War of the Princes 02: Dragoon (31 page)

“
You'd better,” he said. “This is your mess that we'll be hung for. Pilot?”

“
Damn it,” Carmine swore. “Well, why not? A job’s a job. If I’m paid, and my ship is repaired, I’m in.”

Lord Brendon nodded
his head and looked to me.

Knowledge settled over me like the threat of an incoming storm. I wasn't going home this time. I couldn't apologize to my father, or help with the
damages caused by Eddie Elm. But my problems and Brendon's were linked. If Prince Raserion had his way, we'd both lose everything.

“
What about my friend, Ruby?” I asked.

“
She had nothing to do with your actions. She has no debt to pay,” Brendon answered levelly.

“
Then I'll help you, as long as it doesn't endanger my home,” I said carefully.

“
Fair,” Brendon said. “As a Lodestone, I'll need your help more than any.”

“
There are only a few of us,” I pointed out. “How will we be able to make a difference?”

We are all parts of a living machine, invaluable, and all it takes is one person to change things to right or ruin.

Brendon stepped around the desk, and leaned back on it. His heavy brow lowered over his focused eyes.

“
Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I'd ever say this. We only have one option for survival, and you can do something that I cannot. Something that would mean almost certain death for any un-escorted westerner,” Lord Brendon Axton said, looking me directly in the eyes. “You can make an appeal on our behalf to Varion, Prince of the North.”

C
hapter 52: Ruby's Release

I faced the most difficult part of my journey since leaving Haven. Lord Axton had given us a room in the medical wing, and we had all the help we needed in preparing it. Strangely, it was the very same room that Rune had laid in during his brush with death. The painting of the great white tree standing against the storming elements of air and water remained on the wall. Rune's painting. I closed my eyes, wishing it'd make me feel stronger. It didn't.

I dreaded what was to come, more than facing an angry Margrave or the Prince himself. I was miserable, sick and frightened, but least I wasn't alone. Rune was just outside the door like a grim sentinel, and Kyle was with me in the room. I could hear the footsteps echoing down the hall. I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt and Kyle put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

Rune swung the door open and stood by as Ruby entered the roo
m. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and stared up at my Dragoon with obvious fear, but when she saw me, it all disappeared. Flushing with excitement, she bounced once on the balls of her feet, called out my name and Kyle's, and rushed to us. Her arms flew around me with a death grip I didn't know she had the strength for.

Kyle gave her a sad
and reluctant crooked smile when she hugged him, but I couldn't even do that much. How could I smile when guilt was eating me alive?

“I was so afraid, while you were gone,” she admitted. “I must have cried for an entire day. I thought that they'd treat me the way they treated you, but they took such good care of me. I was amazed how nice everyone was.
Gravity! You have no idea how glad I am to see you! Where’s Sterling?”

At first, s
he’d been so excited to reunite with us, she didn’t even recognize Sterling laying limp and grey in the interior of the room behind us.

At first, she wandered to him, too confused to react. Her face was blank,
stupefied. She didn't understand what she was seeing.

Watching her break down is still something
I wish I could forget.

*   *   *

She'd been sitting with him for three hours, talking to him, crying and holding his hand. I waited in the lobby, the place where I'd once met Rune's mother, with my head buried in my arms, waiting for Ruby to come out and hate me. I wondered if it would compare to how much I hated myself in that moment.

Kyle had gone to find something to eat, but Rune stayed with me, standing all the while.

“I'm not used to sitting for very long,” he reminded me.

When Ruby finally left Sterling's bedside, her glasses were off, exposing her bloodshot eyes and blotchy pink cheeks, stained with crying. She sniffled as she came out.

I stood up and couldn't bring myself to say anything. Another hug was not something I expected.

“
Thank you for bringing him back. I know he's gone, but I'd like to think that on some level, it meant something to be with me,” she said, her tiny frame trembling.

Breaking away from the contact, I gathered my courage and met her silver, almond shaped eyes.
“Before he lost his consciousness, he used the last of his strength to show me how much you meant to him. I knew he could sense the Abilities of others, but Ru, he was a Lodestone with the Ability to make people remember and forget. He loved you. I'm sure of it.”

She actually smiled and the tears fell down her face again.
“See. I told you.”

