by Zara Stark
"How does that work? Drawing straws or what?" I asked.
"I don't know!" He yelled.
I laughed hard. "Turnabout is fair play, Coba."
He sighed and shook his head. "You're ridiculous, don't think I won't punish you later"
"Yeah, yeah, I like your punishments," I stuck my tongue out at him and walked over to the nearest fabric stall. "Man, I would sell a kidney for a pair of leggings right now."
Cobalt shrugged. "I'm used to the air flow by now. Going back to boxers and jeans is going to be a bitch."
I laughed as my fingers ran over a bolt of navy linen. “Just wear a kilt and we’ll tell everyone back home that you’ve been in Scotland.”
“I’ll start working on my accent.”
"I think I'll get this one, stay in our team colors," I smiled at Cobalt as he grabbed the bolt and we walked over to the merchant. We passed a few lighter colors of cloth and I paused. There was a pale champagne gold or a bright yellow gold that glittered in the light. While I preferred the more subtle shade, something about the obnoxiously bright shade drew me in. "And this one!"
"Got it," Cobalt grabbed the bolt and took it over to the merchant to pay. The startled man took Cobalt's offered gold with a nervous smile.
"I'll take your gray linen, I don't feel like wearing blue and gold anymore," Cobalt shrugged. “I’m not a slave anymore.”
“Oh I didn’t think of it like that, I was thinking of it as our team colors. Should I get some other colors? Maybe black or red for my cards?” I asked.
Cobalt shrugged. “It’s up to you.”
I stared at the bolts of fabric for a second and pointed to a bright red. “I think I will change it up like you. Do you think he’ll let me trade the navy for the red?”
“Of course he will,” Cobalt grinned, grabbing the red fabric and handing the startled merchant back the navy. The terrified man only smiled nervously.
“Gratias tibi,” I told the merchant. I wasn’t exactly sure how to say thank you in Latin the proper way so I just used the direct translation of thank you. He seemed to get it because he smiled at me and nodded.
Cobalt moved the bolts of fabric into one arm and took my hand in another. "Aren't Roman clothes easy? It's just fabric wrapped around you. So many options," I laughed. "I would still kill for a pair of leggings right now."
Cobalt led us down a large street that ended in a giant bathhouse. Unfortunately for us, it was split into two sections for men and women. I joined the women on their side of the bathhouse and the ladies there watched me with nervous eyes, eyeing the markings on my chest and neck and all the lovemaking bruises I had accumulated over the week on my hips, ass, and thighs. I smiled at them and waved, making them murmur and look away. I didn't blame them for their curiosity. Hell, I would be curious too if I was in there position. Back in my time, people wouldn't blink twice over my marks, thinking they were just chest tattoos. If I wanted to work at the (hopefully rebuilt by now) library, they might make me cover them up for work. I sighed as I sank into the scented hot water. I tried not to think about how unsanitary the water was, what sort of ancient germs and illnesses were probably floating around in the bath water and forced myself to enjoy my first bath in a while. I washed up quickly, I didn't dunk my face just in case, dipping my hair back into the water, braiding it into two french braids while it was still wet. I quickly dressed in my new gold and red cloth, realizing I hadn't bought a belt, I belted my waist with my thigh holster instead. I hadn't realized how much weight I had lost until I had to make new holes for my thigh holster to fit snugly around my leg. On the last little hole, it even fit around the drip of my waist with room to spare. Cobalt hadn't commented on it except making a point to get me larger portions of food every time we stopped for the night. Maybe it was stress or how cold it was in the sky. Shivering burned calories right? I hoped the other guys wouldn't be too alarmed by my weight loss.
I met Cobalt outside, preening as he took in my appearance with his possessive gaze. He looked damn good himself, swathed in black and gray from one shoulder down to his thighs. He had pulled his mass of long hair and braids into a knot at the back of his head, the style highlighted his strong jawline and showed off his pierced ears.
