The dragon wasn’t wrong… per se. Even now, after Aileana and I had been through so much, there were times when I couldn’t believe she had accepted the mating bond, let alone agreed to marry me when things with Saena were less tumultuous.
“Fine,” I groused, deciding some arguments were best left alone. “I’ll sleep, but only if you wake me at the first sign of trouble.”
“I promise,” Aileana said.
Accepting my fate, I dropped down next to her. She raised her arm, and I placed my head in her lap. If I was going to rest, I might as well be comfortable. Her fingers ran through my hair, and I shut my eyes as drowsiness took over me. One of the lessons I learned after fleeing the burned remains of my village was how to fall asleep quickly.
When one was on the run, sleeping efficiently was necessary.
Fabric rustled and quiet conversations filled the small cavern as the rest of the group got comfortable. Aileana’s fingers ran over my temples, stroking my skin with care. Sometimes I couldn’t believe this was the same female who’d stabbed me the first time we met.
We’d come so far.
When I was moments away from sleep, I whispered, “Make sure you wake me to take over the watch.”
Aileana’s lips brushed my forehead.
I will,she murmured in my mind.Go to sleep, my love.
Slumber pulled me under, and I slipped into the land of dreams. Nightmares of magic and fire and the sister I had failed waited for me.
* * *
“What did you See?”Aileana’s voice was low, but I would recognize it anywhere. Her hand was still running through my hair, the repetitive motion comforting as she shifted beneath me.
“There is much danger ahead.” I recognized the other speaker immediately as Daegal’s twin sister. Speaking in that cryptic tone that all Fortune Elves seemed to possess, Maiela continued. “This quest is far more perilous than we previously thought.”
Aileana sucked in a breath, and her fingers stilled. “What do you mean?”
“The wolves yesterday were the least of our worries. The new queen…” The Fortune Elf paused, and Aileana’s fingers dug into my scalp. I wasn’t even sure she knew she was doing it. “Pools of blood surround Saena. I can’t See exactly what is happening in Vlarone, but lives are being lost at an incredible rate.”
My heart thudded, and any hope I had about returning to sleep disappeared.
“How many people?” Aileana asked.
I peeked open an eye as Maiela shook her head. “Hundreds of lives are being lost each day throughout Ithenmyr. Elves. Humans. Werewolves. The streets of Vlarone are running red. Death is everywhere, and no one is safe.”
My mind shuttered, and I felt sick to my stomach. Reconciling the girl I once knew with the reports of the evil queen was nearly impossible. How did the little sister I used to call Saena-bug become this monster?
Growing up, before the village burned, I thought I knew what family was. Family was not supposed to hurt you. They were supposed to be there for you, to pick up the pieces of your broken heart. Family wasn’t supposed tocausethe heartbreak.
Gods, the elves in this cave were more of a family to me than Saena. I should have been celebrating the fact that she was alive. We should have been spending time getting to know each other again. Saena and Aileana should have been able to meet as sisters.
Instead, Saena had given into the call of power and the draken had control over her. There was no hope. No chance for a joyful reunion.
Now, there was only heartbreak.
“And she’s in the capital?” Aileana asked softly.
“At the moment,” Maiela replied.
Their conversation lulled, and after a few minutes, I decided that this was a suitable moment to let them know of my wakened state. Stretching, I pushed myself off Aileana’s lap.
“You were supposed to wake me, Sunshine.” I poked Aileana in the side.
“Well, hello to you, too,” she said. “You were tired, and I wanted you to sleep.”
Maiela glanced between us, quickly making her excuses before rejoining her wife on their bedroll a short distance away. On the other side of the cave, Daegal and Ryllae were sleeping peacefully side-by-side, his arm slung over her protectively.