Throne of Ash

by Lena Lee

  “She bolted.” About half of the men surrounded the three brothers while the others stayed by their pods, ready to take off or jump into action. “We were searching for her but our pod was commandeered.”

  I slowly slipped out of the pod and ran quickly towards the trees, I knew this is where they wanted me to go. I wondered about the boards I was carrying, they seemed similar to the boards in Felix, but had no wheels. They weren’t too heavy individually, but with three, I was straining. I reached the trees and went behind some bushes. I set the disks down and shook out my arms.

  The brothers were standing now, forming a triangle in the middle of the ten men. I had a strong feeling that things were going to get ugly and I was going to need to be prepared to run. I had a brief flashback to the three taking on the pack of night beasts and felt goosebumps rise on my arms.

  I hadn’t really checked out my surroundings besides ducking behind a bush so when I heard the crunch of fallen leaves, I almost dropped my invisibility as I turned sharply around on instinct.

  Making its way towards me was a gray wolf that came to my hip level. It growled as it slowly approached me, its teeth showing in a snarl. I wasn’t certain it was growling at me or the white boards that were no longer invisible, so I moved slowly to my left, still behind the bushes and covering of trees. I could hear fighting behind me in the field but needed to focus on this new threat that could very easily rip out my throat.

  Its eyes tracked me. How could it see me? I double checked to make sure I was invisible. I slowly pulled my knife out with shaking hands. As it slowly approached its growling stopped and it slowly got out of its hunched down stalking position.

  Maybe it couldn’t see me after all. I stood very still as it approached me. It sniffed in my direction before looking up, meeting my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was just seeing things from the adrenaline of it all, but its eyes seemed to flicker with recognition before it placed its two front legs low on the ground and performed what seemed like a bow.

  It took off then, leaving me more confused than anything. I heard it howl in the distance, hopefully not telling the other wolves dinner was waiting. I wouldn’t be surprised, with my luck. Things couldn’t get any worse.

  I turned back to the boards and the fighting in the field. I had missed some serious smack down due to my wolf friend. About ten of the men were laying on the field. I couldn’t quite see what was happening because things were moving very quick, but somehow the three brothers were holding them all off. They were moving towards where I was waiting, so I grabbed the boards and moved farther into the forest.

  “Run.” It was shouted from the fighting. I took off into the woods, hoping no more wolves would come my way. Rex must have been able to at least sense me because they were running after me, but so were about seven of the other men.

  “Drop the boards but keep running. I’ll grab you.” Rex growled from behind. I dropped the boards then and continued to run. My feet were killing me, the ballet flats not providing much protection against the fallen debris and rocks on the forest floor. I wasn’t sure what his plan was for grabbing me when he couldn’t see me.

  As I ran, the forest began to thin and the ground became harder and more rocky. I was just about to stop or turn to see what was taking so long when I felt arms grab me around my waist and lift me up. Suddenly I was flying about three feet off the ground, although for a second we wobbled as I threw the board off balance.

  “Keep the invisibility if you can, they still don’t know you are with us.” Rex shifted me so I could wrap my arms around his neck and ride on his back. I am not sure how he knew which part of me was where, but it probably had something to do with his connection to me. I buried my head in his back, breathing in his smell. He smelled nice, like fresh rain.

  I could hear running behind us and braved a glance back. Alex and Wyatt were slightly behind us and on our flanks, and about fifty feet behind were the men, somehow keeping up with the speed of the boards. They were slowly spreading out, appearing to plan to circle around us.

  “When we reach the barren land she needs to drop the invisibility so they see her go in.” Wyatt spoke, low enough that only we could hear. “We need to go as far in as possible to be out of eyesight of the border before we try to get out.”

  “That’s an idiotic idea, no one comes back from the deadlands.” Alex moved closer, looking behind us. “I know we are short on plans at the moment but that one is ridiculous.”

