“Ah, another!” Ronan’s tone was positively gleeful as he sprang up and jogged toward us.
Nakos studied the Velli at his boots, flipping a dagger into the air with idle precision. Steel flashed, caught, flashed again.
“Now we go?” Ronan slid his blade home, gaze searching mine for confirmation.
“Under cover of darkness,” I said with a weary breath.
He was the only one I trusted with this. We had survived a similar mission in Mon, and he understood the cost of failure.
This time my life was not the only stake.
His sister’s rested beside it.
We stripped the Velli and pulled on their ragged brown clothes. The fabric stank of filth and sweat gone sour. Grit scraped my skin as if the earth itself had crept into the seams. I smeared mud along Ronan’s neck, cold and slick beneath my fingers, then used the tip of his knife to press careful pricks into his skin.
The hunters’ high collars would hide most of it, but we had to prepare for possible inspections. We had no way to perfectly mimic their mangled scars, but these shallow cuts and added grime would lend validity to the disguise.
Our two captives lacked the sharpened teeth I associated with the Velli army. But the absence did not surprise me. Reports from our battles spoke of flat-toothed Velli who usually accompanied a Cruor, more of a fuel source than warriors.
Ronan pushed my head aside, settling closer to replicate the mess on my neck. I angled my chin to give him room. He leaned in and used the tip of his knife to score shallow pricks beneath my jaw. Each careful press burned, then warmed as blood welled and slid toward the fabric. Mud streaked both our throats. He smeared more into the fresh cuts, dulling the shine of red.
It grieved me, knowing we were wearing blood-saturated clothing in addition to grinding dirt into open wounds. It was a breeding ground for infection and disease.
But I would risk everything for Nienna.
When he finished, Ronan stepped back to inspect his work. I adjusted his collar in turn, tugging it higher to shadow the worst of the marks. In the fading light, we looked less like ourselves and more like the hunters we had taken.
We prepared ourselves as best we could. A short distance from the dragons and the bound Velli, I explained the plan once more to the Draconis prince and his riders. Nakos stood to my right, dagger idle in his hand. Sean watched the treeline, watching for Orren and Erwin’s return. I outlined our entry point, the signals, the fallback if anything went wrong.
Ronan and I had to trust that they could manage on their own, guard the prisoners, and keep the dragons calm without drawing attention.
Then I approached Tsunami.
She lay half in the water at the edge of camp, vast body submerged to her flanks. At the sound of my steps over damp earth, she lifted her head from the shallows. Water streamed from blue-green scales as the last light thinned across the surface. Her golden eyes flashed with defiance the moment they found me.
Stretching her horns toward the darkening sky, she arched her long neck and peered down at me like the insect I was. I stoodnear her foreleg, boots sinking into mud, small beneath the curve of her shadow.
Her lips quivered with a silent snarl, breath stirring the air between us, as if she anticipated what I would ask. No. What I would demand.
And I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Nienna
Tallon enjoyed arriving after everyone else. His entrance into the dining hall never slipped by unnoticed.
Not that the Velli would overlook the woman dressed in white when they all wore dark shades, as if pastels were a punishable offense.
We sat at Deimos’ table, the king’s gaze settling on me. It prickled between my shoulder blades, a steady weight pressing against my spine. My hands trembled, not only from weakness but from the intensity of his scrutiny.
I kept my arms pinned to my sides, aware of every breath and shift of muscle. I dared not lean toward Egath for comfort. These people were neither friends nor allies.
“Tallon, what did your pet do to warrant such discipline?” Deimos addressed him after finishing his meal.
I nudged food across my plate, pretending to eat.
After dabbing his mouth with a black napkin, Tallon propped an elbow on the table, angling his body to block me from the king’s view. “She displeased me.”
