by Bianca D'Arc
Nico pulled back, placing soft, nibbling kisses on her full lips.
“You are so beautiful.”
The blush on her cheeks enchanted him. He kissed her softly, mustering all the tenderness he felt for this little, lost princess. Gathering himself, Nico stepped away and lifted the basket once more. He removed a serving of cheese and bread piled together as Riki fussed a bit with her new skirt.
“Eat this, for now, and we’ll get underway.”
Riki did as he asked, silently nibbling as Nico pulled the length of rope from the basket and set about knotting it just so. Riki watched him quizzically as he worked, but her mouth was full as she chewed and she didn’t ask him what he was about. She’d find out soon enough.
Riki was nearly finished with her snack when Nico swept the black cloak over her shoulders, tucking it up under her chin, glad to see the heavy material enveloped her from head to toe. There were loops and buttons down the front of the well-made cloak and a large hood that could be tied in the upright position. He’d done well with that landlord and Nico would remember the man if and when they made it out of Skithdron.
Buttoning her into the cloak while she finished eating, Nico couldn’t help but notice when the backs of his fingers found the swells of her breasts. She gasped, sucking in air as he touched her. Daring greatly, he lingered over the softness of her, allowing his fingers to move slightly from the button between her breasts, experimenting with how far she would let him go.
“Nico—”
He moved back at her breathy protest, though he didn’t want to. Still, they were in danger every moment they stayed on the ground. They had to get moving.
“That’s for a later time, my lovely.” He winked and grinned, enjoying her flushed face in the uncertain light of a crescent moon. “For now, we should be going.”
“What’s the rope for?” She seemed desperate to change the subject and he let her. For now.
“You’ll see,” he promised. “You’ll have to hold the basket steady, but it’ll be worth it when you’re hungry. Feel free to eat as we go. I ate in town, so don’t worry about saving anything for me.”
“Nico—”
“Don’t argue. It’s time we were going.” He moved a short distance away, allowing the change to come over him. “Pick up the rope, sweetheart, and put the large loop over my head.”
He watched understanding dawn over her face. “Won’t that be uncomfortable for you?”
“No, sweet. But it would make me very uncomfortable if you were to fall off my back or lose our basket of goodies. Come now, tie it on and let’s get moving.”
She complied with only a few murmurs of protest, following his instructions. Soon he had a harness of sorts around his chest and forearms that would allow her to tie the basket handle—and herself—securely to his back. Riki wasn’t an experienced rider and Nico had worried about her safety last night but had no recourse. This would work, and it would help ease his mind about her safety in the sky.
“Mount up and let’s get out of here.”
Riki kissed his dragon cheek before doing as he asked, surprising him with the soft gesture. She climbed up on his bent leg and settled against his back with easy familiarity, tying herself to the harness as he’d instructed. A few moments later, he lifted into the air, glad to feel the wind under his wings once more. They were safest in the night sky—at least until they could get out of Skithdron.
Riki wrapped the voluminous cloak around herself, tucking in the edges and securing the hood over her head. It was so beautiful up here in the sky, skidding along with the wisps of cloud and riding so close to the twinkling stars. She would never forget this experience as long as she lived. The sheer delight of dancing among the stars on a dragon’s back was breathtaking and she sat back, simply enjoying the incredible moment of freedom, savoring a kind of peace she had never before known flying with Nico.
“How are you doing back there?” Nico asked warmly in her mind.
“I’m fine. Just enjoying the night air. It’s so exhilarating.”
“If you get hungry, there’s fruit in the basket and more bread and cheese.”
Riki was used to hunger pangs but knew she needed to get her strength back. Reaching into the basket, she pulled out an apple. It had been so long since she’d had fresh, unblemished fruit. The sight of the dark shape in her hand as they flew through the starlit night brought tears to her eyes. The past hours were like a dream, but she was living the reality of it. This man—this dragon—and the wonderful, thoughtful gestures he’d made. He was already so special to her. Nico somehow filled her heart with light, and a hope that hadn’t been there for many, many years.
“Riki? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Nico. Just admiring one of the apples you bought for me.” She tried to sound as normal as she could, though her trembling emotions threatened to boil over.
“Good.” His voice sounded through her mind with a rumble of satisfaction. “I asked the innkeeper to pack his finest and freshest for you. That basket and everything in it is yours, Riki. I want you to eat well and often, to keep your strength up on our journey.”
“But what about you? What will you eat?”
The dragon beneath her chuckled smokily. “Leave that to me, sweetheart. Dragons are hunters, you know. I’ll find game and supply you with fresh meat at the same time. And I can cook it as well.”
Again came the smoky chuckle and she had to laugh too. “You certainly are handy to have around, Nico.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
They chatted as she munched on the apple and then a lovely, ripe pear.
“Do you know how far we are from the border?”
“A day more, at least. I’m trying to cut a little northwest,” Nico told her as he banked on a gust of wind. She absolutely loved the feeling of flying, being buffeted by the air currents and swimming among the stars. “We have a good chance of connecting with some of the dragons and knights from the Border Lair if we can get close enough. Still, I’m concerned Lucan may have already sent word to the border region and we might find it hard to get across.”
