The Fire Within

by Joely Sue Burkhart

  And she did hunger for it. His essence filled her—fire, roasted spice, jasmine, warrior—blended together in his life’s blood. Always the protector, the one who sacrificed, who hardened himself to shield those weaker than he, Zahak could not shield her from his need. He needed this, regardless of the battle, regardless of the Black Dragon.

  She wished she’d given it to him earlier.

  Hauling her against his body, he shielded her from the Black, even while drawing her tighter into his seductive power. His flames danced inside her, but they were different this time. Still powerful, searing in intensity, they glowed with the pearly light of the silvered full moon above.

  Tears pooled in her eyes. Her mind raced with hope. Had her power from Our Blessed Lady’s blood come to her at last? Why now?

  She knew the answer. It was the same thing that had kept her heart and soul safe from Darius, the same protective mark that now sealed Zahak to her through their blood bond, an anchor while his dragon raged. Power swelled in her heart, liquid rainbows, cool silver flickering flames, shining in the darkest Shadow.

  Words tumbled through her mind, a sense of urgency pressing against her skull. She couldn’t remember the exact phrasing, but she didn’t think his Gods would care.

  :You gave me blood to save my life. You shared the Fire in your heart and wiped away my dark memories of torture and pain. You took my body and gave yours as readily as your heart. I love you, Zahak saif’Cobra. I’m Given to you.:

  The sound of rending metal screeched through her body, claws shredding her mind. Howling fury ripped Zahak away, black scales twisting and writhing around his blades. But Darius didn’t care about the metal piercing his body. All he cared about was reaching her.

  :I will rip your heart out of your chest and eat it while you still live! You are mine. Mine!:

  She took a step away from the Spire, gathering her courage, her power, shining like a beacon in the nightmare. Yanking her arms free of the chains, she raised her splayed hands, spreading light. The Black Dragon flinched, hissing.

  Something wasn’t right. The world thinned, the dream tearing away.

  Zahak bellowed. :Eleni!:

  Two dragons roaring a challenge.

  :My heart beats for you!:

  ELEVEN

  Choking, she blinked water out of her eyes. Had Zahak heard her call?

  Malum crouched beside her, the whites of his eyes startling against his bronzed skin. “The Black is awake, and very, very pissed.”

  The ground shook with the Black Dragon’s roars, his tail slamming the ground in fury.

  Malum helped her to her feet and dragged her hobbling across the sands. Each step was agony, the skin and muscle tearing down her thighs, the back of her knees. Whimpering and crying with each step, she forced her feet to move. “Where’s Amin?”

  “The little pista ran for shelter as soon as the Black roared.” Malum kept her on her feet, supporting her elbow, while he scanned the cliff. “Our only hope is to find a crack in the rock small enough the Black can’t get through, but large enough for us to hide in. Since He doesn’t breathe fire, we ought to be safe if we can find shelter.”

  Pebbles rained down on their heads. The Black scaled the cliff, hanging upside down, talons rending long furrows in the rock face. Limping, she quickened her pace, ignoring the hot trail of blood dripping down her back and legs.

  Malum unsheathed his scimitar. “Where’s saif?”

  “I don’t know.” She felt him, the bond stronger than ever. Liquid Fire roared in her veins, a hammering force of nature. “He’s coming. I think…I think he’s a dragon now.”

  Malum closed his eyes, his face lined with sorrow. “My sincerest regrets, then, Eleni. I had hoped you would have many happy years together. Who will lead the Keldari now?”

  Amin leaped out of a shallow cleft in the rock, his knife flashing toward the other warrior’s throat. “I will be azi!”

  Whirling aside gracefully, Malum drew the wicked curved blade across the man’s abdomen.

  Gasping, Amin, clutched his stomach, eyes wild. “Go ahead! Finish me!”

  “You’re not worth facing the saif’s wrath.”

  “Coward! Kill me if you dare!”

  “He’s afraid,” Eleni whispered. More rocks rained down on them, and all three heads jerked up to keep an eye on the furious Dragon stalking them. “He wants you to kill him before Shadow claims him.”

  Amin rushed at her, his face pale and sweaty. “Lies, all lies!”

