Scales and Flames

by Catherine Banks

  “You are not using your soul,” Kian growled.

  “No, you’re not,” Dillon said as he pushed open the door.

  “Eavesdropping is rude,” I growled.

  He shut the door, set the tray of food he’d brought on the table, then held out his hand. “Mark me.”

  “Are you sure? It’s permanent. I don’t want you doing anything rash or—”

  “Mark me, please,” he whispered, dropped to one knee beside the bed, and exposed his neck to me.

  I chewed on my lip in contemplation. I did want more marked, but this was just so sudden. I didn’t really know them. But, it was necessary. I had to defeat the demon, and the fake royals in Priok.

  Slowly, I reached out and touched his extended hand. I let my soul slide along with my magic until it touched him. A jolt of electricity zapped us both and I gasped as his powers merged with mine and Kian’s.

  After a few moments, everything settled and Dillon examined my mark, now on his hand.

  I felt like I could conquer the world. Like I could defeat Queen Bera with a snap of my fingers.

  Dillon stood, then bent at the waist and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Thank you.”

  “You’re all crazy,” I whispered. “You hate royals, but then I mark you and you want to become tied to me, permanently. If I can mark, that means I must have royal blood in me.”

  “True, but you’re not a real royal. You’re not one of them,” Dillon said.

  “We can’t be sure of that yet,” Quinn said from the doorway.

  I hadn’t even heard him open the door.

  “Why bring me back if you think that?” I asked, scowling at the jerk who looked amazing in a tight sleeveless shirt.

  “I told you. To keep Kian from killing himself,” he said.

  “Bull,” I growled and stood. “You told me that you would help me. That we would fight together. You told that asshat that I was under your protection.”

  “That was to get him to leave us alone,” he said and examined his fingernails. “I don’t care if you die or not.”

  I felt my fangs elongating again. He drove me mad! I wanted to tear into him and make him bleed.

  His eyes rose until they met mine and they glinted with carefully controlled rage. “You don’t want to do that. I won’t be so nice this time.”

  “You’re never nice,” I snarled.

  “Cut the crap. Be honest with her, and stop riling her up,” Kian said from where he stood beside the bed.

  I’d been so focused on Quinn, I hadn’t noticed that both Kian and Dillon had moved closer to me.

  “I will help you defeat the royals,” Quinn said. “But, at the first sign that you might betray us, I will kill you. You’re of a royal line, one that has crossed paths with the current royals, which means you’re a risk. I don’t trust you. I never will. I will be keeping a very close eye on you.”

  “I’m not a threat to you,” I said.

  “We can agree on that,” he said with a smirk.

  “Ass,” I growled.

  “You keep your cursed hands to yourself and you better only mark those who want to be marked,” he said and then left.

  We hadn’t defeated any of our enemies, but I felt like I’d won a battle just now. Quinn wasn’t on my side, but he was going to help me. And, I knew together we would win.

  ABOUT CATHERINE BANKS

  Catherine Banks is a USA Today Bestselling fantasy author who writes in several fantasy subgenres under two pseudonyms. She began writing fiction at only four years old and finished her first full-length novel at the age of fifteen. She is married to her soulmate and best friend, Avery, who she has two amazing children with. After her full-time job, she reads books, plays video games, and watches anime shows and movies with her family to relax. Although she has lived in Northern California her entire life, she dreams of traveling around the world. Catherine is also C.E.O. of Turbo Kitten Industries™, a company with many hats including being a book publisher and Etsy store full of nerdy fun.

  THE BLOOD AMULET BY KATHERINE BOGLE

  The Blood Amulet by Katherine Bogle

  Julian has only ever known darkness.

  Having spent most of her life trapped in the mountains alone with her mother, Julian is more than unprepared when her mother drops a bomb on her: there may be a way out.

  Entering the six kingdoms, Julian is determined to bring down the dragon overlord’s keeping her mother enslaved. But she’ll have to face a lot more than crossing a country to find the one magical being with the power to bring down the dragons.

  The Blood Amulet is a short story companion to the Chronicles of Warshard series.

  The Blood Amulet © Copyright 2018 Katherine Bogle

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Created with Vellum

  One

  Hot breath scorched Julian’s face and the scent of sulphur slid up her nostrils as she gripped the dragon’s scaled cheeks.

  “Mother, why do you put yourself through this?” Her shoulders tensed as her mother heaved another breath. The exhale sent the blonde hairs around her face flying. Once the charred smell of ash passed, Julian took a breath of fresh air.

  Cold clung to her cheeks while the dragon’s scales warmed her hands. Even in the dim light of the cavern, the quick rise and fall of her mother’s haunches were obvious. Days had passed since they’d last spoken. All dragons gave birth in this form. While in labor she refused to transform back.

  “We need to escape before the baby is born. If you have a daughter this time, you won’t be able to hide her from the others like you do with me.” Julian’s heart rammed in her ears and her pulse pounded behind her eyes. She pushed against the thick scales of the serpent, begging for her to listen just this once.