"You like?" I asked, doing a twirl for him. He took my hand and spun me close to him, clutching me to his chest.
"Definitely," He growled, his hands dropped to my waist, bumping my card holster. "But it reminds me that we need to get you a bag and food supplies so you can eat during the day."
"You don't need to do that," I told him. "Don't waste your gold, you still have to make me some dice remember?"
"Yes, we do and don't worry about gold. I ate the gold from miles of mines, we're good," He let me go and pulled me along with him back to the market. We stopped at a leather worker stall and purchased a sachel that would belt across my body. Cobalt chose the sturdiest one and pressed it into my arms. Then we dragged me toward food markets and bought enough bread to fill the pack.
"There," Cobalt smiled, handing over a handful of golden coins. "Now we can go."
I hadn't wasted any time, pulling off a large chunk of an oat covered brown bread, stuffing my mouth with it.
We walked through the town in a loop, holding hands and munching on bread until we came back to the entrance of the city. Once we were out of the city, Cobalt stripped and I folded the fabric and put it into my new satchel as he shifted into a dragon. He cocked his head at me and gave me a sharp grin when I looked back up. By now, I was used to climbing onto his back, his scales and spikes weren't as scary anymore. It was weird what a person could grow used to when they absolutely had to, even riding the same giant scaled monster that had tried to eat you a week ago. Cobalt took flight and I no longer got that scared roller coaster feeling, even flying was becoming second nature to me. Flying over land wasn't quite as beautiful as the sea but it did show a lot more variety. Rolling hills, the straight lines of rich green farmland carved into the earth, fields, and fields of purple and red grape vines stretching over miles. The air was warmer over land than it was the sea, no more sea breeze chilling me to the bone. If the people below could see Cobalt and were frightened, I couldn't tell. We flew all day and into the evening. Reaching Nuceria an hour or so after nightfall, we managed to arrive in the city without anyone seeing Cobalt's dragon form. Worry panged through me as Cobalt's shift took extra time. Once we stood naked and human in front of me, I ran into his arms. He winced when my hands met his skin.
"Are you okay? What happened?" I asked him, pressing my face into his chest.
"We went a little longer today, it got a little difficult to get the shift back started," He ran a large hand over my braided hair in a comforting gesture. It was wrong, I should be comforting him not the other way around. I pressed a soft kiss over his heart.
"It's fine, don't worry," Cobalt reassured.
"I'm not at all, I got it covered if you get stuck again," I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"Damn right you do," Cobalt grinned.
I smiled at him and stepped away. I pulled his clothing from my bag and let him dress, taking in the city-state of Nuceria as I waited. It wasn't nearly as large or grand as Salernum. It was a trading city on the river Sarno instead of a large seaport. The night sky over it was cloudy and murky as if smog-plagued the sky as it would in a modern city but the building below were a pristine marble that stood out in the darkness.
Cobalt looped his arm through mine and walked down the hill to the city. In stuttering latin, Cobalt managed to ask where an inn was from a terrified merchant. The inn was a lot worse for wear than I had hoped but it was still better than a smelly cabin at sea. One large bed in a stone chamber. It wasn't the Hilton but it would do for the night. As soon as we entered, Cobalt dropped into the bed and immediately fell into a deep snoring sleep. I frowned. All that flying after a lifetime of never having wings had to be difficult, it was no wonder he was so exhausted. I had been keeping him busy every single
night. I unhooked my satchel and walked over to his sleeping form, I gently pulled off his sandals and pulled out the string of leather holding his hair up. I undid my own hair and pulled off my clothes and climbed in next to him.
I curled up next to him and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Cobalt woke me with a hard kiss to the temple.
"Wake up, Tavia, today is the day," He grumbled to me. My eyes flew open and I sat up, Cobalt flying back to avoid me headbutting him.
"Someone's eager," He chuckled. I rubbed at my sleepy eyes and saw that he was already completely dressed.
