POV: Morgana
The festival was beautiful in the way dangerous things often were.
Lanterns floating through twilight sky. Music that made your chest ache. Air kingdom citizens dancing on platforms suspended by magic and engineering and sheer audacity. All of it ethereal. Otherworldly.
All of it a trap.
I walked beside Saren, our hands brushing as we moved through crowds. Casual contact. Nothing that would draw attention. But every touch sent electricity through me.
We were about to attempt escape. Might die trying. And I'd wasted three years pretending I didn't want him. Three years of denial because admitting feelings felt like weakness.
Stupid. All of it stupid.
"You're thinking too loud," Saren murmured. His water kingdom accent more pronounced when he was tense. "I can practically hear your thoughts."
"Just thinking we're idiots."
"About the escape plan? Yes. It's terrible."
"About us." I looked at him. Really looked. Memorized his face in case this went wrong. In case we didn't both make it. "We're idiots about us."
He stopped walking. People flowed around us. Festival chaos providing cover.
"Morgana—"
"If we survive this," I interrupted, "I want to stop pretending. Stop acting like there's nothing between us when there's been something for years."
His eyes went wide. Surprised. Hopeful. Vulnerable in a way I rarely saw from him.
"Years?"
"Three at least. Maybe longer. I stopped counting." I took his hand properly. Not just brushing. Actually holding it. "I've been in love with you since you threatened to throw me in the harbor for insulting your water magic. Since you stood between Rav and danger without thinking. Since you made me laugh when I wanted to scream."
"Three years." His voice was rough. "Three years and you never said anything."
"Neither did you."
"Because I thought—" He stopped. Started again. "You're fire kingdom. Born there. Belong there. I'm water kingdom serving foreign interests. I thought you'd never want someone like me. Someone who doesn't quite fit anywhere."
"You fit with me." I pulled him closer. Festival music swelling around us. "You've always fit with me. I was just too stubborn to admit it."
"If we survive this—"
"When we survive this." I grabbed his face. Kissed him properly for the first time in public. Not hiding. Not pretending. Just kissing him like I'd wanted to for years.
He made a sound. Surprise and relief and desire all mixed. Then he kissed me back. Fierce. Desperate. Three years of wanting poured into one moment.
When we broke apart we were both breathing hard.
"We're doing that more when this is over," I said.
"Definitely." He grinned. Actually grinned. "Lots more."
"Later." I glanced around. "Right now we need to not die."
"Right. Escaping. Gliders. Terrible plan."
"Worst plan."
We reached the launch platforms hand in hand. Ravenna and Theron were already there. Examining gliders with expressions that said they had serious doubts.
"These look flimsy," I said.
"They're designed for short flights," Theron said. "Not carrying four people hundreds of feet down."
"So we'll be careful." I picked one that looked slightly more sturdy. "This one?"
"As good as any."
Saren grabbed another. Started testing the frame. "Bamboo is strong. Silk is reinforced. It could work."
"Could being the key word," I muttered.
Around us festival chaos was building. Midnight approaching. Time for the lantern release. Time for our escape.
Then guards appeared. Four at first. Then more. Surrounding us.
My stomach dropped. We'd been caught.
"Princess Ravenna," a guard said. "You need to come with us."
I moved my hand toward where weapons should have been. Found nothing. Right. Confiscated. We were unarmed except for magic.
Magic would have to be enough.
Seris appeared through the crowd. Her pleasant mask firmly in place until she got close. Then it dropped. And the face underneath was cold. Ancient. Terrifying.
"You know what I am," she said to Ravenna. "What I represent. Did you think gliders would save you?"
She kept talking. Admitting everything. Admitting she'd founded Eclipse. Admitting she'd ordered Elara's death. Admitting she planned to capture Ravenna for study.
I only half listened. Was too busy calculating odds. Counting guards. Looking for escape routes.
There weren't many. We were surrounded. Outnumbered. Outmaneuvered.
But we still had surprise. Had desperation. Had nothing left to lose.
"Take her," Seris ordered. "Kill the others if they resist."
That was our cue.