  The dragon’s eyes rolled open as if they’d been hiding in the back of her head. It blinked large doubtful yellow eyes at Julian. Her mother only ever had one daughter, and Julian had come with a twin. A male twin. It was the only way her mother had hidden her from the rest of Izenfir, the last dragon city.

  “Mother, please.” Her fingers balled into fists. “At least transform so we can speak.” She hated to admit it, but being with no one but a speechless dragon for days was making her anxious. Every time a rogue drop of water splashed against the rock and echoed through the tunnels, she jumped.

  What if Solipher, the King of Izenfir, were to find her? Julian shook her head. She knew very well what awaited her if Solipher or the other dragon lords ever discovered her. She’d be subjected to a life as property: an imprisoned cow forced to give birth to child after child in hopes another female dragon would appear. Without the females, their species would die, and as far as Izenfir was concerned, her mother was the last.

  “Mother,” Julian chided softly. She could be so stubborn sometimes.

  The dragon rolled its eyes and lifted its head from Julian’s hands. It flared wide nostrils and exhaled a long gust of ash-smelling breath upon her cheeks.

  Julian smiled. Finally, she’d listened.

  Darkness swept from the shadows, wrapping around the silver head and body of the giant beast. Trapped in such a small cavern, her wings co
uldn’t extend and she couldn’t stand. The dragon lords would never allow it, for if she could stand and feel the wind beneath her wings, she could fly. And fly she would.

  Shadowy flames dispersed to reveal a woman in her early middle age with dark blue eyes, and thick dirty blonde curls nearly identical to Julian’s. Her mother pursed her dry lips and narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

  “Julian,” she greeted, irritation as clear in her eyes as it was her voice.

  Julian leapt from where she knelt and closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and nuzzled her cold cheeks against her hair. Warmth radiated from her mother’s swollen body, and the enormous bulge in her belly nearly kept them apart.

  Her mother’s tense shoulders relaxed as she embraced Julian. “I missed you too, my love.”

  Tears burned the back of Julian’s eyes. She blinked up at the ceiling, wishing the tears back into her head. “It’s seemed like ages.”

  “Only a few days.” Her mother leaned back and held her at arm’s length. Her fingers gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek. “I’ve never left you, and I won’t begin to now.”

  Julian nodded. “I know.”

  Now that they were properly reunited, her mother ushered her from the large cavern into an adjacent cave, one with walls far less jagged and with furnishing that might make her believe the dragon lords cared for her mother at least a little.

  Her mother clung to her side as they entered. Embers burned in the fireplace, and thick velvet covered every surface, from the queen-sized four-poster bed, to the chairs and sofas nestled by the fire. If Julian didn’t know any better, she’d say it was a room for royalty. In a way, it was, as her mother was the last direct descendant of the Ancients: the first dragons to burst from the molten core of the earth and breathe ash upon the world.

  “How are you doing?” Julian asked. She helped her mother to the sofa and gently lowered her to sit before fetching a blanket.

  “Fine, fine.” She made a shooing motion at Julian, even while sweat coated her forehead and her normally tawny skin was pale. Somehow she seemed older, even if that was impossible. Dragons could choose the age of their human form. Where her mother was thousands of years old, her clear skin and nearly wrinkle-less face didn’t show it. In the same way, Julian chose to appear eighteen, the age of adulthood in the land of Warshard, the six kingdoms beyond the mountains.

  Julian wrapped a thick wool blanket, the heaviest piece of fabric they had, around her mother’s thin shoulders. The nearly translucent white cotton dress she wore was hardly suitable for the cold temperature, yet her mother always insisted on being comfortable when she returned to human form.

  “How long until the baby comes?” Julian asked.

  “Any day now.” She leaned back against the couch, taking quick, shallow breaths.

  “There’s still time to escape then.” Julian’s heart beat faster. “We could go now, take the secret tunnels you showed me. We could reach Warshard in two days, less if we hurry.”

  Her mother levelled her a look. “Julian, you know we can’t.”

  “But Mother––”

  “You know every reason why we’d be captured, and worse, you might be caught.” Her dark eyes flashed with anger. “I won’t have them do this to you too. Not my only daughter. I will stay, and you will go.”

  Julian started and her eyes flew wide. “What?”

  “There’s something I need to tell you, Julian.” Her mother’s fists balled in her lap. “I don’t know how much more my body can take of this, and once I’m gone, I’ll have no magic left to protect you.”

  “Mother––”

  “Do not interrupt me,” she snapped. “When I’m gone, they will find you, but there is something––someone––out there that may be able to stop them.”

  Stop the dragon lords?

  “But how?” Her heart rose into her throat and her stomach twisted. Her mother had never spoken of her leaving alone before. They’d always dreamed of escaping together, of fleeing to the six kingdoms and beyond, as far as their wings could take them.

