Page 37 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
Wind currents interlace beneath and around me, forming a cocoon of air that holds me perfectly suspended above my dragon’s head. I don’t even need to grip the Tethers. What he’screated is so secure it could hold me through a blizzard. The sensation of weightlessness feels like freedom, like I’m not quite attached to this world with all its complications.
“By the Goddess,” Phoebe gasps, shading her eyes to watch. “I’ve never seen Tethering that intricate.”
—Show-off,I mutter to Zephyros, though warmth blooms in my chest at his protectiveness.
—Your body needs rest, not strain,he replies, unapologetic. After a pause, he asks,Are you certain you want to return to face trial?
—I made my decision a year ago, Zephyros. I won’t hide.
His disapproval vibrates through our bond.—I will humor this foolishness, but know this… I will only accept one possible outcome from this trial.
Something in his tone makes me frown.—And if they find me guilty? If they sentence me to prison?
A savage growl resonates through my bones, and the air around me pulses with his fury. His voice drops to a whisper of deadly promise.—Then I hope they never discover what an ancient dragon is truly capable of.
Moments later we’re airborne, climbing toward clouds tinged pink with morning light. Wind whips my hair, and I lean forward, savoring freedom after whatever darkness held me captive.
Ahead lies Fort Ashmire, judgment, and possibly incarceration. Behind, a year of missing memories.
And between? Only questions, and the love of a man I fear I don’t deserve.
14
Rhea
The Flametop Mountains thunder past, their jagged peaks carving the sky like dragons’ teeth. I can’t help admiring their fierce beauty—unforgiving stone, a standing barrier against the Blighted Arcs, our enemies’ land. The wind slices across my face, shocking my lungs with each breath. After so much darkness, this painful clarity feels like rebirth.
Then Cinderhold emerges on the horizon, Fort Ashmire’s imposing silhouette rising from its eastern edge. My heart slams against my ribs like it’s trying to escape.
“Shit,” I mutter, tensing.
I barely knew the place. One day. That’s all I had before everything went to hell at Hearthdale. The faces of my Clutch blur in my memory, strangers I never had time to befriend. Will they welcome me? The woman who vanished for a year? The murderess?
Vaylen glances back at me, concern etched on his face. I force my lips into what might pass for a smile.
—I could still turn around,Zephyros offers,his thoughts brushing mine.We could disappear into the mountains. No one would find us.
The temptation steals my breath more effectively than the wind.
“No,” I say aloud. “I won’t renounce the future I forged for myself. I won’t let the King and his Cleansing Authority steal anymore from me than they already have.”
A Vortex Drop brings us down to Fort Ashmire’s courtyard in a controlled spiral of air. Zephyros’s power cushions me until the last moment, gentle as a mother’s touch. My legs wobble as he releases me.
—I’ll be listening,Zephyros’s voice rumbles in my mind as he pulls away.Call and I will come. Nothing will keep me from you.
I watch the silver gleam of his wings as he soars toward the dragon perches at Cinderhold’s edge. The sight of him leaving, even temporarily, creates a dull ache in my chest.
Heads turn. Conversations halt. The courtyard falls silent except for the scrape of boots against stone as Skyriders and Claws drift closer, staring at me like I’m a ghost. Which, I suppose, I am.
I stand straighter, chin lifting. Let them look. Let them wonder.
“Is that Wyndward?”
“She’s back?”
“Thought she was dead?—”
A young Claw with a blue uniform and fresh crew cut edges forward, mouth hanging open. My hands curl into fists at my sides, nails biting into palms.
