Her throat burned as she blinked hard against the tears threatening to fall. I lost them. I lost everyone.
A soft scrape of boots across stone made her stiffen. She didn’t turn. There was only one person it could be.
Drago stopped just behind her, his presence as solid and immovable as the cliffs themselves. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then, quietly, his voice rumbled through the darkness.
“Roo was worried you had left without saying goodbye. You’ve got to be careful. Knowing my daughter, she’ll probably try to charge you a gold coin when you leave. By the way, don’t believe her if she tries to charge you a goodbye or exit tax. We don’t have one,” he said with a dry chuckle. “Though… knowing Roo, she’s probably drafting a proposal.”
Phoenix released a wobbly giggle before she swallowed hard. “I’ll remember that. I really like her. I’m sorry for disappearing. I just… needed to breathe.”
“You’re allowed that.” The bench creaked slightly as Drago sat beside her. He didn’t crowd her, didn’t try to force her to look at him. He simply… sat. A steady, grounding weight in the dark that reminded her a lot of her dad. Tears burned in her eyes as she thought of her parents. They would have no idea of what she had done—where she and the others were.
She stared out at the vast ocean, the waves glittering in the moonlight far below. “I can’t stop seeing it,” she whispered. “The way they all disappeared. One second, they were there—and then… gone. Like they never existed.”
Her voice cracked on the last word, and she hated how fragile she sounded. But she couldn’t stop it. Not now.
Drago said nothing, simply waited.
“They were counting on me,” she choked. “I was supposed to keep them safe. I was supposed to… to know what I was doing.” A bitter laugh escaped. “But I didn’t. I lost them.”
Her shoulders trembled as she forced the words out. “My sister, Spring… what if I can’t find her? …Or the others? They trusted me, and I messed everything up.” Phoenix scrubbed at her face, furious at the tears trailing down her cheeks. “What if they’re hurt? What if… what if I’m not strong enough to get us all home, even if I do find them?”
Drago exhaled slowly. “They landed in the Seven Kingdoms,” he said quietly. “That alone tells me the Goddess guided your hand. You may not see it yet… but you didn’t fail them, Phoenix.”
Her laugh was hollow. “I’m not so sure about that.”
He shook his head. “There is danger here, yes. But there is also balance. The Isles are not unkind. If your friends crossed paths with any of the rulers, they would be protected, not harmed.”
Phoenix’s head snapped toward him, uncertainty warring with the faintest flicker of hope. “You really believe that?”
“I do,” Drago said simply. “I know these lands, these people. The Seven Kingdoms… they are built to endure. And your friends—” He glanced down at her. “—I suspect they are not as helpless as you think.”
Phoenix snorted softly, wrapping her arms tighter around her legs. “Roam’s probably already in trouble.”
“Why do you say that?” Drago asked with a faint smile.
“Well, first of all, he’s with my sister, who wasn’t very happy with him. I would be surprised if Spring hasn’t already buried him up to his neck wherever they landed,” she replied, giggling at the vivid image of Roam trying to talk Spring into forgiving him, before she groaned as another image popped into her head. “Then, there’s Amber and Jade. I don’t know what they had in the duffle bag that they were riding on, but it’s bound to cause trouble. We still have demented symbiots running around the palace.”
“Demented symbiots?” Drago asked before a soft rustle behind them drew their attention.
She turned, startled, as a small figure shuffled forward, rubbing her eyes with tiny fists. Phoenix smiled when a head full of curls with two long bunny ears poking out from a pink headband appeared. Drago groaned and stood up.
“Roo,” Drago softly chided as he opened his arms. “You should be in bed.”
“I heard her crying,” Roo mumbled sleepily, ignoring her father and crawling straight into Phoenix’s lap. “When I get scared… Daddy says it’s okay. So… it’s okay if you’re scared, too.”
Phoenix smiled softly down at the little girl, soothed by the simple, absolute certainty in her voice. She leaned down and picked up Roo, snuggling with the little girl on her lap.
“My mom and dad say the same thing,” Phoenix murmured. “I miss them.”
“That’s ‘cause you love them,” Roo mumbled, resting her head against Phoenix’s chest. “It’s going to be okay. Mommy always says that. I can makes you some paper birds. They will help protect you.”
Phoenix’s throat closed up as she buried her face in Roo’s dark hair. She felt Drago’s gaze but couldn’t meet it.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she admitted hoarsely. “I don’t know if I want to know who and what I am.”
“I felt the same when I was your age,” Drago admitted, staring out at the ocean.
“You did?” she asked, her voice laced with surprise.
