“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked. Her brows drew down in concern. “If it’s not right, you can cover it and try again… as many times as you like. It creates a meal to match your exact memories.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “I just miss my family.”
“I understand. It’s hard for the humans that aren’t born in the Ether-Realm to adjust at first.”
“You were born here?” I took careful sips of my cooling latte between bites of pancake, trying to decide how I could steer her back to talking about ways to leave the palace.
Rowan nodded. “Many of the human servants were. The Aethlings prefer Etherborn humans for domestic tasks, although they seem to prefer Earthborn humans as concubines.”
She delivered the statement casually, as though capturing women to serve in harems was a totally normal part of daily life. I blinked at her a few times while she smiled pleasantly back at me.
“And you’re all fine with that?”
“Why wouldn’t we be? We’re happy and well-cared for.” She laughed and shook her head. “You Earthborn always have such strange notions when you arrive. Don’t worry. You’ll adjust your thinking in time.”
I definitely didn’t want to “adjust” my thinking, but I decided to save the argument for later and focus on what was important.
“So how do you get such great hair products from the human world?” I asked, trying to sound like I was just making conversation.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Aren’t they wonderful? It’s far easier to bring them in bulk than to use magic every time you need to wash your hair. There are lots of waypoints into the human realm where anyone with sorcery can open a gate.”
Now that was interesting. Kaden hadn’t bothered to tell me that.
“And supplies are brought regularly?”
“Very regularly. Once every year. The ones in your bathroom are from the latest shipment, just last week.”
My heart sank. So much for that plan. I didn’t want to wait a whole year to get out of here.
“Do the gates stay closed otherwise?”
“Gates always stay open for a day or two and before they close on their own,” she said. “Which is good just in case you get lost or delayed. I’d hate to be stranded in a strange place with no way to return.”
“Yeah, that would be a real bummer.” I stared flatly at her and her hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
“It’s fine,” I said brightly, concealing my annoyance. But I was also happy that she’d given me a small bit of hope. If gates remained open for a day or two, it was possible that the tunnel I’d come through might not have closed yet. “If your agents get lost, how do they find their way back?”
“That’s a silly question,” she replied. “They just follow the tug on their heart. All creatures feel the call of their true home when they’re out of place.”
I was surprised to discover that she was right. I hadn’t even noticed it until she’d pointed it out, but I did feel a sort of faint longing I couldn’t place. I’d assumed it was just part of my overall loneliness and frustration, but if I closed my eyes, it pulled me in a specific direction… the same direction my window faced. I glanced toward it.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Ella… I worry that I’ve said too much. Please don’t do anything foolish. The Dragon would be furious with me if anything happened to you.”
“No, no…” I replied. “Of course not.”
“Really, Ella,” she insisted. “You don’t know how dangerous the Ether-Realm can be beyond Alkazar’s borders. The Ghostwood surrounding the city is full of all kinds of demons and beasts. If you just give it some time, I know you’ll come to love it here.”
“I think I know exactly how dangerous this place can be,” I snapped. The empty faces of the smiling men would haunt my nightmares for a long time. But I also remembered the cold touch of Rhys’s fingers sliding up my legs, and the Dragon’s promise that he was worse than Rhys no matter how kindly he seemed. There was no shortage of beasts within the city of Alkazar, either.
I could see that I’d hurt Rowan’s feelings, and I felt a little guilty. She’d only tried to help me so far.
“I’m sorry, Rowan,” I said. “I’m just overwhelmed. I think I’d like to be alone, if you don’t mind.”
I’d finished my pancakes and my latte had grown cold in my hand. I set it down on the tray. Rowan moved quickly to gather it up and slip the folding table back under her arm.
“Of course,” she replied. “It’s very normal to feel that way at first. Here.” She withdrew a silver bell with a polished ivory handle from her pocket and set it on the vanity. “If you need anything at any time, just ring this bell. I’ll hear it wherever I am and come to you at once.”
“Got it,” I said, throwing myself back against the pillows. Rowan scurried out of the room and locked the door behind her.
As soon as I was sure she’d gone, I pushed myself off the bed and walked over to the window. This time I looked out far past the edge of the golden city and studied the twisting white woods beyond, with their strange red and purple foliage. The insistent pull on my heart tugged me directly into those woods. My pulse raced.
I might be alone and trapped, but at least I knew there was a way out now. I just had to figure out how to get there while I still had time.
Ella
It only took me a few hours to come up with a plan. Maybe not a perfect plan, but hey—I was on a tight schedule. If the gateways back to Earth only stayed open for a ‘day or two’, as Rowan had said, I might already be too late. Without my phone there was no way for me to track the time, but I felt like almost a day had passed since I’d been captured. I’d just have to wing things as best I could and count on luck and my wits to carry me through. I wasn’t going to wait a whole year for another shot at getting home.
I filled the canvas bag I’d found with anything that I thought might be useful: some gauze, band-aids, and a small knife I found in a first aid kit under the sink in the bathroom. A hand towel. A few pieces of jewelry from the magic bureau in case I needed to bribe someone. I had no idea if people cared about jewelry here, but it was better than nothing. My options were pretty limited.
