“It worked.” I barely dared to speak the words. They didn’t seem real. I repeated myself, dazed. “It worked.”

I crouched down, tracing a streak of pale yellow on the cracked shell. This was why the ceremony was always done in secret. If people knew our family’s blood was the key to hatching the eggs, our enemies may have tried to use us or even kill us.

But how did we have this power? It wasn’t the elemental magic of the crows. It was something different.

I let out a whoosh of breath, then sucked it back in greedily. But no amount of air seemed like enough. I felt empty and full all at once, like an hourglass of shifting sands.

“I’ve never seen you smile like that,” Caylus said softly.

I blinked; I hadn’t realized I was still smiling.

He blushed before saying, “It looks nice.”

My smile widened, and I stood, leaning into him, content never to move again.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whispered, and he held me tighter. When at last I pulled away, I settled down beside the crow. The floor was hard and uncomfortable, the wool blankets itchy, but I didn’t care. I lay my head down beside his, taking in every detail of his small form, from the curve of his beak to the ridges of his feathers.

The connection between us emitted a faint humming, a quiet song I could listen to forever. I ran one finger over the curve of a talon, carefully, reverently. The sounds of Caylus returning to his work faded into the background until my world became enveloped by the gentle breathing of the creature before me.

I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until I woke with a blanket over me. Panic rippled in my chest—I hadn’t meant to sleep, and I’d be missed at the castle. I nearly bolted upright until I realized the crow had shifted in his sleep, tucking his head into the crook of my arm.

As carefully as I could, I extricated myself from him, wrapping the blanket Caylus must have laid on me around him instead. The door opened, and Caylus entered, a cup of tea in hand.

“How is he?” he asked.

“Perfect,” I replied.

I needed to go. Kiva needed to know what had happened. Then I had to send a letter to Caliza, develop a training plan for the crow, and figure out how Kiva and I were going to escape. We’d have to wait at least a week for the crow to be strong enough to move, maybe longer.

But he was here. He was alive. And I couldn’t quite tear myself away just yet.