Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles Trilogy #1)(107)

“That explains why you’re glowing,” Ilina said.

“—and it was just Aaru and me.”

He’d hung back, quietly observing the three of us, and when everyone looked at him, he just nodded in greeting.

“I thought you were dead.” Ilina reached for him, as though to draw him into all this hugging, but he jerked back like she might burn him. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t know you, I guess. I suppose not everyone celebrates survival the same way.”

“He’s fine, too,” I said, even though he was far from fine. “But what Gerel said before is true—he doesn’t talk anymore.”

“Oh.” Ilina frowned. “I talk enough for all of us.”

Hristo grunted and glanced at Aaru. “She means it.”

Aaru dropped his gaze to his feet.

Face burning with shame, I turned to Hristo. “Did Gerel and Chenda get out, too? And Kelsine?”

He nodded. “Gerel and Chenda are securing supplies. Kelsine is waiting outside. I’ve seen half a dozen warriors roaming around here already. We need to get out before they really start searching. Gerel said she knows a place we’ll be safe for a while.”

“That’s good.” It was a relief to know they were alive. I couldn’t imagine what I’d have done if any of them had died because of me. “What about Tirta? Or Altan and his people? The other prisoners?”

Hristo shook his head. “I don’t know about Tirta. Altan is alive. We saw him get out, along with at least twenty warriors. The prisoners we released are safe, I think, but I’m not sure. The others—no. I don’t think anyone evacuated the other levels. Even if they’d wanted to, there wasn’t time. We barely escaped before the blast wave hit.”

The blast wave.

What had I done?

I glanced at Aaru, but he avoided my eyes.

What wouldn’t he tell me?

A lot, apparently. I bent to pick up the noorestones I’d dropped earlier. “Lead the way, Ilina. There’s a lot we need to discuss when we get to Gerel’s safe place.”

True to the warnings, we had to duck out of sight three times because of warriors, but it wasn’t long before we reached a huge, caved-in door where the dragons must have been let in and out before the Mira Treaty went into effect. And after, apparently. It was hard to believe that the Drakon Warriors had so brazenly defied the treaty.

Or maybe it wasn’t. Altan had none of the qualities I’d always assigned the famed warriors in my mind.

Now, shattered noorestones glowed coolly in the rubble, bright reminders of what I’d done. Or the earthquake. I couldn’t be sure that this was all my doing.

“How do we get out?” I looked around for a secondary door.

“Up there.” Hristo pointed to a small space in the top where sunlight shone in, warm and gold, like honey. I couldn’t wait to touch it.

It took some effort, but eventually the four of us climbed up the shifting stones and squeezed through the hole.

We emerged into a sun-drenched field, fragrant with wildflowers and honeysuckle. Green grass spread before us, with nothing to indicate a Pit entrance except the remnants of an immense door cut into the side of a mountain.

I knelt and ran my fingers through the blades of grass. Never had I been so relieved to see something so simple. We were out. Free.

A sharp, familiar cry sounded from above. And then another.

My heart jumped as I looked up to find two winged shapes diving toward us, one silver, and one gold. My arm lifted before my brain told it to, because my heart recognized her: LaLa. My little flower.

A golden streak landed with a thump. Talons dug into my hand as she balanced herself, but stopped short of breaking skin when she noticed I wasn’t wearing a glove. “Hello, darling.” I pulled her to my chest and laughed as she started to lick the noorestone dust from my skin.

Two steps away, Ilina was already holding Crystal, stroking the tiny dragon’s head and spine.

“Have you been searching for us?” I murmured. “You must have looked everywhere.”

LaLa head-bumped my chin and rubbed. The ridges of her scales scraped across my skin—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to feel like chastisement.

“I won’t leave you again, little lizard.” I kissed the top of her head and breathed in her scents of lightning and fire, of dust and sunlight.

Hristo watched us with a smile, but Aaru stood in the background wearing that same expression from before—when he’d noticed my scar. There was something curious about it, something a little scared as well. But when he caught my gaze, a flutter of surprise erased the fear, and then his face turned neutral.

He’d stayed with me through the noorestones, risking his own life to save mine. So I trusted him. Of course I did. But he’d slipped just now. He was so used to being invisible, and maybe so exhausted, that he’d forgotten to guard his expression. Against me, it seemed.

I tilted my head so my hair fell across my cheek. “Do you want to meet LaLa?”

Aaru glanced at the dragon, nodded once, and took a cautious step forward.

“We should go first.” Hristo spoke gently, but Aaru withdrew as though he’d been hit.

Hristo was right, though. We couldn’t loiter; it was too close to the Pit. “How far to Gerel’s safe spot?” I asked, shifting LaLa to my shoulder.