BooksBarbecue
Back The Endless Skies Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. Map
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. Also by Shannon Price
  56. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  57. Newsletter Sign-up

With a swift kiss on my cheek, he steps back and takes his lion form. I’m right on his heels. Stretching my wings into the cool grace of the night, we soar directly skyward. The Heliana shrinks to a dark diamond beneath us before being obscured entirely by moonlight-kissed clouds. Ox slows to let me catch up, but then we’re back to it—wings beating in near unison as the temperature around us slips from chilly to cold, to nearly unbearable. The clouds form a blanket below us until it’s as if nothing exists but us—us and the stars.

The pinpricks of light are out in force, as if they had readied themselves for us to be here. A thicker streak of light blue cuts from one end of the sky to the next. Some say it’s the entrance to the Endless Skies; others say it’s only the start of the path to them.

I close my eyes as the night air rolls over me. The Endless Skies are a myth, a story like that of the Wise Horse and the Heron, or the legendary Exin the Great for whom Callen’s friend is named. Still, it is a beautiful thought. That this life isn’t the end, but the short wait until eternity.

The air gets short in my lungs, and my magic tugs at me impatiently—the Heliana’s power can only reach so far. Wordlessly, we both dive. Every inch of me feels dizzy with joy and the feeling of unmitigated freedom. Anything’s possible up here.

Ox and I fly in lazy spirals around each other, twisting closer and closer as we fall. Every time we pass each other, I see an unrelenting wildness in his expression. He loves this as much as I do.

But wildness knows its limits, as do we. We are warriors first, and when Ox dives back down for the Heliana, I follow. He has to be ready by eleventh bell, and despite his confidence, I know the flight to Balmora won’t be as easy when he is carrying the hopes of the city on his wings.

Worse yet, there is nothing I can do to help carry that weight.

11

CALLEN

Leonodai don’t believe in ghosts. Ghosts and fairies are for the bearkings and their lore. Still, as I fly over the Heliana one last time with the echoes of the tenth bell swirling through the air, I feel as though I am already gone.

I sail through the night air as easily as a fish in water. The stars dress the sky in a glitter of silver and blue, bright against the sliver of the moon. The summer air is just the right amount of cool. By the time I see the sun rise, I’ll be far from here. Far from the lights and laughter of the marketplace, far from the soothing rush of the rivers.

Far from home.