Page 17 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood

Sterling shakes his head. “Absolutely not. Are you forgetting where you got this map from?” He glares at me. “This was given to you by a man who drugged and abducted you. And you want to use it? To travel to uncharted territories? No fucking way.”

“He didn’t hurt me.” I bite back the not-so-polite comment that simmers just beneath the surface. Sterling’s had a long day, just like I have, and I don’t want to argue with him. “He had every chance to do so, but he didn’t.”

“Maybe he wanted to earn your trust and is just biding his time so he can kill you and dump your body in a remote ditch where we’ll never find it.” Sterling’s voice grows louder with every word. “Considering you’re a dragoncaller, he also had to know that if he didn’t keep you calm and the dragons were close enough to feel you, they would come to save you.”

Given how upset Sterling is, there’s no way in hells I’m about to tell him whatever the man drugged me with also temporarily muted my magic. “I’m not saying I trust him. Not at all. Still, though, I didn’t get the sense he meant me any harm.”

“You don’t know that. Not for certain.” A muscle works in Sterling’s jaw, and I can tell he’s holding back. “You’re so damn stubborn.”

A dull throb pulses at my temples when I think of missing this opportunity due to how it was handed to me. Then I catch sight of Leesa, quietly battling her own pain. She rubs her temples, murmuring words too faint to catch, though her brown eyes are steadfast when she meets my gaze.

I reach out and squeeze her hand. “Are you all right?”

“Fine.” She offers me a weak smile.

I let her transparent lie slide for now. We all carry our secrets, some heavier than others. Far be it for me to judge.

“I could go with her.” Agnar nods in my direction. “Keep her safe.”

“The more of us there are, the safer we’ll be.” Leesa comes forward. “I can go too.”

From the way Sterling’s furrowed his brow, I can tell he’s actually considering it.

Still, I don’t want my sister risking her life to go with me. We’ve only just recently been reunited. And though I’d hate to offend her, her safety trumps any concerns over hurting her feelings. “But you don’t have wings.”

“I do.” Bastian inches closer to Leesa. “I can go with her. With all three of them. I’ve made the trip to the desert before, and I’d love to help in any way I can.”

“As would I.” Blair glances at Sterling, then drops his gaze at the sight of the glare being directed at him. “It’s a lead. We need to at least explore it. Besides, there’s safety in numbers.”

“We’ll need provisions, maps, and a dragon for Leesa. I believe I can convince one of the them to go with us.” My eyes lock onto Sterling’s in a silent challenge. “I can do this with or without your approval. But I’d rather have it.”

I ignore the frigid stare he directs at me.

Bastian gives Sterling a slight bow, a loyal subject to his royal pain in the ass. “She’s right. You taught her well, Prince Knox. Lark can handle herself. And this is our only option to learn more about the drachen and what they’re capable of.”

Blair nods, his sandy hair catching the light from the high windows. “You’ve seen her in action. And you’ve seen what she can do. You have to trust her…trustallof us.”

Sterling’s jaw tightens. He looks every bit the soldier he is, trained to suppress his emotions in favor of strategy and strength. But I know him. The conflict within is as fierce as any battlefield.

“Protecting you is my responsibility. But I can’t go with you. I’m needed here. And with the issue of Aclaris mobilizing their troops, I don’t dare leave.”

“Then trust your training.” It’s a low blow, but this needs to be done. More discussion won’t solve anything.

When he flinches, I know I’ve scored.

Which fills me with guilt.

For a long moment, Sterling stands in silence. Then he sighs. “All right. You’d all better start preparing. It’s a long flight, so you’ll have to leave by sunrise.”

Relief washes over me, mingled with the sharp tang of responsibility. We’re about to venture into the unknown and take a leap of faith into a realm shrouded in legend and mist.

“Thank you.” I know full well the cost of his concession. Tomorrow, we will set out to find what has been lost.

Still, I can’t shake the niggling sense of foreboding in the back of my mind.

ChapterSeven

The sun warms my skin as I stroll through the green meadow, dragging my fingers through a cluster of tall skyburst blooms and stroking their velvety blue petals. Everywhere I look, flowers brighten the clearing, surrounding me in a rainbow of colors. Up ahead, a gentle breeze ruffles a dragonflight blossom, causing the yellow and orange petals to flap like a real dragon’s wings.

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