“Yeah,” she agreed crankily. “I did point out to you hours ago that we could be in bed sleeping.”
He shifted dragon, and rumbled at her, nudged her when she stubbornly made no move to mount him and eventually used his tail to dump her on the nape of his neck. She winced as the welts he’d set on her butt stung at the jarring impact.
***
Daniil flew them from the Citadel, passed the jungle and this time landing just before the Barren.
Standing in waist high grass, Marina stared at Daniil warily as he stabbed the spike end of a long torch into the ground.
He caught her flinching when he moved and laughed. “You look nervous.”
She didn’t say anything, just kept both eyes on him. Since the lagoon incident, his training sessions had become increasingly dangerous and unpredictable. She had learned to constantly be on guard. So when he suddenly shouted and threw a dagger at her head, or turned dragon and tried to snatch her up in his massive talons, she could duck and dive, and invariably keep her head where she liked it … attached to the rest of her body.
“What is the lesson today?” she inquired, wondering if he would tell her or just attack.
“You see this grass,” Daniil said. This grows two-shaku from sunrise to sunset. Marina plucked a strand of the long grass. It reminded her of bamboo. “It is flexible and incredibly strong. It is easy to grow, and has many practical uses. We use it in building houses, weaving, ornaments, cooking, anything and everything. These fields cover most of the flatlands in the kingdom outside the jungles, and can be found on a majority of the noble House crests.”
Wind rustled through the grass, and Marina shivered. “It’s … cold.” She said with a hint of puzzlement.
“Yes. The seasons are changing, and what you feel is a strong gale blowing in from the Ice Realm. The colder air often sweeps over this land. Later this month it might even snow.” He clapped his hands together. “Well now. The afore mentioned qualities of the grass is why we use this field to train the Chosen in ka.”
She stilled. “Ka?”
Daniil smiled then clicked his fingers. His clothes disappeared, making Marina cover her eyes with her hand.
He shifted dragon.
She backed up a pace and looked him over, knowing that whatever he was going to do was going to be difficult and leave her with bruises. She didn’t try and talk to him mind to mind as the last time she had gotten a lecture about how rude that was considered.
Daniil drew back his head and breathed in. As he did the soft skin at his throat glowed, and it took but a moment for her to register what he was about to do, and dive out the way.
He released gush of icy breath that froze the grass, turning his head as she moved so jagged spikes slashed towards her.
When she stumbled up her hand knocked a few strands of frozen grass and they shattered.
Marina threw propriety to the wind. “Daniil! What the hell?”
‘Ka is fire, Marina. To be like fire you must passionate about what you are doing. Forceful. You must never back down from your enemy until they are destroyed. Today, you learn how to fight dragon ice, and why you must not fear it when you have ka.”
“No, no, no,” she said aloud. “Bad dragon. Bad. No!”
Daniil spun around and drew back his head. He coughed a ball of ice and spat it into the air. His body flipped, and his tail smacked the ice like a ball. Marina squealed, and ducked.
She scrambled away, this time crouching down, and crawling on her hands and knees to try and hide in the grass.
‘I can smell you. I am a dragon. Hide better.’
The sound of air rushing towards Daniil, and the choking cough signaled another ice ball.
Marina leapt out the way. She landed in a particularly muddy puddle and cursed. Then she had a brainwave. She started to slather the mud over her face, hair, and arms. “Oh yeah, buddy,” she muttered. She lay on her back and rolled, wiggling so she was covered in the stuff.
She crawled on her stomach as quietly as she could, taking care to breathe quietly and avoid snapping any grass blades, which was near impossible, but she gave it a good go. Sliding out a dagger tucked in her boot, she continued her careful crawl until she was under Daniil’s soft belly.
‘Marina?’ The thought was hesitant, searching.
She kept her mind closed to him, like he’d shown her, and with a surge of triumph pressed the tip of the dagger into his underbelly with enough force for him to feel it.
