“Precisely,” the spirit agreed. “Now, you may return to them and give them the news, and I will regain my strength here for a while. Anastasia needs to practice her cultivation, so I can heal faster in her spiritual sea.”

  “I’ll let her know that, too,” I chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

  Tira offered an ethereal smile before I zapped myself back to the present, where everyone stood waiting for me. The tension in the air was thick, and I looked over at the elf leaders to see they’d regained their composure, but they still watched me carefully as though I would roast them at any second.

  And I could, but I’d settle for passing along the message at the moment.

  “Well?” Magdalene finally asked with a suspicious glare.

  “I spoke with Tira, the spirit of the Sword of the Land,” I said as I gripped the blade at my side. “She said Anastasia is her rightful mistress because the challenge was never officially conceded, so Anastasia couldn’t have stolen the sword since it belongs to her.”

  “This is an outrage!” Davinder huffed and clenched his fists. “How do we know you didn’t just close your eyes for a while and make that whole thing up?”

  “You’re foolish if you think Lord Evan would lie to you about such a thing,” Aaliyah spat out, and the lioness’ tail lashed back and forth behind her in agitation.

  “Yeah, if he said he spoke to Tira, he did,” Rebecca agreed.

  “You would know that if you’d just listen to him,” Isabella said and pursed her lips with annoyance.

  “We aren’t all blind followers of the dragon,” Magdalene scoffed.

  “I warned you--” I started.

  Then a brilliant flash of light blinded all of us.

  When the light cleared, Tira stood next to me with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “You may not be blind followers, but you are quite blind,” the spirit declared. “And now, you will be mute and listen to what I say.”

  The elves’ mouths dropped open.

  Chapter 11

  “Oh, thank the gods, you’re okay!” Juniper squealed.

  The spirit sisters raced over to Tira, and the four of them squeezed into a loving hug. I smiled at the reunion, but their joy was quickly interrupted.

  “So, you’re supposed to be the spirit of that sword?” Magdalene asked with a snobby air of doubt.

  “And you’re supposed to be the leader of an entire city?” Tira sneered as she turned to face the elves. “How are your people supposed to look to you for leadership when you’re too busy looking down your nose at everyone else?”

  The duchess gasped and covered her mouth.

  “How dare you--” Davinder took a step toward Tira.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I growled and formed a fireball in my palm. “Do you honestly want to continue to test your luck?”

  The elf leader shook his head and stepped back with his wife and guards.

  “Now, I am staying with Anastasia,” Tira said in a firm voice. “She is my mistress, and no one in the physical realm can or will determine otherwise, including your dear Barrington. He left me not once, but twice, in the past few weeks, and he put everyone in Inati in grave danger by doing so. He is not worthy of being a Noble of the Sword, and I will not allow my power to be in his hands again.”

  Davinder and Magdalene gaped in shock as Tira stood tall and declared with certainty about where she would go. It was clear the elf leaders were rarely put in their place, and we’d done it multiple times over the past few days. I had an inkling of hope that they would learn a lesson in humility, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  “So, you belong with me?” Anastasia finally broke the silence.

  “Yes, dear Anastasia,” Tira said as she turned to face her mistress. “I do. You are the rightful Noble of the Sword of the Land, and I am yours.”

  Tira bowed to Anastasia, and the elf leaders’ eyes widened as the other spirit sisters followed the same motion. Even Anastasia flushed a hot pink before she gathered her wits and put a hand on Tira’s shoulder.

  “You are mine, and I am yours,” the lady elf declared. “And now, I am whole.”

  Tira grinned before she closed her eyes and disappeared in another flash of light. I sensed her enter my spiritual sea again, and I walked closer to Anastasia to deliver the rest of the message.

  “Tira wants you to work on your spiritual sea,” I said. “You need to cultivate, so she can use it for healing and regaining her strength.”

  “I haven’t cultivated in years,” Anastasia murmured. “I’ll have to start over.”