I put my hair into a ponytail and selected a pair of tall riding boots from the bureau that would be sturdy on any terrain. Then I opened and closed the door until I found a hooded cloak on one of the hangers. It was white with silver accents and an actual fur trim that I hoped was magical faux-fur. Gaudy, but it was the only thing I’d found that would cover me, and I couldn’t spend too much time dawdling over details. I folded it up around the boots and tucked the whole bundle under the bed along with the bag I’d prepared.
Then I grasped the ivory handle of Rowan’s bell and rang it loudly.
Rowan arrived in less than five minutes. She unlocked the door and let herself in. Then she closed and locked it behind her. Again she slipped her magical key into her pocket. I’d briefly considered rushing past her into the hallway or trying to knock her unconscious like they did in movies, but for one thing, she was several inches taller than me and looked like she’d done a lot more hard labor than I had over the course of her life. I didn’t think that a physical battle would end in anything but embarrassment for me. Plus, I didn’t really want to hurt this girl. She’d been so nice to me, and she’d be in enough trouble when I escaped without me adding a head injury on top of it.
“You called, mistress Ella?”
Even if I had been able to get past her, she’d probably just go straight to the Dragon and have his guards drag me back before I could find my way out of the tower. Or even worse, he might send Rhys to get me. I had to handle this very tactfully if I wanted things to go my way.
“I was hoping you might be able to help me with the bureau,” I said.
“The bureau?” She frowned and eyed me suspiciously. “What do you need help with, exactly?”
“I guess I just don’t understand how it works,
and I was hoping you could show me.”
“You open it and get clothes out,” Rowan said slowly, as though she was explaining something to an idiot.
“I get that,” I replied. “But I noticed they change every time I opened it. After all your talk about magic and danger, I was kind of afraid to pull one out.”
Rowan softened immediately. “Oh, you poor dear! I didn’t realize I’d scared you. But of course this must all seem new and fantastic to you.”
“Super new,” I agreed, feeling guilty for what I was about to do.
“And that also explains why you’re wearing those weird blue pants instead of something more fashionable.”
I glanced down at my comfy jeans, and then again at the multi-layered, corseted dresses in the closet.
“Yep. That’s why. Maybe you can help me with my terrible fashion sense?”
“I’d be happy to!” she exclaimed, totally missing my sarcasm. I was lucky she had, since I was supposed to be playing this straight. I needed to keep a handle on my snark.
She crossed to the bureau and began to open and close it over and over again.
“It’s really quite simple,” she said. “You envision a style you like, an outfit, an event, or a type of weather, and the bureau takes that idea and gives you a bunch of variations on that theme for you to select from, all in your size.”
“Wow,” I said. I was genuinely impressed. That actually was pretty cool. Not that I often went to the kinds of places that required me to get dressed up, but Katie would have gone totally nuts over something like this.
“Since you probably weren’t picturing anything specific, you got the general fashions for Alkazar right now.”
“It’s normal to wear dresses like these all the time here?” It was one more reason to get the heck out of here. Who wanted to spend fifteen minutes lacing up her dress every day?
“Yes, of course.” Rowan beamed at me. “For the highborn, anyway. Being the property of the Dragon has its perks.”
“They’re so fancy…” I murmured. “Would you mind showing me how they’re worn?”
She stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “My lady, that is, I mean, Ella… these clothes are far too fine for a servant of my rank. They’re intended for you to wear, not for me.”
I crossed over to the bureau and pulled out a beautiful red and orange dress with gold embroidery around the neckline. I watched her eyes flit down the length of it, and I could see how badly she wanted to take me up on my offer.
“Please, Rowan. I’m not used to these clothes. We don’t wear things like this where I come from except on special occasions.” I held it out to her. “It would make me so much more comfortable if you’d wear the same type of clothes that I did.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the locked door. “I suppose as long as its only while we’re in your chambers… the Dragon did instruct me to see to your every request within the allowed boundaries.” She reached out to touch the fabric. Her hand slid down the satiny length, and I found myself wondering if Rowan had a boy somewhere that she longed to impress. The thought humanized her a little and made me feel even worse. But I didn’t have a choice—they’d forced my hand when they locked me in here.
“Go ahead,” I urged. “Our little secret.”
“Oh, very well. But only because you insist.” She pulled her simple cotton dress over her head and looked about for some place to put it. I held my hand out and she passed it to me with an expression that was almost guilty. Apparently she wasn’t used to anyone waiting on her. I pulled the sturdy wooden chair out from the vanity and laid her dress over the back of it while she changed into the fancier one from the bureau. It looked horribly frustrating to situate properly with its capped shoulders and individual laces that ran up her lower back, but Rowan’s hands moved with expert efficiency. She tied each of them without even needing a mirror.
While I waited, I grabbed a bottle of lotion from the vanity and began to slather my hands in the stuff. It smelled nice. Lavender, maybe.
Rowan finished her lacing and then spun in a little circle, laughing while the dress flared out and settled. She put her hands on her hips and smiled at me. The dress was beautiful on her. I hoped that she’d get to show it off to her boy one day.
