The Stone Eater (The Magic Eaters Trilogy Book 3)

by Carol Beth Anderson

  One of his dark brows rose. “Is that a good thing?”

  She ran a hand along the sharp line of his jaw. “A very good thing.”

  “Good, because”—he shook his head slowly—“I need to learn to write poetry just so I can tell you how beautiful you are. And damn, Your Highness, can you kiss.”

  She let out a delighted laugh.

  He pressed a frustratingly chaste kiss to her lips. “We really should get some sleep. We’re leaving in a couple of hours.”

  “Yeah.” She pressed her palms to his warm cheeks, the action almost desperate. “Everything just changed between us.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you think you’ll regret it?”

  He pulled her into one more tight hug and whispered, “Not a chance.”

  31

  Mom is leaving today, so I’m sending this letter with her. I know she’ll update you, but you need to hear this story in my words.

  During the last two weeks, my friendship with Ulmin has taken the sweetest turn. Hands held under the table, secret glances, whispers that make me blush.

  Last night, we bundled up against the cold and walked to the back porch. I was watching the snowflakes come down when he said my name.

  I turned, and he was on his knees. “Marry me,” he said. “I love you. Please, marry me.”

  My whole body went hot, and I don’t know exactly what I said, but I know I said “Yes” and told him I love him too. And I do! I love him with everything in me.

  When he’d put a ring on my finger (wait until you see it!), he stood and finally kissed me again. It was just as perfect as the first time, except that it got cut off too early when the door opened.

  Mom has always had a knack for interrupting at the worst moments, have you noticed?

  -Letter from Ambrel Kaulder to Dani Kaulder

  Dated Barna 30, 180 PD

  Krey’s sleep was less than restful, but in the best of ways. Nora’s lips, hands, and heartbeat populated his dreams.

  At last, he rose and turned on the light, squinting against its brightness. According to his wall clock, it was only a little past ten-thirty. Aunt Evie had volunteered to wake them all at eleven.

  Krey dressed and brushed his teeth. Then, an embarrassingly large grin on his face, he approached the door next to his and tapped gently.

  A muffled, “I’m up, Aunt Evie” floated through the door.

  “Can I come in?” Krey asked quietly.

  “Oh!” Nora sounded more awake now. “Yeah.”

  He slipped into the dark room and pressed the door closed. Heart pounding, he made his way to the bed. His hand found Nora’s shoulder, then her face. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Good morning.”

  “It’s morning?” She pushed herself up with a start. Her forehead knocked against Krey’s, causing them both to moan.

  “I didn’t mean morning literally.”

  “Well, you said morning. And I’m awake now. Can you turn on the light?”

  He did. Nora was squinting, her whole face screwed into a melodramatic frown, pieces of glossy hair stuck to her cheek. Krey bit his bottom lip, but it didn’t suppress his smirk.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” she mumbled.

  He sat on the bed next to her, pulling her into his side. “What, like you’re beautiful?”

  “Like I’m a groggy mess, and you wish you hadn’t kissed me with that freshly-brushed mouth.”

  He pressed a kiss to her temple, lightly rubbing a hand along her arm. “I’d never regret kissing you.” After a short pause, he added, “But you are a groggy mess.”

  She pulled away, then shoved him hard, nearly sending him tumbling off the bed.

  “A gorgeous groggy mess!” he protested, using a pillow as a shield when she tried to push him again. “The most beautiful groggy mess I’ve ever seen, I swear by the stone.”

  She couldn’t hide her smile, and the sight of it did something wonderful to his insides. “Your hair’s sticking up,” she said, “but you still look good. Really good.”

  All at once, he was terribly aware of the bed they were on and how close she was to him. His voice dropped. “My aunt will be waking everyone”—he looked up at the clock—“in fifteen minutes. I just wanted a little time with you.”

  “Hang on,” Nora said, getting out of bed. She looked back at him with a stern expression. “Don’t move.” She slipped out of the room and returned a couple of minutes later, hair brushed, the promise of mischief in her eyes. Returning to the bed, she sat next to him and kissed him with a mouth that tasted of toothpaste. When she pulled away, she asked, “Better?”

