by E. L. Todd
“We’d waste a lot of time going around knocking on rocks,” Bridge said. “Time we don’t have.”
“I agree,” Rush said. “So, we won’t do that.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Bridge said. “Use Flare to tear the rocks apart?”
“If you shut up, I’ll tell you.” Rush gave him a nudge back. “We’re going to ask someone.”
“Ask who?” He gave a slight wince where he’d been elbowed. “Who the hell would know how to contact the dwarves?”
Rush set his pack on the ground and rolled up his sleeves. “A witch.”
Bridge’s eyes narrowed. “Mathilda? You think she’d know?”
Rush gave an exaggerated shrug. “She knows how to get dragon tears. What else could she know?”
Days passed as they waited for Lilac to return.
Rush was the last one to finish eating. Before he was done, Zane and Liam retired to their bedrolls on the stone floor in the corner.
Bridge glanced at him. “Never seen you eat like that.”
“Been a long time since I’ve had meat. Forgot how good it was.”
“Why is that?”
Rush licked his fingers as he stared at the fire. “Cora doesn’t eat meat, like the elves.”
“What’s that got to do with you?”
He gave a slight shake of his head. “Didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
“That I’m considerate of other people? Yeah, it was a shock to me too.”
“Come on,” he said with a laugh. “Did something happen with you guys? All alone on Mist Isle…dragons in the skies. Sounds pretty romantic.”
His eyes remained on the flames. “No.”
“No, it wasn’t romantic?”
“No. Nothing happened.”
“Really?” Bridge asked. “What about all that ‘she’s off-limits’ crap?”
“She is off-limits.”
“Because she’s yours, right?”
“No, asshole,” Rush said. “Because you aren’t good enough for her.”
Bridge chuckled. “You’re totally right. She looked pretty badass breaking into that castle to save you.”
Rush didn’t recall much from that night, but he remembered the moment she threw a rock at the Steward’s head to help Callon. It gave him a short-lived smile, quickly replaced by loss once more. “Badass…that’s a good word for her.”
“Did you at least go for it?”
None of your business.
Flare, it’s fine.
Why does he pry?
He’s not prying. It’s just…guy talk.
I spoke to Ashe, King of Dragons, many times, and not once did I ask him about his personal life.
Well, he’s a king—
Or any dragon, for that matter.
You aren’t best friends with those dragons, so it would be inappropriate to ask.
Flare gave a quiet growl. I thought I was your best friend?
You are—
Best means singular. So, how can you have two best friends?
“Rush?” Bridge waved his hand in front of his face. “Yoo-hoo.”
Rush pushed his palm away. No need to get possessive—
There is only one best friend—and it is I.
Oh my god, this conversation is so stupid…
“Are you and Flare having a go or something?”
Our minds, bodies, and souls are combined. I give you beauty, flight, and immortality. What has he done to earn the same status—
Alright, alright. You are my one and only. We good?
Yes.
Rush gave a sigh before he acknowledged Bridge once again. “Okay, I’m back.”
“What were you guys talking about?”
Tell him. Make sure he knows where he stands.
Rush rolled his eyes because this was a side of Flare he didn’t see often. Greedy, possessive, like Rush was a hoard of treasure that belonged to him alone. He acted that way toward Cora too sometimes. “You don’t want to know…”
“So, did you make a move?”
Rush nodded. “She turned me down.”
“Really?” Bridge asked in surprise. “She came all the way to Rock Island to save you…and she’s not interested?”
“We’re good friends.” Images flashed in his mind. Their first kiss on the border of Eden Star. Her angry but playful eyes every time he grabbed her ass. Firelight casting a beautiful glow on her face inside the cave. Touches. Kisses. A sky full of stars. “If you and I had swapped places, she would have come for you too.”
Bridge held his gaze, his unblinking stare cutting to the bone. “I’m sorry.”
Rush gave a shrug. “It’s fine. Other fish in the sea…” He turned away to look at the fire once more, even though the flames reminded him of a different fire in a different place…in a different time.
“I can tell it really bums you out.”
“Come on,” he said with a scoff. “I’m fine.”
“It’s fine not to be fine, Rush.”
Rush refused to look at him now, eyes focused with all his strength, squeezing the emotions out of his heart like a wet sponge. “That elf that came with her…that’s General Callon.”
“I could tell he was someone important. He wields a sword like it’s a stick.”
“He’s her uncle.”
“What?” he asked in surprise. “I didn’t get a good look at his face with the helmet to see the resemblance.”
“And his brother is…the late Tiberius Riverglade.”
Bridge caught on instantly. “Shit…”
“Yeah.”
“Now I understand.”
“Ironic, right? Meet a woman I actually like…but I killed her father.” He released a sarcastic laugh even though it wasn’t the least bit funny. Not at all. Not in the slightest. “I don’t deserve her…she made the right call.”
“Why did he come to your rescue?”
“He didn’t have a choice. If Cora went alone, she would have been killed.”
“Still…”
“I suspect he didn’t know I was the one they were saving.”