  Malum tripped him and he sprawled on the sands.

  She realized Amin was weeping. Ignoring the other man’s hissed warning, she crouched down beside Amin. Tearing pain drew her breath in short, ragged pants. “It’s not too late for you. You can turn away from Shadow.”

  “Like you?”

  She flinched from his words, the rage in his eyes. What had she ever done to him to warrant such hatred? “I was born tainted with Shadow, but I don’t choose to live my life in darkness.”

  “You were supposed to be mine! Yet my brother took you from me, just like he took our father’s love. Then he let our mother die, and I had no one!”

  “You had him.” Disgust sharpened her voice. “He protected you and sacrificed for you his entire life, and you lie here sniveling like a child. Get up and fight, Amin. Or die like the coward you are.”

  Bellowing, he pushed up from the sands and lunged toward her. Crippled by her burns, she threw herself aside. He crawled after her, madness swirling in his gaze.

  Malum tackled him, both warriors rolling, kicking, blades flashing.

  A startled cry, a deep grunt of hatred, and Amin stood over the other man.

  Leaning up, Malum looked down at the knife buried in his stomach and laughed, choking on blood. “Wells, I never expected that.”

  Face twisted with fear and determination, Amin picked up the fallen scimitar and hacked at the other man’s head. Hands shaking, he missed Malum’s neck and sliced his shoulder and jaw. Malum screamed, cursing and taunting even until the end.

  Horrified, Eleni backed away. Death was all around. There was so much hatred. She couldn’t breathe for the despair welling in her chest. Her arms and legs felt cold and heavy, as though she’d swallowed the horrid Dragon Piss again. She forced her leaden body to function, to turn, to take one step. Another. She had to get away. She must delay the Black Dragon and Amin until Zahak arrived.

  “It’s you!” Amin screamed behind her, forcing her into a staggering run. “He came for you, not me! You!”

  Footsteps pounded behind her, his frantic, ragged breathing loud. She tried to run faster, but her burned legs would hardly move and she couldn’t feel her feet at all. She tripped and fell, slamming her teeth together.

  Amin grabbed her ankle, fingers slipping in the blood. She kicked him in the face with her other foot and fought free. Scrambling, she pushed to her hands and knees, trying to get to her feet, but he fell on top of her.

  With a hand squeezing her throat, he whispered into her ear. “Do you love him?”

  She nodded, mind whirling, trying to think of a way to fight him off.

  “And he loves you.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway.

  “Good. So when I kill you, it’ll hurt him.”

  “Why?” She croaked, her throat aching with the pressure of his fingers. “He loves you.”

  “You think I speak of Zahak?” Amin laughed, a wild, raw sound closer to weeping. “He let our mother die. He’s just like our father: dragon spawn. But I’ll kill you to hurt him.” His shuddering fear was sharp in her nose. “The Black wants you most of all.”

  A low, throbbing call made her bones vibrate. Rushing wind, a flap of fabric, Amin turned his head…and suddenly he was lifted away.

  The Black Dragon had ripped him off her back. Rubbing her eyes free of sand, she staggered to her feet.

  Amin screamed. One of his arms hung from the dragon’s spiked snout. A small pop, and the Black tossed its
head back, swallowing the limb.

  Bile burned her throat, her stomach churning. She swore the damned beast laughed, jaws gaping in a horrible parody of a smile.

  The Black grabbed Amin’s other arm, holding it delicately in his jaws while slowly turning that massive head to look at her. Red eyes glowing with malice, the Black winked at her and then ripped the man’s arm off.

  Swaying, Eleni fought not to throw up. Darkness swirled inside her, heavy Shadow waiting to swallow her whole. No matter how many times she witnessed her brother’s depravity, it sickened her every single time. He could have put Amin out of his misery easily with a swipe of those cruel talons. Instead, the Black slowly tormented the man, delaying his own feast to cause as much pain and terror as possible.

  An image filled her mind, scales writhing against her skin, coils wrapped around her flesh, strangling, pain, ripping. :Wait until you see what I have planned for you, dearest.:

  Stumbling into a run, she fled. She felt Zahak in the distance, but he was still miles away. Every breath was agony, each step ripping her charred flesh, but she couldn’t stand there and watch. Not again. Not ever again.