Daniil stiffened, and his steady breathing stopped.
His neck curved down, and he cocked his head to blink at her. Rows upon rows of shiny teeth were suddenly all she could see, and she knew he was grinning.
‘Dragon lord Daniil yields to princess Marina,’ he boomed. Left in the wake of a conflagration of white light was his human form. He snapped his fingers and he was clothed. “Well done!” Chuckling, he crooked a finger to beckon her to his side. “Come here, let me see you.”
Twirling flamboyantly, Marina put a hand on jutted hip, and lifted her chin and hand with flourish for inspection.
He checked her over for any ice burns, and slid cool fingers down the column of her neck to the hollows of her collarbones. Marina experienced a prickly tingle over her skin, and her breathing deepened. They locked eyes, and a shimmer of heat passed between them. That touch wasn’t as innocent as it should have been.
Daniil lifted up his fingers, smeared with the mud he’d gathered from her. “Interesting tactic,” he said brightly. “You didn’t even have to use the fire as a distraction. I’ll have to think of a new lesson for you. Clever. The Drackai chiefs will love to hear of this efficiency.”
Clearing her throat, Marina swiped some of the goop from her arm, and it spattered onto the grass. “How did the other Chosen pass this test?”
“They broke the stems of the grass and rubbed it over them. The smell is pungent, and can mask the wears scent. The only problem is the dragon can become distracted or hindered by it should the rider mount again, but we have always seen it as a necessary evil.” He paused. “On second thought, I shall not divulge exactly how you mastered this, just that you did. They can assume what they like.”
Marina scrunched up her face, and more mud slid off her cheek. “Why?”
“Because this means you have an edge over the other Chosen.” He winked at her. “And that, Marina my lovely, is a very good thing.”
She was about to ask him if it hurt at all to breathe ice, but he quivered, and his body tensed. “Daniil?”
Eyes wide but not seeing he grabbed her and pulled him to her. His grip was demanding, frightening in its intensity. When he looked at her, his eyes were focused and panicked. He dragged her down and moved himself over her. Marina thumped at his chest, not understanding, and when she began to curse, he slapped a hand over her mouth.
There was the heavy beating of wings, and a rumbling of earth as two dragons landed.
There was a crackle of magick, and then she heard. “By the Goddess, where they hell are they? We’ve checked nearly every damn field in Tzion.”
“The lady isn’t going to be happy if we go back empty handed. We need some kind of information.”
“I doubt we would have succeeded anyway. Lord Daniil is well known for his warskill, his cunning, and it’s said the king made him swear to protect the princess with his life.”
“He’s not allowed to do that,” the other voice protested.
“There are rumors. House Tyr believes that the princess is no longer pure and shouldn’t be allowed to hunt the king at all once Aver is complete, but he cannot hold the ear of Regent Myron.”
“Regardless, should we be interfering? All these nasty affairs of state turn my stomach to rot. I hold the princess no ill will, she’s nice. We should just let this play out, and keep our House out of it. Goddess willing, the princess will perish during the quests if she is not strong enough to be queen.”
“We’ve seen her train. If she is given the chance, s
he won’t fail. Her warskill is basic and straightforward, but effective, and she wants it, badly, you can see it in her eyes. And she has lord Daniil to train her. Hold fast, Jakob. This alliance will help us gain some of the credibility and coin our father lost. We’ll need it for new weapons if we’re to survive the campaign the Vor’s plan to lunch once Anastasia is named queen of the Drackai.”
“Anastasia has always campaigned for peace. It’s our kingdom that always seems to be initiating war for some reason or another.” He sighed, “Our queens are always of lesser might and honor than the Drackai queens.”
“Aleksandr is the master of House Vor, and don’t you forget it. As fierce as Anastasia is she’s been losing some of her edge. The servants think she pines for someone.”
“What if the princess wins the Frost Wreath? I can’t help but think maybe that would be a good thing. Our court could use–”
“If we do our job right she won’t win either throne.”