  “That’s okay,” Miraya encouraged her. “As long as you do it, she’ll have somewhere safe to be with you, rather than spend all her time in the spiritual realm.”

  “Then I’ll do it,” the elf agreed. “Thank you all for everything you’ve done.”

  “What are you going to do about Barrington?” Ravi asked.

  “Oh, my little brother and I will have a nice, long chat about honesty,” Anastasia said through gritted teeth. “He almost had me thrown in jail, and I won’t stand for that.”

  “Good for you.” Laika patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t take crap from anyone. You’re a Noble of the Sword.”

  “Damn right!” Aaliyah cheered.

  As we all laughed and congratulated her, Magdalene cleared her throat and walked into the space between us with a slightly less arrogant smile.

  “Well, now that we’ve cleared that up, it seems your business in Copacia has concluded,” she said.

  “It seems it has,” I agreed with an eye roll. “We accomplished our mission.”

  “And now, we can get the hell out of here,” Laika grumbled.

  “Yes, we can,” I chuckled as I turned to Anastasia. “Thank you for your help. If I need you again, can I call on you?”

  “Of course, my lord,” the lady elf replied with a smile. “Perhaps one day, I can repay my life debt to you.”

  I grinned as I motioned for Alyona to go ahead with the portal, and as the familiar crackling sound of her magic filled the air, the elf leaders looked on with astonishment.

  Then the portal appeared, and their jaws dropped for a second time. I laughed as I motioned for my people to go through first while I kept an eye on the bewildered elves.

  “Hope we keep the Breach from destroying your fancy city!” I called out before I followed them through.

  Davinder’s curse was cut off by the portal snapping shut behind me, and I took a deep breath of the warm air of Hatra.

  My city, my home, and my people felt like a welcome drink of fresh water as I looked around me. It was just after lunch time, and the hustle and bustle of afternoon work was in full swing. The citizens of Hatra greeted me as they passed, and I grinned at Alyona as I took her hand and led her back to the Lunar Palace.

  Even though the elves were less than welcoming, we’d accomplished our task and added another Noble Spirit’s power to my own. I felt stronger than I’d ever thought possible, and it seemed like nothing could stand in my way.

  Then Ruslan actually stood in my way.

  “Evan, have you heard from the dryads or Naomi?” he asked as he stepped out of the doorway to the castle.

  I’d been so caught up with our issues in Copacia, I hadn’t realized no one had heard from the four women since they’d left for the jungle where the research team had been put under the sleeping spell.

  “Uh, no,” I replied and glanced over at Laika, who shook her head. “They haven’t made it back yet?”

  “No,” he said with a frown. “And Pyotr said none of the guild members have responded to his messages. We were about to reach out to you when Julia said she sensed the portal was opening.”

  It looked like I wasn’t going to have much time to rest and enjoy being home.

  But if my lovers were in trouble, nothing would stop me from helping them, so I strode into the Lunar Palace and met the rest of my family inside.

  “Oh, my lord, I can’t tell where they are,” Valerra said in a worried voice. “I’ve been trying to use the soul bridges to communicate, but I’m just not familiar enough with them.”

  “It’s okay,” Miraya soothed her. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “Of course, we will,” Alyona agreed before she turned to me. “Right, my love?”

  “Yes,” I said firmly. “We’ll find them.”

  “What do you want to do, brother?” Nike asked as he stood next to me with his hand on the Sword of Light.

  “If they found what cursed those people, they could be in danger,” I murmured. “We can’t risk waiting on a message any longer. We need to go find them.”

  “Evan, you don’t even know what you’re looking for,” Emma cut in and grabbed my hand. “Are you sure you should go?”

  “Well, I’m not going to leave them to figure it out for themselves,” I said as I glanced over at the rest of my people. “But I can’t risk anyone else.”

  “Lord Evan, please, I should come with you,” Alyona pleaded. “What if you need something magical?”