“Just like that,” she said. “I can teach you how to do the lacing backwards, or else I’m happy to do it for you as often as you like. That’s why you have me, after all.”
“You look lovely,” I said. “Maybe I could learn to like these fashions, given some time.”
Rowan clapped her hands and laughed. “Oh, I know you will! Now come, why don’t you try, Ella? Just open the bureau again and we’ll find something in your size.”
“Sure. Let me just—oh no!” The lotion bottle had been upside down, and I squeezed it as I rose. Lavender-scented goop splashed out across my jeans and spattered all over the polished marble between us. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry.”
“Please don’t trouble yourself at all, my lady.” Rowan’s shift back into businesslike servant mode was immediate. “There are towels in the other room. Don’t move. Just a minute!” She picked up her skirts and hurried into the bathroom, just as I’d hoped she would. As soon as she was inside I lifted up the chair, dumped her dress on the floor, and quickly followed her. The chair was heavier than I’d expected, but that just meant it’d be sturdy.
Rowan stood on her tiptoes with her back to me, stretching to reach the highest shelf in the bathroom, where I’d put every single towel in the hope that her search might buy me a few extra precious seconds.
“Who put these all the way up here?” she muttered, glancing over her shoulder as she heard me approach. “Oh, thank you. You brought me a ch—Ella, what are you doing?”
I slammed the bathroom door shut and wedged the chair under the handle, ignoring the frantic string of pleas and pounding that suddenly emanated from the bathroom. I felt awful for tricking Rowan like that, but she was complicit with my kidnappers. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do in these situations.
I stripped off my jeans and sweatshirt, ran over to her crumpled serving dress, and changed quickly. Then I tugged my bundle out from under the bed, yanked on the boots, and wrapped myself in the fur-lined cloak. My first hope was that no one would think to question a hooded person striding through the halls, since it seemed to work for the Dragon. But even if they did, I could make a run for it and try blending in with the servants. I grabbed the canvas bag and fished the key out of the pocket of Rowan’s dress.
“I’m so sorry, Rowan!” I called over my shoulder as I unlocked my chamber door. “I’m sure someone will find you soon.”
I slipped into the hallway and threw surreptitious glances left and right. I stood alone in the hall for now. Rowan’s muffled cries and pounding could hardly be heard through the sturdy outer door, and I felt another pang of guilt as I locked it behind me. They’d definitely notice she’d gone missing and come to get her out, wouldn’t they? The key in my hand glowed faintly with some kind of magic, and I wondered if I should leave it behind.
I needed as much lead time as possible, but what if this was the only key? What if magic couldn’t break her out? I bit my lip. It didn’t seem likely, but I had no idea what enchantments the Dragon used on his fancy prison rooms to keep people in. I made a quick decision and tossed the key on the floor near the chamber door. Rowan didn’t deserve to die for my escape attempt. I just hoped I wasn’t botching it before it started.
I pulled the cloak tight around my shoulders, straightened my bag, and walked quickly down the hallway. One way or another, I was getting out of the Ether-Realm today.
Kaden
I paced my room for hours in a rage, trying to convince myself that kindling Ella’s spark was the right thing to do. Of course I wanted to send the girl home. Ella was the fourth human who had come to us with the spark since I’d arrived in Alkazar, ten years prior. The faces of each girl who’d come before her were etched into my mem
ory forever, along with their dying screams. Faye had been the first.
She’d been the youngest before Ella: a girl of nineteen, beautiful, raven-haired and blue eyes as bright as crystal. She’d stood straight-backed and proud the day Valeria brought her before me and told me it was my duty to teach her. And as for me, I’d been frightened and alone. A youngling dragon of thirteen years, having barely escaped the Frystfolk reaving, and a guest of the royal family by the ancient laws of the shining city in which I’d sought refuge. King Alvarion and the Aethlings needed me. My magic bolstered the protections of Alkazar, but I hardly knew how to use it then. My only companions until Faye came were Rhys and Valeria, my guardians and advisors, and they’d always been the cold, unchanging immortals that they remained to this day.
Was it any surprise that I’d been smitten with Faye? She’d been so warm and full of life. It was never true love, but I’d admired her all the same. I’d been only too happy to instruct her in the ways of magic. We spent countless afternoons together, laughing and practicing our art, and I knew she’d thought of me as a little brother.
I still simmered with rage when I thought about how the Aethlings had used me then, how they’d thought I was too young to tell me what I was doing. They hadn’t prepared me at all.
Faye knew what would come. I remembered Valeria whispering into her ear, and I remembered the solemn cast of her face the day that King Alvarion carried us both to Thrakongarde. She’d tousled my hair and smiled her sad smile as we took our places around the sacred brazier of the watch-fire. I remembered her eyes blazing cerulean blue as the King told me to begin the working of the dragonsong, as Faye joined her magic to mine. She concealed her pain until it was too late to stop, until the hellish flames of my sorcery poured back across our bond and burned her heart out from the inside. Her eyes faded to a dull orange and her mouth dropped open. She fell to her knees, screaming while the magic carried us both along to the end. The tears poured down my face, but the dragonsong had been impossible to stop.
Flame Bound (Seeking the Dragon Book 2) Page 3