Fox was on her heels, not speaking and not trying to grab her, but keeping close. She didn’t stop until she was in the glowing cavern.
She faced the wall, watching the way the light danced in the room’s steam, focusing only on breathing. Her blood was on fire, heat radiating through her body. Anger. Shame. Regret. Anguish. Emotions she didn’t have names for as her heart raced and her skin burned.
“Sofia,” Fox said, voice a cool whisper against her flushed skin.
“How?” her voice cracked. Her throat was raw, as if the screams she had swallowed down had still torn her apart. “How could they not listen? How could they ignore what’s coming?”
Fox’s hand was icy against her skin. He didn’t pull her into him, simply pressing his callused fingers against her arm. Perhaps it wasbecause he didn’t push for it, but she collapsed back into him, letting his arms pull her closer, taking just a bit of her weight.
“When you think you’re the strongest thing around,” Fox said, “it’s hard to see the threats when they come.”
“They were our protectors—sent by Quelia to oversee the realm.”
Fox didn’t speak for a while, his thumb rubbing along her upper arms. “It’s our fault. We massacred them. People who looked like you and me both. We killed them for being powerful, and for them that’s not a history lesson. It’s their memories. Their stories.”
“I know that,” Sofia said. “But General Luna and Harlow don’t care. They’re going to find them no matter what. And they’ll finish what the old kings started.”
The sound of footsteps echoing through the tunnel behind them had Fox turning. Sofia expected to see Javi walk out of the tunnel, but it was Micael, looking worn and pale-faced.
He stopped short when he entered the cavern, his eyes going wide to see the lake and the glowing crystals.
“I’ll have to tell the others this is here,” he said. “You’ve been holding out on us.”
“Sorry,” Sofia said, automatically. “I completely forgot with everything going on.”
Micael nodded, looking between Fox and her. Sofia took a step away from Fox, uncomfortable with the gaze, but Micael’s frown only deepened. “We need to come up with a new plan. We can’t stay tucked in here forever.”
“The army will be moving slowly,” Fox said. “They might have even stopped by now to wait for next steps from Harlow.”
“They won’t wait forever.”
“We can’t attack head-on,” he said. “We’re outnumbered and out-trained.”
Sofia watched them debate options. In another world, she might have been happy to see Micael finally treating Fox as an ally. He was seeing what Sofia had seen in Fox. But she only felt emptiness.
“We won’t win in a straight attack,” she said. “But we can’t let Lunacontinue on with Eha’s son leading the way. We need to get him away from them.”
“We already discussed that option,” Fox said, tone flat. “It’s a suicide mission. It won’t work.”
“You’re right,” she said slowly. “And you’re wrong. It may be a suicide mission, but it might also work.”
Fox had turned to her, his gaze dark and lips pressed tightly. “Sofia?—”
“I have Chalia,” she said before he could say more. “If I can take them by surprise, it might work. I’m not trying to take on the army. I only need to free the dragon.”
“You are not doing that,” Fox said. His fists clenched at his sides, the muscle in his jaw twitching, but he held himself still. Sofia looked away, unable to see the anger and pain radiating from him.
“It’s as good a plan as any we have,” she said directly to Micael now. The man had never been one for sentiment, and he was thinking, his face unreadable. “If I can hamper the army, the rest of you can head back to the city and continue the fight from there.” She swallowed. “Chalia and I can meet you if we make it.”
Fox made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a whine, and Sofia had to keep her eyes fixed on Micael to not see his expression.
“This is our only chance,” Sofia pleaded. “The dragons aren’t coming to save us, but we can still save them.”
“Then we do it together,” Fox said. “We go together to the army.”
“No,” Sofia said, allowing herself to look at him, hating herself for it immediately when she saw the anguish in his eyes. “More bodies won’t do any good if I’m just trying to attack and free the dragon. It just puts more people at risk. The resistance needs you—all of you. The city needs you to go back and continue the fight.”
“She’s right,” Micael said, voice softer than Sofia had ever heard it. “We can’t afford to lose more than one fighter.”