The other voice was quiet for a while. “I’m not sure. King Raad seems attached to her. My dragon is pleased for him.”
“Ah, well, he was, but now the lady is sure she’s gaining his favor. All she needs now is enough scandal so the princess is forced to withdraw. My source tells me lord Daniil has foiled a number of the assassination attempts on the princess’s life. He took the case to the dragon Council, and Nikolai Raad was set as her guardian.
“The brat?”
“Childish he may seem, but lord Nikolai is a fierce dragon. He’s the one who’s been hunting down those oppose the princess and silencing them.”
“But … right now we oppose her.” The other dragon sounded stressed. “We need to get out of this … quickly … somehow. I’ve heard the princess is fair to her servants. Maybe if we-”
“Pah. We’re low gentry. It’s the high Houses Nikolai is after and the princess couldn’t protect us from him if he ever found out we were involved in this. I think it’s all poised to go belly up anyway. The dragon Council are interfering again. Regent Myron is a stickler for the rules, and he has to keep bending them for her. It won’t last much longer, so pull yourself together. You know what the lady does to traitors.”
“They only time I feel a traitor is when I’m in her presence. My dragon doesn’t like this.”
“What do you have to worry about? Nobody knows we’re involved, and you can bet most of the lady’s alliances are caught in the same trap we’re in. We just need to keep quiet and do what we’re told. The phoenixes protect their own, and they’ll not bother us as long as the king is not directly threatened.”
“Yes, but that’s only because they are supposed to be his advisors. For the sake of peace, they need the king to mate the Chosen best suited. I have to admit, brother, if it were you, I’d want the best match possible. Wouldn’t you want that for me?”
“Again … preferential treatment towards one contender. That is forbidden, and cannot be how the great goddess meant things to be. I am a simple dragon who is happy to follow my betters into war. Houses Kol, Raad and Zar aligned … can you imagine it. Three imperial Houses tightly bound by love and honor. It would be glorious if the entire court wasn’t afraid they would abuse the power, just like they are abusing it to get the princess seated on the throne of the Empire.”
“Now, I don’t know about that. She has to complete the quests on her own to win a crown.”
“Yeah, but the Regent and the dragon Council are turning a blind eye to a lot of her transgressions because it might be a mating of love and not honor.”
“But–”
“Enough. Come on now, Jakob, we must go.”
The men shifted to dragon and launched themselves into the sky.
After a minute or so, Daniil let Marina go, but she didn’t move. During the hushed and hurried conversation, Marina had curled herself into Daniil, seeking protection from the words. It was like a bad theatre production. Everyone was running around in the background doing important missions to save the day, and she was the clueless lead character fumbling around in the foreground like a fool.
Marina had been disappointed with Nikolai for not helping her, thinking him snout first under some loose skirt, but she now knew he was helping her more that she ever would have dreamed.
Daniil brushed his cold fingertips across her wet cheek, and whispered comfort in her ear.
She snuggled up to him, suddenly feeling small in this land of giants. She fisted her hands in his tunic and trembled slightly.
They had all been taking care of her.
Getting her shit together, she pushed him off her to stand up.
“Marina,” Daniil began. “I don’t want you worry about this.
She stared in the direction the dragons had flown. The morning sun started to peek over the horizon, bathing her mud and tear streaked face in warm rays. “I’d like to go back to the citadel. Please,” she said quietly.
***
Marina dismounted and landed on two booted feet in one smooth, well-practiced motion, and didn’t wait for Daniil to turn human. She walked around to the training courtyard, and planned to spend the day engrossed in whatever aggressive art she could pester Daniil into teaching her.
Stomping around a corner, she swore and backed up a few paces when she saw Katya talking to Koen.
The woman giggled, looking flushed, and sweetly disheveled as she spoke to him.
Marina should have just walked away. Instead, she backed up until her back hit the fortress wall and slid down, slumping into herself. Drawing her knees up, she set her chin on her arms and watched them through opened eyes.