  “There’s a girl, an ashen––”

  Julian’s skin chilled. The ashen were a half-breed race, a mix between dragons and humans. With the likelihood of another female ever being born dwindling, the males had begun to mate with magical humans in order to continue their lines.

  “This ashen is different than the others. I can feel her magic even now.” Her mother closed her eyes and tilted her head to the ceiling. Warm light bathed her skin in gold and amber. “She’s so strong, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. She’ll be the downfall of Izenfir. She’ll destroy the Holy Fire they worship and set us free.”

  Julian’s lips twisted in a frown. Her mother was putting a lot of faith in an ashen they didn’t yet know. How could a half-breed bring down the dragon lords? If her mother wasn’t strong enough to, how could a mere girl?

  “Don’t let doubt cloud your judgment, my love.” She opened her eyes. Her lips quirked in the first smile Julian had seen in ages. “Close your eyes and reach out, over the mountains to Warshard.”

  Sighing, Julian did as her mother said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she exhaled she reached with her mind, a ghost of a hand she pictured passing over the snow-topped mountains of Cinder, to the six kingdoms endless forests and grassy hills as far as the eye could see.

  Her tensed shoulders relaxed, and she smiled. Though she’d never been there, her mother had told many tales of the beautiful land she one day hoped to call home.

  “Now with your senses, reach for magic. Reach for the burn of power and dark scent of a dragon among so many humans,” her mother whispered softly in her ears.

  Julian could feel it. The wind beneath her wings, the cold air against her cheeks. But beyond that, she called for the darkness in every dragon, the hunger that lay deep inside her belly, the unquenchable thirst that craved power and fire and ash upon every living thing.

  She wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers and swallowed the growing lump in her throat. Her heart raced as she pulled at the one part of her she’d never been comfortable with: the beast she refused to acknowledge.

  Heat burst across her fingertips and up her arms. It pulled a gasp from her throat as warmth clenched around her heart and mind. The beast in her gut rolled from its slumber and clawed at her stomach, racking painfully at her insides like a wild cat trying to scale a mountain. The burn of magic was unmistakable. Something incredibly strong dwelled inside the six kingdoms. It called to her and she was tempted to answer.

  “That’s the girl who will save us.”

  Her mother’s voice threw cold across the molten flames. Julian gasped in a cool breath of air. Her eyes flew open and she looked at her mother. The vision was gone. The fire and the beast were gone. But the girl was real.

  “Where is she?” Julian took deep breaths as if she’d been underwater a long time.

  “South.” She shrugged. “That’s all I can tell in this state.” She glanced down at her belly. “You have to find this girl, Julian. If either of us can ever be free.”

  Julian shook her head. “But if I leave your sphere of magic, the others will be able to sense me.”

  “Normally, that’d be true, but the magic of my new son should blind them for at least a couple of weeks. Long enough for you to find this girl and come back.” Her mother’s fierce gaze locked on her own. “We’ll figure out the rest once you’re safe again.”

  “But what about you?” Julian shifted uncomfortably. She’d never left the mountains, never gone further than the valleys inside them. Warshard would be an entirely new place, with new people, those who wouldn’t understand her or her magic. How was she supposed to find this girl on her own and somehow convince her to return to a place no one knew existed?

  “I’ll be fine.” She smiled. “You needn’t worry about me.” She brushed Julian’s cheek with her fingertips.

  Julian le
aned against her warm hand, nearly as hot as an iron. She was grateful such heat could never hurt her, not with fire running through her veins.

  “You should leave tonight. I have a feeling your brother won’t wait much longer.” She shifted, holding her bulging belly as she did.

  Her pulse raced, a mix of anxiousness, uncertainty and excitement at what was to come. “Okay. I’ll go for you.”

  Her mother’s smile faltered. “Thank you, my love.”

  Julian leaned forward and embraced her mother. Finally, she was going to see a world she’d only ever dreamed of. She couldn’t wait.

  A warm breeze brushed her cheeks, the first sign of the outside world. Flames warmed her fingers, outstretched and quivering in the wind. Magic burned her fingers, pleasant and tingling her skin, while her stomach rolled with the hunger of a beast.

  Firelight bathed the jagged tunnel walls, dark and dripping with moisture. Distant birdcalls echoed ahead. Birds. Real birds. She’d only ever seen one once in the valley, on the lone dead tree. It had been large, or what she assumed was large for a bird, with brown feathers and a wingspan that stretched the length of the branch. When it saw her it screeched and flew away, up into the clouds. Jealousy had panged her heart at the sight. She’d only ever flown when young, before her mother taught her to transform. Now, the magic it took to transform was too great. If she wasn’t directly beside her mother, the dragon lords might sense Julian above her mother’s magic. She just couldn’t risk it.

  Another breeze rushed through the tunnel, sending the flames in her hand flickering. She lowered her fingers, and let the flames die, taking with it the hunger in her belly. Soft, cold light filtered down the tunnel.

  A grin lit her face and her heart leapt. After days weaving through tunnels, she’d finally arrived.