CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Maren

Tovin drew me over to the table and the woman standing there. She was Seratese, with short-cropped curly black hair. She wore a round shield across her back and had two knives strapped to her arms. I liked the look of her immediately.

“Maren, this is Davina. Davina, my sister, Maren.” Tovin switched to Zefedi as he made the introductions. He didn’t put words to their relationship, but I could tell by the warmth in his voice that they were something other than friends.

We shook hands. “This is Efren of Ruzi,” I said, introducing my own companion.

Efren raised a hand in greeting, but Tovin seemed surprised. “Where is Kaia? And the dragon kit?”

I stared at him. “How do you know about the kit?”

“I told you—our parents wrote me.”

I shook my head. “You’re going to have to start at the beginning.”

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “We don’t have much time, so I’ll make this short. I’ve been traveling with a war fleet out of the Seda Serat. We know that the emperor intends to bring an army against the islands. Davina and I have been sent ahead to figure out the best way to stop them.”

I interrupted. “That doesn’t seem like the beginning to me. You still haven’t told me how you left the mountain to become a sailor and instead defected to a foreign island nation.” Not that I had any problem with it. Ilvera always maintained that we were not part of the empire of Zefed so much as an involuntary neighbor.

He and Davina shared a conspiratorial glance. “He was a sailor on a trading ship,” she said. “We met at the port on Lavalia—one of the islands.”

“And you just… became friendly?”

Davina snorted with laughter. “Have you met your brother? Can you imagine someone he would not be friendly with?”

That did sound like Tovin.

“Besides, he has the curiosity of a puppy. Always asking questions, always hanging around. And with that grin on his face the whole time!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, that’s exactly what he’s like.”

Davina nodded but sobered as she spoke next. “Anyway, his ship was caught in the crossfire the last time the Zefedi Talons attacked. He was stranded, and he—he listened. He learned.”

I was itching to ask exactly what he had learned, but I had the feeling that just because Tovin had been accepted by Davina and the rest of the Seda Serat, that acceptance did not automatically extend to me. There were many things the Zefedi people did not know about Ilvera—I did not want to assume that I understood everything about the Seratese, or that I was welcome to that information without invitation.

Tovin jumped in again. “About a week ago, I received a letter by hawk from Mother. She said that a great dragon had just landed in Ilvera and told them this fantastical story—that she had been held captive by the Aurati, and that a Verran girl had freed her. Imagine my surprise when I read that this mysterious dragon mistress was my little sister. The dragon said that you were coming to Irrad. So we set out the knots and waited. But we thought that you would be traveling with Kaia, and the dragon kit.”

“They’re waiting outside the city,” I said.

Tovin sat back against the table, crossing his arms. “So it’s true,” he said. He whistled in admiration. “Maren—how?”

Why was I suddenly nervous? Perhaps it was because he was too close to home for me. Sev had only known me for a few months. I had been able to choose the version of myself I presented to him, and he had understood everything I had done through that lens. Even Kaia, who I had known since childhood, hadn’t seen me first thing in the morning and last thing at night since I’d been born. Would Tovin see me differently once I told him what I’d done?

So I didn’t look at him as I spilled out, as straightforwardly as I could, the entire story. He held still while I spoke, though I could feel his attention sharpening at crucial moments. And when I was done, he sat for a while. “You’ve grown up, little one,” he said.

I punched him gently in the arm, though the nickname brought a smile to my face. “Don’t call me that. You said it yourself—I’m grown now.”

“My little sister, taking down the empire of Zefed by herself. I almost feel we needn’t have bothered with the war fleet.”

I laughed, but Tovin’s face sobered. “Maren—what we’re about to tell you is knowledge that is not shared outside the Seda Serat. But these are… unusual circumstances, and you two already have knowledge about the way that dragon bonding works. You know the mirth wood oil?”

I nodded. That oil was the key to training all dragons.

“It’s sourced from the Seda Serat. The reason the emperor has been attacking the islands is that they have withheld it from him. They learned that the oil was used to train the very dragons that were threatening them. So they captured some of the Talons and kept their dragons.”

My stomach turned. “You have dragons?”

“Free dragons,” Davina said. She said something in Seratese to Tovin, who frowned but didn’t reply. She looked at me. “Every Talon your emperor has sent has been brought down. Their dragons are dead or free. Those with us are here willingly. We do not use mirth wood oil for such purposes.” The twist of her lips made it clear what she thought about the emperor’s tactics.

“But the emperor can’t afford to lose the oil,” I said slowly. “That’s the true reason for this war.” So many things were falling into place. The emperor had painted the Seratese as Zefed’s enemies, but he could not tell anyone the reason for this aggression—if he did, the secret of the dragon bonds would be out.

“Yes,” Tovin said. “Now tell me. The emperor’s fleet of Talons is vast. How will you free all the dragons from their masters?”

“I’d hoped to have Naava’s help,” I confessed. “But I’ve run out of time. We have two dragons who have agreed to assist us. But you’re right—I can’t take on the entire fleet of Talons at once. We need some way to separate them and draw them away from the palace.”

“A diversion,” Efren said.

“Yes.” I turned to Davina. “How far out is the Seratese fleet?”

She looked at Tovin before replying. “Close,” she said. “But we are not interested in igniting a war. We are here only to prevent them from sailing against us.”

Suddenly something occurred to me. “Then sink the ships. You said already that the emperor has lost the Talons he’s sent against you. He cannot risk sending more. If you sink the ships, he won’t be able to send any of his forces. Not until he can build new ones, at least. And by then…” By then I hoped he would be dead, even if I had to see to it myself.

“Yes,” Davina said, her eyes alight.

“Can you do it?”

She snorted. “Of course.”

“Then when?” Efren asked.

She leaned back, thinking. “Sunrise tomorrow,” she said finally.

Less than a day. I nodded. “We’ll be ready. Burn the ships.”

“But where will you be?” Tovin said.

It had been so long since I had heard that particular familial worry in someone’s voice. It warmed my heart and made me homesick at the same time. “I’ll be on the back of a dragon, leading the charge.”

I could tell that he wanted to object. I put a hand over his on the table. “I can do extraordinary things,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

Tovin smiled. “I’ve heard. But you’re my little sister. I’m still worrying.”

I thought of one more thing. “There is one thing you could do, though. Do you have access to a messenger hawk?”

He nodded.

“Then write to Ilvera. Tell them everything—and ask the dragons to come.”

“Will they?” Davina said.

Prove yourself beyond the reach of my wings.

“I don’t know,” I said. But there seemed no other option but to try.

By the time we had finished, there was no opportunity to linger in Irrad. We had to be clear of the city before curfew, and the streets were in danger of being overrun by Aurati and Talons.

Efren and I traveled hastily, not wanting to be caught on open ground once the sun set. But when we reached our camp in the forest, it was immediately clear that something was wrong.

Tasia ran at me as we walked into the camp, and jumped into my arms even though she was almost too heavy to do so safely. I hugged her close before letting her down—she was in obvious distress.

They left! she cried.

“Who?” The word left my lips in surprise. I looked past Tasia. Alora and Braith were there, but King Idai’s party was gone. And so were Jase and Kaia.