he could fit her into a covered wagon, he could drive her right out of Valreus. The guard stables could be entered from both inside and outside the grounds and were also where they parked delivery wagons when not in use. But the internal entrance was right in the center of the grounds where they’d be most exposed, and there were no deliveries to the tower this evening, which meant he would either have to get Leyra into the streets, or get a wagon inside the grounds, both of which would draw attention. The guards in the lookout towers all along the walls would raise the alarm in an instant.
The plan after that was solid. He would drive the wagon to the ruins and meet with Kalai, release Arrow, and direct him straight up and out of the city, then drive to the gates, hoping above all that Leyra knew to keep quiet. Late at night, the guards at the gates would no doubt question their activities, but Tauran would just have to deal with that when he got to it. If all else failed, he had his pistol. As little as he liked harming innocent people, he valued Kalai’s life over that of a stranger, and the consequences of murder in self-defense weren’t likely to be any more dire than they already would be after tonight.
The biggest obstacle remained getting Leyra out of the grounds.
The blaring wails of a siren made Tauran jump out of his skin, but a distant roar gave him pause.
He hadn’t been discovered. It was a Wild Sky alert.
The sound of massive wings beating sent a shiver down his spine and he closed the space to the window, shoving aside the familiar unease in his gut to look down. People were running to and from stations, ground guards preparing to defend the streets in case the wild dragons decided to land and feast on the city’s population. Another roar made him look up. A blur of motion shot past the window, rising a moment later as Valeron took to the skies.
Now was his chance, while everyone was looking the other way.
“Leyra, come!” Tauran barked, heading for the stairs.
He took them down two or three steps at a time, nearly stumbling, Leyra close behind him. A few startled weather analysts and assistants on the sixth and seventh floors shouted questions at him, and Tauran yelled some ‘don’t worry’s and ‘I know what I’m doing’s at them on his way down.
So long as he didn’t run into Falka, he would be fine.
At the bottom of the tower, the dragon physician with the torn shirt came up the stairs as Tauran came down and did a double take at the sight of Leyra leaping after him.
“What is going on?” the physician asked, clamping a tight hand around Tauran’s elbow.
Tauran took a deep breath and forced himself to stop, hoping his face wasn’t too flushed from exertion. “I heard the Wild Sky alert.” He spoke slowly, trying his best to hide his breathlessness. “I thought it might be good for Leyra to be exposed to the commotion during the attacks.”
The physician gawked. “But—”
“The grounds are the safest place to be, wouldn’t you agree?” Tauran continued, not giving the man a chance to stop him. “She must get used to it sooner or later. Leyra, come!” He tore his arm from the physician’s grasp, ignoring the man’s faltering protests. Tauran was acutely aware that Leyra was wearing neither straps nor collar, and that bringing her outside during a wild dragon attack with no tools to control her was highly irresponsible and suspicious. But Tauran didn’t slow, and when he pushed the double doors of the tower open, Leyra was right beside him.
For the first time, Tauran realized the flaw in his plan. Leaving at midnight relied on Kalai sneaking out and meeting him in the ruins. But midnight was still four hours away. Tauran would have to halt the wagon with Leyra inside in the middle of the street and deal with the guards inside the archive.
No, this wasn’t the time to think. It was time for action.
Leyra spread her wings, her golden eyes pinned to the darkening sky. Tauran took a hold of her left wing and pulled. “This way, girl. This way!” He led her toward the training grounds where he had hidden his bags, dodging questioning looks by assuring the people he passed that they were on their way inside to safety. As he expected, no one