bCHAPTER /bb39 /b

bSaphira /bbstirred /bat the sound of rustling, her senses slowly pulling her from sleep. Her eyes blinked open, adjusting to the dim them, and abe bunfamiliar /bsurroundings. Dark walls, bare of memories, heavy silk sheets draped over the bed

bThis /bwasn’t her room..

Then–Niks‘ voice, warm and familiar.

b“/bYou’re awake.”

She turned her head, catching sight of him as he finished dressing. A slow smile curled on her lips.

“How did you sleep?” he asked, his tone softer than she expected.

“Good, thanks. You?”

was something unspoken in his words, a quiet weight behind them.

“The best I have in a while,” he admitted.

Therence

steady, grounding, as he perched on the edge of the bed

Once fully dressed, he crossed the room toward her,

“We need to speak to Asher today,” he said. “Raven let me know he’s awake and doing well.”

Saphira pushed herself up slightly, brushing her hair backb. /bThe mention of Asher tugged her mind bback /bto everything from the night before, the chaosb, /bbthe /b

revtionsb. /b

“You want me to join you?” she asked, still unustomed to thisb–/bworking together.

She wasn’t used to it.

Niks‘ golden eyes flickered with something warm. Then–his fingers gently cupped her face.

“I need you to join me, if you will,” he murmured, his touch sending a soft shiver through her.

Her breath hitched, warmth creeping up her cheeks.

She leaned into his touch, savoring the steady heat of his palms against her skin.

“Of course,” she whispered.

Niks exhaled, thumb brushing lightly against her cheekb. /b

There was something undeniable in this moment–something neither of them could put into words yet.

She allowed herself to linger in it, just for a second longer.

Then, with a quiet inhaleb, /bshe pulled back.

“I’ll get ready now.”

Saphira and Niks stepped out of the room, the fingering warmth of their earlier exchange still humming in the back of her mind. But she pushed it aside -there were more pressing matters now.

They moved through the halls, the quiet hum bof /bthe stronghold surrounding them, until they spotted Raven standing near one of the side corridors, arms crossed, as if she had been waiting for them.

“You’re up,” Raven remarked, her sharp eyes flicking between them before settling on Niks. “Asher’s awake. He’s still bweak/bb, /bb

Niks nodded, his grip on Saphira’s, hand firm but absent–minded. “Take us to him.”

lucid.

CHARTER 3D.

Raven bdidn’t /bhesitate, turning on her bheel /band leading the bway /b

bSaphira /bfollowed beside Niks, her mind swirling bwith /bthoughts about Asherb–/bwhit was bbe/bb? /bbHow /bhad he ended up chansed beh?c nhi Importantlyb, /bwhat did he knowb? /b

bThey /breached the guest room soon enough.

Raven pushed open the door, stepping aside as Niks and Saphira entered.

Asher by /bon the bed, his auburn hair slightly dishevelled, his posture tense despite the exhaustion clinging to him. His eyes flickered bopen /bin btheir /bsharp yet tired, assessing them both.

Niks stepped forward first. “I’m Niks,” he said evenly. “And this is Saphira.”

Saphira offered a small nod, watching Asher carefully.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment, something unreadable flickering behind his expression before he exhaled and rasped, b“/bbI /bbremember /bbyou /b

“You’re ba /bdragon,” Niks stated, his bvoice /bsteady but filled with quiet curiosity. The words seemed to jolt Asher back to full attention, bhis /btired beyes /bflicking toward Niks as if assessing whether he could be trusted.

“Which pack are you from?b” /b

Asher hesitated, his gaze shifting between them, as if weighing the consequences bof /bhis banswer/b. Thenb, /bwith a short, uneven breathb, /bhe finally spoke.

“We don’t have a pack,” he admitted. His voice carried a weightb–/bsomething old, something tired. “We were actually looking for bthe /bst remaining dragons. b1 /bassume that’s your pack.”

Saphira’s breath hitched slightly.

Niks‘ expression didn’t falter, though she saw something flicker beneath his golden bgaze/b. b“/bYesb. /bbI /bwas actually on a bquest /bto find your packb… /bbefore things happened, anyway.”

A bitter smile yed at the edges of Asher’s lips before he shook his head. “There isn’t much of a pack left.” His voice dipped lowerb, /bheavier.

Niks turned to Saphira instinctively, and for the first time bsince /bentering this room, she saw the raw concern written bacross /bhis bface/bb. /bHe wasn’t bjust /bcurious anymore. He was worried.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his focus shifting back to Asher.

A slow, deep breath passed through Asher’s lips, like the weight of bthe /btruth was pressing against him, like saying it aloud made it breal/b.

“There used to be around seven of us,” he said, voiceced with something distant–griefb, /bmaybe. “But we were hunted. We bwere /ball captured.b* /b

Saphira felt her stomach twist, the air in the room growing heavier with every word.

“I found five dead dragons while I was looking for my motherb,/b” Asher continued. His voice bwas /bquieter nowb, /brestrained, but the pain was bthere/b–bwoven /binto every syble. “Then I bwas /bcaught when I found herb./bb” /b

Saphira sucked in a breath, her pulse quickening.

“What happened to her?” she asked, though part of her didn’t want to hear the answer.

“She was being kept in another ceb, /blike the one we were in,b” /bbAsher /bsaid, directing thest part toward Niks, almost as if bsearching /bfor some kind of validation, confirmation that he understood. “Before bI /bcould help, I was attacked and taken.. I don’t even know if bshe’s /bstill aliveb./bb” /b

Silence stretched, thick and unrelenting.

Saphira swallowed against the lump in her throat. The weight of his words sat heavy on her chest. How bmany /bbmore /bbwere /bblost/bb? /bHow bmany /bhad bsuffered /bbthe /b

same fate?

CHAPTER b19 /b

“I’m bsorry/bb, /bale bmurmured/b, the bwords /bbarely benough/b,

Asher gave a snill nodb, /bbhis /bgaze softening slightlyb. /bb“/bbThank /byou,” he said bsincerely/bb. /b

bThen/bb–/bhis expression shifted.

b“/bYou bshould /bknowb… /bthere was another dragon.”

Saphira’s breath caught. Another?

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