“What did he say to you afterward?”
“I was unconscious. Never spoke. But I can imagine what he might say…”
“Yeah.” Bridge rubbed his palms together as he stared at the fire, the sounds of the small waves of the cove floating through the entrance and reaching their ears. The tide never rose above the sand, so they were never flooded with the sea. If there were a storm, that would be a different story. “What was it like with the dragons?”
He searched for the perfect word, but there was none. “I can’t even describe it. It’s been so long since I’ve seen free dragons that it was pretty indescribable.” He dropped his head and looked at his own hands. “Made me feel like absolute shit.”
Bridge gave his friend a look of pity, but he had no words to pull him from the sadness. “Guess that means Ashe didn’t kill you when you came back.”
“Thankfully.”
“And he agreed to be your ally, so that’s something.”
Rush gave a shrug. “He tolerates me, but that’s about it.”
“Better than being dinner.”
“Dinner?” Rush asked with a laugh. “Remember how big he is? I’d be a snack…”
“An appetizer.” Bridge chuckled. “Good thing you shared that memory of your escape, when you freed those three dragons. Probably wouldn’t have gotten out alive if you hadn’t.”
“I wish I had a better memory than that one.”
Bridge watched him for a while. “I think it’s a pretty good one. You saved those three dragons, saved Flare, took a stance against your father, and nearly sliced his hand off…”
“I didn’t save those dragons. I tried to save them.”
“You don’t think they got away?”
Rush shook his head. “That’s very unlikely. King Lux isn’t going to let three dragons leave
his treasury. I’m sure he sent the entire cavalry out, hunted them down one by one, and those that resisted…were probably killed. There’s nowhere for three dragons to hide for long—at least, not in Anastille.” He felt his heart break for the millionth time. The scar tissue made him wince deeper each and every time.
“Well, I like to think they got away.”
Me too.
It was too hard to think about—especially when he remembered how terrified their eyes were. Their eyes probably looked the same before they were captured or burned alive. “There’s something you need to know… I didn’t want to share it with the others.”
“When are you going to trust them?” Bridge asked with a sigh. “When we came to rescue you—”
“Which was stupid, by the way. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I needed to save my friends and sister. Liam and Zane did too. They didn’t hesitate, Rush.”
“I don’t know… Liam is a little odd.”
“He’s…” Bridge rubbed his jawline, his fingers going through his beard. “Okay, he’s a little odd. But we don’t need to question his loyalty. He just has a bit of an obsession with dragons. Who doesn’t? You think he’s going to steal Flare from you or something?”
“Not possible.”
“Then he’s harmless.”
“Your sister is an idiot, too, so it looks like you both inherited that gene.”
Bridge dragged his hands down his cheeks as he sighed. “Yeah, I don’t know what she was thinking.”
I do.
Shut it.
His arms moved back to his knees. “What did you want to tell me?”
“When Cora returned to Eden Star, she didn’t go alone.”
Bridge’s eyebrows immediately furrowed in a concentrated stare. “Okay…who went with her?”
“Ashe.” Rush stared at his friend’s face, anticipating the reaction.
“What?” he blurted. “She just walked into the forest with this ginormous dragon and assumed that would go just fine?”
“They didn’t walk in together.”
“Then how—” His eyes shifted away, his mouth wide open. Then his eyes came back, nearly twice the size they’d been before. “It can’t be… There’s no way… There’s just… Ashe would never agree.”
“Well, he did,” Rush said. “Because he and Cora are fused.”
7
Polox
The galleon pulled into the cove, the cannons visible over the edges, the beams constructed with wood but also flecks of gold. It was an unsinkable ship, and Captain Hurricane wanted that to be known.
Bridge cupped his mouth and shouted to Lilac. “Took you long enough.”
“Shut up.” She gripped the rail then leaned over to shout back. “I can’t control the weather.” Her eyes shifted to Rush standing beside him. “Oh, you’re back. Glad to see you’re still in one piece.”
“Thanks.” Rush turned to Bridge and cast him a glare.
Bridge shouted back at her. “We need a ride.”
Captain Hurricane appeared over the edge, in his dark-blue jacket and hat. “Do I look like a horse and buggy to you?”
“Kinda,” Rush said. “Just replace the horse with some wind.”
Captain Hurricane gripped the rail a little tighter, his eyes narrowed.
Bridge lowered his voice. “Why do you never know how to talk to people?”
“I’m a smartass,” he said back, his voice low. “I can’t help it, alright?” He projected his voice once more. “Come on, we’re allies now. If we weren’t, you wouldn’t have come back for us.”
“I returned for my fair maiden.” He grabbed the top of his hat and gave a slight adjustment. “Not you. You didn’t uphold your end of the bargain.”
Rush took a step forward. “Say what now?”
Bridge grabbed his arm. “Rush, we need him. It’ll take us forever to get to Polox—”
Rush threw his arm off. “A little hard to uphold my end of the deal when I was being tortured in a dungeon.”