  “Then I’ll figure it out,” I countered. “I can’t risk you and the baby. Aunt Emma is right about us not knowing what we’re walking into. If the curse affected the dryads and Naomi, we can’t guarantee it wouldn’t also affect you and the baby.”

  “Oh, gods,” Valerra growled and clenched her fists. “I should have gone with them to protect them. If they’re hurt…”

  She trailed off as her golden eyes flashed with rage and a hint of fear, and as nerve-wracking as this situation was, I couldn’t help but be proud of how far my dragon mate had come. A year ago, she cared for no one and nothing except her sister’s egg, but now Valerra was just as protective over the rest of our ever-growing family.

  “You can’t blame yourself,” Laika said softly. “They are powerful warriors in their own right, and they also had some of the best guards from the Blue Tree Guild to help keep them safe.”

  “And you had to stay here to protect the eggs,” Ravi pointed out.

  “That is an important duty,” Isabella added.

  “I agree,” I said and took Valerra’s hand. “Don’t worry. Nike and I will go find them and bring them home.”

  “I’ll go, too,” Skye cut in as she stepped forward with a determined glint in her eyes. “I’m a Noble of the Sword, too. I should be protecting my people as well.”

  I pursed my lips as I considered the naiad-Nepin’s statement.

  On one hand, she was right about her standing as a Noble of the Sword, and we’d been training her in various ways since she’d regained her sword. She was a fast learner and a skilled warrior, even though she was relatively new at her job. On the other hand, she was one of my lovers and someone I cared about, and I didn’t want to do anything that would put her at risk.

  I glanced around at my women, and I thought about each of their strengths. I’d met most of them in situations where they’d already proven themselves to be incredibly tough, and I couldn’t keep all my people locked away from all danger forever, even if that idea was very tempting.

  “Okay,” I finally said. “You can go, too, but you have to be careful. We all do. We don’t know what is in the jungle or what it’s done to our people already. It wouldn’t help anyone to put ourselves in more danger.”

  “I hear you loud and clear,” Skye replied with a wide smile. “I can do this, my lord. I swear it.”

  “The rest of us can hold down the fort,” Ruslan said and gestured toward everyone else. “If there’s something in that jungle, we need to make sure everyone here is ready for it, too.”

  “I agree.” I nodded and met my father’s stern stare. “We need to make sure the soldiers are ready for anything. I may end up needing backup.”

  “I’ll go let them know now,” my father said before he rushed out the front door to talk with the leaders of the Hatra army.

  We hadn’t been training our soldiers for long when the last group had tried to attack the city, and Ruslan had put them in maximum training mode ever since then. We didn’t want Hatra to be a weak link, especially with how much time and effort we’d put into rebuilding the city after the miasma. We needed to keep our people safe from all harm, and that meant having warriors ready for a fight.

  “My love, are you sure I shouldn’t go?” Alyona asked in a quiet voice as the others began preparations. “I’m so worried you’ll need magic.”

  “I understand your concern,” I murmured and took her hands in mine. “But my greatest concern is for my family, which especially includes the littlest member of it. We have to keep him safe, and I won’t take you or him into the jungle without knowing what we’re up against. For all we know, the curse could affect him, and I have no idea how we’d heal him in the womb.”

  “Oh, gods,” she groaned as she looked down at her tiny belly bump. “You’re right. We have to protect him.”

  “At all costs,” I agreed. “I would slaughter anything that tried to come near him.”

  My inner dragon roared in agreement, and I knew it was more than my paternal instincts that guarded my unborn child. While I was unlike every other dragon in this realm, I still had the instincts to protect my young, no matter what. It was a drive that would push me to the ends of this world for him, and I knew I’d be even more protective once he was born.

  Which was awesome and terrifying.

  “I know you would,” my wife said and rubbed her fingers along my jaw. “I just want you to come home to us.”

  “I will,” I promised. “Nothing could keep me away.”

