All Chapters of FROM RUIN TO RULE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

SYLARI I couldn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the Vaelth woman's face, her sharp-toothed smile, the way her skin had blistered and cracked under the silver light. I saw my brothers on the ground, burned and broken, watching me with hatred that went deeper than anything I'd felt from them before. Eventually, I gave up trying. I got out of bed and pulled on the dark leathers that had become my usual clothes here. The blade went on my thigh without thinking, my muscle memory taking over. I’d gotten used to the weight of it, the way it pressed against my leg when I walked. The palace was quiet at this hour. Most of the servants had gone to bed and only a skeleton crew of guards remained at their posts. They nodded as I passed but didn't try to stop me. Whatever I'd become to these people, it wasn't someone they wanted to challenge. I ended up in the courtyard where I had first tried to reach the hunger. The snow had been cleared away and someone had put a wood

SYLARI We left at dawn the next morning. The team was small like Kaelith had said, Lirael, four of her scouts, Eron, and me. Seven people to sneak through enemy territory, break into an ancient vault, and get back out alive. The odds weren't great but I had survived worse. Tessa was awake when I went to say goodbye. She was sitting up in bed eating broth that one of the healers had brought her, looking stronger than she had the day before. The swelling around her eye had gone down and the bruises were fading to yellow and green. "You're leaving," she said when I walked in. "For a few days. There's something I need to find." I sat on the edge of her bed the way I had before, taking her hand in mine. Her skin was warmer now, her grip a little stronger. "I'll be back." "You'd better be." She squeezed my fingers. "I didn't survive those monsters just to lose you now." "You won't lose me. I promise." It was a promise I had no right to make. I had no idea what was waiting for us in

~ SYLARI ~ My whole body went cold. Not the kind of cold from the mountain air, but something deeper, something that started in my bones and spread outward until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. He's here. He's actually here. Aldrich walked toward us slowly, his boots echoing on the stone floor. Behind him, more figures emerged from the shadows. Soldiers in Crescent Fang armor, at least a dozen of them, were spreading out to block the exits. And beside my father, grinning like this was the funniest thing they had ever seen, were Riko and Daren. "Did you really think I wouldn't know about this place?" Aldrich asked. His voice bounced off the chamber walls, filling the space. "The Daevari vault. Hidden for centuries. I've had scouts watching these mountains for weeks, waiting to see if anyone would be stupid enough to try and reach it." I couldn't speak. My throat had closed up completely. The hunger was going insane in my chest, thrashing against my ribs like it wanted to tear

~ SYLARI ~ Dragons. Actual dragons. I had heard stories about the Drakari my whole life, but they had always felt distant, almost mythical. They kept to themselves in the mountain courts far to the east, rarely involving themselves in the affairs of other races. The last time anyone had seen them outside their territory was before I was born. "How did they find us?" Lirael asked, her sword still in her hand. Eron's jaw was tight. "They felt her. The Primordial's power when she lost control in the vault. It would have sent ripples across the entire region." Great. So my almost-meltdown basically sent up a signal flare for every powerful creature in a hundred miles. "Are they hostile?" I asked. "I don't know. The Drakari are unpredictable. They could be coming to help, or they could be coming to eliminate a threat before it grows large." Eron turned to face me, his violet eyes serious. "Either way, we can't outrun them. Dragons are faster than anything on the ground, and we don'

~ SYLARI ~ The quarters they gave us were nicer than anything I had expected. Three connected rooms carved into the mountain, with actual beds instead of stone slabs, thick furs for warmth, and a fireplace already burning in each one. The Drakari clearly knew how to treat guests, even reluctant ones. Lirael took the room on the left, muttering something about checking the exits and windows. Old habits, I guessed. Eron stood in the doorway of the middle room, watching me with those violet eyes that never seemed to miss anything. "You should have consulted us before agreeing to stay," he said quietly. "Would it have changed anything?" "No. But I would have liked the chance to advise you." I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off my boots. My feet ached from the ride and the walking and everything else. "Advise me then. What do you think about all this?" Eron stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He moved to the window and looked out at the Dragon Court be