“Not my problem.” His hands returned to the rail, his eyes cold on a warm day. “A failed deal doesn’t constitute an alliance.”
“Your ship is made of gold.” Rush threw his arms up. “What do you need more money for?”
Now Captain Hurricane just stared.
Lilac came to the rescue and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Come on, Captain.” She leaned into him, took off his hat, and placed it on her own head.
He turned to her on instinct, giving her a very different look than the rest of them.
Bridge exhaled a sigh of disgust.
Good thing you turned her down.
Would have turned her down, regardless.
“If I’m your fair maiden, then my allies are your allies, right?”
Until he finds out about the two of you.
Like he needs another reason to hate me.
Captain Hurricane gave a silent response—a simple nod.
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek before she turned to the guys down below. “So, boys…where we going?”
They sailed north for a few days.
They stayed away from the coastline, deep in the blue, completely alone.
Rush stood at the bow of the ship, taking in the sight of the blue water as it reflected the sunlight.
“What’d they do to you?” Lilac came to his side and leaned against the rail.
“Good ol’-fashioned torture.”
“I’m sorry.” Her back leaned against the sail, facing the opposite way of Rush. “For what it’s worth, you can’t tell.”
“On my face…”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes on the ship. “You shouldn’t have saved me.”
“You have an interesting way of expressing gratitude.”
“I just feel so guilty that I’m the reason you were captured—”
“You should feel guilty.” He turned his gaze on her. “It was a stupid idea. You shouldn’t have come.”
“I know. I just…thought you needed help—”
“I have a dragon. I don’t need help.”
Her head snapped in the other direction, severing the gaze like the edge of a sword. “I’m sorry…for everything.”
He looked ahead again and sighed. “It’s fine. I might have been captured anyway…no way to know.”
“And I do appreciate you saving me, even if I wasn’t worth saving.”
“Of course you were worth saving.” He turned back to her, his eyes narrowed.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her arms a little tighter across her chest.
“We’re friends. That’s what friends do. I’ve always got your back—and I know you’ve got mine.”
Like a bolt of lightning that struck the earth in darkness, the disappointment hit, coming and going instantly. She looked ahead again. The silence was broken by the waves as they crashed against the hull. After she cleared her throat, she pushed off the rail and straightened. “Your girlfriend is a fine piece of ass.”
Rush gave a quick smile. “She’s not…” He quickly swallowed the words and felt the smile disappear. “Yeah…she is.”
“Pretty badass that she came to rescue you and all that.”
“That’s what she is—badass.”
“Sounds like my kind of woman.”
Alright, I like her a bit more now.
“I’m sure you two will hit it off whenever you meet.”
“For sure—”
The pirate in the crow’s nest shouted from the top. “Ahoy! Polox.”
Captain Hurricane turned the ship, heading for land.
Rush left the bow of the ship and took the stairs to the wheel. “We can’t dock in the harbor.”
Captain Hurricane kept his eyes ahead as he continued to turn the wheel. “You want to jump out, then?”
Rush gave him a stare.
Captain Hurricane gave him a stare back—with a smug smirk on his face.
“Take
us to a quiet beach.”
He looked ahead again, turning the wheel the other way now. “That’s not what you said before. Be more specific next time.”
“You know the empire is searching for me high and low—”
“Couldn’t care less.”
“Well, you should care. Because if they find me, they find your fair maiden, alright?”
He righted the ship then gripped the top of the wheel with a single hand.
“Thanks.” Rush walked away, knowing the captain was drilling holes into his back.
After a long and affectionate goodbye, Lilac got into the small boat, and one of the crew rowed them to the beach.
“How are you going to meet up again?” Rush asked.
Bridge gave a sigh, like he didn’t want to hear about it.
“He said he’ll come by the Hideaway and see if I’m there,” Lilac answered.
“You don’t have to come with us.” Rush stared at Captain Hurricane at the side of the ship, his eyes on Lilac’s back. “If you want to stay, we would totally understand.”
“No.” She didn’t turn to look back. “This is more important. He knows that.”
“You told him what we’re doing?” Rush’s eyes flicked back to hers.
“I told him we want to save the dragons. Didn’t give any other details, and he didn’t ask. And even if I didn’t have more important obligations, I couldn’t live full time on a ship anyway, and he’ll never abandon his crew. It would never work—at least not long-term.”
Bridge kept his eyes on land, doing his best to tune out the conversation.
They arrived on shore, gave a wave to the galleon, and then stepped into the brush.
“Maybe we should have thought about this before, but…” Bridge walked beside Rush, the other three behind them. “How are we going to get into Polox without being seen? Their security must be ramped up by now.”
“You’re going to sneak me in.”
“Whoa, what?” His hand pressed into his chest. “Me?”
“Yep. You live here, remember? The guards might recognize your face.”
“Lived. I haven’t been home in a while.” He kept up with Rush’s quick stride, his hands gripping the straps of his pack. “And the guards might also recognize me from my little charade at Rock Island.”