“Hard, in what way?”
“The armies that have attacked Draconia from both the north and east over the past months have been armed with dragon-killing weapons. Giant crossbows designed to fling diamond-bladed bolts up into the air. Diamond blades are about the only things that can slice through our scales with ease. We lost a few dragons during the fighting, and my brother Roland almost died when three bolts hit him. Those weapons are nothing to fool with and they have a lot of them. I’d prefer not to fly anywhere near them if we can help it.”
Riki thought back on the many things she’d heard Lucan rant about and some of it began to make sense. “Lucan was supplying Salomar with diamond blades from the diamond mines along the eastern border region of Skithdron. I remember him saying that more than once.”
“Thankfully, Salomar’s dead. But you’re right about the diamond blades. Salomar used them against our forces when he tried to invade from the north. Your sister was instrumental in foiling his plans. She’s quite a woman.”
“Lana?” Riki felt a pang for the girl who had been her other half—torn from her brutally when they’d been stolen from their mother. “Will you tell me about her? What is she doing now?”
“Right about now, she’s learning how to be Queen of Draconia. She married my brother Roland a few months back.”
“Lana is the queen?”
“Yes, sweetheart. And she mother-bonded with a wild Ice Dragon named Tor when he was just hatched from the shell. They’ve been together ever since. They helped each other escape Salomar and survive in the frozen north until Roland stumbled across their path. He fell in love with Lana almost at first sight, and asked her to be his queen. He adopted Tor and they are raising him together. Tor is an incredibly bright dragonet and can fly amazingly fast and complex patterns.”
“My sister, the queen.” Riki could hardly believe
it. “And she lived with a baby dragon?”
“You’ll love Tor. Kelzy has him calling her Grandma.”
“My mother really is reunited with Kelzy? That’s amazing.”
“Even better, your mother recently remarried. One of her new husbands is Kelzy’s knight partner.”
“One of her husbands? She has more than one?” Riki was a little scandalized by the idea.
“It’s customary for the knights of fighting dragons to share their mate, since there are so few women who can hear and live with dragons. Plus, the bond between dragon and knight goes so deep, when the dragons come together in passion, so too must the knights with their mate. The knights of mated dragons marry the same woman. Somehow it always seems to work out. The dragons claim the Mother of All guides them in choosing their partners and mates and I have no reason to doubt it. Every marriage I have witnessed among knights is passionate and happy.”
“I still can’t quite believe my mother has two husbands.”
Nico chuckled, sending smoke out behind them as they coasted on the air currents. “So does your little sister, Belora. She was the first to marry. One of her knights, Gareth, is partner to Kelzy and Sandor’s son, Kelvan.”
“So then, Sandor is Kelzy’s mate? And if I’m understanding you, Sandor’s knight is my mother’s other husband?”
“I think you’ve got it, sweetheart.”
“Then who is Sandor’s knight? What are my stepfathers like?”
“Sandor’s knight is Darian—formerly Lord Darian Vordekrais of Skithdron. He forsook his lands and title to come over to our side and warn us about Lucan and his diamond-bladed weapons. He is a hero many times over in Draconia.”
“I know that name. I heard Lucan rant about Darian. He was so angry, he nearly killed one of his own guardsmen when the news of Lord Darian’s defection was reported.”
They talked long into the night as they flew. Riki was thrilled with the news about her family, surprised by the odd new lifestyle her mother and little sister enjoyed in the Lair and completely astounded by the idea that her twin was now Queen of Draconia.
Nico teased her with funny stories of baby Tor’s antics and made her cry with the news that little Belora was going to be a mother at any moment. He was good to talk to and the time passed quickly. She was surprised when the first gray streaks of dawn started showing on the horizon behind them.
He had told her about her twin sister and the amazing feats of bravery Lana had performed, transforming for the first time into a dragon and flying into the thick of battle to save the king’s life. Riki didn’t think she’d ever have the nerve to do something so brave. No, Lana was the fearless one. She always had been, and Riki was comforted to know her twin had found a man she could love and who loved her in return.
Still, Riki felt a pang of regret and shame that she had suffered in silence all these years, giving in to Lucan’s demands, never once finding a way to escape on her own. Though she had tried repeatedly. Oh, how she’d tried. But failure was her bitter companion. Failure and punishment…and torture.
Riki admired Alania and Belora and the tales Nico told her of their daring, and her mother’s surprising bravery as well. Clinging to a tree with a swarm of skiths below took courage. Nico described how her mother had done that and more. That was the kind of daring Riki feared she would never possess. She felt like such a failure. Such a burden.
She thought of the little she’d managed to accomplish in her life and how often she had failed. Lulled by those morose thoughts, she rested against Nico’s warm back. She was snug and warm now, between the woolen cloak and Nico’s inner fire. She nearly dozed, but refused to miss a moment of the incredible feeling of flying and seeing the stars so close up. Riki let her gaze drift out and up, pondering the stars, little holes in the fabric of heaven, so near and yet so far.
