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“I’m not exactly sure,” Harper admitted. Internally, she warred for a moment. What should she say? How much could she trust these strangers? But, with weary resignation, she knew that she needed their help. There was no one else to turn to. She recounted finding the Dragonheart and what had happened when she touched it.
“You have a Dragonheart?” Erika’s hard gaze bored into Harper, who flinched under it. Everyone’s attention on her, she tentatively brought it out of her cloak. The group collectively sucked in a breath before they all leaned closer.
“It is a Heart of Dragons, really and truly?” Ragnar looked to Aedon, who nodded slowly. The dwarf raised a hand to his chest and shook his head. Harper thought he seemed filled with emotion, but she did not understand why.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing happening,” Brand said. His gaze flicked between Aedon and the Dragonheart. “Is it dangerous?”
“I haven’t, either. Dragonhearts, being gateways to other lands?” Aedon huffed and shrugged. “Dangerous, though? No, I don’t think so. But there are clearly greater magics at play here than what I understand. What happened next, Harper?”
“Well, then I found myself here—well, not here, but over by that village. When they saw me, they accused me of stealing the Dragonheart. I ran, and that’s when I bumped into you.”
“Quite literally,” Aedon said with a rueful grin, rubbing his chest. “So you really didn’t take the Dragonheart?”
“I didn’t.”
“It’s beautiful.” Aedon leaned closer. There was a yearning in him, one that ellicited a coil of something uncomfortable in her gut. “May I?” This close, she saw his green eyes held flecks of blue and gold in them. Somehow, she reached out to him even though she had just a moment before thought it not wise to give her rare treasure over. She blinked, startling as his fingers brushed hers. And then, it was in his hands and she felt dazed. What had just happened? That unease coiled anew in her stomach.
Aedon gently cupped the stone, examining it as though it were the most precious thing he had ever seen. Perhaps it was even more valuable than she had first thought. She cleared her throat. With a smile, he handed it back to her, his hands lingering for just a second as she took it. She tamped down on the uncomfortable feeling. Nothing was amiss. He’d given it back. Why did she still feel uneasy?
“Now, I have a question. Where am I?” she asked.
“You’re currently in the Kingdom of Pelenor, to the southeast of the living forest of Tir-na-Alathea,” Brand said, as though that explained everything.
“Pelenor?” Somehow, it sounded worse for others to voice that she was definitely in a different land. She had never even heard of the place. She knew of Caledan. To the south was Roher. To the east, the steel-grey waves of the ocean. To the north, the biting cold of the ever-winter lands. She knew even less about what lay to the west. She clamped down on a fluttering in her chest, and folded her trembling hands together.
“Yes,” Aedon said. “I suppose we don’t need to teach you Pelenor geography right now. You probably need some more sensible clothes, though. Yours look a little, ah… worn.” He wrinkled his nose. “What in Pelenor is that stain on your shirt? Some kind of blood?”
Harper looked down and her cheeks warmed. “Oh. No, it’s stew. I don’t have much coin. It’s at… home.” The word felt strange upon her tongue. Harper offered her copper, shameful as it was. She wondered if it were a hidden blessing that all her wordly goods and money had remained behind. Betta would need them in her absence.
Aedon bit it, then tossed it back at her. “Oh, that won’t do you any good here. What about your bracelet? That metal looks valuable.”
Harper snatched her arm back. “No. Sentimental value. It’s not worth anything to anyone else. It’s all I have from my childhood.” She ran her finger over the single charm, as she had done thousands of times before, and tucked it out of sight up her sleeve.
“Well, if you’re sure.”
“Look, there’s been a terrible mistake of some kind. If you could just tell me how to get home, or send me back, I’ll be on my way.”
Aedon shared a troubled look with Brand, who shrugged. “You’re going to have to tell her sooner or later. Might as well be now.”
“I’m afraid there’s no way back, Harper,” Aedon said quietly.
She furrowed her brows. “What?”
“I mean, it’s technically possible. You could travel for months, eventually reaching where you call home. Maybe. If you survived the sea crossings. And the wilds.”
Harper’s chest tightened. That could not be. “There must be some way I can get back!” she said desperately, fighting the nauseating swoop at the bottom of her stomach. Home might not have been much, but it was hers, and the only anchor she had in the world. More important than anything, Betta depended on her.
19
DIMITRI
Dimitri cast his senses out, toward the Dragonheart wherever it might be, seeking for that now familiar feeling of its magic. Nothing. He threw the net wider, out of his quarters and into the city. Into the palace. Into the vaults. Into the sprawling suburbs.
Nothing. Not one trace of that vast magnitude of power.
His heart skipped a beat. Where had it gone? He could not conceivably have made it vanish, yet it was no longer where it had been. He had to find it before anyone else—because he knew they would soon be looking.
It was not long before the king’s men arrived, and despite him expecting them, it still sent a bolt of fear through him. They pounded on the door so hard it shook on its hinges. Of course, he would be amongst the first Toroth called upon. Keeper of the king’s secrets and entrusted with his darkest business. The very picture of consternation, he accompanied them toward the great hall. He had changed into his nightwear and ruffled his normally neat hair before Toroth’s men had arrived to convincingly appear surprised at the intrusion on his evening.