"Looks like two of us are," I smiled at him, rolling out of bed and stretching my arms above my head. Cobalt's eyes widened and traced over my body hungrily. I gave him a little grin and continued to move my body into different stretches.
"Now don't start something you aren't ready to finish right now," Cobalt growled at me, making me shiver.
"Sorry, I can't help it," I shrugged. "I'm a natural tease."
I went to walk around him and he smacked my ass as I passed him.
"Sorry, I can't help it, I see your wonderful ass and I have to smack it," He shrugged. I grinned at him over my shoulder as I got dressed. Happiness and lightness filled me, I couldn't wait to see Azar again. I hope we reached Vesuvius quickly.
Half-giddy we left the inn and practically ran out of the city. Cobalt even shifted faster than usual, throwing off his clothes. I managed to catch them before they hit the dirt even. Cobalt beat his wings even faster than before gliding through the air, here it was cloudier but still hot, making the air feel sticky and humid without the refreshing blast of sunshine. The air was thicker, not as clear. If I remembered my dates right, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius only happened about twenty-something years ago. The volcanic gas and dust could linger in the air for centuries, so that explained the similarity to smog. I couldn't even see the ground today.
I felt like no time had gone by at all when Cobalt started to descend through the clouds. The scent of sulfur and charr burning my nose.
Chapter 14
I gasped as Cobalt broke through the cloud cover. A petrified and blackened city stood below us, frozen in time by hardened lava and ash. A chill ran down my spine. What was once Pompeii and was now a ghost town just below us. Hardened black lava covered everything, the shiny black rock shining in the gentle light coming from behind the clouds. It was hauntingly beautiful, the strange sense of calm and eery silence of death that seemed to ooze from the city. It was strange to think of the destruction and horror Pompeii and her people had faced when Vesuvius had erupted had now been replaced by a permanent stillness, lava freezing their last terrifying moments of life forever. Over time the ash, smoke and volcanic glass that had been shot more than a dozen of miles into the sky blanketing Pompeii and nearby cities would turn into the pale plaster it appeared to be in my time, buried in dirt only to be excavated later. I was getting a view into something no one from my time got, an exclusive peek into history before time would protect Pompeii from view. My heart panged for the souls lost, I wanted to look away as Cobalt flew a hundred of feet above the city but in my heart, I felt like the people who had lost their lives in this tragedy deserved better than that. I would watch the city below me and commit it to memory. The names and faces of these people were lost but they would live on in my memory forever. The ruins of jagged stone structures jut into the sky like daggers, the houses of the poor and rich indistinguishable at this angle. Crouching corpses huddled together, holding one another stood out against the rigged lines of buildings. Tears fell from my eyes and ran down my cheeks but I refused to look away. Families, lovers, lords, ladies and slaves alike had huddled together in their final moments. It was a testament to tragedy and unity.
At the edge of the city, I looked up at the peak of Vesuvius. It wasn't like the gentle sloping volcano Kilauea in Hawaii and not as tall either. It had a steep incline, tall and proud against the smoky sky.
Just looking at it gave me Lord of the Rings vibes. I could practically hear the Mount Doom instrumental music playing in my head. It wasn't hard to picture an army of orcs around it. Where was Azar? People had seen him in nearby cities and we had made the assumption that he was choosing to roost near or on the volcano. Was he our flying right now or was he hiding?
Cobalt must have been thinking along the same lines because he let out a massive roar that seemed to shake the world around us.
I clenched my hands over my ears a little too late and slapped Cobalt's back. "Thanks for the warning asshole."
My ears rang and I shook my head to right myself.
A different roar rang out from ahead of us, sounding like it came from much higher up. I craned my neck to look up at the cloud-covered peak of Vesuvius. Azar was up there.
Cobalt stretched his wings and pumped them harder. My breathing grew harder as we flew higher, the air thinning around us. The smell of sulfur was so strong, it choked all of my senses. I hoped Cobalt was fairing better than I was.
