Tieran moved his head slightly, and she felt it all the way down to her wrist. Tears came to her eyes. It wasn’t a real bond. Not like the ones that the Society had, but it was the most she had ever been connected to Tieran. And so long as it was in place, she would always feel him. She never had to remove it.

“I felt that,” she said, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him. “We’re bonded, Tier. We’re bonded.”

Hours later, they flew around the three great mountains that made up the House of Shadows. It was shocking to just be able to see the mountains. All those years, they had been hidden. When Kerrigan had flown here last time, she’d felt sick, just being near the mountains, and she couldn’t even see them. Now, that was all gone.

The wall was truly down. No trace of Mei remained behind. It made her sad to think that she was gone entirely. But of course, she continued in her daughter.

The dragons veered east toward Lethbridge, and Kerrigan’s heart sank to her stomach.

“Oh no,” she whispered.

Smoke rose high in the distance. She couldn’t quite smell it, but they all knew what that meant. Night was falling, and Lethbridge was under attack.

The dragons landed in a clearing just west of Lethbridge. Scouts continued on to figure out what had happened. Alura was one of them. She’d landed long enough to deposit her bags and then burst into action again. They watched her fly away, knowing tomorrow, it would be them.

Kerrigan went about helping to set up the camp. She hoisted tents with Audria, who seemed grateful for the last year. She’d never seen a tent before they went through battlefield conditions in one of Lorian’s lessons. He’d ridiculed Kerrigan intensely even though she and Fordham were the only ones who knew what they were doing. And now, none of that mattered.

All that mattered was the battle to come. Not that she and Fordham were members of the House of Shadows. Not that there were people on the other side of that wall that she knew. Not that she might not be allowed to continue with the Society after this. Just tomorrow.

Trulian appeared himself after they ate dinner. “You,” he barked at Fordham. “Come with me.”

“Yes, sir,” Fordham said. He didn’t even ask questions. He’d defaulted to his military training.

Kerrigan wasn’t so well trained. She jumped up too. “What’s going on?”

“Maybe you should come with us too. If you have half as much strength as my Mei did, then you’ll be an asset,” he said. Then, he jerked his head and stomped back toward the largest tent at the center of the small camp.