  Panting, she staggered, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. Sweat dripped between her bare breasts, stinging the cuts and burns even more. Red flickered about her, a soft glow of fire in the night. Dazed with pain and exhaustion, she ran onward, her breath loud to her ears. The soles of her feet burned on the sand, her back and legs split open, bleeding, smelling like roasted meat.

  Fire licked at her ribcage, scalding her veins, heating her burned flesh even more. Heat smoked through her, flames curling through her body, shimmering the air about her.

  Pressure increased, making it difficult for her to breathe. Every beat of her heart rang like a gong in her head. Fire filled her, roaring in her ears, melting her bones, turning her blood to molten lava. Gritting her teeth, she fought to hold it in, to keep from blowing apart into millions of pieces.

  :Such power.:

  Awe filled Darius’s voice in her head, and a little fear.

  :You were born to Shadow, dearest. This power is mine to command.:

  She laughed, a dry, painful croak. “My heart was as blackened as my back, charred by hatred and despair all those years I lived with you. But love grew from that wasteland, Darius.”

  Fragile hope sprouted from that wasteland, too, a tiny green shoot curling to the silvered moon. If she stood beneath the full moon now with arms open wide, would Our Blessed Lady acknowledge her?

  Darius’s laughter splintered through her mind, slicing like broken glass. :Do you think that bitch goddess cares about you? Do you think anybody can stop me from devouring you? You’re tainted, Eleni. As tainted as me. Shadow runs in your veins, not love, not hope. You’re mine.:

  Those last words echoed, crashing and thundering in her head until she thought her skull would crack open. Doubt shimmered through that hope, tearing the fragile dream apart. She could never escape the Shadow.

  A massive pyramid of a dune blocked her path. Crawling, sinking to her elbows and knees in slipping sands, she fought her way toward the top. Tears and blood dripped into the dry sands, watering the barren ground.

  She’d spent her whole life in shadows, cowering in fear and dreading to draw her brother’s attention. Watching the darkness swallow him whole, she’d felt it nibbling in the corners of her mind, tainting her dreams a little more every single day.

  At the top, she sagged, head down, shoulders heaving with sobs and exertion. The night was silent, yet screaming with tension. There was no light, no hope, just this red flare about her, the fire bubbling up within her.

  :Azharana.:

  The suffocating weight of despair broke, crumbling away at Zahak’s touch in her mind. She lifted her head, scanning the night sky. Clouds cloaked the moon, casting shadows upon the sands.

  Shadows. Shivering, she pushed back to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. She strained her eyes and ears. She knew the Black Dragon was there. Dread shrieked through her, a blade flaying flesh from her bones.

  :Eleni: Darius’s voice crawled through the shadows engulfing her mind, but it was the massive bulk of a dragon that slid into view. His voice was raw, vulnerable, laced with fear. :Armies march closer to Shanhasson every day. I need your help. You’re my only family in this world. My only hope.:

  Head down, neck snaking along the sand, the Black crept across the dune, wings rustling. His claws sliced through the sand like gleaming obsidian knives.

  :Please, dearest. Don’t leave me to fight them alone.:

  Images of civil war filled her mind, of Darius trapped behind the Shining Walls of Shanhasson while Princess Jenna gathered forces against him; army after army, war after war, his alliances crumbling away. She saw him kneeling on the Great Seal, his hands bound behind his back.

  The nobles stood in an arc before him, grim faced, a mob of righteous fury. The princess he’d forced into marriage after slaughtering her brother clutched Darius’s infant son to her breast. Would they kill his son as he’d killed the last heir to the High Throne?

  Our Blessed Lady’s priests decried him as tainted blood, fouling the High Throne. Beside him on the Seal, the Rose Crown gleamed, wreathed roses of gold. Eleni had never dared to look at it, let alone to put it on her head. She wasn’t a true Daughter. She had no power despite the Lady’s blood in her veins.

  Darius wept, pleading for his life, begging for mercy. She knew he wouldn’t receive any.

