By the time Lylah got to the tree, she was breathing heavily. The headache she’d been battling had doubled, twisting her stomach in such a sick way that she vomited onto a nearby trunk. She was a breath away from passing out.
Every bone in her body ached. She had no idea what was wrong with her, but that was the least of her problems right now.
She forced herself to the lever and pulled it. The tree shifted, stretching open to reveal the hidden cage. Before Lylah could check, Eryndor burst out of the hole, screeching. Its fiery eyes were blazing with fury—angry and terrifying.
It flapped its wings urgently, the force rippling through the trees and knocking Lylah to the ground. She landed hard on her elbow.
Rising into the air, it paused at a certain height before shooting toward the Citadel like a blazing comet.
Lylah scrambled to her feet, pulled out her twin daggers and sprinted through the woods.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her boots slamming against the earth with loud, desper
