Page 154 of To Fight and To Fold

Sobriety crashed into Thea and she blinked. Rolim. Who was at Evergale's mercy even now, while they'd all danced and drank and smoked until only embers remained of the fire.

Thea brought both hands to her face and scrubbed, hard. Then she leaned over and curled into Starspark, resting her forehead against him, huffing into her palms.

I'm fine, Carissa had said, so very not fine, with a slight tremor in her hands and a gaze that wouldn't settle.

She wouldn't be fine until they knew Rolim's fate. Until Thea had him on dragonback and safely returned him where he belonged. Here. In Cloud Haven. For his own sake and Carissa's.

Thea had to succeed. Which meant their plan needed to be executed perfectly.

Under the spell of drink and safety and comfort, it had been possible to push the responsibilities to the side for at least one evening, but now the remaining time loomed, the fear of failure hanging heavy and dragging.

"You're thinking too hard." Aaryn's low voice curled through the morning, and Thea picked her head up.

She looked devastatingly soft, a hand on Starspark's head, her gaze half-lidded with sleep and something stickier.

"Good morning," Thea offered.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Rolim," Thea answered honestly.

Aaryn's expression slid into one of empathy, brows turning down and a quiet hum slipping free as she held out a hand.

Thea threaded their fingers together, affection squeezed tight around her heart⁠—

"Pull me up," Aaryn told her with a small smile.

"Oh." Thea’s cheeks heated as she pulled Aaryn into a seated position, her soft chuckle too pure in the early morning. She held on when Thea tried to separate their hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aaryn asked.

"There's not really anything to talk about. I've just got to do it. Save him."

"You will."

"Such faith," Thea croaked out. "I want to save him now. It doesn't seem fair that we have to wait. Who knows what they're⁠—"

A rebuttal formed and died on Aaryn’s lips. Maybe once, Evergale wouldn't have had such a reputation. But that was before Jarrick lost his skies-damned mind, before he'd killed the king and resurrected death by dragon's breath. Now who knew what he was capable of?

"Is there a way to?" Aaryn asked instead.

"No," Thea recited from the many discussions she'd had with Vaelen and the others. "There's no way to safely get all the way into the castle dungeons and out without heavy losses or a bigger fight than we're prepared for. Waiting until…" Thea swallowed. "—The day of is best. It'll be on open ground. The dragons will be able to cause enough commotion to distract everyone and get us out."

Was it a trap? Maybe. They'd talked about that too. Concocted dozens of contingency plans.

Aaryn's hand felt heavy in Thea's. She squeezed once, almost smiled. "If I let you borrow Starspark, are you gonna bring him back this time?"

Thea stared at Aaryn, at the hand that was resting against Starspark's scales, possessive and loving. At Starspark, who stopped snoring and cracked an eye open to flit to Thea. That half glare did not inspire confidence.

"Does he… want to be borrowed?" Thea asked, because surely Aaryn wasn't saying what she thought. The last time she'd been on Starspark's back alone, she'd been stealing him away in the middle of the night. Taking him from Aaryn.

And here Aaryn was, offering him.

"I think he'll keep you safe," Aaryn said, and scratched between a pair of scales on Starspark's neck. "Right?" she asked him.

Starspark nudged his head over a little more, his chin heavy on Thea's thigh. And huffed.

They had four days. Four days to plot and practice and perfect their plan, to determine the easiest entrances and quickest exits. Starspark took to the rehearsals and drills like a natural, more energetic than ever, and surprisingly focused when it was needed.