was easy enough to disassemble. She put the pieces in the bag of holding, and after thinking about it, slid Daine’s body into the sack. Then she drew Steel again.
Do you want to discuss this? he whispered.
“Discuss what?”
Drego’s story. This claim that you’re a dragon.
“I’m Thorn,” she said. “And I’ve got a job to do. The Citadel needs to learn about Lord Merrix’s little side projects and to decide how to handle the Tarkanans. And I need a shot of dreamlily and a few stiff drinks. And a new pair of boots.”
After all this, you’re going to go looking for dreamlily?
“Now more than ever.” The shard in her neck was burning again, and the vision of the chamber of skulls filled her mind. She thought about Daine and the angels and the cruel voice that would be waiting in her dreams. “I will find out what’s been done to me. And if there’s a conspiracy among the Lanterns, I’ll uncover it. But until then, I swore an oath to protect Breland, and that’s what I’m going to do. But tonight… tonight I’m going to raise a glass to the Son of Khyber. He may have gone astray at the end, but I believe that he was a good man at the start, and he deserves to be properly laid to rest. And I hope the Citadel will take his warnings seriously.”
You’re advocating war with the Twelve?
“No. But perhaps… perhaps if we watch the houses more closely, if we warn the other nations of our concerns, we can avoid the horrors he was so afraid of. Perhaps there’s a better way to achieve his destiny.”
Thorn threw the sack over her shoulder and made her way toward the tunnel. She thought about Daine, and as she did, the burning in the shard faded. In its place, she felt a sense of peace.
Perhaps my dreams won’t be so bad after all, she thought.
