“We were just coming to talk with you.”
“Is that what you were planning on doing? Talking? With a dragon and blades?”
“As you said, her bite is a bit lethal. I could only convince her of so much.” His voice shifted, warmed. “But we have come to talk. Please. You know me.”
“I thought I did, but perhaps I’ve been naive.” His eyes flickered to Sofia, raking over her body in a way that made her skin crawl. “I’ve been mistaken in the past.”
“Let’s land so we can speak face to face,” Fox said, his voice smooth. If Sofia hadn’t been so long with him, learning to read each fluctuation in his tone, she might have thought him calm. Cheery, even.
Chief Commander Harlow stared them down, eyes narrowed and face purposefully blank before he finally nodded. Sofia’s stomach twisted at the way his eyes lingered on her, something akin to pleasure dancing there. She didn’t hide her sneer.
Eha swept down between an opening in the trees, and Chalia followed without direction. They were alone as they landed, but Sofia could see other soldiers among the trees, surrounding their little meeting.
As Chief Commander Harlow dismounted from Eha, Sofia saw the saddle he’d affixed to her back and the way it cut into her side. Beneath the dappled light of the trees, she could see the scars marring her scales, some still raw and red. They made her chest tighten, and she tasted bile on her tongue.
When she looked back at Harlow, the man was watching her studying the dragon.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? Your people aren’t the only ones that have harnessed the power of these creatures.Your gods.So easily controlled by the power of the kingdom.”
“Sir,” Fox said, stepping forward. Sofia noticed the way his bodycame between her and Harlow. She wondered who he was protecting from whom. “That’s what we wanted to talk to you about.”
“We…” Chief Commander Harlow said, voice dripping with disdain. “How quickly you’ve changed sides. Your father tried to convince me near his end that your loyalties were shifting. I should have listened to him.”
Sofia wondered what the chief commander saw in Fox’s eyes in that moment, because suddenly his smile turned cold.
“Does your mother know?”
“What?” Fox said, voice raw.
“That it was you who killed your father,” he said, teeth showing as a threat.
“How did you?—”
“I don’t know whether to be more proud of your deception or disappointed in myself for not seeing it sooner. Nevertheless, I can let her know.”
Fox’s face went pale.
The chief commander’s smile widened. “Did I mention that yet? She’s here.”
“She has nothing to do with this,” Fox said, words rushing out. “She knew nothing about what I did.”
“Of course not.”
“Don’t touch her,” Fox said, words slow and dark.
“I wouldn’t dare. She’s here for her own protection. Who knows what would happen if the city found out she was the mother of a traitor. High Sergeant Martín is keeping her safe.”
Sofia tried not to let her own surprise show.Vato was here.
“We came to talk about a truce,” Fox said, but Sofia could hear the disquiet in his words. He was stumbling over them, breaths coming fast. She squeezed his arm before stepping forward.
“He stopped me from just slitting your throat and burning down the city,” she said. “So maybe you should thank him. Fox seems to think you can be rational, and we can talk about an end to this war before it begins.”
The chief commander laughed. “Why should I end a war I’m boundto win? We have just as much power as you do now. We have three dragons already and soon we’ll have more.”
“The dragons know you’re coming. They’ve been warned. You won’t get a chance to control them before they wipe you out.”
“Where are they now, then?” he said, sweeping his arms.