  “They won’t follow us in that far. I am certain we will be able to leave. Don’t you trust me?” Wyatt seemed annoyed with Alex but didn’t elaborate on how he knew what he knew.

  “Sure we do, but your abilities don’t exactly show the future.” Rex spoke. “I don’t see any better options at this point, we are out-numbered and more are close behind them. Plus, I heard wolves.”

  “I don’t think the wolves will be a problem. One… bowed to me.” They were going to think I was crazy. I was even starting to think I had lost a few marbles somewhere along the way.

  “You are full of surprises.” Rex sounded proud but said nothing more about it. “Drop your invisibility.” Nothing they had said about where we were headed made sense. They made it seem like once you entered the lands you couldn’t get back out again, like it was the Bermuda Triangle.

  We exited the tree line and it was very clear we were out of the habitable area. The land suddenly was devoid of all plant life, only giant boulders and small areas of rocky landforms could be seen. It made me feel sad to see the land so barren. Even on Earth there had at least been some life in the barren areas.

  The boards began slowing before dropping and sending us lurching forward and into a run. It seemed they had lost power. I was thankful Rex was strong enough to carry me because the ground looked like it would be brutal on my feet, which currently felt like they had been cut with a thousand shards of glass.

  We all squeezed in behind a large cluster of boulders and waited for the sounds of yells to decrease. I dropped off Rex’s back and looked at each of the men as we crouched behind the boulders. They looked like hell, but Alex was already sending his healing powers towards his brothers. It was much less than when he had healed Rex on Earth, only a faint glow emanating from his hands.

  “Sit, your feet.” I sat on the hard ground and I felt a burning sensation as Alex placed his hands over my feet. “I’m glad you don’t like heels, you would have had to go completely barefoot.” I should have just worn my boots, screw fashion.

  “Thank you.” I sighed and leaned back against the boulder, suddenly feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of me. I guess running for your life multiple times in a short period of time would leave anyone exhausted. Rex knelt next to me and took my hand. He had been doing that way too much.

  “You did great. I know it has been a tough few days for you.” I gently pulled my hand from his and placed it in my lap.

  It’s not that I didn’t like the idea of Rex, but everything was so new to me at the moment. The feelings Rex had expressed were a bit much and it didn’t seem normal to instantly fall in love with someone. If anyone was abnormal, it was Rex. This wasn’t a normal princess fairytale.

  “This was a planned and coordinated attack.” Alex looked over the top of a boulder before ducking back down. “As soon as we cross back into that territory they will be waiting. They are smart, they know we wouldn’t have come in here if we didn’t have a way out.”

  “Can’t we cross through here?” I pointed out into the vast expanse of what appeared to be desert. My mind was urging me to go in that direction, probably to get as far away from Ardor and my mother as possible. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

  They all looked at each other before Wyatt spoke. “No one returns from the deadlands of Toska. No one even knows what is on the other side. Our drones have never made it far enough in to discover its mysteries.”

  “I find that hard to believe. Your planet is round, isn’t it? Are you telling me that it ju
st goes on forever?” They all nodded. “Well, we are already here, might as well see how far we can get. Maybe we can go far enough in to be out of eyesight of the forest and then reenter at a different angle.” I stood up all the way and started walking.

  “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try. We don’t really have a choice now, someone is hell bent on you not being on this planet.” Rex caught up to me while Wyatt and Alex brought up the rear. I was starting to have some ideas about who didn’t want me on this planet, but the question was why.

  We walked for about ten minutes before turning right. Rex suddenly put an arm in front of me, stopping me. I was about to ask him what was wrong when a very large shadow passed over us. “Don’t move or speak,” he whispered.

  A few things came suddenly very apparent to me. There was a large scaled animal that may have been a dragon and it was now circling around us. I had several emotions that ran through me all at once… fear, awe, and anger. They could have mentioned there were dragons. Were there unicorns here as well?

