and they hadn’t even known? Who could they trust? And how were they doing it? There were so many things going through their heads all the while trying to keep an eye on the venin who were slowly surrounding them. Liam wasn’t close enough to grab Naolin and Brennan, not without hurting the boy. But he was starting to think that he didn’t have a choice, it would be a necessary risk if they were to get out with their lives.

“Liam?”

The blonde nodded, “Yeah?”

The silence spoke louder than any words ever could and Liam knew what he needed to do. Concentrating on every ounce of power within his body he vanished, reappearing behind the venin and stabbing them in their backs with the special daggers meant to kill them.

“Brennan, grab him and come on!” Naolin joined the fray, giving Brennan the room he needed to pick up the boy.

“AHHH!” He cried out, falling to his knees but still holding the boy close to his chest. Naolin’s heart stopped when he saw the dagger plunged deep into Brennan’s back, flashbacks of that last day flooding his mind.

“Brennan!” He was like a man possessed as he fought his way to his lover, using himself as a shield against the onslaught of attacks.

They felt a tightness around their wrists and suddenly everything was quiet save for the sound of the wind in the weeds. “Brennan!” Naolin cried, not sure what to do. He wanted to pull the blade free but that would open the wound and he could bleed out, so instead he settled for holding him in his arms. “Brennan…” He cried, rocking him back and forth.

His dark eyes looked up at the clear blue sky, “What a pretty place…” He whispered wondering if this would be the last thing he saw.

“Yeah, but not as pretty as our room. Hold on and we’ll go there.” Naolin’s voice wavered as he tried to hold himself together.

“I’ll get us home.” Liam was covered in sweat but he wouldn’t let the fact that he had used more magic than anticipated stop him. “I’ll get us home and Vi can heal him.” Making sure he had a good grip, he closed his eyes and focused on the Aretian Infirmary appearing there a moment later. “Get him prepped, I’ll get Vi.”

He disappeared again leaving Naolin to gently lay Brennan face down on one of the beds, praying the Violet would get here in time.

Once Brennan was settled, he put the boy in another bed, wondering if they had done the right thing in bringing him along too.

Not good with sitting still, Naolin got everything he thought Violet would need ready. Clean towels, hot water, different medicines to prevent infection and promote healing. When it was all ready he sat on the edge of Brennan’s bed and held his hand. “You can’t leave me, dumbass. Not again.” He whispered, pressing his forehead to Brennan’s hand and saying a prayer to whatever god would listen.

“You can’t leave me again.”

Chapter Text

It killed Violet to let them go, to watch as they flew off toward Poromiel and out of the range of her protection. Yes, she knew she couldn’t save or protect everyone but she could damn sure try.

When she got back to the council chambers she sat down with a sigh, Xaden grabbing her hand and squeezing it as he rested their interlaced fingers on his thigh. Thank you. She whispered through the bond, grateful to have such an amazing man as her partner in life.

They’ll be back before you know it.

I hope so. She squeezed his thigh and took her hand back so she could continue annotating the documents in front of her. Currently she was examining the reports from the outposts near the borders, looking for anything that might suggest that Andarna and Esper had been that way or if there had been venin sightings anywhere nearby. So far she’d read the reports from seven outposts and all of them had said the same thing, the borders were quieter than they had ever been. It was almost alarming, the lack of activity. Were they waiting for the ideal moment? Were they gathering their forces?

She looked over to Xaden who was looking at the troop reports, taking count of how many riders and infantry they had and where everyone was currently stationed. After the battles, they were going to have to move people around, leaving a skeleton crew to run the outposts within Tyrrendor and relocating the able riders and troops to the borders. He read every file, every biography. He could tell you their names, their lineage, their family. At the moment he had three piles of papers, one for the riders who were still active but not able to fight, they would be sent to the inner outposts, the ones that would see little to no action. One pile for the able who would be sent to the borders. And one for the riders with families, especially young children. If they could make do without them, they would but more likely than not they would be dispatched to the war zones with the able.

Violet turned to Syrena, “Do you think your aunt will be mad that they’re showing up unannounced?” She asked, not familiar enough with the Queen to know how she would react to two riders and a venin showing up out of nowhere and asking to see patients. If she had been thinking she would have discouraged them going until a proper message could be sent so Maraya didn’t think they were doubting her or the abilities of her menders to treat their patients.

“No, she’ll be happy to see them.” Syrena smiled, “She’s really fond of Brennan after everything he did for them after the last battle. And come on, who doesn’t love Liam?” Before the events of the past week, Violet would have agreed. Liam was a lovable guy, one who endeared himself to everyone he met. But after his capture and subsequent torture, now she knew that there were people in the world who would hurt him even if he was a teddy bear of a human being.

“What about Naolin?” After the attack, she couldn’t imagine bringing in a venin would be very well received. Then again he had played a pivotal role in the battle that night, he and Liam taking out a large portion of the venin all by themselves.

Syrena hissed through her teeth as she thought about her answer. “He might not be received as well as the others but they won’t be hostile. We know he helped, that he is one of the reasons that we won that night, but he’s still a venin and they are the reason we lost so many people.”

“That’s understandable. But, just so you now, Naolin has changed. He’s not like the other venin, he’s kind and caring. If you were ever in trouble, it doesn’t matter who you are, he would help.” She defended, ready to go to battle for him should the need arise.

Syrena rolled her eyes but the smile on her face gave her away. “I know. Sometimes I just like to give him a hard time just to keep him on his toes.”

Violet laughed, “He needs that. And he’ll never tell you out loud, but I know he appreciates the fact that you treat him normally despite knowing what he is.”

“You think he likes that I’m rude and mean to him?” She asked skeptically, unable to believe that anyone would actually enjoy being talked to the way she talked to him.

“Yeah, it means you’re not scared of him. A lot of people walk around him terrified that he’ll flip and drain them. It’s why he uses magic to cover up what he really looks like, they are more at ease when he looks like he used to, before he saved Brennan and became venin.” It always broke her heart when she would see people avoid him or move out of the way so they wouldn’t even be close to him. She understood why they did it and in the beginning she was like that too, but now she knew him and his heart. Naolin lived for Brennan, had killed his soul for Brennan. He wasn’t a monster, he was a man in love and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Brennan would survive and be happy and safe.

The chair she was sitting in scraped against the floor as Syrena scoot back, standing up and stretching. “I should probably go write that letter to my aunt. Is there anything that you would like to include in the messages?”

Violet bit her lip, “I know she’s probably sick of me asking, but could you see what the status is on the books that she is trying to find for us? And of course, send our regards and let her know to send a message if she ever needs anything.” She looked to Xaden, “Anything else?”

“That was perfect.” He smiled and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

Not wanting to stay for the show, Syrena left with her two guards who had been waiting outside of the council chambers.

“Just us.” Xaden’s grip on her wrist tightened, pulling her out of her chair and onto his lap. “I think we deserve a little break, what do you think Violence?”

“I think a break sounds like a wonderful idea, but just a small one.”

He nodded, “Of course, a small one.” His solemn face broke out into a smile as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

She hummed into the kiss, “You’ve been working so hard.”

“You’ve been working harder than all of us.”

“No I haven’t.” She tilted her head deepening the kiss.

He pulled back, “Yes, you have.” He brought his hand up, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I feel so bad because I know I haven’t done nearly as much as you have and this is my country, my birthright.”

She leaned in pressing her forehead to his. “You have fought for your country, bled for your people, killed for your queen. Xaden, I would not have been able to do any of this if it weren’t for you and the faith you have in me, that you’ve always had in me. You’ve done more than you know.” Their eyes stayed locked, just staring at each other in silence.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever been mine, Violence.”

Smiling, she leaned in to kiss him again but the moment was stopped when a huge gasping body appeared out of nowhere right beside them. “What? Liam? You’re not supposed to be wielding!” She stood from Xaden’s lap and grabbed Liam’s arm to help him stay upright, his body swaying from using too much power. “Wait, why are you here?” Her heart dropped when she realized that he wouldn’t wield like this unless it was an emergency.

“Brennan. Need you… Infirmary.” He panted, grabbing her arm and Xaden’s and wielding them back to the infirmary.

~

Mira watched as the cadets went through yet another round of maneuvers, each one more unique than the last. To say that the project of the cadets creating their own drills had yielded interesting results would be an understatement. But at least there hadn’t been any casualties or injuries… yet.

Garrick was about a hundred yards away on Chradh, watching to make sure that none of the cadets did anything too crazy. They had all been made aware of the fact that Brennan, General Aisereigh to them, had taken off to go to Poromiel and would be unable to fix any injuries until his return. Maybe that was why they suddenly were being more careful than usual, none of them wanting to suffer with an injury for longer than necessary. He had no doubt that once the mender was back the cadets would be back to their normal chaotic and accident-prone hijinks.

“What do you think?” He shouted to Mira as they watched the next cadet demonstrate a dismounting technique she had created.

She tilted her head, “It could be useful but look at how she’s limping. Before the others can even try she needs to adjust so that it doesn’t cause her an injury every time.”

He nodded, “Im?”

“It’s a fucking dumb dismount.” She shook her head and cupped her hands around her mouth to yell, “If it hurts when you land, it’s probably not a good idea.”

The cadet nodded, “I’ll fix it, General.”

Her response made Imogen smirk, there was something about being addressed as a General that just felt like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. “Careful, if you keep smiling like that it may stick.” Mira called over to her, laughing when the pink haired General flipped her off.

“Fuck you Sorrengail.” She yelled back.

“Not now, maybe later tonight.” Mira winked making Imogen roll her eyes.

“You’ve been around Garrick way too long.”

“Hey!” He shouted, laughing. Gods, it was hard to believe that the past few days had happened when they were back as they were, training the future of the country.

“Don’t lie, you…” Mira’s face went blank, her skin breaking out in goosebumps. Teine… to the ground… She reached up behind her, feeling a sudden sharp pain in the center of her back.

“Mira?” Garrick leaned forward, urging Chradh closer when he noticed Teine begin to slowly descend toward the ground. Get there! He shouted down the bond, getting to his feet and walking toward Chradh’s side.

When they were close enough he jumped, landing on Teine’s back and running to where Mira crouched down, her lips turning purple. “What’s wrong?”

“Pain… In my chest.” Her voice was little more than a whisper, her body doubling over as pain ripped through her body.

“I’m going to look at your back.” He moved so he was behind her and lifted her shirt, “There’s nothing here.”

She shook her head, “Something’s wrong.” Teine landed and Garrick wrapped his arm around her helping her up and down to the ground.

Imogen ran up and took her other side, supporting her. “What do we do?”

“Get.. Vi…” Mira retched but nothing came up.

“Henderson, you’re in charge of the cadets.” Garrick yelled to one of the Lieutenants as they walked into the fortress. The man nodded and went off to supervise the cadets who were still practicing, completely unaware of what was going on with their general.