  I pressed my lips to hers as I pulled her body close to mine, and then I loosened my grip to turn and find Nike. My fellow noble had already gathered a few things in a satchel and wrapped it over his shoulder, and there was a steely resolve glittering in his silver eyes.

  “We’re ready when you are, my lord,” Nike said in a firm voice.

  “Alright, it’s go time,” I whispered and pecked Alyona once more on the head.

  I hugged and kissed each of my lovers, then hugged my mother and aunt. The mood was somber, but I tried not to let it bother me. I knew they were all worried about us and the dryads and Naomi, so I needed to be strong. I wasn’t worried about our safety as much as I worried about the ones who had already been there for several days.

  Once we’d said our goodbyes, I led Nike and Skye out to the courtyard and took a deep breath before I shifted into my dragon form. It would be fastest to fly to the jungle, plus we’d be able to search the ground and find the others more easily from above.

  And I got a little kick out of watching Nike awkwardly climb onto my back.

  When I was in full dragon mode, Skye skipped over to pull herself up, while Nike trudged over and followed her up. I grinned as he slid on behind her, and I nodded to the rest of our people as Nike grabbed onto my spikes in a death grip.

  Then I kicked off into the sky, and I flapped my huge black wings and carried us over Hatra toward the jungle. As we soared over the city, I caught a glimpse of Callan as he carried a stack of boxes toward the shops in the market, and he grinned up at me when my shadow passed overhead. I smiled down at all of my people who waved excitedly as we soared by, and then we were past the city walls and above the desert. The warm air rushed over my scales, and I wished for a day when I could fly like this without being in a hurry to save someone.

  Flying was an indescribable high, and I could never get enough.

  I sensed the change in the air as we neared the jungle, and soon, the sand gave way to spurts of grass and small trees. It was still warm, but the wind was slightly cooler and not quite as dry, so I could smell the thousands of creatures that swarmed below us as we approached, from bugs to birds to monkeys that leaped from branch to branch.

  At first, nothing seemed amiss.

  The jungle seemed to thrive with life, the air was fresh, and the river that ran west toward the ocean was clear, but I still didn’t see the dryads or Naomi. The lizard mage’s hot-pink hair should have stood out among the green-and-brown foliage of the jungle, but every glimpse of bright color that caught my attention ended up being a neon-colored bird that flew to another tree once I got closer. I scanned the jungle for any signs of our people, and I could feel Nike and Skye doing the same thing from my back.

  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

  A deep, dark sense of dread filled my bones like sludge, and I looked down to see a slight flash of green movement. It looked like a branch had slid across the ground, but there was nothing around it.

  “Did you see that?” I called out to my passengers.

  “Something moved,” Nike confirmed.

  “We’re going to check it out,” I said as I slowed my descent and dipped between the trees.

  We landed on the jungle floor with a solid thud, and the trees around me shook and quivered for a moment while the creatures scattered. Once Skye and Nike were on the ground, I shifted back to my human form and beelined for the place I’d seen movement.

  Then I heard the soft crunch of a footstep, and I whirled around just as Naomi crashed through the trees and landed in my arms with a sob.

  “Oh, my gods, you’re here!” she gasped as she clutched onto me.

  “Hey, whoa, Naomi.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her shaking body close to mine. “What’s going on? Where are the others?”

  “The dryads should be--” Naomi started to answer.

  “Catching up,” Polina said and stepped over a fallen tree with her sisters right behind her.

  “Yeah, Naomi is a lot faster than we thought,” Marina laughed.

  “She heard you flying over and came running,” Trina explained.

  “Where are all the Blue Tree Guild soldiers?” I asked as I peered into the trees behind them. “I thought they were supposed to be with you the whole time.”

  “Well, they were with us,” Marina answered with a frown.

  “Until they went missing,” Polina finished.

  “Missing?” I echoed. “How did they go missing?”

  “We’ve been trying to find where the research team went,” Naomi said as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “But we haven’t found anything like what they were looking for.”

 

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