Page 65 of Enchanted Crown
“You’re beingreckless.”
“No,” I argued, striding for her, eating up all the space between us. “Just having and occasionally using this gift you’ve given me is not enough. It ismine, because ofyou. I cherish it. And I will not just use it, but master it. So I will train and I will not stop until I am exemplary at both of my Enchantments. There is no other option for me.”
“I—” I could feel her respect for me down our bond in her hesitation. “Fine. But you cannot master it in only a few days. It takes us years to become adept at flying.”
“Watch me,” I argued, taking one last step so that I was an inch from her, close enough to feel her every breath. “We don’t have years, Es.”
“His rate of improvement is steady,” Malachi chimed in, now from his human form. “What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in work ethic.”
I never took my eyes from Esta; she never took hers from mine. We were in a standoff. I would give her the realm on a platter if she asked for it, but I would not allow her to sway me in this. I would work hard at flying and using my wings, the gift she’d given me. Asking me not to felt like a disrespect to our very bond.
Finally, she inhaled deeply and rested her hands at her hips. “Ever my annoying moon.”
I grinned and kissed her hard. “Nothing is a match for the strength of the sun. I am merely trying to keep up.”
“Stop flirting,” she commanded.
I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “But is it working?” I already knew the answer to that question, which made asking it all the more fun.
“Undoubtedly.”
Malachi chuckled from behind me.
“Now that you are done scolding me, would you like to fly with me?” I knew once we arrived in Dra Skor that flying with Esta would not be able to happen for a while. While we kept our bonding a temporary secret.
She rolled her eyes but supplied, “Among other things,” just before launching into the sky in her dragon form.
Dra Skor loomedon the horizon. We had only left for ten days. Ten days in which so much had changed. And yet I knew as we returned what we would find: the same civil war on the brink ofspilling over, those exhausted dark circles and haunted looks among the Enchanted not yet healed—a sign there was much work left to be done, and a castle with more secrets than shadows.
It was far warmer here than it had been in Wylan, that was the first thing I noticed. I could finally breathe without seeing my exhale. The second thing I noted was that Dra Skor wasn’t burning. So that had to be a good sign, right? Nana Mallick had kept the country from fizzling into full on civil war in our absence.
With a sigh, the land coming into sharper focus, I willed my wings away before someone could see them. I still didn’t have the best control over them, far less than I would like, but I was slowly improving, or so Malachi encouraged.
“We will take trips to The Drak.” Esta tucked herself under my arm, her hands on my stomach. “I promise to let you keep training as often as we can.”
“While keeping it a secret,” I added.
“For now,” she amended. Her head snapped toward the shore. “Amory.”
Without another word, she stepped forward to shift and head to the shore. I understood that Amory would not be here to greet the ship unless something was wrong. Unless there was news of sorts to deliver upon our arrival. We’d received three letters while away from Amory, none of them with anything of grave importance.
Had something happened since the last letter? Or had she intentionally kept some information out of the letter, knowing that no matter the issue, we could not really rush our return?
I let out a sigh. I could now fly with her. I would have liked to. But here I was, a spy just like Nyx and Zaire. My true nature a secret.
We weren’t even back to Dra Skor yet, couldn’t even make it to the docks before something else was happening. Another fire toput out. My own dread and Esta’s filled me with worry. Could we not leave at all without something big happening?
Come along, my prince,Malachi offered.
I mounted Malachi, thoroughly annoyed I couldn’t use my own wings yet but pushed it aside. There was work to be done.
We quickly caught up, landing just after Esta did.
Esta didn’t bother to shift back to her human form, neither did Malachi. I realized it was because they suspected the worst. If Amory had bad news, they were already in their warrior forms, ready to take to the skies. Ready to defend, destroy if need be.
“Welcome home,” Amory greeted with a tight smile.
“What is it?” Esta demanded.