Their progress was slow as they walked inside and headed toward the council chambers where Violet should be but the room was empty. “Where is she?”

“Fuck if I know, let’s get Mira to the infirmary then we can look for her.” Imogen growled, angry that the one time they’re looking for Violet, she was not where she was supposed to be. She wasn’t angry at her, she was angry at the bad luck that seemed to plague them day after day. When would they ever catch a fucking break?

Footsteps made them look to the side, “Syrena! Thank the gods! Where’s Vi?” Garrick’s body relaxed, relief flooding his veins.

The flyer stopped where she was, “I think she went to the dining hall for lunch.” Her eyes scanned them, “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s wrong with Mira, since Brennan’s not here we need Vi. She’s the closest thing we have to a mender.” He explained, his fingers gently rubbing Mira’s side.

“Shit... Okay. What can I do to help?” She asked stepping forward, reaching out to help support Mira’s weakening body, cringing when she began to dry heave.

“Go to the dining hall and get Vi. Tell her to meet us in the infirmary.” Garrick instructed.

Her eyes never left Mira, watching as she struggled to breathe as her body was rejecting whatever was making it sick. “Why don’t you go to your room? It’s closer and more private. I’ll tell Vi to meet you there.”

Garrick nodded, “Good thinking.” He and Imogen turned toward the stairs, Mira still held up between them.

Her head hung low as her energy was slowly waning, her body lacking the energy to lift it more than a couple of inches. Through her eyes lashes she saw Syrena nod and turn, and for a moment she could have sworn… No… not possible.

She looked again, the effort so taxing that her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to remain conscious but there it was again, like a glare on a pane of glass, veins extending from red eyes back to silver hair tipped in red. In a blink it was gone but Mira knew what she had seen. “No.” She dug her feet in preventing Garrick and Imogen from taking her any farther. “Syrena.”

The flyer stopped, “What? What do you need?” She stepped closer, her hand coming up to rest on Mira’s shoulder.

It took everything she had but Mira launched herself forward, using her weight to tackle her to the ground.

“Mira!” Imogen and Garrick were at her side, trying to pull her off of Syrena. “What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s not Syrena!” She panted, dry heaving again even as she fought to keep the venin down.

“What?”

“It’s a fucking venin!” Immediately Garrick and Imogen stopped trying to help Mira and started restraining Syrena. They knew that Mira knew what she was talking about, she wouldn’t lie and she would never make a mistake or accuse someone falsely. For her to do what she was doing they knew she had to be absolutely certain. “Knock her out!”

Imogen drove her elbow down into Syrena’s face knocking her unconscious. “You’re sure?” She asked once she had confirmed that the flyer was knocked out.

Gasping, Mira rolled off of Syrena and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Im, lock her up. Use the bond blocker and the cuff Liam brought back.” She nodded and got to her feet.

Mira tried to stand but her legs were unable to support her weight and she fell to her knees. “Don’t, Mira. I’ve got you.” Garrick scooped her up into his arms despite her protests.

She tapped his arm, “Infirmary.”

“But our room is closer.” He argued as they began to walk up the stairs.

Mira shook her head, the motion making her nauseous. “No… She… didn’t… she didn’t want… us there.” Her eyes rolled back, her body going limp.

“Fuck!” Garrick began to sprint. “Infirmary, Im. That’s where we’ll be.” He yelled taking the stairs two at a time.

~

The moment they appeared in the infirmary, Liam was dragging Violet to the bed where Naolin sat next to Brennan’s limp body. “Help.” He pushed her forward, collapsing to the floor and leaning against the wall trying to catch his breath.

“Brennan?” Her eyes ran over his body taking in the blood and his labored breaths. “What happened?” She didn’t know what to do, she wasn’t a mender, she had mended people before but it had always been in the moment…

No, she could do this. Brennan needed her to do this and she would, for him. She grabbed some scissors and began to cut away his shirt exposing his back, “Fuck…” It looked much worse that she had anticipated, the blood coating his skin so thick…

“Here.” Naolin grabbed the bowl of hot water and the cloth, offering it to her.

She looked at him, at his red eyes and tear stained cheeks. “Thank you.” She grabbed the cloth, dipped it in the water and began to remove the blood so she could see just what she was working with. He began to help, and soon Brennan’s skin was revealed to them, the sight not what they wanted to see. “He’s been poisoned.” Black lines extended from the wound in all directions slowly spreading even as they watched.

“Xaden… When he healed me did he remove the blade first or did he remove the poison?” If anyone would know, it would be him.

“Blade first, healing as he pulled it out. Then he left the wound open just enough that he could pull out the poison.” He said from where he was helping Liam into another bed.

She nodded, “Okay. I can do this.” Like Brennan, she cracked her knuckles, extending her shaking hands over his back and settling one on his skin, the other gripping the handle of the dagger. She felt for that familiar power, the golden glow of healing… “What?” It wasn’t there. She tried again looking for the power she knew should be right at her fingertips.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t…. I can’t feel the power…”

“Here, if you’re low on energy I can give you mine.” Naolin offered her his hand.

She shook her head, “It’s not that I don’t have the energy… I can’t feel it, it’s like my signet just…. Oh no….”

“What?”

“My signet, it came from Andarna and now…”

“Now that she’s gone so is the signet you got from her…” Tears filled her eyes as she kept trying.

“I’ve done it before.” She murmured reaching deep down into herself for anything that even resembled how it felt to wield the ever changing signet Andarna had gifted her. But it wasn’t there. “Come on.” She grit her teeth, her eyes squeezing shut but nothing happened. “Fuck!” She yelled.

“What is going on?” Garrick froze as he carried Mira into the infirmary, shocked to see almost everyone present.

“Mira?” Violet’s voice trembled when she saw her sister’s limp body.

“We don’t know what’s wrong with her, she said there was a pain in her back and she just kept getting weaker and weaker until.” With a gentleness no one would have ever expected from him, Garrick lay her down in the nearest free bed. “What’s going on?”

“Brennan’s been stabbed and the blade was poisoned.”

“Vi can-“ He paused when he saw how defeated she looked, “What else?”

“I can’t wield. My signet, the one I got from Andarna, it’s gone.” She looked back and forth between her brother and sister knowing that time was of the essence. They needed to do something… What would Brennan do? Well obviously he would use his signet but other than that… What would he tell the healers without signets to do… “The antidote… Naolin, didn’t Brennan make an antidote to the poison?”

He grabbed her arm and they ran into the little room that doubled as his lab. “Which one is it?” The shuffled through the vials and beakers, reading labels and setting aside everything that wasn’t what they were looking for.

“Got it!” Naolin held up a small vial and ran back out to Brennan. “Come on babe, you got to drink.” He pulled him up, “Brennan! You have to wake up and drink, dumbass. Come on.” He tapped his cheek but he couldn’t even open his eyes. “Alright… You made me do this.” Using his teeth he uncorked the vial and held it to Brennan’s lips, squeezing his cheeks until his lips parted and the antidote could flow in. “Swallow.” Naolin threw the vial aside and massaged Brennan’s throat praying to the gods he swallowed and didn’t drown. “Please work.”

When he was sure that Brennan had swallowed, he lay him back down on his stomach so they could watch the lines, hoping that they would start to disappear.

“Is it working?” Violet was torn. Both of her siblings were here, both in health crisis. She wanted to check on Mira but Brennan was literally possibly dying in front of them.

“It’s not working… Why isn’t it working?” Naolin yelled, punching his fist into the wall.

“Give it time. It’ll work.” Xaden put his arm around Naolin’s shoulders, grunting when the venin turned and hugged him. “Have faith that it’ll work.”

Naolin shook his head, “Even if it does, he still has that massive fucking stab wound.”

He didn’t know what to say because Naolin was right, even if Brennan managed to survive the poison, he still had the wound and the blood loss to fight through.

“What should we do?” The moment the words were out of Violet’s mouth was the second everything went to shit.

Both Mira and Brennan started seizing, their bodies convulsing like some sick synchronized dance. Violet’s hands began to shake, she couldn’t help them both. She couldn’t help anyone with her signet gone.

Her breaths started coming in short sharp pants drawing Xaden’s attention, “Violence…”

But she didn’t hear him as the walls began to close in, backing up until her back was against the wall, her hands buried in her hair. This couldn’t be real, this couldn’t be happening. Why couldn’t they catch a break? Why couldn’t the gods be kind to them for once…

The gods….

Malek…

With tears in her eyes Violet looked up to the ceiling, “Malek!” Her shout drew everyone’s attention. “Malek!” She screamed, “You said you were only a prayer away, well I’m praying!” Her voice echoed. “ANSWER ME DAMMIT!”

Everyone was staring when they felt it, the icy chill that hadn’t been there before. The mage lights began to flicker until one by one they all shattered, disappearing into little wisps of magic. Shadows danced across the floor, “Xaden?”

He shook his head, “This isn’t me.”

“You dared to summon me?” Two eyes glowed in the dark, the figure stepping forward until he was in full view of everyone in the room.

Violet steeled her spine knowing that this was going to be tough. “You said you were only a prayer away. I need help.”

His eyes flickered from her to Brennan and Mira, “You want me to end his suffering?” He asked standing over Brennan.

Naolin let go of Xaden and shoved Malek back, “You’re not taking him.”

The god tilted his head, “You… You’ve stolen his soul from me before. Not this time. Your efforts won’t work, his body is already failing. It’s only a matter of time. Allowing me to take him would be a kindness.”

“No. You’re not taking him.” He moved so he was in between Malek and Brennan, staring him down like he was just another human.

The god shrugged, “Very well then, but know when he is suffering it is your fault.” He stood up and went to Mira’s bed. “This one suffers but she’s not in danger.” His eyes found Violet. “I told you she would come back wrong, this is your doing.”

She flinched like he had slapped her, his voice speaking the very thoughts that haunted her.

“If you did not call me to collect his soul, why am I here?”

Violet licked her lips and cleared her throat. “I want you to save him.”

Malek began to laugh, “That is something that I cannot do. I am the god of death and the afterlife, I only deal with life and death.”

“He’s dying! I think that qualifies as death!” She yelled, gesturing to Brennan whose body had gone completely still, only his chest moving as he breathed.

“I can bring him back but I can’t heal him, that is out of my skillset. You’d need the god of luck or Amari herself to cure him.”

Violet stepped closer so they were toe to toe, “Then get them here.” She enunciated every word, not backing down.

His eyes narrowed, “You forget who you are talking to, little shadow.”

“I know exactly who I’m talking to. Now save him or find someone who can.”

“Why? What can you offer me? What can you do for me when you haven’t even started the task I gave you?”

“Planning a war takes time and strategy, only a fool would go in blind. We need time to plan.”

“The blonde has done more of the task than you have, you have done nothing. Perhaps I chose the wrong champion.” His eyes flickered to Liam who, even though his breaths were short and sharp, looked like he was ready to get up and fight.

His vision was blocked when Violet stepped in front of him, “You won’t touch him.”

