“Shhh.” Kalai stroked a warm hand over his chest. “Enough guilt. Just hold me.”
Tauran did, kissing Kalai’s ash-dusted forehead. Kalai tucked his head under Tauran’s chin and his breathing slowed and steadied, although his hold on Tauran didn’t lessen, even in his sleep.
Tauran closed his eyes and let exhaustion overtake him.
* * *
After two days, they opened the cellar doors.
In the wake of so long in semi-darkness, the daylight was blinding. Kalai peered through his fingers, eyes watering as they adjusted. When he lowered his hand, he gasped. Everything was carpeted in a thick layer of ash, turning the world monochrome like the mechanical photographs he’d seen in books in recent years.
To the north, the column of smoke still rose, although fainter now, blowing north. The sky was blue.
Uneven footsteps alerted Kalai to Tauran’s approach.
“Are you sure it’s safe for the dragons?” Tauran asked.
Kalai nodded before taking his eyes off the sky. “The toxic particles have disintegrated.”
“I don’t—”
“The sky’s no longer red,” Kalai explained, pointing up.
“Right.” Tauran looked outward beyond the wall, searching. He didn’t react when Kalai caressed the small of his back.
“What is it?”
“I want to head out. Scout the area.”
“Looking for what?” Kalai asked, although he had a feeling he knew.
“Tauran?”
They both looked back.
Catria stood at the mouth of the cellar with a hand on Sorcha’s wing. “What are we going to do with all the wild dragons?”
Tauran hesitated. They had spent the past two days keeping everyone happy, watered and fed the dragons, broken up a fight between a couple yearlings, and tended to a sick soldier. The question of what to do with the wild dragons once they left the cellar had crossed Kalai’s mind, but he hadn’t aired it. Tauran had enough to deal with.
“Let them out,” Kalai said, feeling Tauran lean into his touch, a bit of tension seeping from his tight muscles. “They’re wild, and the air is safe. They’ll go wherever they want to go. Arrow will stay and watch over them, make sure they don’t get into any trouble they’re not supposed to. The Sky Guard is no threat to them, now.”
Catria nodded, accepting his answer despite Kalai not being a member of the guard. Was there even a guard any more? So many questions had arisen and nobody had any answers, yet.
“I’ll be back soon.” Tauran slid from Kalai’s grasp, but Kalai closed a hand around his wrist to keep him from leaving.
“I’m coming with you,” Kalai said.
“But you said—”
“Arrow will stay here.” Kalai shifted close, taking Tauran’s hand properly. “I can ride with you on Leyra.”
Tauran’s lips parted, but Kalai’s determination must have shown in his eyes, because Tauran finally nodded. “All right.”
Leyra was ecstatic to be free of the cellar. Leaping through the doors, she fanned her wings wide, stood on her hind legs and roared, the sound ending in an explosive sneeze from all the ash she kicked up, and then another one from the cloud of ash her first sneeze caused.
Kalai chuckled, reaching for her. After the stress and fear of the past week, it felt strange to be laughing. “Looks like we best get this big girl up in the air.” He climbed up first, settling at the base of her neck so Tauran could settle behind him and wrap an arm around his waist, holding onto Leyra’s neck strap with the other hand. It struck Kalai that he’d never ridden Leyra before now. She was so much wider, her immense weight and strength tangible under him. And she wasn’t even a year old.
Leyra paused and watched Arrow and Flora emerge from the cellar, followed by a group of wild yearlings. Their eyes widened at the sight of the ash-covered ground and they bounced around each other, dragging their tails across the ground. Leyra watched them with new maturity. She released a soft coo, and the yearlings stilled, letting the cloud of ash settle.
Tauran directed Leyra a short distance from the tower before letting her take flight. Puffs of ash curled around her wings. Within seconds, they rose above the buildings and the walls, near the lower balconies.
“Too high?” Tauran asked.
Kalai shook his head, reveling in their closeness. He leaned against Tauran. “I’m good.”
Kalai had never seen Valreus this empty.
The whole city looked frozen in time, gray, empty and lifeless. Kalai hoped no people had died from the smoke and fumes. No doubt, nurses and doctors all over the city would be busy in the coming weeks. A few places under