Cold whipped at Wynter’s cheeks. She wrapped the fur tighter around her neck and shoulders, wishing that she had a mask to wear against her face. Even her magic wasn’t strong enough to still the winds on the neighboring peaks beside her own Ravinia Mountain.
It was a fool’s errand. She had considered sending someone else. Anyone else really. What was a queen regent and princess doing, climbing mountains that were steep enough to still have a winter’s snow on them anyway?
But she had done as Dozan had suggested and begun to make alliances. Or she had tried. She had sent out ambassadors from the House of Shadows to the neighboring tribes with her signature and seal upon them. She had offered mutual reassurance for such an alliance. An army, food, weapons. Whatever they wanted to go up against the usurpers.
Half of her ambassadors had never returned. The other half had been so shamed for their appearance in other courts that they’d refused to go out again. So, it was up to Wynter.
And Dozan.
Because Dozan Rook had never backed down from a fight in his life, he stood at her side as they climbed this mountain in search of dragons. The only ones left who could build an allegiance against the broken Society and their supplanters. There had been whispers in the surrounding areas of dragons roaming the mountains freely. She hadn’t seen them herself. But too many people had come back to tell of them circling nearby mountains for her to completely discredit the information. And she couldn’t send just anyone to investigate. Who would go up against a dragon?
Wynter Ollivier, queen regent and princess of the House of Shadows, apparently. And a regular human. A perfectly ordinary human in every way. A human she should not have brought along or looked at more than once. A human who would do her no favors in her house. And yet a human she could not ignore. Not at her back as he climbed the mountain or in the throne room when he had watched from on high or when he had snuck into her rooms to discuss the latest information.
He was a spider. He wove his webs all over the mountain, and he found ways to wheedle his way into every situation. Until she longed for what spy information he brought her. For the moments when they could discuss as the ruthless rulers they were both destined to be and not have to placate anyone who stood in their way.
Yet he was a liability.
And she had no way to reconcile the two.
So, she was climbing a mountain to find dragons instead of facing her other problems head-on.
“Just a little farther,” Dozan called behind her.
He pointed northward, and she followed his finger to what appeared to be a landing not ten feet above them.
She put a finger to her lips. They climbed the remaining feet in utter silence. Only the wind whistling in their ears.
Wynter lifted her head over the cliff and into the dragons’ lair beyond. It was an ancient cave that must have been built millennia before, large enough for a dozen dragons or more. At the moment, only two lay curled around each other in its depths, and she recognized them both—Tieran and Netta.
Kerrigan’s and Fordham’s dragons.
So, they did live then. A rider couldn’t live without its dragon, but a dragon couldn’t live without its rider either. f they both were here, then Kerrigan and Fordham were somewhere also. But where?
Tieran’s head snapped up. His talons unfurled as anger crossed his gold eyes. He was smaller than most dragons, but still several times bigger than Wynter. And Netta was even larger. At his movement, she shifted awake and snapped to attention.
For the first time, Wynter had the sense to feel fear. She grasped Dozan’s arm. “We’ve made a horrible mistake.”
Dozan’s eyes rounded as he caught the size of the two beasts. She had no idea if they’d kill them on sight. Could they run from here? Could they make it back down the mountain in time? She doubted it.
What do you want? a voice said into her mind.
She shivered at the invasion. It was a male voice. Had to be Tieran. It was now or never.
She crested the cliff and stood with her hands out before her. “We come in peace.” Dozan came to her side, hands in his pockets, looking utterly unconcerned. If she hadn’t seen the fear on his face earlier, she would have thought she’d imagined it. “We’re not looking for trouble.”
You are a relative, Netta said.
“Yes. I am Fordham’s sister.”
Netta sniffed. You stink of betrayal. You tried to kill us. More than once.
“I did. I was … ill,” she said, swallowing down that word. “My mind was not right, and I didn’t know how to fix it. But I’ve worked on it, and I regret what happened between me and my brother. I want to make it right.”
And you, Tieran said, his eyes shifting to Dozan. I know you.
“Yes,” Dozan said. “I’ve known Kerrigan since she was but fifteen. I am on her side. I have always been on her side.”
Tieran sniffed and then nodded once. I believe that to be truth. You loved her.
“I did,” he agreed.
You do not love her the same now though.
“No. But I still wish for her return.”
As do I, Tieran said. She has been gone from this world too long.
“This world?” Wynter asked. “She’s not … in Alandria?”
No, she is not. She is beyond my reach. He looked between them warily. Why have you come?
“We want to make an alliance, a truce. We stand opposed to the Red Masks rule. We want to fight back, but we cannot do it alone. We need dragons. We need you.”
Netta came to all fours. And how do we know we can trust you, traitor?
Wynter swallowed down that word. “I have become regent of the House of Shadows. I do not wish to be its queen. I am only holding it together in my brother’s stead. The faster he is returned, the better. My mind is still a fragile place, and the burden of ruling is better suited to him.”
“At the end, she will return to Kinkadia with me,” Dozan said.
She turned her head in confusion. They had never discussed that. There had never been an after. It was the first she had heard of it.
“I am the king of the Wastes, and at the end of all of this, I would like to reclaim my city.”
“We want the same thing.” Wynter inclined her head. “I know you want to fix what was broken. We can work together.”
Tieran and Netta looked at each other, speaking in that language that only they understood. Then, they nodded. Tieran unfurled fully.
Then, we shall be allies. We have been recruiting others for the time when our riders will return. Tieran stepped forward, and Wynter had to keep herself from flinching. In the meantime, you will have to learn to ride.
Wynter blanched. “What?”
Are you prepared, broken child of the snow?
“I … yes,” she said, lifting her chin. “I’m … I’m ready.”
Then, let us begin our own revolution.