“Jealous?” Malek grinned.

Violet looked over her shoulder at Liam, “I think everyone who has ever met Liam would agree that he is the best of us. I’m not jealous, I’m protecting my brother.”

Studying her face, her set expression and refusal to give in Malek nodded and straightened up, “There’s nothing I can do for your other brother. He will die.”

“Nothing? Absolutely nothing? No god-like spells or potions, herbs, nothing?” She asked incredulously, groaning when he shook his head. “Can’t you just refuse to collect his soul? He’d live then, right?”

“That’s not how it works. He will die and if his soul is not collected and delivered to my realm, he will wander for all eternity, lost.”

“What about my signet? Can you give it back? My dragon broke our bond and my second signet is gone. Could you restore it?” It was a long shot but if she had her power back she knew that she would be able to save Brennan.

“A blessing of power is within the realm of possibility, for a price.”

“How much? Whatever it costs, I’ll pay it.” Naolin stepped forward, standing next to Violet ready to do or give whatever the god asked for.

“You must pledge something to me, something of value.”

“Name it.”

“A favor. When I ask it of you, you must comply. No questions, no arguing, just obeying.”

“Fine, I agree, I’ll do it.” Naolin spoke up but Malek shook his head.

“Not you, her. Either she makes the deal or there is no deal.”

Violet looked to Xaden who nodded his support, No matter what you choose, I’m behind you.

But there were a few things she needed to know first. “What kind of favor?”

He shrugged, “That depends on when I think I need a favor.”

Violet looked to Xaden, What do you think?

I think it’s risky to promise blind obedience when you don’t even know what kind of favor he will ask. As much as he knew that’s not what she wanted to hear, he wouldn’t lie. Who knew what Malek would ask for or when. What if he asked her to kill one of their friends or one of the other gods? What if he asked her to stand down in battle right as the enemy was about to deal a fatal blow?

Closing her eyes, Violet nodded. That’s what I’m afraid of. She looked over at Brennan, his breaths slowing, his skin deathly pale. I’m going to lose him, aren’t I?

On the outside she looked pained but internally she was devastated. “No.” She whispered, hating herself for condemning her brother to death.

“Vi…” Naolin shook his head but he couldn’t argue, even he knew how dangerous it was to pledge an unnamed favor to a god.

“I can’t. I’m sorry Naolin, I can’t make that promise.”

Malek watched the scene with calculating eyes, “That is your decision?”

Violet nodded, “It is.”

“Very well then. When it is his time, I will collect his soul personally.” He turned, darkness beginning to swirl around his feet and ankles as he prepared to return to his realm and his duties.

“Why can’t you just help him? I’ve already agreed to do so much for you, why can’t you give me this one thing?” She grabbed his arm, making him stop.

“I’ve already broken the laws of nature to bring your sister back, I can’t do it again without destroying everything you are fighting to protect. It’s your brother or the world you all live in.” With a gentleness she didn’t expect of him, he removed her hand from his arm.

“It’s not fair.”

“Nothing ever is when it comes to life and death. I’ll be keeping track of you.” The lights flickered and he was gone, like he had never even been there.

The group shared a look, “What do we do?”

Naolin wiped his face on his sleeve and started moving around the room, “We can’t use magic to save him, maybe we can use the old fashioned way.” The instruments in the drawers made a loud clanking sound as he flung it open looking for everything that he would need.

“Okay, how can I help?” Violet and the rest took his orders, shuffling around the room until it was all prepared. “Do you know what you’re doing?” She asked as she watched him put on a pair of gloves and pick up the scalpel.

“Not a clue, Vi. But how hard can it be? Right?” He looked at her hopefully, knowing that she would have to lie if she was going to tell him what he wanted to hear.

“Yeah… Right. Easy as riding a dragon.”

He smiled, “You and I have two very different ideas of what’s easy.” Turning back to Brennan he got ready, “I’m going to make small incisions at the end of the black lines and maybe we can suck out the poison?” Angling the knife and preparing to make the incisions, he looked up for her blessing. When she nodded, he began to make the cuts, whispering, “I’m so sorry baby” every time Brennan’s body would tense.

“Garrick, Bodhi, hold him down? Please?” The very thought made her sick but they needed him to be immobile and none of them knew if any anesthesia would have a negative interaction with the poison. “Xaden… Your shadows are pretty much… they can have multiple uses? Right?” Violet asked, a plan forming in her mind.

“Yeah, they can be solid or pass through things depending on what I want them to do. Why?” He had an idea of where she was going with this but needed to hear it from her.

“Can it follow the poison in his body? Surround it and contain it?” Everyone looked at her then at him.

“I can try.” He called upon his shadows and watched as they slowly engulfed Brennan’s body slithering into his open wound.

“Sloane…Your signet… Can you only siphon energy?” She looked to the woman who had joined them just moments earlier, Bodhi by her side.

The blonde gulped, “I’ve never tried to siphon anything else.”

“Wanna try? I mean we’re… we’re running out of options here.”

She nodded, “I can try.”

“I have it.” Xaden called out, his shadows having filtered the poison preventing it from going any farther.

Violet dipped her head encouragingly, “You can do it, we believe in you.” She moved to grab Brennan’s hand watching as Sloane stuck her hand out and rested it next to the wound.

She closed her eyes and focused, trying to grab on to what she needed to siphon.

“Look for my shadows, I’ll help.” Xaden began to call them back, the effort taking all of his focus and energy.

After a moment Sloane whispered, “Got it.” The group watched as inky black began to come out of the wound, the liquid tinged with blood and acting like it was struggling to get back into Brennan’s body. “Bottle.”

Garrick ran to the lab and grabbed a beaker, bringing it back out and holding it up.

She directed the poison into the glass, everyone watching as it filled up. “Shouldn’t those be disappearing?” Imogen asked when the black lines spreading from the wound didn’t change.

“It’s… it’s the parts of him that was killed by the poison. Even though we removed it, we aren’t removing the damage it has done.” Violet guessed, trying to figure out how they would fix that without healing powers.

Finally the last drop of the poison went into the beaker, Garrick putting a cork in the top and returning it to the lab so, hopefully, Brennan could study it later. Sloane’s knees gave out, Bodhi catching her before she could hit the ground.

“Thanks.” She whispered leaning against him.

He picked her up and lay her on an empty bed, sitting next to her and holding her hand.

Naolin ran back to the lab and grabbed two more vials of the antidote. “Do we know if he has even gotten the chance to test this yet?” He asked as he turned Brennan’s head and made him drink one of them.

They all exchanged a nervous glance, had Brennan tested the antidote yet or were they giving him something that they weren’t even sure would work? “Fuck it, either it’ll save him or it’ll fail.” Naolin uncorked the second vial and, whispering “I’m so sorry baby” he pried open the wounds and poured the antidote inside. “Should we leave the wounds open or cover them?”

“Open for now. That way we can see if the lines continue to spread.” Garrick went to Mira’s bed, settling down beside her. “When do you think she’ll wake up?”

“Malek said there was nothing wrong with her.” They all turned their attention to Mira.

“If there’s nothing wrong then why is she like this?” Imogen asked sitting down on her other side.

“Think about it. He said she came back wrong. What happened today?” Violet asked starting to pace.

Imogen looked to Garrick who had seen the whole thing. “She instructed Teine to land because she wasn’t feeling well. She said there was a pain in her back, like she was being stabbed.” He looked from her to Brennan, “You don’t think… Was she feeling his pain?”

“What about back at the venin outpost?”

“She collapsed and said it was her heart, that we needed to get to Imogen.”

Imogen looked up, not having heard this detail yet.

“When I found Imogen, a venin was about to stab her… in the heart…” Violet looked at Mira, “She’s not feeling their pain… she’s feeling their deaths. Mira can sense when someone is going to die.”

“We can’t be sure, we’ve stopped the deaths from occurring both times so we can’t be certain that is what’s happening.”

But Violet nodded, “Remember a few days ago when she was short of breath? Same symptoms, tingles, goose bumps, and suddenly feeling like she couldn’t breathe?” They all nodded, “Bodhi, isn’t that the day there was that accident and one of the staff drowned in the river?”

His eyes widened, “It was. Fuck how did we miss it?”

“Because up until now, we haven’t been able to connect the dots. Once was a coincidence, twice was a fluke but three times now, possibly more? Mira can sense when someone close by is going to die.”

“Then why is she still asleep?” Garrick brushed the hair from Mira’s face, watching as she slowly breathed, her body calm.

“Maybe because Brennan isn’t out of the woods yet?” Xaden voiced what the rest of them couldn’t bring themselves to say. He grabbed Violet’s arm to stop her from pacing and pulled her in close to his chest. “We should all get some rest.” When everyone looked ready to protest he held up his hand, “I know, none of us are leaving this room. Pick a spot and settle in.”

Everyone spread out around the room, pushing the beds closer together because they didn’t want to be away from each other, even if it was only a few feet. Day turned to night with no change in either of the Sorrengail siblings, both lying motionless in bed, their breaths shallow and even.

Later in the night, when everyone was asleep, Mira’s eyes fluttered open. “No.” She whispered, swatting at the air. “Leave me alone.” Smacking at the air again, she sat up and watched as a tiny shining white light, the size of her thumbnail floated around her. “What are you?” The little ball of light bobbed and floated away over toward Brennan. “No… No! Leave him alone!” Her shout woke up the rest of the group, all of them on guard at the sound of her raised voice.

“Mira, what’s wrong?” Garrick grabbed her shoulders and tried to make her look at him.

But she wouldn’t budge, “Get away from him! Don’t let it touch him!” She scrambled out of bed, her weak legs giving out the moment they touched the floor.

“Mira, what are you talking about? What do you see?” Garrick caught her before she hit the ground.

“The light, it’s-“ She watched as the tiny orb gently bumped Brennan’s back then vanished.

The reaction was immediate:

Brennan’s body sitting up and gasping for air.

He was awake.

Chapter Text

“Brennan!” Naolin gently grabbed his shoulders and held him upright as he threw up a thick black sludge onto the sheets beneath him. Violet got up and grabbed the nearest trash can, holding it under Brennan as he continued to vomit.

“Is he okay?” Mira asked weakly, trying to walk over to him on shaky legs with Garrick’s arm around her for support. “Bren?”

His body stilled, a thin strand of black tinted spit dangling from his lips into the trashcan below. He squeezed his eyes shut, his face screwing up in pain “AHHHHHHH!” He screamed, his fists clutching the sheets as it all hit him at once.

They didn’t need to ask what was wrong, he had been stabbed and poisoned, his poor body had been through so much in such a short time that it was no wonder he was screaming. “What do you need? What can we do?” Naolin brushed his fingers through his hair, grunting when Brennan let his body collapse against his. It didn’t even take Naolin a moment to comprehend, he just knew that Brennan needed him, needed his arms wrapped tight around him. “I got you…. I got you.” He whispered over and over, holding him tight and rocking him gently.