  I started to panic as it continued to circle. My heart felt like I had been running a long race and my hands felt tingly, like the blood had rushed from them to the other parts of my body. I did not come this far to die from being dragon food. I figured there was a reason we had been still, but I couldn’t stop my body from taking over my mind. My feet began moving before I had time to stop them.

  The brothers were behind me, their feet slamming into the hard dirt and curse words at their lips. We were almost to a rocky landform that had a small cave-like opening in its side. Who knew what was living inside of it, but it had to be better than becoming dragon food.

  I heard their yells of warning just before it happened. I felt its presence draw closer. I ducked instinctively before its giant wings swooped to surround me. I screamed, or at least I think I did before I felt myself being lifted into the sky, its claws holding me gingerly. This was the worst possible scenario. Now it was going to take me to its lair and rip me apart. Or worse, play with me like I was a mouse. I would have preferred to be burned or gulped down all at once.

  I saw Rex, Wyatt, and Alex run after us as we flew higher in the air. Rex fell to his knees and let out a yell as I watched them turn into a small dot on the barren land. I tried twisting in the talons, but they started to cut into me.

  “Sleep now.” My mind had no time to process the command before everything went dark.

  Chapter 9

  The sound of heavy snoring and dripping water woke me from the deep sleep I had been in. Confusion overtook my mind before I forced my eyes open. It was not the nightmare I had been hoping for. A dragon had actually kidnapped me and was sleeping not more than six feet from me.

  I quickly took in the giant beast. It was dark gray with hints of green and had to be the size of a bus. Its head was as big as my entire frame, with eyes that were probably the size of both of my hands. It slept with its head on its front claws, its neck curled. It almost looked like a puppy sleeping if it hadn’t been the size of a small building.

  One of its eyes opened then and looked straight through me and into my soul. I gasped and scrambled back as far as I could into the wall. Its head slowly raised off its claws and it shook out its neck. Maybe my dog comparison wasn’t completely inaccurate.

  “I can guarantee you I am nothing like a dog, but I intend you no harm Mirabella.” Both of its eyes settled on me. They were dangerously beautiful with blues, greens, and purples blended into each other with purple outlining the slit of black pupil. How could something so scary have such beautiful eyes?

  “You can speak in my mind?” I stayed plastered against the wall trying to calm down before I had a panic attack. I had only had one ever, right after my parents had died and I realized I was on my own.

  My life couldn’t be any weirder at the moment. I still wondered when I was going to wake up or if my heart was going to explode form the constant surge of adrenaline and fear it had been processing lately. My heart exploding seemed to be a better alternative than being ripped to shreds.

  “You can speak in mine as well if you’d like. I am Edrie, your dragon guide. I have waited for you for many years. I am sorry I took you as I did. I was very excited to feel your presence but then I sensed you were in danger.”

  “A dragon guide?”

  “We are deeply connected. Since your birth I have waited for you to find me. I am surprised it took you so long. I am here to support and guide you on life’s journey, no matter which direction it may take you in. It is rare that a dragon’s spirit is connected to another in such a way.” She moved her head closer to me and sniffed. “You have been spelled, just as your father. No wonder I couldn’t sense you until you entered into these lands!”

  “My father? What do you know of him?” I took a step forward, feeling drawn to the dragon, despite my logical side trying to convince me to stab her in the eye. My hands felt tingly again, and I held them in front of me, flipping them back and forth.

  “That is our connection causing the tingling. Our connection isn’t as strong as it should be, you are spelled. Your father is trapped here in our land. He is heavily spelled as are you. The spell on you is cracked in places though. I sense great power straining to get out.” She lowered her head so I could place a hand on her snout.

  My hand shook as I placed it right above her nostrils. “You are mine.” I didn’t speak this time, the thought traveling through a thin invisible cord that had formed from my mind into hers. I stood there for a long time, not really comprehending the gravity of this encounter. I finally removed my hand and processed what the dragon had said moments earlier.

