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"You know, I've never seen her like this," Mirrim said, brows drawn together. "She's usually too prickly to cuddle. She must really like you."
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, and removed the cloak from my shoulders, placing it gently beneath the baby dragon's head.
If I wasn't needed elsewhere, I'd stay here forever.
I inched my feet out from under Serali, and she shifted slightly with the change, tucking her wings tighter to her body. Letting out a soft hiss, she nuzzled into the fabric. My chest ached as I stepped away.
Perhaps, after this mission, I would come back.
A warm hand gripped my elbow, and I looked up to meet Jaiel's curious gaze. "You know, I could always snuggle you if you're feeling lonely, Princess —"
I elbowed him in the ribs and strode away. "Let's go see that damn incursion."
Chuckling, Jaiel followed me, Mirrim at his side.
Chapter 26
Kaiya
Afew moments later, we stepped into warm sunshine and a soft breeze. I paused to take in the tall cliffs towering above us on either side of the winding, dusty path toward town.
It was beautiful in a harsh kind of way.
Mirrim led the way down the path, past dozens of empty doorways carved into the stone. Most were boarded up, the people long gone. Even the streets were strangely empty.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
"Fixing the wall, at the council meeting, or gone." Mirrim's voice was tight, but she kept her smile in place and waved to another girl around her age carrying a bucket the same direction we were going. "As the dragon population has declined, so has ours. To make matters worse." Her lips flattened and her brows pinched at the center. "Many don't agree with our current leadership and have chosen a life outside these walls. With so few remaining, everyone must pitch in to keep things running — especially when something like a mountain wraith incursion happens."
Forsaken hells. No wonder Liam was worried. He was the head of the village, so if people were leaving because of leadership issues — that was on him.
A loud caw pulled my gaze to the left. A spindly tree grew from a crack in the rock wall. Perched atop it was a brilliant red revyn with a tall golden plume atop their head.
"There are revyns here?" I hissed.
I hadn't seen one since Eli had arrived with his familiar in Gleyma.
"There are!" Mirrim said, her face bright with a wide grin. "That one's name is Fi."
"And Riarlo?" I looked around for those familiar blue feathers, red plume, and disapproving golden eyes. "Is he here?"
"He was." Jaiel interjected, sharing an uncomfortable look with Mirrim before letting out a displeased sigh. "But he left around the same time we arrived."
I inhaled sharply. "He was that upset? I knew he didn't like me, but — "
"Not at all," Mirrim interrupted with a smile. "He was happy when you returned. At least according to Liam."
"Then why leave?"
Jaiel clicked his tongue. "It started a few months ago. Something about Riarlo changed. He'd always been so rules focused and proper, but according to Liam, he suddenly started acting erratic. He'd just disappear for days and weeks on end, and when Liam confronted him about it, he demanded help finding some girl."
"Of course Liam refused," Mirrim said, rolling her eyes. "And I think that broke them. I assume he went to find her himself."
My stomach sank. They had always bickered, but this …
"Don't bonded familiars and their humans stay together, though? There are so many stories about —" I stopped myself. In the past week, it had quickly become obvious just how few of those stories were actually true.
"You're right," Mirrim said, motioning for us to follow her down a dusty, narrow alley. "They usually do. But those two were never normal, and bonds can fray and warp over time. Riarlo washed ashore one day, badly wounded, and my brother agreed to bond him to save the poor creature? Riarlo was the only revyn we've ever met who could mind-speak, though. And once he healed, both seemed to regret the bond. It wouldn't surprise me if the bond is mostly gone by now."