After a moment, Brennan opened his eyes “What… What happened?” The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, his skin deathly pale. He looked like he had gone ten rounds with death, lost every one and somehow managed to survive.

“What do you remember?” Violet asked, knowing it would be easier to know where to begin if they knew what all he could recall.

Scrunching his face up, Brennan brought a hand to his forehead like remembering gave him a headache. “Hey, don’t push yourself.” Naolin held his hand out, nodding his thanks when Xaden brought him an ice pack.

Brennan sighed as the ice touched his skin, “Cordyn? We went there, right?” He opened his eyes and looked up at Naolin for verification.

“We did.” The venin nodded, “Do you remember anything else? If not, that’s fine.” He wouldn’t push him, the memories would come back eventually and if they didn’t… Well who really wanted to remember being stabbed anyway?

“I… I checked on my patients and one of the other ones, one who wasn’t mine… he had a seizure?” He looked up at Naolin to make sure he was remembering correctly.

“That’s right.” Naolin nodded, still running his hands soothingly through Brennan’s hair.

“But it wasn’t because he was sick… His energy levels were dangerously low.” His eyes widened as it all came back to him. “They were venin, all of them! Vi! We need to isolate Syrena and her guards, it’s not the real Syrena!” He shot up, wincing as the motion pulled on his wound.

Garrick raised his hand, “We already took care of Syrena. Mira noticed that it wasn’t her and we knocked her out. Imogen put her down where we originally kept Naolin.”

Imogen smirked, “I dosed the bitch with the bond blocker and put that useful little cuff Liam brought home on her dainty little wrist. She’s not getting out.”

Around the room, everyone gave her nods of encouragement accompanied by words like, “Good job,” or “Nicely done.”

Brennan closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What about the boy?” Those few moments before Liam had gotten them out of there had been pure chaos and he didn’t remember much after he had been stabbed.

“He’s here, we brought him with us.” Naolin stepped aside so he could see the boy who had yet to wake up.

“Are we sure he’s not venin?” Sloane watched the boy with a wary eye. They had all been fooled by Syrena, who was to say that this boy wasn’t another spy planted in their midst?

Both Naolin and Brennan shook their heads. “He was drained, you can’t fake that.” Both of them had seen him, had watched him have a seizure as his body started to become unable to support itself due to the immense strain the venin draining him had taken on the poor boy.

“What I don’t get is how Mira knew that she was a venin.” Imogen looked at the Sorrengail who was still leaning against Garrick. “She fooled all of us.”

Mira shook her head, “I can’t explain. It’s like… You know when you see light on a piece of glass and for a moment it reflects something other than what’s there? It’s kind of like that. It was just a flash but I saw the veins and the eyes and I knew.” Sensing that she was getting tired, Garrick handed her to Violet so he could pull up a chair next to Brennan’s bedside guiding her to sit down.

Reaching up, she grabbed his hand and smiled at him. “Thank you.”

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you seeing what she truly was, we would have gone to the wrong place and who knows what would have happened.” He squeezed her hand three times, their code for when other people were there and they needed to say I love you.

Violet looked between them and Imogen, “You didn’t mention her guards? Were they with her, did you get them too?”

They shook their heads, “No. We were more concerned about getting Mira help.”

“Fuck, either they’re still here or they’ve escaped.” Sloane stood up, “I’ll go see if I can find them.” But Violet grabbed her arm before she could leave the room.

“No, you stay here with Liam. I’ll go.” The blonde looked ready to argue but gave up when Xaden stepped up next to Violet.

“I’ll go too. Bodhi?”

His cousin nodded, “Yeah, me too.”

“We’ll go search for them and report back.” The three headed toward the door.

“Hey, wait! Why you three?” Garrick called, standing up and wondering why he wasn’t in the group to search.

Xaden looked at both Violet and Bodhi then back at the others, “If any of you were to go right now, your thoughts wouldn’t be on the task at hand, it would be here with the people you love. And I’m not saying that we don’t love them too, but…”

“No, we get it. You’re right, we’d be distracted but… won’t Violet be distracted too?” He looked at her, seeing the fury in her eyes.

She shook her head, “I’m pissed. I kind of hope that I find one of them so I have something to punch.”

Xaden pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her temple, “Now you see why I call her Violence.” He chuckled when she tried to push him away. “If you want to come, you can, I just figured you’d rather stay here.” His eyes went to Mira who was holding Garrick’s hand, blushing when she realized it and pushing him away.

Violet had to hide her smile behind her hand, thinking it was sweet to see her normally serious sister being so sweet.

Garrick grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles, “I’ll go too. The more people we have looking the better our odds are of finding where they went.”

Brennan pushed on Naolin’s arm, “You go too. If they really are venin, you can find them.”

Naolin wanted to protest but he knew Brennan was right. “Okay. But if you need me…” He paused realizing there wasn’t an immediate way for them to get in contact with one another.

“I’ll send someone to find you. Hell, I’ll have Liam hang out the window and scream your name.”

Liam raised an eyebrow but shrugged, “Sure, I’ll do that.”

Sloane rolled her eyes and slugged him on the shoulder. “No you won’t, knowing your luck you’d fall out of the window.” He pretended to flinch, holding onto his arm like it really hurt. “Don’t fake it, you big baby.”

“Can you take Sloane too? She’s hurting me.” He whined making the rest of them laugh.

“That’s exactly why she’s staying here. We need to make sure you’re all protected. Imogen, Sloane you two are in charge.” Xaden nodded at the two women who nodded back, both ready to defend their friends. “Alright, we’ll be back as soon as we can.”

The search group headed toward the door, their expressions hardening as they put on their mental armor. “I’ll check their rooms.” Garrick headed toward the wing where Syrena and her guards had been staying.

“I’ll check the council chambers and the library.” Bodhi disappeared down the stairs toward the places where the guards would usually lurk while they were off duty.

“I’ll check the grounds, see if anyone has seen them.” Xaden headed to the flight field knowing that it was the only way they could have exited and if they had tried to escape one of the practicing squads had to have seen them.

“Can you sense anything?” Violet was almost afraid to ask, knowing that Naolin hated using his bond with the venin. But desperate times called for desperate measures and he was more than willing. The magic covering his body faded away leaving his venin appearance in full view, something that only happened when he used his venin powers.

He tilted his head, feeling for any hint that they could be nearby. After a moment he shook his head, “No. I can’t sense them. I think they’ve found a way to block me.” Opening his eyes he looked at her, “They had to have. I can’t even sense the one who is posing as Syrena.”

“What do you say we go talk to her? See what she has to say?”

The smile that spread across his face was nothing short of eerie, his venin features making the expression almost sinister. “Let’s go.”

She wished she could still distance wield, that she could cross the fortress with little more than a thought because with every step her anger grew. This parasite had been living in their home, eating their food, spying on them. How had she managed it? There had been things that only Syrena would have known but she had known them.

By the time they were walking down the tunnel into the cave like room she was fuming, the only thing keeping her in check was the fact that they needed information and they wouldn’t be able to get it if she killed the venin the moment she set eyes on her.

The door slammed against the wall, Violet’s rough shove making it fly inward with a loud clang that echoed around the chamber. “Rise and shine.”

The venin was leaning against the wall, her hands behind her head like she was relaxing instead of being held captive. “I was wondering when you would get to me. How’s your sister? She didn’t look too well the last I saw her.”

Violet knew the words were meant to anger her, knew that the venin was trying to make her make a mistake. Naolin made to step forward but Violet grabbed his wrist, praying that he would follow her lead. “She’s dead.” Letting go of Naolin, she stepped forward, “Tell me how you think that bodes for you? If Garrick hadn’t taken her to their room, she may have made it but because of you she’s gone.” Drawing her blade she stuck it under the venin’s chin, the tip digging in enough to draw blood. “How do you think that makes me feel?”

Contrary to what Violet had been expecting, the venin began to laugh. “Do you really expect me to believe this little act of yours? The badass role isn’t one you were born to play, Violet. Admit it, you’re soft and weak and soon you’ll join your sister in the afterlife.” Her laughter rang through the room but came to a halt when Violet shrugged and pulled back her knife, stabbing it into the venin’s shoulder.

“How’s that for soft?” Both the venin and Naolin looked at her with their mouths agape, neither one able to believe that she had actually stabbed her. “I can do it again if you need another demonstration.” Her voice was innocent, like she was genuinely offering to do it again.

Finally, after a moment of processing, the venin erupted, “You stabbed me you bitch!”

Violet pulled out the blade and wiped it on the venin’s shirt, enjoying the fact that due to the restraints she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. “Quit whining, this can’t be the first time you’ve been stabbed.” She rolled her eyes. “Now, how did you infiltrate us and where is Syrena?”

“Like I would tell you, you dumb- AHHHHH!” She screamed as Violet stabbed her again this time in the other shoulder, making sure to twist the blade a bit before pulling it back out.

“Oops. I slipped.” She laughed. “You better start talking before I have another accident.” Naolin watched as the woman he thought he knew began to pace in front of the venin, the knife clutched tightly in her delicate hand. But he knew by the way her hand gripped the blade that this was taking its toll on her, playing the role of the villain, torturing someone for information.

“I won’t say a word.” The venin spit, narrowly missing Violet.

“Vi… Let me.” He put his hand on her arm and gently pushed her aside.

For a moment it looked like she would protest but his slight squeeze on her arm had her nodding and stepping aside so he could confront the venin head on.

It was strange, witnessing the two venin stare each other down, the female chained up and unable to move more than a few inches. “Either you can talk or I can make you talk.” He ran his finger down the side of her face, and though it looked like a caress everyone present knew it was a promise of what was to come and the pain that she would endure should she not confess what they wanted to know.

“I won’t say a fucking word!” She growled, biting at his finger.

“Then I guess I’ll have to make you.” He grabbed the side of her head, his fingers digging into her scalp as he opened the venin bond and looked for the connection to her.

Again she began to laugh, “You’re such a fucking moron! You can’t read me, you can’t even use the bond to get to me!” Every word was tinged with maniacal glee. “Your friends gave me the blocker, they strapped this cuff on me. No matter how hard you try, you can’t break me.”

Naolin pulled back and looked at Violet who, though she tried to hide it, was tense at the revelation. Both of them knew it was true, Imogen had mentioned it earlier but it must have slipped their minds. Fuck. They wouldn’t be able to get into the venin’s mind.

“We have the antidote and we can remove the cuff.” She offered, not entirely sure that it was a good idea but unable to come up with any other options.

He shook his head, “No. She’ll break. Give it a few hours and she’ll be starving for energy.”

A thoughtful look came over Violet’s face, “How has she been getting energy?” After the months of knowing Naolin, she knew that the urge to draw energy was equivalent to a drug addiction, the need so overwhelming that it was hard to deny. Either this woman was so high ranked that she was able to resist the pull or she was drawing from somewhere.