  :Save me, Eleni. Save me from this darkness.:

  The Black was only feet away, still slinking closer in mock submission. She had no weapon, no hope of escape. She had nothing left but the love of a warrior, his blood in her veins, his Fire in her heart. She had his tenderness as testimony, his gentle touch, his willingness to protect and sacrifice.

  :I love you, Zahak. Whatever happens.:

  A dragon roared, his call echoing across the desert. The Black’s lips curled away from vicious teeth, black tongue snaking out to taste the blood on the sands.

  :So far away.: Darius crooned in her mind. :You’re so alone. So weak. Broken. Bleeding.:

  :You’re trapped, Darius. As trapped and alone as I.:

  He shrieked in her head as the Black Dragon shredded the ground with its claws.

  :You’re weak. Your reign is broken, your plans destroyed. Soon you’ll be bleeding on the Great Seal, gasping your last breath. And what will you say to the Gods when They claim your soul?:

  Above, the clouds parted. Silvered moonlight danced across the sands, falling like rainbows on the obsidian scales. Thrashing, the Black howled, twisting to escape.

  Eleni pushed to her feet. Molten lava boiled higher, her skin tight and hot, steaming, her body ready to explode. “You’re not going to hurt anybody again, not even me.”

  Throwing her head back, she opened her arms and released the Fire. Raging flames exploded from her mouth on a ragged scream. Ripped open, pouring flames, she fell to her knees, crying, even while Fire roared higher. The world was red, flickering flames, wound with moonlight glittering like diamonds.

  Snarling, the Black writhed and smoked beneath her power. He couldn’t fight free. He couldn’t bear the touch of the moon or the magical flames.

  :Eleni! I love you too much to ever hurt you again! Help me, please!:

  She remembered the pain, the beatings, and the constant terror. She pushed all those terrible memories into the flames and let the fire purify her mind and heart. “You can’t hurt me any longer, Darius.”

  Rearing up, the Black opened its jaws and lunged for her across the wall of flames. With a furious roar, another dragon dropped out of the night sky. With red scales striped with black, the Red landed on the Black’s broad back and seized the sinuous neck in crushing jaws. Claws shredding, both dragons bellowed while her flames roared higher and higher. Her power didn’t hurt the Red at all. In fact, Zahak’s dragon drew strength from it, growing stronger and larger while moonlight gleamed
on his scales.

  Eleni gave him everything she had, all her love, all her strength, all her hopes and dreams and fears; all her grief, her fear, the darkest nightmares of her brother. The Fire left her, trickling to nothing. Without the heat of the magical flames, her teeth chattered. She sank to the sand, cold and tired. The Black Dragon gave one last cry, cut off, choking, and the Red roared with victory.

  In her mind, she saw Darius sprawled on the Great Seal, blood pouring from a fatal neck wound.

  :Dearest.: His overwhelming soul-deep terror washed over her. Darius’s voice changed, fragile, shaken, the voice of the little boy who’d cowered with her beneath their beds until the worst of their father’s rage died. :Shadow calls me home.:

  It was over. Her brother was dead. He’d never hurt anybody again.

  Staring up at the full moon, she knew Our Blessed Lady smiled down on her, even while weeping for another soul lost forever to Shadow. Magic bathed her skin, sweet dreams and hope. Pain eased, wiped away by the Lady’s touch. Liquid silver flooded her veins.

  Gasping, Eleni arched her back, fingers clutching at the sands. Her back and legs itched, flesh crawling and knitting into place. Sinking into a cool wellspring of magic, she heard one sweet whisper.

  :MY DAUGHTER.:

  TWELVE

  Eleni awoke to a dragon face peering down at her.

  Staring into his amber eyes, she wondered if Zahak knew her. Did anything of the man she loved remain in the beast? She sat up carefully, bracing for pain. Tightness lingered in her back, but she didn’t hurt. Purring a low rumble, the Red lowered his head and rubbed against her shoulder and chest. An image filled her mind, night sky, stars swirling, flying higher than the moon, wrapped in his embrace.

  :Bright eyes.:

  He didn’t speak the words exactly, but she knew what he meant. In his dragon mind, her eyes glowed like captured stars.

  Tears burned and she wrapped her arms around the Red’s neck, holding that massive head close to her. “Can you transform back?”