Her expression hardened again. “They wish to destroy us.” She turned her gaze to Jewel, her voice cracking with accusation. “And now you would take my daughter from me too.”
Jabir’s chest tightened. He glanced at Jewel. She was clutching his hand, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. Her eyes begged for peace. For understanding. For him to make this right.
And maybe… that was why he was here.
He exhaled slowly.
He turned to Jewel, pressing a kiss to her lips—soft, lingering—and whispered, “Trust me.”
Turning back to the Queen, he straightened.
“Give me until first light,” he said. “Let me try to find what was taken and return it. If I do… will you make peace with the villagers?”
The Queen’s jaw tensed. Her tail flicked violently beneath the water.
“If you can return what is ours,” she said at last, “I will call back the storm. I will give peace a chance. But, know this,” she continued coldly, “if you fail, I will unleash the full fury of the deep. The lake will sing a death song that no land walker will survive.”
Jewel stepped forward. “I’ll help?—”
Jabir stopped her with a gentle touch. “No. I need you safe. I’ll come back. I promise.”
She shook her head in silent protest, her hands trembling.
But Jabir was already moving. Already pulling away while he could.
Her fingers slipped from his like the last thread of a lifeline. He turned once, met her eyes—sorrow and strength tangled in his expression—and disappeared into the dark passage.
Behind him, the cavern faded to shadows.
In his heart, determination soared.
Chapter Forty-Two
The moment Jabir emerged from the shadowed mouth of the cavern, the wind rushed to greet him like an old friend—brisk, cool, and edged with the faint scent of smoke. He barely paused to breathe before he shifted. His dragon surged forward, desperate for the sky.
Bones stretched. Muscles coiled. Wings unfurled with a rush of power. The world dropped away as he leapt into the sky.
What do you think they took? his dragon asked, his voice taut with worry. What make Siren Queen risk war?
I don’t know, Jabir muttered, scanning the ground as his wings carried him in a wide arc over the lake. But we’re going to find out.
Below, the lake glistened with an unnatural calm. The water, moments ago a churning tempest, now lay mirror-smooth, with silent sentinels keeping watch just beneath the surface. The Queen was keeping her word—for now.
His heart twisted at the thought of Jewel somewhere down there, exhausted and trembling from the effort of staying above water to be with him, and risking her mother’s ire to protect him.
She felt small, his dragon murmured. Too light. She weaken faster than she admit.
Guilt coiled cold and heavy in Jabir’s gut. She risked too much for us.
He banked hard, circling wider. The lake’s southern edge came into view. Something caught his eye—a manmade structure nestled between two hills, half-concealed by a thicket of trees. A dam. Stone and timber, weathered but sturdy, holding back the river that once fed the lake.
Jabir narrowed his eyes.
That didn’t belong here.
He angled toward the village, folding his wings tight to his body as he descended in a controlled dive. Wind rushed past his body. His talons skimmed the tops of reeds before he touched down on the dock. His scales vanished mid-stride, his body shifting fluidly back to his human form.
The scent of damp wood, cool lake water, and fear hit him like a wave.