Naolin narrowed his eyes, “She’s been drawing from somewhere, she would have to have been in order to keep up the disguise.” He stepped closer to her, “So where?”

Rolling her eyes she looked at him like he was beneath her, “You really think I’ll tell you? How dumb are you?”

“Says the woman who is currently chained up and powerless. Tell me again how well this is going for you?” He kicked at the chains holding her, making them clink.

Her eyes narrowed into a glare, her lips tightening like she was fighting not to say something. “Oh… Look Vi, that got to her.” He laughed, looking over his shoulder at Violet. “What’s wrong? Never been held captive before? Or are you starting to crave energy? Feel it, little bugs under and all over your skin. It’ll be hot then cold then hot again, your body’s temperature unable to regulate itself. Oh, or is it the nausea?” He got right in her face, smiling when her face twitched. “Yeah… You’re starting to feel it.” Turning he grabbed Violet’s wrist and began to walk toward the door, “Come on Vi. We’ll come back later, maybe a little hunger will make her more cooperative.”

Putting on a united front, she sped up so they were walking side by side out of the room and down the hallway. “Do you think she’ll really cave?” She asked when she was certain they were out of her hearing.

“I don’t know, I’m hoping yes. But you were right, she has to be drawing from somewhere. We need to check her room.” They turned toward the wing where the flyers had been housed.

“Do you think they’ve found her guards yet?” She wondered aloud, looking out the windows they passed to see if she could see anything.

He shrugged, “I think we would know if they did, I don’t think they would go down without a fight.”

“I don’t know, she did.” In fact it had seemed that she had been taken down pretty easily compared to other venin that they had faced in the past.

“Yeah, but she also didn’t expect your sister to tackle her.”

“True.” Violet laughed, “Leave it to Mira to kick ass even when she feels like she’s dying.”

“You Sorrengails are all the same, tough as nails and relentless.”

She elbowed his side, “Hey! I’m a Riorson now.”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, laughing at the expression on her face. “You may be a Riorson now but you will always be a Sorrengail at heart. Your parents may have failed you but the bonds you share with Mira and Brennan will last forever.”

Violet heaved a very overexaggerated sigh, wrapping her arm around his waist, “Why must you be so wise?”

Naolin looked down into her hazel eyes, stopping their progress and just looking at her. “This greatness, this wisdom, was thrust upon me.” She tilted her head not sure what he was implying. “Your brother’s a dumbass. I had no choice but to be wise.”

Unable to stop it, Violet laughed so hard she snorted. “Oh my gods…. One day you are going to have to tell me the origin of that nickname.” She wiped at her eyes when they began to tear.

Using his hand, he gently pressed on her back, urging her to continue walking. “Does it really need explaining? I love the man but he has made some pretty bad decisions.”

After thinking it over, Violet found she had to agree. Brennan was a very smart man, academically, but when it came to interpersonal relationships he was a little… lacking. Sure he could command a room and as Brennan Aisereigh he had commanded respect but once that layer of formality was gone so was the ability he had to separate himself from his emotions hence the bad decisions. Even though she knew he would deny it until his dying day and beyond, Violet knew her brother was, deep deep deep down, driven by emotion. “Okay, you’re right.”

They reached the door to Syrena’s room and opened it without bothering to knock since, theoretically, no one should be inside.

It was completely spotless, all of the clothes still hung with care in the armoire or folded in the drawers. Her boots here lined up by the door, like at any moment she could come back and put them on to go out and fly with her gryphon.

Wait…

“Naolin, how did she get the gryphon to work with her?” Violet asked once it occurred to her.

His shoulders tensed, “I… I don’t know. Technically it should have been able to sense that it wasn’t Syrena and refused to work with her. But we all saw them fly in…”

Violet continued to look around the room, pulling a little book out of the nightstand. “What’s that?”

Her eyes scanned the pages, trying to make sense of what she was reading. “I think it’s a journal of what she’s learned while she’s been here but it’s hard to read.”

“Hard to read? For you? What is it written in code?”

She held out the book for him to examine, “I think it is. Do you recognize it?”

He read through it twice, “If this is a venin code, it was only taught to the higher ranking venin. I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

Taking it back she set it on the table to take with them when they leave. “I don’t see anything other than that book that would even hint that this woman isn’t Syrena. Whoever she is, she’s good.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, how good is she? Is she really trapped by the cuff and the bond blocker or can she break free? I mean, she was able to hide how she looked for weeks so she must be powerful.”

Their eyes took in everything but there wasn’t a single spot in the room where she could have drawn energy from the earth. “She definitely didn’t get her power from here.” Violet got up and began to sort through the armoire, “All the siphons I gave you are locked up, right?” Over her shoulder her eyes found his.

“I swear, they’re all accounted for and locked up in my room.” She nodded and continued to look but still there was nothing. “Maybe we should check the guards’ room?” The shared a look and nodded, going into the hallway and pausing.

“Should we stay together or break apart?” The guards’ rooms had been on either side of Syrena’s making sure that she was protected at all times.

“Do you really think they’re still in there or have they cut their losses and run back to the Barrens?” Naolin looked at the closed door in front of him, knowing that he would have run the moment he knew that something was wrong. But then again, that was him and he had never held any love for any of the venin, only cold hard hatred.

“We split up and if we run into trouble, yell?” She asked reaching for the door knob.

He nodded and on the count of three both of them opened their respective doors and looked inside. “Mine’s empty.”

“Ahhhh!” Naolin yelled making Violet come running into the room. She slid to a stop when she saw Naolin with his blade drawn staring at Garrick who was laughing his ass off. “You fucking dumbass I could have killed you!” Naolin angrily put his blade away.

“I didn’t do anything! You’re the one who screamed like a girl when you saw me. I told you I was coming here, you should not have been surprised.” Violet shook her head and left the two to argue, going inside the other room and rummaging around but again finding nothing that would help or even hint at what all the venin had been up to while they were running loose in Aretia.

“Fuck.” Since the venin wasn’t there for him to pummel and hitting allies was frowned upon, Naolin took his frustration out on the nearest pillow grabbing it and shaking it as his hands squeezed it like he was strangling it.

“What did the pillow ever do to you?” Violet asked from the door, watching him with amusement. Garrick stepped out of the attached bathroom to see what was going on.

Naolin motioned for them to come closer, “What?” She asked looking at him curiously. “Did you find something?”

He took her hand and put it on the pillow, “Feel how soft this pillow is! How come they get the good stuff and we get the hard pillows?” It was hard fighting the urge to roll her eyes, but somehow, she managed.

“My pillows are this soft.” She looked up, pulling her hand away.

“What? Then how come Brennan and I get pillows that feel like rocks?” They turned to leave the room, walking side by side down the hallway with Garrick following close behind them.

“Oh. Didn’t you know? Brennan likes hard pillows, I’ll bet he requested them.” It was weird but he had been that way since they were kids, always preferring his pillows to be hard rather than soft.

Naolin shook his head like he was disappointed, “I told you, Vi, he’s a dumbass.”

She laughed, looking over at him and shaking her head, “I’ll make sure to get some of the good pillows delivered to your room ASAP.”

“Thanks princess.” He pulled her in and ruffled her hair, “By the way, where are we going?”

By now they had descended a few flights of stairs and were getting closer to the ground level with every step. “I think we were onto something with the gryphons. You’re right, no gryphon would let someone who wasn’t their flyer touch them. We need to find out what’s going on. I think if we can unravel that mystery, it might help us to understand the rest.”

Naolin opened the door and looked both ways outside before exiting first followed closely by Violet then Garrick. “Where have they been staying?” It had never occurred to him to ask, he knew that the dragons would go to the nesting grounds when they weren’t needed but this was their home.

“When the flyers were here for training we had some of the stables converted to be able house the gryphons. That’s where they should be unless the guards took them and left.” Garrick explained leading him toward the building on the other side of the fortress where the infantry horses and the gryphons were kept.

“No one’s seen them.” Xaden’s voice came from above making Violet smile as she looked up and saw him walking along the ramparts. Her heart leapt into her throat when he jumped down and landed a few feet from her, looking like it had been a small step rather than a fifteen foot drop. “They’re either on foot or still here somewhere.”

Like magnets their hands came together, their fingers intertwined and swinging between them as they walked. “They weren’t in their rooms and the only thing we found was what might be the venin’s journal.” As they walked their eyes scanned the area for anything that could be amiss. When they would pass a person, they would ask if they had seen the Poromish guards but so far everyone had said no.

Ahead of them the stables loomed, the doors open and people going in and out as they went about their duties for the day.

“Fredrik.” Xaden called out when he saw the stable manager.

The man who responded was on the smaller side, not bulky like the riders or lean like the venin, he was a mix of both. A firm yet soft body dusted with auburn hair. “Yes, sir?” He jogged up to them, wondering what the King was doing all the way out here.

“Are the gryphons still in the stables?”

Fredrik nodded, “Yes sir. They just got back from hunting a few minutes ago, they’re… well, sir, there’s an elderly woman who lives nearby and I think they are eating her dog.” He ran a hand through his auburn hair pushing it back from his face. “This has been a frequent occurrence, the gryphons hunting the pets of anyone who lives nearby.”

Xaden’s face took on a serious calm, “Why was I not informed about this? I would have made sure that it was taken care of.”

“I thought you knew! I spoke to the Poromish representative Miss Cordella and she said she would inform you.” Fredrik quickly adjusted his tone to be softer when he remembered he was talking to the King. “Sorry, sir.”

“From now on, bring problems directly to one of the council or us. We’ll handle it.” He started making a mental list of what they could do to appease the people who had been affected by the actions of the gryphons.

“Thank you, sir.” Fredrik bowed.

“Thank you.” He nodded and Fredrik went back to what he had been doing before Xaden had called him over.

Once they were sure Fredrik wouldn’t over hear, Garrick, Naolin, and Violet stepped closer. “That’s not normal, gryphons would never hunt someone’s pet. I asked Syrena once and she said that they preferred bigger game like deer or sheep.” Violet whispered low enough only they could hear, not trusting that someone wasn’t listening.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Naolin looked back and forth between them.

“Those aren’t gryphons…” Xaden looked back at the stables wondering what the hell they were housing.

“Then what…?” Garrick started but stopped when Violet put a hand on their arms. “What?”

“Do you smell that?” Her nose twitched with the acrid scent slowly overwhelming the air.

“Smoke.” The four of them turned back to the stables seeing a thick cloud of black smoke billowing from the open door.

They began to run but fell to the ground when the roof of the stables exploded, three large bodies breaking through the wood and flying into the sky, red flames pouring form their mouths and setting everything around them ablaze.

“What the fuck-“

Xaden’s face drained of color when he got a clearer view of them, “They were wyvern…”

Chapter Text

Tairn! Wyvern at the fortress, I need you! Violet yelled down the bond, rolling out of the way of the flames the wyvern unleashed at the spot where she had just been. The heat was indescribable, hotter than anything she had ever felt before.

