Page 120 of This Shattered Star

White stone, stained with dirt and mud, protruded from the hill, forming an even taller arch than the gate, and three times as wide. The partially visible walls were spiderwebbed with cracks and markings flaking with age, their colors nearly washed out completely, save for the raw pieces of gold embedded directly into them.

Not just a hill, then.

No, the behemoth of a structure before me could only be the Temple of Borealis.

There was no proof of it, not yet, but my very blood sang with a sense of truth, a bone-deep confirmation thatthiswas what I risked my life for. What housed my salvation.

Thank the stars.

It must have been beautiful, once upon a time. I could almost imagine celebrations being housed here, the trees perfect for holding decorations, and the dais an excellent way for musicians to propel their music. And on the quieter nights, priests and priestesses alike knelt in prayer among the steps with only the stars to witness hymns long lost to time.

A low growl rumbled nearby. Followed by a shrill chittering I’d never heard any animal make before. The surrounding trees hid anything with a pulse. Without any light to guide me, the chances I’d be able to spot them before they pounced were far too slim.

Chills ran down my spine, fueled further by the cold gnawing at my wet feet.

Something was watching me.

Was it a Dark One?The very thought had my stomach churning. No one knew exactly where they resided, except for the fact that they prowled beyond the Veil. There were strong chances of them being near the Temple of Borealis. That fact was always established. I just hadn’t expected—hadhoped—that I wouldn’t stumble right into their waiting hands.

I spun in countless circles, but it was no use. I did not know the shadows here, not like the ones coating the streets of Aedreath. These revealed nothing.

A scuff sounded from above the temple. Stone crumbled and fell, punctured by massive claws as a hulking shape leaned forward, enough for its upper body to hang over the lip of the structure.

Even cloaked with night, I immediately recognized the creature for what it was. After Wit, I could’ve done it in my sleep.

Blending with the darkness, the dragon roared loudly enough to rattle the trees.

But it wasn’t directed at me.

The earlier chittering rose in volume until it reached an ear-splitting screech. Its owner darted through the forest, leaves and branches alike crunching and snapping under its feet at a pace that proved I would have not been able to outrun it under any circumstance. Glowing, beady eyes blinked rapidly between two distant trees before disappearing completely.

Thatwas what had been waiting for me.

Once the dragon deemed the creature far enough, it swung its head to face me, eyes narrowing into slits.

I backed all but two steps. My lungs heaved with the overwhelming instinct to get out of sight. It tracked my every movement. Its eyes weren’t wholly white like the two other dragons that had hunted us during Wit. No, this one had irises, though they were practically swallowed entirely by its pupils.

But it merely kept on staring, as if it was… waiting. Expectant.

I met its gaze head on, chin lifting defiantly. I refused to cower. “If you choose to stand between me and the magic I deserve, so be it,” I called out. I didn’t know if it mattered. If my words were being processed. But I had to try. If there was one thing I’d learned from completing all three trials, it was thatanythingwas possible. “I have only one blade, but it is all I need to pierce through wing and flesh.Especiallywing.”

The near translucent skin was likely tougher than it looked. But not impenetrable.

“Your choice, beast.”

Head bowing slightly, its eyes shuddered. It was almost as if it wasspeaking.Or trying to. Wind rustled through the forest. Leaves chimed in a language I couldn’t understand.

My heart ached anew. Brannon would’ve understood.

He deserved to be here, too. Deserved to listen to the winds beyond the Veil. To the secrets they carried.

But he wasn’t.

And so perhaps it was grief that had me thinking the dragon’s eyes looked familiar. Grief, and the faint light of the stars that did nothing to illuminate anything other than their shape. Their color, though, was indiscernible.

“Damn it all.”

Gritting my teeth against the stinging warmth threatening to spill across my lashes, I sprinted the remaining distance to the temple’s stairs, then took them three at a time. No claws shredded through my abdomen. No teeth clamped around my throat.