  “Hey, I wasn’t complaining in the first place.” He pulled her in for another kiss, but she broke it off quickly.

  “I was thinking,” she said, sitting back and taking his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together, “we can’t tell anyone about us yet.”

  Krey’s eyes left hers, all his insecurities from the past months shoving to the forefront again. “Okay, yeah—that’s fine.” He could hear the tinge of pain in his voice but didn’t know how to get rid of it. “I know people will think it’s a bad idea, with my history. Plus, it might be hard on Ovrun—”

  Another quick kiss shut him up. “That’s not it, Krey, not even sort of. Our entire team trusts you.” A rueful grin took over her mouth. “And as for Ovrun, he actually told me to give you a chance.”

  Krey’s brows leapt up. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. I think Zeisha will be okay with it too. She seems really happy with Kebi.”

  A low laugh left his chest. “When I found out about Kebi, Zeisha basically told me to get over myself and let someone—” He paused.

  Nora’s gaze flicked down to his lips as he licked them nervously. “Let someone what, Krey?”

  He swallowed. “She said I should let someone love me.”

  A soft smile stole over Nora’s mouth, and her eyes danced with unspoken promises for the future. “That girl is full of good advice.”

  That damn uncertainty was back, like a knot in his belly. “Why don’t you want to tell anyone about us?”

  A frustrated sigh exited her mouth. “I didn’t say I don’t want to, I said we can’t. If people know about us, it may get back to my father, one way or another. You know how he used Ovrun against me in Deroga. I won’t put a target on you like that.”

  “So you trust me; you just don’t want me to die.” The knot in his gut untied itself, and he grinned. “Now that, I can get behind.”

  Suddenly, her lips were on his again. Between kisses, she spoke. “I want . . . to tell . . . the world about us, Krey.” Another long kiss. “We will, as soon as we can.”

  Something in the back of his mind tried to remind him that they needed to get out of bed and prepare for their trip, but he swatted the thoughts away, holding her closer, entranced by her mouth, by all of her.

  A tap on the door elicited a gasp from Nora, who pulled away, eyes wide. In a slightly strained voice, she called, “I’m up, Aunt Evie.”

  “Are you dressed?”

  “Yes, of course!” she responded quickly, as if she had to defend her honor to Krey’s aunt.

  Krey winced, and a quick glance at Nora showed him she’d realized her error too. Aunt Evie wasn’t accusing Nora of being naked with a boy; she was just asking if she could come in. If Nora had claimed to be getting dressed, the door wouldn’t even now be swinging open, and the woman behind it wouldn’t be blinking at the two of them, mouth agape.

  “Good morning?” Aunt Evie said.

  “Good morning,” the room’s occupants replied. Krey’s body thrummed with awkward tension, and he could tell Nora was in the same state.

  “Nora, I wanted to wake you and let you know that Min packaged up some food for your team.”

  Evie’s gaze shifted between them, and Krey knew there was no way he’d convince his aunt that he’d entered this room for a friendly, platonic chat.

  She let out a shor
t sigh, her shoulders dropping a bit. Amusement and resignation battled for prominence in her half-smile and furrowed brow. “You both have good heads on your shoulders,” she said. “Make sure you use them.”

  “We will,” Krey mumbled, as Nora replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Evie took a couple of steps into the room. “Min and I have missed you, Krey.” Her voice wavered a bit. “I suspect we’re going to continue missing you for a long time. But this . . .” She gestured between the two of them. “if you’re smart about it, I get the feeling it’s a good thing.”

  Before he could think how to respond, she was out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  “You’d better get back to your room before anyone else sees you,” Nora said.

  Krey nodded, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze before getting out of her bed. At the door, he turned. “She’s right, you know. This is a good thing.”

  Nora’s smile warmed him as he returned to his room to gather his things for their trip.

  Several hours later, Osmius and Vin spiraled through the darkness and landed. Once everyone had dismounted, Nora lit a lantern. It illuminated grasses to the north and trees to the south. The sound of the river met her ears.

