She could still hear Aminta’s cries echoing in her memory—haunting, ancient, powerful. That day had changed everything. The alien creature that tried to devour the Seven Kingdoms… it still haunted her dreams. It was the day she felt the first stirrings of who she would become.
And there had been something else.
I feel it too. The pull, her dragon whispered.
Yes.
When she crossed the portal bridge back to the Hive, she’d felt it—another call. A whisper across time and space. Not just to her, but to her dragon. Even her symbiot had felt it. It was an omen of things to come.
There had been another world… not this one. One half a universe away and woven through another plane of existence.
She hadn’t told the others. She knew one day she would be called to go there. That whatever force was there would take her away from Valdier—from her family, her friends.
A touch on her arm made her start.
She turned to find Spring watching her, her brow furrowed. “Hey. You okay?”
Phoenix hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah,” she said, forcing a smile. “Just thinking.”
Spring’s gaze lingered, then she nodded.
“You know, we’d better find Jabir before he gets adopted by sea monkeys or something. If he does, we’ll never get him to come home with us!”
Phoenix exhaled and joined the others, pushing the strange memory—that pull—deep down.
There was laughter ahead of her, friends by her side, and the promise of home just over the horizon.
But in the back of her mind… a shadow stirred.
And in the distance, something was waiting.
Chapter Forty-One
The sun hung low in the sky, spilling golden light across the glistening surface of the river. Jabir lay sprawled on a sun-warmed blanket, his arms behind his head, watching the flickering dance of sunlight through the trees above. Beside him, Jewel’s fingers trailed circles in the wet sand, her iridescent tail half-submerged in the water, lazily flicking with each idle thought that crossed her mind.
They’d found this quiet bend in the river two days ago—a place where the current ran slower, where the trees arched protectively overhead, and where time felt like it paused just for them.
Every morning since, Jabir had woken with a flutter in his chest and a grin on his face.
He’d packed a small picnic that morning—sandwiches, fruit, and sweet buns still warm from the oven—thanks to Cory, who’d winked and handed him the wrapped bundle with a knowing smile. Jewel had laughed when she saw the contents, delighted by the idea of dining like land-dwellers. Afterward, they’d spent hours in the water, splashing and drifting on their backs, tracing the clouds and making up stories about their shapes. And when the sun had climbed high overhead, they’d dried off on the blanket, talking about everything and nothing.
Now, in the amber hush of late afternoon, the only sound was the whisper of the water and the slow drag of Jewel’s finger as she drew swirling patterns in the sand.
Jabir turned his head, watching her in silence. The sunlight caught in the strands of her damp silver hair, painting it with threads of gold. A sigh slipped from her lips, quiet and wistful.
He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hey,” he said softly. “What’s wrong?”
Jewel didn’t meet his gaze at first. Her fingers stilled in the sand. “I wish we didn’t have to go back,” she whispered. Her jade-green eyes found his, shimmering with longing. “To the lake. To the village. I wish we could just stay here… forever.”
His heart ached at the quiet honesty in her voice.
Without a word, he leaned in and kissed her.
She hesitated for a heartbeat—then melted into him.
Her hands slid up his chest as she climbed over him, pushing him gently back onto the blanket. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Her weight settled against him, warm, soft, and perfect.
When she pulled back, her face hovered above his, her hair falling around them like a silvery curtain. But her eyes… her eyes were uncertain.
