I cursed colourfully under my breath. Of course they had to return at one of the worst possible moments. I hadn't even thought about how I was going to explain the Dragon-born passed out over our dining table yet. Taking a deep breath, I waited until the world stopped spinning before I made my way out to see my family.

Standing in the doorway was both Haera and our mother. Relief washed over me to see her back safe and sound. While Haera took after our father in features, I was nearly the exact copy of our mother. Her sun-kissed blonde hair was plaited neatly and trailed down her back, keeping her face clear of any stray strands. The shade of emerald in her eyes was so dark that it almost appeared to be black. In her hands, she held a piece of parchment with what seemed to be a list written on it.

"You're okay." I smiled at the sight of her, walking over to give her a hug.

"I am," she responded with a chuckle, the dimples in her cheeks visible as she replied. "Haera was worrying over nothing."

"I told her that," I replied, shaking my head. "How was the meeting? Why did it take so long?" Hiding my hands behind my back as I pulled away from our mother, I prayed nobody had noticed the blood that stained them.

"It was very exhausting but good. The mayor wanted to go over the list of people we will be receiving in the next week and where they will be staying. There were a few extra people that we didn't account for that we had to squeeze in somewhere, so it took a little longer than usual."

"I thought as much. See Haera, I told you there was nothing to fear." I turned to my sister as I spoke to find her staring at me with uncertainty.

"What's wrong, Zo? You look really pale. Did something happen?" She left taking off her boots and stepped towards me in concern. "You only look this bad when you've healed someone."

"About that..." My voice was a mere whisper as I wracked my mind for any semblance of an explanation. "I may have healed someone while you were out."

"There's blood on the floor!" My mother cried, rushing over to me. "You're not the one hurt, are you, dear? What happened?"

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I can't heal myself, so you'd be able to see if I was." There had to be some sort of drawback to a power so strong. Squeezing her hands gently as I took them into my own, I realised my mistake too late.

"Who's blood is that?" Haera snatched my hands away to look at them closer. "I wasn't even gone for that long, who could be injured that much for you to heal them?"

"It was a... Dragon-born soldier," I offered as I grimaced, refusing to meet any of their stares.

"Did you just say a Dragon-born?" My sister questioned. "As in, the creatures tearing down every home and person in sight?" She looked at me as if I had lost my mind completely, I couldn't blame her for it. "Where is it now?"

"In the kitchen," I replied with a nervous laugh.

"I'll call the village guards." Our mother backed towards the door with a panic-stricken expression. "They can kill it and we can be safe again. If one of their kind is here already, there could be more around the corner too."

"Wait! We could get information out of him! It could help our kingdom win this war," I explained. If the Dragon-born was killed, all of my healing would have gone to waste.

"I'm still going to inform the guards about what is going on." Our mother took a deep breath and then met my gaze. "Zofia, what you've done is incredibly foolish and dangerous. Not only could you have been killed, but the whole village could be harmed because of your actions." Gone was the heart-warming smile she always wore. It had been replaced by a cold exterior, one she reserved for the most severe occasions. "Haera, make sure to protect you and your sister, and neither of you are to go into that kitchen until the guards are here. Understood?"

"Yes," I murmured, my chest tightening with regret. Our mother was right — I had been mindlessly guided by my power with the desire to fulfil the Goddess's wishes and, at the same time, I had put everyone in Silverwood Village in grave danger.

"I'll do what it takes to protect us," Haera responded, courage flickering in her eyes.

Our mother nodded. "Good. I'll be back as soon as I can."

As soon as she left and her footsteps could no longer be heard as she trekked up the gravelled path, Haera rushed over to our father's belongings. "I would disagree with this insane idea to get information out of the Dragon-born, but since it's already here, I guess we can make do with what we've got." She picked up the first coil of rope that sat in the corner of the room, bundling it in her arms. "Zo, help me get the rest of this. We're going to at least tie that fucker up before it kills everyone."

"That won't be necessary," A hoarse voice said from behind me, causing me to turn around in fear. It was the Dragon-born.

The soldier's deep blue hair was stuck to his face and neck and matted with blood, making him look like he had dragged himself out of a blood lake that appeared in the Old Tales. What remained of his wings drooped downwards, trailing behind him like a cloak of death and destruction. He crossed his arms over his chest and ducked down so he could fit through the doorway.

"How are you awake?" I breathed, my body frozen with shock. "You should still be unconscious from the amount of blood you lost, maybe even dead."