Cobalt landed on the rim of the volcano. I couldn't see over the edge of the volcano but Vesuvius didn't appear to be active at first glance but it sure as hell wasn't dormant either. Heat poured out from the center of Vesuvius. I went to slide off of Cobalt's back to get a closer look but he locked me in place. I guess it was for the best, the last thing I wanted was a headfirst tumble down a steep volcano. My hand traced the wooden edge of my neck nervously as we waited for a sign of Azar. Cobalt remained perfectly still, standing on all fours, not moving a muscle. My hands clenched my cards tight as a roar came from within the volcano. Cobalt seemed as shocked as I was, rearing back into the air, barely able to keep level in the air.
We hovered next to the volcano as rumbling came from within.
"Don't tell me," I trailed off staring ahead with wide eyes.
A moment later, two monstrous black tipped claws reached over the edge of the volcano, the creature pulling itself out of the volcano. Next black horns appeared, rising until the maw of a magenta dragon with golden eyes appeared. Pink fire dragon with black claws, that was definitely Azar coming out of the volcano. He pulled his massive body out of the volcano, molten red lava running down his body to scorch the rock below. He was as large as Cobalt was but with longer, sharper horns and spikes trailing from his head down his back. His pink scales shimmered with black and red as he cocked his head at us.
"Azar!" I screamed. "It's us! Octavia and Cobalt!"
Azar snorted smoke at us, walking along the rim of the volcano to appraise us with unblinking golden eyes. He stretched out his folded wings, shooting even more lava down the mountaintop. His wings were a deeper pink than his body, a deep burgundy veined with black and orange.
Azar shot a ball of fire at us, Cobalt swerved in the air narrowly missing the fireball that zoomed past us. I briefly considered pulling out my coin but if it landed on tails I had no way of knowing what would happen. Would it make the volcano erupt or clip Azar's wings? Any terrible thing could happen at a moment's notice. Azar shot another fireball at us and then another, Cobalt barely avoiding them each time. He had been flying a straight line most days, he didn't have the necessary skill for aerial acrobatics yet. Something I was sure he would remedy after this. Azar let out a strangled roar, almost like a laugh in his reptilian maw.
"You jerk!" I yelled at him. Similarly pissed off, Cobalt launched himself at Azar, raking his golden claws down Azar's pink-hued scales. I held onto Cobalt for dear life, gritting my jaw as Cobalt continued to slash at Azar. Azar didn't fight back, instead, he seemed to be heating up. His back bubbled and his pink scales began to glow. Cobalt let out a screech up pain as his claws became stuck in Azar's back, partially melted. Azar growl laughed at us again.
"You are being just as horrible as Cobalt was!" I yelled at him. "Honestly I expected better of you!"
Still trapped on Cobalt's back between his spikes, I wasn't sure if my tarot cards would work at this distance and if it would hurt Cobalt. B
ut Cobalt was already hurting and we were running out of options. I had to help. I pulled a card from my holster, now around my waist and twirled the card and activated it without taking the time to look at what it was. A wave of frozen air blasted out of the card, I had picked the moon card without looking again. The air danced over Cobalt’s back and down onto Azar curling over him in white tendrils. I heard the crackling of freezing scales. Cobalt snapped his claws free and I breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, Azar was frozen like Cobalt had been back in Alexandria. I heard another crack and a wave of pain shot through my body as my Moon card was forcibly deactivated by Azar’s fire.
Azar launched himself at Cobalt, knocking us off the mountain. I screamed and frantically reached for another card as Cobalt struggled to get his balance. Cobalt’s claws sank into the rock, stopping our plummet to the earth.
Cobalt roared at Azar and I felt him vibrate with anger. The spikes holding me in place strained growing sharper.
“Cobalt, watch out,” I warned him. “I’m still here.”
I twirled the coin in my other hand, not activating it but in a nervous gesture. I didn’t know what to do. My Moon card had failed, I didn’t know what else I could use that wouldn’t hurt Cobalt too or didn’t present a serious risk to all three of us.