Page 60 of To Fight and To Fold

"I just wanted to check in on you," she said, holding her hand out. Starspark leaned forward to sniff at her palm, and a gasp spilled from Aaryn's lips, the sound slicing through the silence of the room her body laid in.

The mattress was soft beneath her, but she felt like she was floating, there and not there all at once. It was a jarring feeling, and yet she let herself sink into it. It had been so long since she'd felt Starspark this way.

Starspark must have grown warm to Thea in the passing time, because he bumped his snout against her outstretched palm, even though he grumbled while doing so.

And she beamed, brighter than the moon behind her, the very same crescent that Aaryn had seen from her window.

Aaryn studied her. Privately, secretly.

Great scales, she was so pretty. The shorn hair gave her an… edge that made Aaryn itch. But past that, she seemed tired, too, with circles beneath her eyes, and Aaryn considered if they were seeing the same moon; it had to be near the same hour, which meant it was very late to be awake.

Did druids sleep at different hours, or was Thea just so busy she had not been offered rest yet?

Why did Aaryn care?

"See? I told you you'd like me eventually," Thea said, brushing the back of her hand over Starspark's snout. "You'll like me even more tomorrow," she whispered, leaning forward.

Starspark snuffed inquisitively, and Aaryn wondered if he could really understand them, or if he just recognized their speech patterns.

"Wanna know why?" she asked, and Starspark's breath rushed out to blow the strands of her hair. Her chuckle was soft, and it made Aaryn's heart ache. "I'll bring her back to you tomorrow," she whispered.

Aaryn startled so greatly that it awoke her, and she sat up in bed, her connection to Starspark shattered, gone, and with it any possible information she could've discovered.

No!

Aaryn stared at the wall across the room, mind racing. What the tear had Thea meant?

Tomorrow?

What was tomorrow?

Her first thought was that she should tell the prince. Tell him… what, exactly? That Thea planned to… come and get her?

Aaryn's chest swelled with what should have been panic. At the very least she could categorize it as nerves.

…That's what butterflies were, right? A form of nerves.

"What are you thinking?" she hissed, and threw herself from bed and toward the window, as if she could leave the thoughts behind.

From the lack of light in her window, the moon was well above the castle, and she had been correct. It was far late into the night, and Thea should have been asleep. Instead, she had visited Starspark to say hello. To check in, and offer him comfort the only way she knew how…

Aaryn tried not to be charmed by her ways, but it was rather bold of her to do say such a thing.

Did this mean Thea planned to find her? Was she going to sneak into the castle, or…? How in the world would she manage something like that? Especially with Runa shadowing Aaryn at all times.

Scales, Aaryn hated not knowing.

The mountain range to the west of the castle served many purposes. The very caves of the dragons were excavated from it, offering them cool, damp earth to live in. Watchtowers had been placed along its peak, providing a view down onto the castle, but more importantly, a view of the opposite cliffside. The scouts would know if any enemies approached days before an arrival. And the castle's rear faced the terrifying, steep drop of the canyon.

The east was the most vulnerable, Aaryn reflected, where the Tethered's tower, its walkway to the castle, and the gardens lay. Beyond the east walls were empty land, rolling hills, and the city of Evergale.

Her room in the tower offered an easy view of the training grounds, which she watched from her window. The sun was setting, and it was growing dark, and yet Carissa and her dragon Stormstrike were still in the yard. Past hours. Eerily quiet.

Carissa made good bait, Aaryn supposed, resting her cheek on her hand and watching the Tethered brush his scales past curfew. She could not see well enough to spy facial expressions, but she imagined Carissa looked as relaxed and calm as Aaryn felt whenever she'd cared for Starspark.

Aaryn couldn't shake her nerves, and stood to pace. She supposed night would be the best time to plan an attack… or a kidnapping—dragon-napping?—but she hated waiting for night to fall.

The sun was striking itself from the sky, sending great shadows of the castle itself across the field. Ever so slowly.