On my way Silver One!

“Violence!” Xaden yelled from the other side of the path, looking up to make sure she was okay.

“I’m fine!” She scrambled to her feet and ran for cover, “Garrick? Naolin?” Her eyes quickly ran over the area but she couldn’t see them. Something grabbed her arm jerking her against the wall, a hand covering her mouth to keep her from screaming.

“Shh!” Naolin and Garrick suddenly appeared in front of her, “Garrick is using his signet to hide us.” The Naolin whispered into her ear, so soft that the wyvern wouldn’t be able to detect it. Violet nodded, she had forgotten about Garrick’s ability to bend light and hide things.

Across the way Xaden was looking right where she had disappeared, like he knew what was going on and knowing him he probably did. Her suspicion was confirmed when a shadowy tendril crept from the ground and wound around her ankle like a gentle caress. Are you okay? He asked her, his eyes somehow finding hers even though he couldn’t see her.

Yes. Get over here with us.

No. I’m going to draw their fire, you focus on figuring out how to down them until our dragons get here. She made to protest but he was up and running, the wyvern flying after him and destroying everything in their wake.

“Wait… The… If the wyvern are here, then where are the guards?” Violet looked around, her gaze landing on the still burning stables that the attendants were trying to put out. Surely they weren’t inside but then again… “Naolin, can wyvern fire kill a venin?”

He made a face as he thought for a moment, ultimately shaking his head “No. It can’t.”

“So they’re probably still in there, hiding out until it’s clear.” She glared at the stables.

Naolin stood, “There’s one way to find out.” He pulled his sword from its sheath and began to step forward but stopped when he realized that Violet had stood too. “You’re not going in with me, the fire would burn you alive.”

“I know that. I’m going to help Xaden.” It was amazing watching him dodge the flames all the while taunting the wyvern to keep them interested in the chase. “Be careful.” She squeezed his upper arm and stepped out of the safety of Garrick’s signet, lightning crackling at her fingertips as she went to help her husband.

“And you?” Naolin looked at Garrick, not trusting that he wouldn’t do something stupid like try to come along.

He held up his hands in surrender, “Hey, I’m just back up. Actually… I have an idea.” Garrick got up and began to run back toward the fortress.

Nodding, Naolin turned and began to walk toward the stables keeping an eye out for anything suspicious and using the bond to try to feel for the other venin. He couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t feel them, he should have known what they were from the beginning. How had they managed to trick him, to trick all of them, for so long? Was it a rune? A power he didn’t know of? Was it a benefit of being a high ranked venin? Was it magic? There were so many different possibilities and the longer he spent with Violet the more convinced he was that anything was possible. She had taught him that the only limits were the limits you placed on yourself, that anything was possible if you were at the end of your rope.

The door to the stables was shattered, the broken pieces swinging back and forth when he got to them, peering inside to see what he was walking into. Toward the back there were dozens of bales of hay, the stacks smoldering as they were slowly consumed by the inferno. Flames licked up the wooden walls and across the rafters, weakening the structure. “This place is going to go soon.” Naolin murmured to himself, stepping inside with great caution. Every creak, crackle, and rustle made his head swivel in the direction it had come from. He didn’t know what all was in here or which posed the greater threat: the soon to collapse building or the venin they suspected were lurking somewhere amid the flames.

A horse screamed from his left making him jump. “Here.” He unlatched the door to the horse’s stable and stepped aside, watching as it fled the building. Hurrying along, he made sure to do the same to every enclosure giving the horses a chance to survive rather than be burned alive. He had just finished releasing the last horse when he saw it, reflected on the buckle of a harness that hung from the wall. He turned but it wasn’t fast enough, the blade catching his cheek and knocking him to the ground. He turned the fall into a roll, jumping to his feet and getting in a defensive position.

“There you are.” He smiled, blood dripping down the side of his face and onto his shirt staining the fabric crimson. “So… you going to show yourselves or are you going to keep hiding behind your little disguises?”

The two guards shared a look, their magic fading until only their venin appearances remained.

“That’s oddly compliant of you. While you’re at it would you mind surrendering and telling me your plans?” It was a long shot but it never hurt to try. Maybe these guys knew they were outnumbered and would be willing to give up to save themselves.

He got his answer when one of them lunged forward, their blades clashing while the other knelt and began to draw energy from the ground, the land turning ashen the longer he continued.

Naolin fought as hard as he could, trying to anticipate the venin’s every move but it was hard, this guy was good. Every parry, he blocked. Every thrust, he countered. But he needed to get to the other one before he drained too much. How though?

He faked a punch turning it into a kick and knocking the guy he was facing to the ground, driving his sword through his back before he could even get up. But something felt wrong, it shouldn’t have been that easy. Or had it just been dumb luck? Naolin wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that it had been sheer skill alone, not when they had been essentially even matched for most of the fight.

With a yell he charged the venin who was draining the land, leaping over the graying dirt and slicing his sword at his neck.

But like the other one, he was fast and jumped back breaking his connection to the ground which was exactly what Naolin had wanted. “Are they yours? The wyvern? How many of you are here? How many venin have you snuck in under our noses?” He growled as they began to circle each other.

The venin laughed, “More than you can imagine.” His eyes glowed in the fire light, reflecting the flames that burned so bright, so hot, that sweat was breaking out over his skin. A chill broke out over Naolin’s skin and he broke eye contact to look around watching as more venin came out of the flames until he was surrounded.

“Fuck.” He muttered a quick prayer to any god who would listen and roared as he charged.

~

Where do you want me? Violet asked as she drew closer to where Xaden was taunting the wyvern with his shadows.

That’s a very dangerous question, Violence. His voice was breathy, clear evidence of how hard he had been running and dodging to keep the wyvern interested in him and not the staff who were running for cover.

Violet laughed despite the seriousness of the situation, leave it to Xaden to make something naughty out of an innocent question when they were in the middle of a fight. But it just showed how confident he was that they would come through this with little to no injuries. If he had been worried, he wouldn’t be imagining the different places he wanted her and taunting her with little flashes of the thoughts going through his head. Seriously, make some space so I can get a clean shot.

Xaden ran up the stairs that would take him up onto the ramparts, waiting until the wyvern flew after him to jump, NOW!

Taking aim, Violet unleashed a power strike, hitting one of the wyvern, it’s body crashing into the stone wall hard enough that it made a dent. Great aim, Violence. She could feel his smile through the bond, his pride at how much she had grown since her signet had first manifested.

One to go. Xaden ran toward her, the other wyvern still chasing him.

Ready?

She nodded, Ready. Calling on the power and letting it build Violet waited. Too soon and she risked hitting Xaden, too late and the wyvern would be on her. It needed to be perfect. As he ran at her, Violet could see the absolute trust that Xaden had in her, the faith it took for him to put himself in the line of fire and know that she wouldn’t hit him.

Unleashing the power it aimed true, the bolt shooting down from the sky and onto the wyvern. The effect was immediate, the life leaving its eyes and its body crashing to the ground sliding to a stop just feet from where she and Xaden now stood.

“Have I ever told you that you’re perfect?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Laughing she turned her head and caught his lips, kissing him softly. “Why, King Riorson, you’re out of breath, you’re not out of shape are you?” She teased, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow.

He grinned, “No, just used to a different kind of cardio.” He playfully smacked her ass and let go of her to walk over to the wyvern’s corpse. “How did they get them in here and keep them disguised? The wards should have prevented them from entering.” Kneeling down he began to inspect the body looking for any clues that would help them figure it all out.

“Do you see any runes?” Violet joined him, making a face as her hands ran over the cold and clammy scales. The wyvern itself wasn’t very large, about the size of a gryphon. “Do you think it’s young or that it was made small?” She looked up, “Are wyvern born or made and if they are made how are they made?”

Xaden shrugged, “That’s a question we’ll have to ask Naolin or the venin pretending to be Syrena.”

Violet froze, “Naolin…” She got up and started running toward the stables, Xaden up and running right behind her. “He went to look for the venin, he should have been out by now.” She explained as they ran.

A roar from behind them made Xaden stop, “What the fuck… It should be dead.” He whispered as he watched the wyvern lift its head. “Keep going, I’ll handle this.” Violet nodded and ran into the burning stables, not even hesitating when she saw the fire engulfing the majority of the structure.

“Naolin!” She yelled when she saw him in the middle of the room, fighting off six venin at once. Without hesitating she jumped in, taking out two with the element of surprise as she stabbed them in the backs with the special daggers meant to destroy them.

Two of the venin broke off from Naolin and went after her, “Thanks Vi.” Now that there were only two venin attacking him instead of six, he was able to breathe.

“You good?” She asked, keeping her eyes on the venin.

“I’ve been better. Could really use a hot bath.” His skin was sweat soaked and coated in a thin layer of ash.

“Consider it done.” She lunged making the venin step back, her plan working as it tripped over the pitchfork that had been just laying there, probably from when the workers had dropped everything and fled when the attack had started. Throwing one of her daggers, she said a quiet “Yes!” when the venin began to disintegrate.

“They wyvern?” He asked, throwing a dagger that the venin simply leaned to the left and dodged. Too bad he didn’t see the sword following the dagger, slicing his head clean from his shoulders.

Violet took a moment to spare a glance for him, regretting it when the venin took advantage and rushed her, pinning her against the burning wall. “Ah!” The flames licked against her exposed skin making her cry out in pain. The venin pulled back and punched forward, Violet’s head bouncing off of the wooden wall with a sickening thud.

“Vi!” Naolin spun, slicing out with his blade and hitting his venin in the leg, knocking him to the ground. He pat his leathers for a dagger but he was out, the blades scattered around the floor from the fight. Using his sword he chopped off the head of the venin he had been facing and prayed to the gods that Violet was wearing her armored corset. Pulling his arm back he flung the sword forward, the blade hitting true in the dead center of the venin’s back going clear through and emerging on the other side. His eyes rolled back and he fell, revealing Violet’s stunned expression. “Hey princess.” He breathed, “I didn’t get you, did I?”

She shook her head, “No. I was wearing my armor. I’m fine.” But it was a lie, the motion of moving her head making her dizzy.

“Liar.” Naolin quickly stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, “You’re concussed.” Bending back, he looked at her back that had been burned, the skin red and blistered. Thankfully, her leathers protected most of her body and only the visible bits of skin were burned. “That’s going to hurt.”

Snorting, Violet looked up at him, “It already does but I’ll be fine.” Slowly, they began to walk toward the door.

“Since you’re here I take it you managed to kill the wyvern?” He asked, their pace slow.

“No, we thought we did but one of them came back to life.”

Naolin stopped and looked at her, “It came back to life?”

“Yeah. I hit it with a bolt of lightning and we were looking it over then all of a sudden it was alive again.”

“That shouldn’t be possible.” He murmured, starting to walk again as he tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.

All around them the stables creaked as the fire raged on.