They looked beautiful together – tall, dark and regal of bearing. Koen radiated strength and vitality. Katya was the personification of sang-froid and grace.
Marina felt her confidence shrivel. She knew it was indulging her bad mood to embrace thoughts of Koen choosing Katya over her just because the woman had longer legs and a gorgeous smile, but the longer she watched them, the more convinced she became it was an actual possibility.
She’d come here thinking Anastasia was her problem, but the icy blonde was single-minded on becoming Empress, not on winning Koen’s love. She barely acknowledged him when he was around. Her focus was on the quests, nothing more.
Katya was a dragon mate-stealing bitch. She caused a very rational and concentration-stealing jealousy that Marina couldn’t seem to get a handle on. After hearing the dragons in the field, Marina knew she had been a fool. She’d spent her week focused on training, on ensuring she could do the quests, and had taken her eyes off the prize long enough for Katya to slither in with the intention of theft.
Honestly, she hadn’t foreseen competition from the other Chosen as an issue.
Koen had called her his treasure.
She should be above petty jealousy. Since arriving on Tzion, she had learnt that meant his dragon considered her his horde. Nobody touched, stole, or treated a dragon’s horde, his treasure, with anything but reverence and respect. Of course part of her had rebelled at the notion of belonging to him like a possession, but after seeing the phoenixes on their plinths, and the love that shone in their eyes when they spoke of mates dead for centuries, as if the emotions were just as powerful as they had been when their mates were alive, Marina felt awed Koen’s dragon had selected her as that special.
Daniil dumped a leather harness at her feet. “I’m going to show you how to saddle a dragon.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped.
Daniil grunted as he sat down next to her, and Marina turned her head away so he couldn’t see her tears. “What did you expect? I told you there would be people who were not pleased with your arrival.”
She huffed, rolled her eyes, and buried her head into her arms. “Yeah. And do you know what’s really messed up? I was upset because there are people actively trying to put me six feet under, but then I come back and see those two,” she pointed to Koen and Katya, “and I don’t care about that anymore. What I care about most is that Koen is
actually giving her the time of day. What happened to the angry, malevolent dragon that wanted to gobble them up and spit them out? He’s talking to her without glowering. I mean what the fuck, Daniil?”
“He is to be Emperor, and he must be seen to consider all options placed before him, especially since he has been seen spending time with you.”
“I don’t see why he can’t let people know he likes me more. This no touching thing is stupid anyway.”
Daniel abruptly loosed the threads of his frayed temper, and his blue eyes flashed. “Your options at this point are uncomplicated. Touch him and you are no longer First Chosen. You would bring shame down on the House Zar, and lose the right to mate with Koen for a few stolen moments?”
In the face of his logic, she backed down and shrugged, knowing that he was right. “I miss him. I just … miss him.”
Daniil rubbed her lower back in soothing circles. “I know how you feel. Anastasia was once a child who liked to follow me around. Annoying, I thought. I had no idea how important she would become. I saw her again years later when she first came here for the ceremony of the Chosen. She was so beautiful. I wanted her as my mate, but she had come for Koen … like they all do. I miss her too, following me around.” Daniil was watching her with a speculative expression then he shook himself. “Enough self pity. Let us continue our training.”
“No,” she grumbled. “I want to stay here and stare at them like a possessed psychopath.” She narrowed her eyes. “If even one lock of that shiny brown hair of hers touches him, I’m going to scream foul play to high heaven.”
Out of patience, Daniil grabbed her shoulders to haul her up. He thrust the harness into her arms. “Now. You are going to learn about fu. Wind. As a dragon mate you must be able to extend yourself physically and mentally. You must show wisdom beyond your years, and have an open-minded outlook on life to ensure at all times you can plot out the best course for you and your mate.”
Marina grumbled sullenly. “Because I’m demonstrating such stellar insight right now.”
Smolder (Dragon Souls) Page 20