"My kind has much faster healing compared to humans." Each word that left his mouth was draped in something alluring, something almost enchanting, that made me feel calm in his presence. "My injuries would have killed me until you stepped in though. What you did was remarkable."

Before I could get a chance to reply, Haera pushed him back into the wall and held a dagger to his throat. "Tell us what you're doing here or I'll put blades through your eyes. I don't believe my sister has the ability to heal something like that just yet."

The Dragon-born hissed in pain as the remnants of his wings were crushed behind him. "As I said, that won't be necessary." He forced out through gritted teeth.

"Why not?" I ignored the power that flared beneath my skin at the sight of him in pain, pressing onwards with the interrogation I had planned. "We have no reason to trust you."

Silence enveloped us as he thought, contemplating his words.

All that earned was Haera pressing the dagger closer to his throat, a thin bead of blood trickling down his neck. "Stop thinking of a lie to give us and answer her question."

"Haera! Give him a moment! He almost died, so his memories might be a little jumbled."

My sister's hold on her weapon faltered for a moment, but it returned just as quickly. "Why are you sympathising with the enemy? Has he gotten a hold of your mind somehow? Is he controlling you?"

The Dragon-born gripped the blade with his hand and gently pushed Haera aside with ease. "Do not fault her for her kindness. I have done nothing to tamper with her mind, it is still wholly hers. She has been nothing but considerate since I fell here."

Haera snatched her dagger away from him with a mixture of confusion and disgust and motioned for him to continue.

"I... I failed one irrational task my queen set out for me and I was going to die for it. I tried to escape the camp we had set up, but she chased me through the skies. When she finally caught up to me, she cut off my wings and I fell. That's how I got here."

A wave of pity crashed into me, one that had me cursing myself. Why was I thinking that way? He was our enemy. "What was the task?"

"I was ordered to burn a village close to your kingdom's capital to the ground and kill as many humans who tried to flee the flames of justice." The last word was a bitter taste in his mouth. "I refused to do it."

"Lovely, you're a human sympathiser." Haera rolled her eyes, getting herself into a stance that would be easy to attack him from. I recognised it from when our father had taught it to her in front of the fire one evening. "What does your queen even want? What's the purpose of wiping out humanity?"

The Dragon-born shrugged. "Nothing much. It's pathetic, really. All she wants is some land to rule over as well as the sky. My queen already conquered the whole sky in the war between the Dragons and the Angels centuries ago and now she's bored."

"Centuries ago?" If that were the case, no human alive would have witnessed that battle. "How old is-"

"My queen is seven-hundred years old."

"And how old are you?" Haera pushed, taking a step closer to the soldier.

"Only twenty-five. I am a mere child compared to the other soldiers in our ranks." He turned his head away, as if he were embarrassed by the fact.

"You spoke of a camp you escaped from," I began, drawing his gaze to mine. "Where is it?"

At the lack of response, Haera pointed the dagger at the Dragon-born once more. "If you don't answer, I'll do more than stick blades in your eyes. Perhaps I'll turn to your reproductive organs and give them the same treatment."

"There's really no need for the threats. I'm being as cooperative as I can," he stated with a shake of his head. "Our last camp was towards the edge of the Kingdom of Aerla, under the Northern Arch. There was a hidden cave not too far away from there that we set up in, but it's likely to be gone now. We don't tend to stay in one place for too long."

The Northern Arch was a landmark recognisable to the Kingdom of Aerla. It sat on the shoreline of the kingdom and was a large arch in the Clarenline Mountains, having been worn away by the fierce waves that crashed against our shores. No matter which kingdom you were from — whether it be another human kingdom or even an empire from the sky — everyone knew it belonged to Aerla.

"And you just happen to not know where this next camp is, right?" Haera guessed.

The Dragon-born nodded. "That would be correct."

"Is it closer to human civilization than the previous one?" I asked. Despite the Northern Arch being one of Aerla's renowned features, it wasn't the safest to live next to due to the frequent storms.

"Undoubtedly." He paused for a moment, his brows narrowing in thought. "Where am I?"

"Nice try," Haera started. "You're not going to-"

"Silverwood Village," I blurted out, unable to stop my mouth from moving.

"Did you just say Silverwood?" An alarmed expression crossed his blood-splattered features.

I nodded in return, regretting the information I had given. "I'm glad to see your hearing hasn't been damaged in your escape too. Is there something wrong with that?"

"This is bad." He ran a hand over his face until it rested on his chin. "The Dragon-born army will eventually be making their way here."

"Why?" Haera questioned.

"Because the Lyre is here."