Page 109 of To Fight and To Fold

She watched it dawn on the prince that she wasn't running to him, watched his lip curl as he lifted his bow again—and faltered.

He won't shoot… me.

"No. No!" he shouted, and urged his borrowed—or stolen—dragon to fly toward them. His usually perfectly placed hair flopped across his eyes, and he raked a hand through it, leaving a black smudge behind. "You're not taking her too!"

But Aaryn was on Starspark's back, pulling Vaelen into place behind her for Thea to cradle, holding her steady. The archdruid huffed before sliding her arms around Aaryn's waist.

“Aaryn!” his shout echoed across the waters nearby, and she was unable to look away from what the prince had become.

With his hands so stained—could it be soot?—almost to the elbow, it took her too long to focus on what he was doing, and then a glowing red shape was scratched into the air from his motions, its lines shaky and searing. An agonized groan tore from his lips as he performed the magic, and Aaryn urged Starspark to take off before he was finished casting it.

Vaelen grunted with the effort of lifting her staff—thumping it into the sand just before Starspark took flight. The tip of it glowed and with a murmur, she pointed it in Jarrick’s direction. From it burst a light so bright it left spots in her vision and his cry of frustration was lost to the air. But the rune still glowed to life as he finished it a second too late. An inferno erupted from the space they’d just occupied. Aaryn was stunned at the destruction in it, the very magic Evergale was supposed to protect Rishika with wielded from the prince’s—no, the king’s—hands.

The clouds obscured them in moments, and Aaryn looked back, but there was no Jarrick on their tail. No Moss following them. But her heart still raced, and she searched the clouds anyway.

They left Skymore in embers and ashes.

"There won't even be anything left for Evergale to salvage," Aaryn murmured.

Vaelen’s voice was rough from the smoke and pinched from the pain as she said, “I don't think this was like Timberscale.”

24

SURVIVING WORSE

"I'm fine!" Vaelen barked as soon as a healer rushed her. "It didn't hit anything important," she grumbled, and she winced as she tried waving them away with a flick of her injured arm.

Thea hovered too, unable to comprehend the arrow sticking out of her, where it didn't belong. How close it was to⁠—

"That little shit always had terrible aim." Vaelen puffed out a laugh that Thea saw through, tension in the creases by her eyes. She was in pain.

And Thea was shaken. Replaying in her mind was the jerk of Vaelen's body, and Aaryn running toward⁠—

Her fingers trembled as she helped Vaelen off the back of Starspark and practically thrust the archdruid into the arms of a healer. "Just let us take care of you, for once!" Her voice was a little too brittle, and Vaelen slumped.

"Fine. Fine." She gripped Thea's hand. "I promise I'm alright. Flesh wound."

Thea couldn't even argue with her; her throat was too tight.

Her gaze traveled past Thea, to Aaryn. "Thank you for lending your dragon to us." She nodded at Thea. "And thank you for looking after her. There's nothing you can do now."

"Did anyone locate Rolim?" Aaryn asked in a small voice.

Vaelen's lips thinned. "I will ask around. Go. Rest."

"You're the one who was shot," Thea grumped. "You go rest."

"I will."

"You're a fucking liar," Thea bit out, almost choking on the words. Vaelen's expression softened, and she brushed a hand over Thea's face, swiping a thumb over her brow.

"You did good, kid. Love you," Vaelen said, and let the healer pull her away as if Thea's heart wasn’t seizing. "I'll be fine. Go get some rest, you two. Both of you."

Then Vaelen was walking away, steps all determined. At least the healer was sticking to her side, glowing hands hovering, uncertain.

Thea turned away before she could lose sight of her, swallowed the rock in her throat, and pointedly avoided Aaryn's gaze. She couldn't look at her, because if Thea did, all the emotions unraveling within her might come out of her mouth.

"Vaelen's right," she decided. "Let's go home."