“I didn’t mean to do it, but… yes. I don’t have another explanation.”

There was no judgment in Tieran’s voice, just curiosity. That is very powerful indeed. And do you think you can put it back up?

“No,” she said immediately. “Mei sacrificed herself to do it. I’m not strong enough, nor do I have sufficient motivation, as she did. The wall is down, and it must remain so.”

You went into the House of Shadows. You are one of their people. What do you believe we will see when we reach Lethbridge?

Kerrigan cringed at that assessment. She doubted it looked good that she and Fordham were part of the tribe they were warring with. Even if technically, she wasn’t part of the House of Shadows, she’d made sure no one knew that.

“I don’t know. They’re prepared for this—Fordham is a good commander for a reason—and they hate the people of Lethbridge. They traded with them during all these years of isolation. I doubt they’ve forgiven that they needed help from humans.”

I see. You left something out of your story.

Kerrigan smiled. “You noticed that?”

I have been with you nearly a year. I know your pauses have weight. And you told me that you found a way to fix the bond. How did you discover this, and what must we do?

Kerrigan liked that he knew her well enough to see it. She had been reluctant with Tieran from the start, but now, they were past that earlier antagonism. They were one and the same. “When I was trapped in my head after I had the vision of Mei, I met a woman, Cleora. She was also a spiritcaster but from a different world.”

A different world?

“Yes, I found it difficult to believe as well. She agreed to train me in spiritcasting. We’re to meet at midnight at the next full moon to begin training.”

That is in four days, and we fly into battle.

“Well, I didn’t know that when I met her.”

Tieran’s body rumbled. Of course not.

“I did ask her about dragon bonding though. There are dragons in her world.”

He lit up at that. Another world with more of my kind?

“Yes.” Not that she wanted to tell him that it sounded like they weren’t the same kind of dragons at all. He likely wouldn’t take kindly to knowing that they were just beasts. “And she told me how to use a bond through my spirit magic. She called it a crux bond. Should I try?”

Might as well see if it works.