Song of Blood and Reign

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Jai knew when the sleepless night was catching up to Lyv. Whenever she realized sleep wasn't an option for her, she'd sit straight up and tighten her grip on the saddle and Jai's arm around her stomach. Even though she was more determined to stay up as they flew over Shoal's Crossing toward Escarral, her head would bob backward, either into his chest or his chin, before she woke back up.

No matter what, all of them were going to need to rest once they landed at the port town. The dragons flying in formation behind them would be exhausted, along with their riders. Even those on the ships below hardly got any sleep the night before, according to Kalla and Drue – Kalla's people because they were sailing nonstop to get to Ayveri in time and Drue's because...well, they had been up drinking their way through the capital. Jai could imagine Jules going off on them that very moment if they even slacked once on the ships below.

Those ships were keeping up with the dragons' speed, though, with the help of the merpeople from below the surface of the water. Princess Serena was in command in the waters below with over a hundred of her own troops. Once in Escarral, they had their own plans of searching for anything of help by going through any and every one of the waterways. The merpeople had their own kind of portal magic in that they had the ability to jump from one body of water or deep enough river to another. Shifting their tails for legs helped as well so they could join them on land when needed.

Now, though, Jai looked over at Thia and Gideon on Erly to their right and Allel in her silver dragon form to their left.

Then to Lyv, her head leaned back on his chest with her eyes closed, who had finally given herself the opportunity to sleep for just a little bit. Jai kissed her temple, looking forward to the wide expanse of water in front of them.

Lyv wasn't the only one who was worried over what was happening in Escarral and Jai was extremely close to not being able to hide his own anymore. It wasn't just out of obligation because of a peace treaty that he wanted to save the human land. It had so much of his love and gratitude for several reasons. In his time there as Amory, he'd grown to love it and its people. And with Lyv being the connection that brought Dalcaine and Escarral together, Jai had grown close to her family there as well. Even though Bence had threatened him on more than one occasion as both himself and as Amory, Jai still considered the human king a good friend.

But the most important thing Escarral had given him was the opportunity to meet Lyv and grow to love her more than anything in his life.

Jai tightened his hold on his mate in his arms, kissing the side of her head once more and thanking every god and goddess he could for giving her to him.

His worry was for other reasons, too. Reasons he hadn't shared with Lyv, mostly because he'd promised Bence not to tell her the prophecy the king had known for the past twenty-plus years and had shared with Jai just the year before in Escarral. One Elys had hinted at by the vision he had before the conduit appeared

Jai was waiting for Lyv to ask him if he knew anything about it. He kept his promises, though, even those that made him keep something from her. Would Bence finally tell her himself about how this coming war was going to be started with his death? How was Jai supposed to face her once she knew and found out that he'd been keeping it from her as well? When they'd promised to not keep anything from each other? But Bence's secret wasn't Jai's to tell. Surely, she would understand that and wouldn't be too upset at the both of them.

It wasn't long before they could all see it – the Escarrali coastline in the distance. Dark clouds raged above it, but never allowed for rain to fall. The closer they got, the more they could see the mountains of Ceron, which acted as the boarder between it and the Oria territories. It would be those mountains they'd need to cross in order to get to the Ceron stronghold.