“You could have died there, and the Lord’s men are crawling all over Verdan. Do you want to end up in his fountain?”
Lexi winced at the reminder of the Lord’s bloody fountain. Cole had told her about it after he returned from delivering Varo’s and Orin’s fake bodies to Dragonia. No, she absolutely didnotwant to end up in that fountain. But still…
“We can’t leave her behind,” Lexi insisted.
She slipped from Cole’s arms to stand in front of him as she adjusted the blanket to keep herself covered. He kept his arm locked firmly around her waist.
“No one left in Verdan required our help,” Cole said. “The few remaining witches were fleeing into portals when I left. I didn’t leave Verdan without looking for Kaylia or any other survivors, but I didn’t see any.”
“They could have been hiding. They could be trapped there,” Lexi said. “The fire waseverywhere.”
“The witches can open portals, Lexi. They wouldn’t be trapped somewhere.”
“Then where is Kaylia? Why isn’t she here?”
“She’s probably helping some of the others, especially if there were a lot of wounded,” Sahira said. “They’ll need all the healers they can get.”
Lexi knew they were right, but she still couldn’t walk away from Verdan without knowing that everyone had gotten to safety. “There could be those who are too injured to open a portal.Kayliacould be too hurt to return. We can’t leave her behind without knowing for sure. I’ll never sleep again or forgive myself if we do.”
The woman shifted her daughter, pulling the child away from her chest. The woman’s tears rolled down to splash on the girl’s face.
“I’ll go to look for her,” Brokk offered.
“I’ll go with him,” Maverick said.
“So will I,” Sahira said.
“You’ll need someone to help keep you safe from the dragons,” Lexi insisted.
“Lexi,” Cole growled.
“Cole,” she grated in return. “IknowI’m important to this mission, but I’m not leaving my friend behind. And I’m not allowing them to go without my added protection.”
“We’ll be fine on our own,” Brokk said. “We’ve encountered dragons before.”
“I’m going back,” Lexi insisted.
“No, you’re not,” her father interjected. “Sometimes, being a leader means stepping back and allowing others to do what you can’t. That doesn’t make you a weak leader; it makes you stronger because it shows you realize there are some things you can’t do orshouldn’tdo. And this is one of those things.
“We will not risk losing the last living arach because it is what youwant. Your wants mean nothing compared to those of the greater good right now. Brokk and Maverick are warriors; they know how to survive and are in this war too.
“It’s time for you to learn about delegating responsibilities, even if those responsibilities get another killed. You can’t save everyone, Andi; you’ll drive yourself insane if you try, and the realms donotneed another mad ruler.”
No one spoke, and Lexi didn’t know what to say as she stared at her father, who gazed back at her with narrowed eyes. Lexi glanced from her father to Cole and back again.
Lexi bristled against their trying to put restrictions on her. She was determined to help keep those she loved and cared about safe, but glancing down her naked body to her shoeless feet, she had to admit she wasn’t in the best position to help.
She didn’t care about her nudity. There was a time the idea of standing naked in front ofanyonewould have made her blush and probably run screaming from the room, but war and near-death experiences had a way of shifting one’s perspective.
Did she like being nude in front of others? Not. At. All.
Would it stop her from saving her friend? No.
But not having a weapon and not being as prepared as she should be would slow her down and put the others at risk. They would be so worried about keeping her safe that they wouldn’t focus as much on what they were supposed to be doing in Verdan—saving others.
“Fine,” she relented. “But if you’re not back in ten minutes, we’re coming after you.”
That should give her enough time to find some clothes and a weapon.