“This doesn’t look good.” Nico’s voice broke into her drifting thoughts.
“What? What doesn’t look good?” Instantly, she was alert. He sounded so serious.
“Troop movement. Lots of troop movement. Lucan’s alerted the border garrisons.”
“How could he inform them so fast?”
“I didn’t want to tell you this, but I heard the guards talking in the tavern. Lucan sent relay riders ahead to the border and every town in between. He wants you back badly enough to put every soldier in this cursed land on alert. They’ve been riding non-stop since we escaped. When one reaches his destination, another picks up the message and goes to the next stop and so on. Damned efficient and damned inconvenient for us.”
“What can we do?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t want to risk the border crossing with you on my back. There are limits to how high I can fly safely—especially with a passenger. I can’t go high enough to be completely out of range of those diamond blades, and if anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself. It’s too risky.”
“But—”
“There are other ways, Riki. You have to trust me. I am the Spymaster of Draconia, after all.” His sooty laughter was soundless, but she felt the ripples of humor roll through his sinuous neck.
“What ways, then?”
“Well, we could fly northward and try to cross into the Northlands. They might not expect us to try that and the northern border of Skithdron is less heavily fortified than the one with Draconia. Or we could take our chances on the ground for a bit. We’ll have to stop soon anyway to rest for the day. My black hide is too easily seen against a light sky.”
“Do you know where we can go?”
“I have an idea. There’s an operative in place in the city of Plinth. If we can get to him, he might be able to help us.”
“Operative? What kind of operative are you talking about? A spy?”
“Actually, by trade, he’s a bard. By birth he’s Draconian, though you couldn’t tell from listening to him. His fathers are knights and he grew up in a Lair, though he struck out on his own at a young age to learn his musical and storytelling craft. He’s studied all over and I’ve always found him helpful. I think his many skills will come in handy now.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Chapter Six
And so Nico found himself setting down as gently as he could, just outside the perimeter wall of Plinth a few minutes before dawn. The city was large enough to have a daily market and the gates on the south side were already bustling with traffic as farmers came in from the fields with their sale crops along the large, slightly fortified road. Travel in this part of the country was a little safer than farther south because this far north, the temperatures were colder, meaning fewer skiths inhabited the area.
Nico shifted quickly, lest some sharp-eyed farmer see him in his dragon form. Riki stretched her limbs and Nico was struck for a moment by the lithe grace of her. She swayed from side to side, stretching and Nico thought he’d never seen a more beautiful, feminine sight.
“Is everything all right?”
Nico realized he’d been staring, motionless, for some time. Shaking his head and gathering his wits, he vowed silently to pay better attention to their surroundings. True, he was tired from the long flight and still feeling twinges from the beating and torture he’d suffered just two days before, but that was no excuse for relaxing his vigilance. It wasn’t just his life on the line this time. Riki was counting on him for protection and guidance through this dangerous land. He couldn’t let her down.
“Fine,” he answered shortly, stepping closer and straightening the hood on her long traveling cloak. The heavy woolen cloak was a bit large on her, but it wouldn’t look too conspicuous in the gray light of dawn and chilly morning air. “We need to blend in with the farmers going to market. Keep the cloak tightly around you, and you should be fine.”
He adjusted the hood so it pooled around her face, hiding her a bit. He had already scooped her auburn hair into a knot, shoving it down the back of the cloak, hiding most of its lustrous length from sight behind the folds of the hood.
“What about you? Won’t you look conspicuous in such thin clothes on such a chilly morning?”
Nico stepped back, surveying his work. She looked close to perfect. Or as close to perfect as they could get with such limited resources. His appearance, on the other hand, needed some work before they could blend in. His shirt was burned in places and bloodstained in others. Luckily, the thin, dark leather wasn’t very conspicuous in the dim morning light. But they still had to get inside the city and out of public view as quickly as possible.
Rolling back the ragged cuffs of his shirt, Nico adjusted the neckline, tearing into the soft leather, parting it just slightly down his chest and tucking the ragged edges inward. He then took stock of his leather leggings. They’d held up reasonably well through his ordeal but were clearly worn soldier-style at the moment. Bending, he loosened the hem, pulling on the drawstring he’d had designed right into the garment for just such occasions.
Warriors wore their leathers close-fitting so that nothing could impede them in battle. Farmers were less particular and usually wore their leather as loose as possible to cool them while they worked, allowing a full range of movement. Farmers were also less apt to be able to afford the custom-made clothes many successful soldiers had tailored from soft, supple leather to address the same range of motion issues. No, loose and hanging out was the order of the day as a farmer, and Nico was prepared.
With a few final tugs, he was ready.
“What do you think?” Nico held his hands out to his sides, sending Riki a smile. She was watching him with such a fierce look of concentration on her cute face, it was all he could do to stop himself from kissing her senseless. Later, he promised himself, when they’d found shelter. Oh, yes, later he’d get that kiss he so desperately needed.
“That’s amazing.” Riki watched his moves with admiration. He noted the interested spark in her eye as she considered what he’d done to alter his appearance.