all three of us, and we’re all going to be fine.”
The way Emilian looked at her, with such affection and hope, was too much for Tauran to bear and he averted his eyes. He wanted to believe her, but he didn’t know how he could. Albinus and the old archivist were both dead. There was no one left in Valreus sympathetic to the rebels. Considering how eager Falka had been to hang Emilian, they were likely all going to die as soon as Falka’s men had questioned them to make sure they weren’t hiding the names of any secret allies. The recruits had all graduated several months earlier than what was usual. They were now on Falka’s side, and even if some of them, like Jasper, might be swayed to change sides, was it even enough?
Heavy footfalls from outside the cell startled Tauran from his thoughts. A moment later, the door burst open and three burly ground guards stepped inside. They all went for Tauran, pulling him upright.
“No!” Emilian pushed to his feet. “Leave him!”
One of the guards turned from Tauran and seized Emilian by the arm. For a moment, the guard looked insecure, staring into the eyes of his former general. Emilian took advantage, bringing up his hands and punching the guard in the ribs. The man groaned, but didn’t buckle.
For a moment, Tauran met Emilian’s eyes. They were hard and determined. He was ready to go down fighting, but Tauran couldn’t let him. They had already gotten what they wanted from Emilian, they would have no qualms killing him on the spot.
With a grunt, Tauran slammed his shoulder into Emilian’s, sending him staggering against the wall. “Come on, then, dickheads!” Tauran barked, leaning into the second guard’s grip on his elbow. “Where are we going, huh? Stop wasting my fucking time!” He steered for the open cell door, which earned him all of their attention. The guard who’d gripped Emilian seized Tauran’s other arm, and the third closed a tight hand around the back of his neck, forcing Tauran’s chin against his chest. They led him out and to the stairs.
His plan had worked. His friends were safe.
For now.
CHAPTER 45
The sky was turning dark. The smoke blocked the sun.
Kalai ran for the mountain base, but at the mouth of the street, he had to stop. The space in front of the stairs was crowded with people. On the steps, countless dragon masters in dark robes guided people up the stairs and into the sanctuary of the mountain. Kalai coughed, his eyes watering. All around him, flakes of ash drifted from the sky, coating plants, buildings and people in a fine layer of gray. Arrow and Leyra crowded in behind him, Leyra nearly blocking the street entirely. People nudged her wings to pass, but she hardly seemed to notice. She kept her head low and her lips peeled back in a nervous growl.
A roar made Kalai look up. Faded shadows of dragons appeared and disappeared through the veil of smoke. Kalai winced when the outline of a dragon collided with the mountainside in the low visibility, sending a rain of rubble onto the ground. They were here to help the people, he realized. Like they had before. The dragons didn’t know there was nothing they could do to help. Kalai scanned the skies for signs of red.
Beside him, Arrow cowered and coughed, the sound strained and wheezing. The smoke made him as uneasy as it made Kalai. Kalai hushed him with a hand on his shoulder. The dragons couldn’t stay here. They were far too sensitive to the smoke.
A shadow appeared from the wall of gray. Several people yelped and hurried out of the way as Obu landed in the street. Jinhai got off his back and ran to Kalai, nearly bumping into him with urgency.
“Are you all right?” Kalai asked, steadying Jinhai with both hands on his shoulders.
Jinhai nodded. “What’s going on? Is it a forest fire?”
“It’s the volcano,” Kalai said. “North of us.”
Jinhai’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Kalai nodded. “Is there any way we can tell the dragons to leave? If the sky turns red, they could die.”
Jinhai rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. His hands trembled when he wrung them. “Without Ibi-shao, I don’t know… Maybe if we let Obu and Arrow guide them… but if they have eggs, they’ll want to stay.”
Kalai swallowed and turned in a half circle. Where could they lead them? There was bound to be fresh air above the smoke, but the