  “Is he here?” I walked around Edrie to the back of the cave we were in. “Where are we anyway and where are the three men I was with? Did you eat them?” If she had eaten them then at least I wouldn’t have to deal with Rex’s advances. A part of me clenched at the thought of him being gone.

  Edrie puffed out a small amount of smoke and she chuckled in my head. “We do not eat humans, they taste awful. The men are still in the deadlands. I feel them making their way in this direction. I was hoping they would turn back, the deadlands are not safe. We shall go get them and then I will take you to your father and my mother. My mother has been watching over him since his arrival.”

  I had mixed feelings about meeting my father. My mother had been a big fat disappointment. Maybe she seemed so aloof because her whole world had been ripped away from her two-fold. Or maybe she was really just a cold-hearted bitch.

  “Just get on my back and hold on to one of my spines.” I shook my head and she puffed out a ring of smoke. “I promise you will find the ride the smoothest possible. I will not drop you if that is what you fear.” Right. I didn’t have much of a choice. She could easily carry me like a cub in her teeth or claws again. I preferred neither of those.

  I carefully climbed up onto her wing, which she had extended as a sort of ramp, and made my way onto her back. Her spikes were mostly on her neck, with a large section of her shoulders and back bare of spikes. I grabbed on to a spike and hoped it was enough to keep me from falling off. “Ready when you are… I guess.”

  She carefully made her way to the edge of the cave we were in, which now I realized was high up in a mountain that looked down over what she referred to as the deadlands. “Hold on.” She jumped out of the opening and with one swift movement, her wings spread and we were flying.

  Flying was much different knowing you were safe instead of in the grips of vicious claws. I felt a rush as we glided across the sky. The land looked even more vast and barren from up high. Edrie drifted along the barren land, occasionally flapping her wings to keep us airborne. What a magical being this was and apparently, she was mine.

  We flew for a few minutes, which was possibly several miles before I heard the shouts from below. Edrie circled and landed. “One in particular is very angry, hurry before he tries to stab me.” She was joking but I could sense a slight fear in her voice. How hard was it to
kill a dragon? It would probably take some serious mojo or multiple men to take one down.

  I slid down her side and landed on her wing which she moved to let me down. I rushed around to the front of her. Rex and the others were running towards us with their swords drawn, but stopped abruptly when I appeared in front of Edrie.

  “Are you crazy? Get out of the way!” Rex was definitely who Edrie had commented on. His eyes were glowing green and he was radiating a weird energy that poured from him in green waves. I had asked before what his powers were and no one had answered me in certain terms besides mumbles. I wasn’t particularly interested in seeing them in this moment, that’s for sure.

  Mumbles were never a good sign.

  “Stop!” My voice was slightly shaky as Alex and Wyatt spread to either side of Edrie. Rex seemed to grow as he stalked forward, or maybe my eyes were just playing tricks.

  “Your mate is quite scary, that’s a lot coming from a dragon. I can eat him if you’d like, but he might cause some indigestion.”

  “Not my mate.”

  “Yet.” Great. Now my dragon was in on the whole soulmate business.

  “Damn it, I am fine!” I felt my blood boiling as they continued their approach with their swords. They were going to come in from the sides as Rex held Edrie’s attention. “No!” Alex made the first lunge towards her wing.

  I had felt a knot in my stomach as they had approached, but as the scream left my throat, so did power I didn’t know I had. All three men flew back from Edrie, landing flat on their backs, their swords thrown from their hands. Holy shit.

  “You are very powerful indeed.” Edrie showed her teeth in a grin. “I was just going to hit the pretty one with my wing, but that move will suffice.”

  Rex was the first to his feet, shaking his head and looking around for his sword. I stalked towards him and shoved him. “Me standing in front of a dragon and it just sitting there is not cause for you to go crazy town and try to kill it.” I jabbed him in the chest with my finger before clutching it with my other hand, he was like a rock.