From here, the land is a splotch of white and green beneath us, the forest stretching far off into the distance, trees frosted with snow. The glimpse makes me feel sick, and a wave of dizziness comes over me.
“Don’t look down,” Maeve says, as if she can feel me starting to panic. She places one hand over mine where it’s still wrapped around her waist, grounding me with her touch, and her voice is calm and sure as she says, “Look out. Isn’t it beautiful?”
I follow her gaze, looking forward over Raelan’s scaled head, and...
Itisbeautiful. And terrifying. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in my many, many years of life. Like clinging to the very top of a ship’s mast as a storm rolls in, but so much better.
The sky is bigger than I ever realized. It’s like a whole new world up here, with the cold air cutting across my face, leaving dampness in its wake.
“It’s . . . astounding,” I whisper into Maeve’s ear.
Our bond tingles, warming the spot just beneath my sternum, and she settles back into me again. Her hair floats in the wind, dancing around us, and I breathe in the scent of sage that clings to her. Then I tip my head down and rest my forehead in the crook of her neck, calming for the first time since I saw the dragon waiting for me at the crossroads.
But then I remember something . . .
We still have toland.
Chapter 61
Maeve
WE’VE BEEN FLYING FOR SOME time when Raelan tips his wings, angling them so we start to make a slow descent toward the ground. Behind me, Severin goes rigid, his arm squeezing tight around my waist.
But I just smile.
I understand now why Alina loves to go on those secret flights with Raelan, why they escape into the sky every chance they get. This feels like the ultimate freedom.
Cold winter air rushes past me, stinging my cheeks, my hair whipping around us as Raelan descends further, banking low, almost close enough to the tops of the trees that I could reach out and touch the highest pine needles. Up ahead is a break in the trees, a small clearing.
And standing in that clearing is a quaint little cottage.
Snow blankets the roof, and the stone chimney bears stains of past fires, though no smoke puffs from it now. The windows appear dark, and the whole place feels like it’s asleep, restingand waiting for someone to open the door and fill it with life and warmth.
Raelan circles the clearing a few times, dropping lower with each pass. My bond with Severin pulls tight, his fear singing through it, and I squeeze his hand with mine as Raelan makes a final descent. His wings come up high, slowing his speed, and then he lands with a spray of frost and snow, his claws biting into the frozen earth with a heavy jolt. But as the spray of snow settles around us, the world suddenly feels quiet again.
Raelan turns his head, looking back at us with one gigantic gold-flecked eye.
“We’re here,” I tell Severin. He’s still got my waist in a death grip, and I slowly unwind his arms from around me. He remains frozen, rooted to Raelan’s back, as I slip my leg over Raelan’s neck, grab the bags from where I had them tucked in front of me, and ease myself down onto Raelan’s wing. He lowers it to the ground, and I step into the snow carefully, my muscles still trembling from the adrenaline of flight.
Then I turn to look up at Severin.
And I laugh.
He’s completely windblown, his dark hair mussed and tangled, his cloak rumpled, looking more rugged and askew than I’ve ever seen him.
“Come on,” I say.
He slowly turns to look at me, appearing as stiff as a gargoyle. Finally, he extracts himself from Raelan and slides down, joining me where I’m standing in the snow. His dark eyes are wide, his pale cheeks tinged red from the nip of cold air.
“First timeon a dragon?” I ask.
“Yes.” He adjusts his cloak with a sharp tug. “And hopefully the last.” His gaze flicks to Raelan, then back to me. “I think I’d have preferred to walk.”
I rise up onto my toes and press a kiss to his cold mouth, seeming to startle him, as he freezes the moment my lips touch his. “You did great,” I whisper as I pull away. “And it’s good to try new things. Especially as you get older.” I arch a playful brow at him, and he frowns.
“Are you calling me old?”
Without answering, I turn to face Raelan. His wings are still extended, ready to take flight once more, and plumes of steam cloud around his nostrils with every exhale.
