Page 88 of Burning Heir

Yet I was still falling, and a lake didn’t await me.

Klaus’s final words echoed through the fading bond, a whisper swallowed by the deep lake water:“Find Severyn. Protect her with your life, Naraic. Thank you—thank you for everything.”

And as water consumed my dying brother’s lungs, that last call through their bond was the least expected words I would ever hear.“Tell Archer to protect Severyn when she finds you, and I forgive him for falling in love with my sister.”

Those were Klaus’ last words before that bond was silenced.

“We will, Klaus Blanche. We will protect Severyn.”

I waited for the impact… for my body to crack against the earth, not deserving of the soft blow of lake water. I reached for Naraic, but I fell faster than he could dive.

Wings encased me. And it was not Naraic who caught me, but Ciaran’s black-scaled neck. She shoved me toward her spine, and I held my breath, wrapping around her.

“Ciaran?” I asked.

She didn’t answer—our bond was too weak, or she knew allowing another rider on her was against some unspoken rule.

Seven riders ripped past and through the valley of wild griffins, snarling and tearing through the air. I hugged Ciaran as we took off. Naraic was a few beats behind.

But through the haze, I hadn’t seen that silver-backed wyvern headed for us with two dangled limbs tucked low with aged scales.

Naraic attacked first, shredding the wyvern’s right wing down the middle with a strike. The wyvern hissed, snarling and biting into Naraic’s neck.

No.

I felt his pain as mine, nearly blacking out right there.

“Retreat, Naraic!” I hissed.

Naraic took a swipe, and I felt each pound, each claw tear into his scales.

The academy dimmed in the mist, and I buried my face into Ciaran’s scales because I couldn’t watch him die.

As wing beats halted, I swore I would see pearl wings falling below me, but only torn grey ones lay in that valley of green.

“Ride,”Naraic growled,“and be fast.”

Ciaran forced herself to the fields with each beat of her muscles. Wind slashed my face, and I turned to see Malachi’s fingers waving beside us.

“No hard feelings,” she yelled, realizing whose dragon I rode a heartbeat later. “Is thatCiaran?”

Ciaran dove forward, slashing through the violent wind, staying just a few beats behind our speed. “She saved me,”

I said. In a smaller voice, I whispered, “Again.”

Ciaran snarled, unleashing a shadowed breath at Malachi, who had ripped past us.

Naraic slammed into Astoria, forcing them to veer a hard right and allowing Ciaran and me to take the lead. “Don’t look back. Keep your eyes on the field,”barked Naraic.

I saw that soft glow of the finish line where no dragons waited victoriously. Then the wind ripped us back ten feet, and Malachi jerked in the lead.Damnit.

I struck a flame, tilting off Ciaran’s neck as I wrapped the fiery whip around Astoria’s tail. I pulled back quickly, and Malachi veered down. We were wing-to-wing now as we neared the finishline. I struck Astoria again on the underside of her belly. Her wings arched, slowing with a hiss.

Naraic followed, and we hit the ground hard. I gripped Ciaran’s neck with all my strength, spinning as Malachi crashed beside us in a roll. I rested on Ciaran’s neck, feeling the weight of every eye in the crowd fixed on me and Archer’s dragon. Her pale violet eyes steadied me as I tumbled off, landing hard on my knees. Naraic followed, curling his tail around Ciaran’s in an unspoken bond.

Malachi swarmed me with a sweaty embrace. “You won, Sev.” She wiped a streak of blood off my cheek. “You won Skyfall.”

“I dismounted Naraic. I fell. I’m disqualified.” I could hardly feel my left leg at this point. I leaned against Naraic, whose snout nudged me toward the headmaster and the king.

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