“Wait…” Violet paused when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. “What’s…?” She blinked over and over to make sure the image was real.

“Vi, we need to go.” Naolin pulled on her arm but she resisted.

“No, Naolin… I think there’s a kid in here…” He tried pulling her toward the exit but she resisted.

“Vi!” Naolin screamed when he heard the crack, throwing her to the ground and covering her body with his as the ceiling began to cave in.

~

Xaden watched as the wyvern shook its head and slowly stood back up swaying as if it was dizzy. “How the fuck is this happening?” He drew his sword and called his shadows.

As if it heard him, the wyvern’s head swung in his direction its eyes narrowing as they locked onto him. “Come on then.” He growled, bending his knees and getting his sword ready to strike.

With an ear splitting screech the wyvern launched itself into the air at him, flying faster than should have been possible.

Xaden’s hands squeezed the pommel of his sword, doing the mental calculations of when would be the best time to strike. He waited.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Ten feet.

A gust of wind from behind knocked Xaden forward and when he looked up a small green dragon was on the wyvern, ripping it to shreds. He looked back, smiling when he saw Garrick and an entire riot of dragons and riders. “We thought you could use some help.” His best friend smiled and walked forward, offering his hand to help him up.

“Thanks.”

Garrick shrugged, “The cadets could use some real life experience.”

Xaden nodded, “Remind me to thank who ever is riding the green one.”

“That’s Nerik. A little smart assy but otherwise a good rider.”

Xaden laughed, “So basically a younger version of you?”

Garrick slapped him on the back, “Pretty much.” He looked around, “Where’s Vi and Naolin.”

“Still in the stables, we should probably…” The loud crack echoed through the air, the rafters of the stables collapsing in on themselves.

“Violet!” Xaden screamed starting to run forward but once again a gust of wind knocked him on his ass, a large black blur breaking through the burning wood and pulling something from the fire.

I had thought your sense of self preservation had improved, Silver One. Apparently, I was wrong. Tairn lovingly growled as he landed, setting her an Naolin on their feet near Xaden.

Fuck, Violence. Xaden ran forward and pulled her into a hug, stepping back when he heard her hiss of pain. What’s wrong? He moved so he could see her back, wincing at the sight of the burnt skin.

I’ll be fine. Once he’s better, Brennan can mend me. She looked up at her dragon, Thanks for the rescue, Tairn.

Don’t mention it. I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.

It’s alright. I understand.

You shouldn’t have to understand, I should have been here with you.

You can’t be with me all the time, you deserve to have a life too.

Tairn leaned down so the tip of his snout was touching her belly, his eyes crossing so he could look at her. Without you there is no life, Silver One. She leaned her head against his, closing her eyes.

I love you, Tairn.

And I you, Silver One. Tairn waited a moment before speaking again, Tell the betrayer that I am glad he is not dead.

It was hard so Violet didn’t even try to hide the smile that broke out on her face. Why don’t you tell him yourself? Tairn huffed and stood to his full height, his eyes narrowing as he looked at something far off in the sky. Tairn, what?

~

Waiting was awful. There was no sugar coating it, not making it any more palatable than what it was. Waiting sucked and there was no way to make it better. Sloane paced across the room, Imogen watching her with an irritated glare. “You know all you are doing is pissing me off.”

“Our friends are out there and we don’t know what is going on. I can’t just sit still.” Sloane shot back.

“Yeah well your pacing is getting on my nerves. Sit down.” She commanded, expecting the younger Mairi to obey.

Sloane narrowed her eyes, “No, I-“

“Ladies. With all due respect, shut it. My head is aching and my boyfriend is somewhere out there doing who knows what.” Brennan groaned from his bed, trying to sit up.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Imogen went over to him and held him down, refusing to let him sit up and aggravate his wounds.

He jerked his arm out of her grip, “I want to sit up so I’m sitting up.” He tried again, gritting his teeth to keep himself from screaming at the pain.

“All you fucking Sorrengails are the same.” Imogen rolled her eyes and stopped trying to stop him, figuring if he wanted to cause himself pain by sitting up then who was she to stop him.

“And yet you love one. More than one if we’re being honest.” His words made her glare at him. “Deny it, I dare you. Tell me you don’t love Mira or Violet.”

“I…”

“You love Mira and it might not be the same type of love but you love Violet too.” He challenged, grinning when she opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out because she knew that he was right.

Grunting, Brennan reached around and began to feel the skin of his back. “Can one of you get me a mirror?” He asked, wanting to see the extent of his wound. “Why didn’t Vi heal me?”

Sloane brought him a little handheld mirror, holding a bigger one behind him so he could see the reflection. “Her other signet came from Andarna. Since she broke the bond, the signet is gone.”

He nodded, using the mirror to guide his hand around his back, his fingers gently tracing the lines of his wound and the little cuts Naolin had made to draw out the poison. “I have got to teach him how to make better incisions.” He muttered, closing his eyes and channeling his mending magic into the wound.

Sloane dropped the mirror and grabbed his hand pulling it away from his back, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She asked, her eyes darting between him and the shattered mirror on the floor.

“I’m mending myself.”

To her surprise Imogen came forward and stood on his other side, “No, you’re not. You were poisoned, you need to recover.”

He pulled his hand free and tried to reach behind him again, glaring when Imogen slapped his hand away. “I can recover better if I don’t have a massive stab wound in my back.”

“Listen, Vi and Liam are drained and can barely wield without exhausting themselves. We depend on their signets and yours too much for all three of you to be down at the same time.”

“He has a point.” Mira spoke up from where she had been napping in the chair beside his bed. “What if we need a mender and he’s here still down because of his wound? If anything take some of my energy and give it to him.” She offered her arm to Sloane who held up her hands and backed away.

“No! I’m not draining you like some venin.”

“Hey, my boyfriend is a venin so watch it.” Brennan glared, “Where’s my bag?” He looked around, “There, bring it to me?” Imogen went over and picked up the brown backpack bringing it over to him.

“Why do you need it?” He took it from her and dug through the contents.

“Here.” He held up a glowing blue siphon, “Take the energy from this and put it into me.” He offered it to Sloane who stared at it warily.

“Where did it come from?” The power pulsed within the orb, she could feel it wanting to break free, trying to get back to the place, to the person it called home.

“Violet. These siphon her excess energy and she gives them to Naolin so he doesn’t have to draw energy from anyone or anything. It’s a safe way to feed his hunger.”

Her hand shook as she reached out and took the orb, “Okay.” Stepping closer she put her hand on his arm, the other clutching the little ball tight. The blue light began to fade as she withdrew the energy and funneled it all into Brennan. The color in his cheeks went from deathly pale to a healthy glow, his hands finding the wound on his back and mending it until there was nothing but smooth skin left behind.

“Thank you.” He took a deep breath, able to breathe easier without the stab wound.

“Don’t mention it.” Sloane threw him the orb, “Seriously, don’t.” Her relationship with her signet was one of love and hate. There were times like now when she was able to contribute in a meaningful way, her powers helping others to fulfill their goals and missions. But other times, like the day she had first discovered her signet, she felt like a venin sucking the very life from the people she loved. No matter how many times people tried to convince her otherwise, it was hard to get past the fact that she was like them, the only difference was her signet didn’t cost her pieces of her soul. At least not yet.

The group watched in silence, all of them aware of the silent war waging within her, wavering between self loathing and the desire to be helpful. She walked to the window, leaning on the sill and looking out at the horizon.

“Hey guys… they would have told us if they had found something, right?” She asked narrowing her eyes as she saw the approaching dragons.

Imogen came of looking out, “That’s…” A shout from below made them look down, the sight of people running and the entire cadet class taking off into the sky. “Something is happening…”

Sloane grabbed her dagger and made to run off out of the infirmary but Imogen’s grip on her arm made her stop. “I know you want to help but we have our orders. We stay here and protect them.” Even though she didn’t like it, Sloane knew that Imogen was right. They had been entrusted with keeping their injured friends safe.

“Yeah. Sorry.” She shook her head.

“No, don’t be sorry for wanting to help. You’re a good rider, Sloane. We’re lucky to have you.” The fact that the older woman was complimenting her made Sloane smile. Ever since the first time she had met Imogen, she had looked up to her. Even before that, Liam would write home about her and Sloane had always hoped that one day she would be able to befriend the woman Liam had spoken of so highly.

The women took up positions at the window, watching as the dragons drew closer and closer. “I wonder what’s happening?” She leaned out the window until Imogen grabbed her shoulder to keep her from falling out.

“See anything?”

Sloane shook her head, “No. Should we call the dragons, just in case?”

It was a good idea, “Yeah. We should all call our dragons. If they’re not in the fight they can guard the fortress.”

All of them made the call, using their bonds to ask their dragons to come. “Deigh doesn’t know what’s going on.” Liam groaned as he sat up, putting a hand to his head as the room began to spin.

“Woah, what do you think you’re doing?” Sloane rushed over to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting up.

He tried again but his energy was so low that she was easily able to keep him down. “I need to help. If anything I can use my farsight to see what’s going on.”

“No. You’re staying in bed unless absolutely necessary.” He didn’t fight as she pushed him back so he was laying down again.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Imogen raised her voice when she saw Brennan getting out of bed.

“I need to prepare the infirmary in case we have any wounded.” Ignoring her protests, he began to arrange tools on trays and straighten the beds.

She sputtered at his stubborn insistence, grabbing him and pulling him back to the bed where he had been resting. “Sit your ass down. If someone comes in, then you can get up.” When she turned her back to him she widened her eyes at Sloane, mouthing What the fuck?

Despite the severity of the situation, Sloane had to laugh. “I think we have the hard job.” She joked, praying that she was right and all the chaos outside was unrelated to the venin guards they were trying to find.

“Damn right we do.” Imogen glared at Brennan when she saw him trying to get up again while she hadn’t been looking. Heaving a sigh he lay back down, throwing his arms wide as if to say, There, are you happy now?

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, walking to the window and looking outside again. “They need to hurry up and tell us what’s going on.”

~

The sky was dark despite the fact that it was early afternoon, a shadow falling over the land as a large black cloud blocked out the sun.

“Please tell me that’s not…” Violet didn’t need to finish the sentence, they all knew what she was asking but none of them could bring themselves to lie to her. It was a sight they had seen before, all too often.

“Wyvern.” Xaden’s face settled into grim determination, Sgaeyl landing nearby.

“Dozens of them.” Garrick’s eyes widened as he watched the large swarm get closer and closer.

“They’ll be here soon, within minutes.” Naolin stepped up next to them.

Thoughts of why couldn’t they catch a break ran through their heads. Was it the gods messing with them? Was some cosmic bitch writing their story and making their lives hell for the entertainment value? Or was their luck really just this bad?

Xaden looked at one of the cadets, “Sound the alarm, tell everyone who can fight to be ready.” The cadet nodded and ran off, the alarm bells ringing out shortly after.