Theron threw fire at the platform. Not at guards—at the wood beneath us. Creating chaos. Creating opportunity.
Saren threw water. Barrier between us and guards. Buying seconds.
I grabbed the nearest glider. Shouted "NOW!"
And jumped off the platform.
The world tilted. Wind screaming. Platform falling away behind me. The glider caught air currents and I was flying. Actually flying. Bamboo and silk holding my weight against all probability.
Below me, Skyreach's lower platforms spread out. Above me, chaos. Theron and Ravenna and Saren still on the platform fighting guards. Creating enough distraction for me to escape.
No. Not without them. We stayed together or we died together.
I angled the glider. Tried to circle back. But wind currents were too strong. Pulling me down. Away. Toward the lower city whether I wanted to or not.
A shape appeared beside me. Another glider. Saren.
He'd followed. Jumped after me. Was flying parallel through turbulent air.
"Keep going!" he shouted over the wind. "Get to ground! Meet at the nomad camp!"
"Not without them!"
"They'll follow! Theron will get her out! GO!"
I wanted to argue. Wanted to circle back and help. But the glider was too fragile. Wind too strong. I had no choice but to ride the currents down.
We glided between floating platforms. Past bridges and gardens and architecture that defied gravity. Beautiful and deadly. One wrong move and we'd crash into stone.
Behind us I heard roaring. Saw dragon forms materialize. Seris had shifted. Was pursuing.
But she was chasing Ravenna and Theron. Not us. We were secondary targets. Unimportant except as obstacles.
The lower city approached fast. Too fast. I had maybe seconds to figure out landing before the glider hit stone.
"Brace!" Saren shouted.
I hit ground hard. Rolled. Bamboo frame shattering. Silk tearing. Pain shooting through my shoulder but nothing broken. Nothing that would stop me running.
Saren landed beside me. More graceful. Water kingdom training making him better at reading air currents.
"Move!" He grabbed my hand. Pulled me up.
We ran. Into the lower city. Into crowds that were thin because everyone was on upper platforms for the festival. Through alleys and side streets Saren somehow knew despite never being here before.
"Where are we going?" I gasped.
"Forest edge. Beyond the city. We hide until—" He stopped dead. Looked up.
I followed his gaze. Saw dragons in the sky. Saw Havoc and Solace fleeing. Saw Seris's pale form pursuing them relentlessly.
"They made it," I breathed. "They're out."
"They're being chased." Saren's voice was grim. "Come on. We need to get clear. If they're captured, we're the only chance to rescue them."
We kept running. Through the lower city. Past the last platforms. Into forest that bordered Skyreach's territory.
Only when we were deep in trees did we stop. Collapse against trunks. Gasp for air. Try to process what just happened.
"We escaped," I said. "We actually escaped."
"We got separated." Saren was watching the sky. "Ravenna and Theron are being pursued. We need to move. Get to the nomad camp. Regroup."
"You think they'll make it?"
"I think Theron will die before letting anyone take her. And Ravenna's too stubborn to be captured." He looked at me. "They'll make it. And we'll meet them at the camp."
I wanted to believe that. Wanted to think our terrible plan had worked. That we'd all survive and regroup and be fine.
But I'd seen Seris's face. Seen the cold determination. Seen how many guards followed her orders.
We weren't out of danger. Weren't even close.
But we were alive. Free. Together.
That was something.
"Come on," Saren said. "We have a long journey to the nomad camp. We should move while we have darkness."
We started walking. Hand in hand. Through forest that grew thicker with every step. Away from Skyreach. Away from Seris. Away from immediate danger.
But not away from worry. Not away from fear that Ravenna and Theron wouldn't make it. That we'd get to the nomad camp and they'd never arrive.
I pushed the thought away. Focused on walking. On Saren's hand in mine. On putting distance between us and Eclipse.
We'd survived. Made it out. Now we just had to trust that Ravenna and Theron were doing the same.
Trust that together was stronger than anything Seris could throw at us.
Trust that we'd all make it to the nomad camp.
All of us. Together. Like we'd promised.