“
I know,” I said, feeling the air drive out of my lungs like I'd been punched in the chest. “I'm sorry. I was so wrong about him.”

“
That was one of the reasons he followed me, when Kyle and I went after you. He wanted to prove to you that there was more to him than the duties of his family. I'm glad he was able to do that.”

“
Aren't you going to tell me this is my fault?”

She looked at me like I was the strangest person she'd ever seen.
“What happened wasn't your fault. A person can't walk into a wildfire and blame someone else when they get burned. You gave us all plenty enough warnings about this place. I even passed them on to Sterling before we left. You can't be held responsible for our choosing not to listen to you.”

I stared at her in admiration. She was the only one, besides Kyle, who didn't blame themselves or others for what'd happened. Where did a sheltered eighteen
-year-old, hardly any different than myself, get such compassion and forgiveness? Maybe there were properties to that injection I was allergic to that made people more evolved than me. I was certain that if our roles were reversed, I wouldn't respond with as much grace.

“If he… I’ll miss him every day,” she said as a tear slipped from beneath her glasses. “But I will never blame you for it.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking in a shaky breath and feeling some of my fear dissolve.

Sterling's body died that night, and all I could think about was how much Rune meant to me. I didn't know what would happen to us, or how much time we'd have together, but for
once, he wasn’t alone, and I’d never leave him behind again.

C
hapter 53: Epilogue

Breakwater was gilded by sunlight. From cobble to rooftop, storefront to seashore, the city was aglow. Beyond the olive tiled buildings, the farms and foothills were golden, and the stand of proud peaks that made up Haven’s border were brilliantly white with snow. Not a single cloud obstructed the perfectly blue sky.
The air was ice, but there was no wind.

Warm in my teal overcoat,
I stood on a second story balcony, facing the grand stone pier that connected the keep-on-the-water to the shore. The sounds of coursing surf, trumpeting elephants, and jubilant laughter, blended together for the most beautiful song I’d ever heard.

Below me, the
bridge-way to the keep was packed with celebrators. Flags of every color in the rainbow flashed, people chanted and sang, and petals were shot into the air with confetti guns.

Gently swaying elephants were decked in vibrant trappings, and horses moved through the crowds with ribbons streaming from their manes. Even the automobiles were decorated with banners.

Putting my arms on the balcony railing, I leaned on the wrought iron, and watched children run into the open arms of their parents. Whether all of them were laughing from crying or crying from laughing, I’ll never know. Witnessing the emotional elation of an entire city was an experience second to none.

A shadow settled over me as someone came to stand at my side. I smiled up at Rune and studied his reaction of the
spectacle. He gripped the railing with both hands and leaned forward, taking it all in.

His eyes never stopped moving, darting across the scene as though staring at any one thing would overwhelm him with happiness or sorrow. His chin trembled, his eyes went red, and he smiled through it.
“I can hardly believe this is real.”

The way I saw it, Rune was standing at the edge of his world, watching half of it crumble away into dust, and preparing to take a first step into the unknown. I wouldn’t let him face that challenge alone.

Beaming with wonder, I held the railing and rose up to the tops of my toes, exhilarating in the view. “You gave them this.”

“No,” he said quietly.
His hand slid over the rail and closed over mine. “You did.”

A Note from the Author

If you’re reading this,
it means you’ve finished my second book, DRAGOON, and that you’re indisputably awesome. “Who, me?” you ask. Yes, specifically you. I couldn’t imagine a better group of readers. After publishing HAVEN, I’ve had the chance to connect with a great many of you, and I happen to know that you’re all incredible people, of every age, gender, profession, and passion. I’d like to thank you, as personally as digital note will allow, for reading and supporting this series. If you have a free minute, please leave a review for this book on Amazon.com. If ever you find yourself drifting around the internet, come visit my website for giveaways, series updates, concept art, exclusives, and other sorts of shenanigans and tom-foolery.

A. R. Ivanovich

arivanovich.com

A. R. IVANOVICH enjoys being swallowed by forests, sleeping on lakes, and watching the sky. Her passion for writing is accompanied by a love of video games, painting, horseback riding and the subtle craft of nacho-making. A. R. regularly encourages those around her to follow their dreams no matter the obstacles, because, as she can attest, the rewards are more than worth the effort. She was raised in Hawaii, where she once again resides, with her husband and their extensive family of rescue pets.