He turned to the rest of the cadets, “I know that you’re young and you’ve barely begun your training but you’re needed. We won’t force you to stay but we’d be grateful if you did.” Their baby faces got to him, all of them so young and green. They may have gone through Threshing and the Gauntlet but they were still in school and none of them were ready for the harsh realities of battle. He couldn’t bring himself to make them stay so he gave them the choice.

An overwhelming sense of pride filled Garrick when not a single cadet chose to leave. Xaden nodded for him to give instructions.

“Our enemy are venin, their mounts wyvern. Use your daggers or your swords. Normal fire doesn’t kill a venin or wyvern. You need to make a kill shot or you need to take out the venin controlling the wyvern. Any questions.” While he fielded the questions, Xaden and Violet walked a few steps away.

“Be safe.”

“You too.” She pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Violence, don’t forget you’re… you don’t have your other signet anymore.” It killed him to bring it up but he was worried that she was in such a habit of using it that she would get herself into a situation and try to use it but it wouldn’t be there.

“Xaden…”

“Remember your armor? When it was stolen and you were training with Imogen, she stabbed you because you were so used to the armor protecting you that you didn’t dodge?” She reluctantly nodded.

“I just worry about you.” He brushed her hair back, his fingers lingering on the singed ends.

“I know. I worry about you too.” Standing on her tiptoes she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Let’s go kick some ass. She rested her forehead against his.

He nodded, Let’s go.

Taking one more moment to just be together, they broke apart and ran to their dragons, taking off into the sky and toward the oncoming swarm.

The other riders and the cadets spread out behind them as they flew out of the city and over the fields, the dragons and wyvern clashing together in a tangle of talons and teeth

The battle had begun.

Chapter Text

No matter how many times she heard it, Violet would never get used to that first sound of battle, the initial clash between dragon and wyvern. It was horrible, a meaty thud that thundered through the sky echoing in the silence. They were everywhere, the wyvern all around them in what felt like a never ending flood. But there was one difference between these wyvern and the ones they had fought before, these ones were smaller. Was that their plan, make a bunch of small wyvern in hopes that the sheer number of them would over power the dragons? Or, if the wyvern were born and not made, were these a bunch of hatchlings feral for their first kill? Gods she had so many questions.

Tairn spiraled through the air, her saddle the only thing keeping her in place as he did what he could to draw attention to himself and her, protecting the others as much as they could. Do you see any venin? Anyone who could be controlling them? She asked, her eyes scanning the horizon as she fought to put on her goggles.

No, I don’t see any signs of life other than these pests. He used his tail to smack one out of the sky, the creature falling a short distance before it was able to right itself, shaking its head and flying right back at them with an ear splitting shriek.

They’re persistent, I’ll give them that. Violet growled as she reached deep within herself for the power that connected her to Tairn, calling down strike after strike. Are they staying dead this time? She asked hoping that, unlike the wyvern who she had hit earlier, these ones only had one life.

We’ll just have to make sure they have no choice but to stay down. Tairn tucked in his wings and dove, biting the head off of the wyvern she had just downed. Righting his flight pattern, he took off toward their next target.

In the distance she could see Xaden and Sgaeyl doing the same, cutting through the wyvern like they were mere gnats in the fading summer sky. The glare of the sun as it sunk below the horizon bathed the battlefield in a golden glow. If this went on into the night, it could get bad. They needed visibility, they needed to be able to see what they were fighting and how many.

No, this was a battle that needed to be ended quick. Keep looking, Tairn. We need to take out the venin controlling them.

On it. He inverted, diving down and striking out at anything that crossed his path. Violet kept using her signet, her strikes hitting true more than 75% of the time. Your aim has improved. It was true, compared to her first battle she was hitting targets with way more accuracy. His recognition of her improvement filled her with a sense of pride and a little relief, if he was complimenting her it meant that he wasn’t regretting choosing her. I would never regret you, Silver One. You’re the best decision I have ever made.

That’s debatable. I think Sgaeyl is the best decision that you’ve ever made, but I’m honored to be up there.

Sgaeyl wasn’t a decision, she was my fate. I chose you and I would choose you again every time.

She had to pull the goggles away from her face to allow in some fresh air, the glass fogging up from the tears building in her eyes. All of her life she had felt like an afterthought but after coming to Aretia, now she felt like she belonged and that she actually had a place meant just for her in the world. Thanks, Tairn. She adjusted her goggles, her body tensing when she saw the wyvern heading for Tairn’s exposed back. “Not on my watch.” Unfastening the straps that held her down, she got up and drew her sword.

Careful. Despite the severity of the situation, Violet had to smile. Even when he was busy fighting for their lives, he was still looking out for her.

I’ll try. Her hands crackled with energy around the pommel of her sword as she ran, jumping and swinging with every ounce of strength that she had in her tiny body. It was a direct hit but it wasn’t enough, the sword getting stuck halfway through the wyvern’s neck. Its blood covered her and even though it looked like she had bathed in it the wyvern continued on like it was unaffected. “Dammit!” She yelled, putting her foot on its chest and trying to pull her sword free.

But it wouldn’t budge, the metal buried in the wyvern’s body so tightly that there was no way she could get it out. It struck out, its claws catching her burned shoulder and ripping open the skin like it was made of Deverelli silk. She screamed, letting go of the sword and clutching her arm as it bled freely down her elbow, dripping onto Tairn’s back. She reached for one of her daggers and froze… Gone… they were all gone, used during the fight in the stables and the building had collapsed before she could collect them.

No, she couldn’t let herself get defeated. It was like Imogen always told her when they had first started training together, she was never defenseless. There was always some way she could fight back and she had more weapons at her disposal than she knew. Bigger than all the weapons she could ever hope to stuff in her armor, she had her signet. Maybe she wasn’t as strong as she used to be, her powers limited, but her lightning wielding was a game changer.

A plan began to form in her mind, her brain working overtime to make sure everything went according to plan. Sparks danced from her fingertips as she planted her feet on Tairn’s scales, launching herself forward. She needed that sword that was still stuck in the wyvern.

The creature flew up but didn’t get far.

She knew it was stupid, grabbing the wyvern’s leg like she did and holding on. Due to its size the wyvern could barely support her weight, the sudden pull dragging it back to Tairn’s body where it landed with an deafening squeal.

Calling down a strike would be too risky, Violet still wasn’t sure what would happen to Tairn if he were to be hit. On the one hand, her signet came from the power that he channeled to her so in theory it shouldn’t hurt him. On the other hand, it was pure power and there was a risk of killing him if he was hit. So she lunged forward, grabbing the hilt of the sword while avoiding the wyvern’s claws as he angrily slashed and bit at her.

The moment her hands were on the hilt, she let go of all the power she had been building, channeling it out of her hands and down the sword into the wyvern. Its mouth opened in a silent scream one second before its entire body was liquified by the surge, coating Violet in a fine mist of blood and guts.

Are you alright, Silver One? Tairn asked, flying them up above the battle so she would have a moment to recover.

Against her will her eyes slid shut, the vast amount of energy she had just expended taxing her already exhausted body. I’m fine. She forced her eyes to open, concerned when she was seeing double.

You’re not fine. He countered.

I have to be fine, there is no other option. Making her way back to the saddle, she strapped in and brought her sword onto her lap, tilting her head when she saw what was beneath the layer of blood. “Huh.” It was beautiful, there was no other way to describe it. The silver blade was streaked with blinding white veins of power that looked like lightning. “What the hell?” She asked, wondering if this was real or if she was hallucinating.

I’m taking you to the Deceiver. Tairn banked to the side and headed back toward the fortress. It always made her laugh, the various names that Tairn had for Brennan. Currently her favorite was the Venin’s Mate, uncontrollable laughter taking over her body every time she heard it. It was both adorable and true.

Violence? Xaden’s voice rang through her head, giving her a headache.

Tairn’s taking me to Brennan. I’ll be back.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I’ll be fine. Stay safe, I’ll be back soon.

Xaden watched them fly off, allowing himself a moment to make sure that they made it off the battlefield okay. “Oh hell no.” He growled when he saw a group of wyvern hot on their tail. Sgaeyl.

I see them. He had seen Sgaeyl fly fast before but that was nothing compared to the speed she was achieving now. She didn’t even bother dodging around warring bodies, just plowing through them in her effort to make it to the wyvern who was chasing Tairn.

As they flew his shadows did what they could to even the odds for his riders, doing what he could to help ensure that victory would be theirs. Now. Sgaeyl didn’t need to tell him what she meant, he just knew. He raised his hands to the sky, a thick wall of shadows stopping the wyvern from following the ones they love, the creatures smashing into the barrier.

Some of them fell with anguished cries, others managed to stop before running into the dark wall, hovering in front of it and striking out like if they hit it enough it would break. He felt every hit, the shadows like an extension of himself. He could feel the darkness wanting to dissipate but he held it together with the force of his will and the fact that he would do whatever it took and endure any type of pain if it meant Violet would be okay.

Get ‘em. He growled down the bond, sweat beading on his forehead at the sheer amount of power it took to hold the wall even as it was being attacked. Sgaeyl didn’t need to be told twice, she turned so she was flying sideways against the shadow, biting and clawing anything that didn’t move out of her way.

We’re good. Thank you. Violet’s voice came through his mind, weaker than usual.

He dropped the wall of shadows and started helping Sgaeyl, pulling the wyvern to her so she could bite clean through their necks, stabbing and slicing those who tried to attack her from behind. No one hurt his girls. No one.

Movement on the ground caught his attention, from this high it was hard to tell what it was at first but the slowly growing gray circle around it told him all he needed to know, it was a venin and they were trying to drain his country and people. We need to stop them.

He didn’t need to tell her who or what, Sgaeyl just knew. His body went weightless as she dove down, the feeling of falling making his blood sing in his veins. But he wasn’t falling, Sgaeyl would never let that happen. Be careful, we don’t know if there are others.

The land was flat and covered in tall grass, the area used as a pasture for livestock. The cows were running away from the venin, trying to escape the gray as the energy was slowly sucked out of everything surrounding it. He couldn’t see any other venin around this one but it didn’t mean that they weren’t there, they had been hiding in plain sight for who knows how long. At this point a city of them could appear and it wouldn’t surprise him.

Sgaeyl opened her mouth and unleashed her fire, the flames surrounding the venin not to kill but to obscure his vision so he didn’t see her swooping in, her maw opened wide to bite down on his abdomen.

The venin screamed, his hand planting on her snout to try to keep himself from being eaten. Sgaeyl let out a pained cry, throwing him in the air and biting hard killing him instantly when she chewed and swallowed his rancid body.

What happened? Are you okay? Xaden’s concern grew when she wiped at her mouth with her hand.

He tried to drain me. She landed and he slid to the ground, walking around so he could get a good look at her.

Let me see. She leaned down showing him her mouth, a silver handprint burned between her upper lip and nostril. Does it hurt?

It stings.