  Osmius and Vin left to find a place to rest. Nora led her team along a narrow path through the trees. Before long, the lantern illuminated several tents that seemed far more closely spaced than the last time Nora had been here. “Anyone awake?” she called.

  A few minutes later, she and her team were huddled with two male farmers and one female. “First,” she said, “how many people are staying here?”

  The woman grinned. “Farmers, rebels from the capital, or people from around the country who’ve come to support you?”

  A relieved laugh bubbled from Nora’s chest. “Oh, thank the sky, they’re actually coming!”

  “There are about fifty farmers,” the woman said, “and seventy-five New Therroans and Cellerinian soldiers who joined us when you came back to warn us. Plus about three hundred people from all over the country, but that number is growing fast. Honestly, Your Highness, it’s crowded. We’re just glad they brought their own food.”

  “There’ll be more,” Nora said. “We’ll find other places for them to hide. What have you heard from Hatlin?”

  “The king has a gold dragon that keeps watch over the area by the palace, including the forest. It takes some breaks, but it’s in the air most of the time. Someone rides on its back.”

  “Does the dragon ever leave to hunt?”

  “No, Your Highness.”

  “They must be feeding her at the palace. Does she take a break at night?”

  “Yes, Hatlin said they never see her from about eleven at night ‘til four in the morning.”

  That fit with what Ovrun had said, that the king wasn’t sleeping much these days. Five hours of sleep left him nineteen hours a day to control Gild. Nora shuddered, then turned her attention back to the woman. “Has anyone gotten a look at the prison they built for her? Is it open on the outside?”

  “Someone sneaked over there a few days ago. There’s some sort of stone door on huge hinges. Looks impenetrable.”

  The hint of a smile pulled at Nora’s lips. “We . . . might have a way to get in there. But first, we need some rest. We brought our own tents. Tomorrow, Vin will fly to the forest by the palace.” Her smile got bigger. “If all goes well, by the end of the night, we’ll have three dragons on our side again.”

  Sarza woke with a loud, deep gasp. The pressure in her head was intolerable. She squeezed her eyes shut, buried her head into Dani’s couch cushion, and waited for the coming vision.

  She was in the sky, watching the domed palace. The scene was dark, yet Sarza could make out every stone.

  A huge, closed-in room stuck out from the rear of the dome. At the front of it was a stone door with massive hinges.

  As Sarza watched, Vin soared into view, flying riderless. He was headed directly for the protruding room. He stopped in front of it and painted the door with a thick stream of shockingly blue fire that burned through the thick stone. It was gorgeous . . . and terrifying.

  When Vin stopped, Sarza peered into the cave. Along each wall were what looked like two large lumps of charcoal. Human-sized lumps. A breeze entered the cave, dispersing the black substance. Not charcoal, but ash. It scattered through the cave, some of it blowing into the open dome beyond.

  In the center of the cave, Gild, the great, golden dragon, was rising to her feet. Immune to her fellow dragon’s fire, she was unharmed. Below her were pools of melted metal. The remnants of her chains.

  The vision ended.

  Sarza sat up, then rushed to the bathroom, barely making to the toilet before she lost her dinner. She continued to heave. The book called this torture PVS. Post-Vision Syndrome.

  When she was done, she grabbed her toothbrush, reflecting on what she’d seen. The vision was what the book she’d been reading called immutable. Sarza couldn’t change it.

  A premonition came to her as she scrubbed at her tongue: This will happen tonight. Soon. Sarza gasped, nearly choking on her toothbrush. She gripped both edges of the sink and spat out her toothpaste.

  If she and Dani could get up to Gild’s cave . . . if they could somehow hide near it, away from the blast of that blue fire . . . they could ride Gild out of the palace dome. But how would she convince Dani, who didn’t even know Sarza was a seer? Should she tell her what she’d seen? Could she tell her?

  She opened her mouth to speak the vision. Her teeth shut of their own accord, her throat tightening. Okay, forget telling Dani. This was a secret vision, what the book called a shrouded prophecy. She couldn’t speak it even if she wanted to.

  Sarza never saw herself in immutable or shrouded prophecies. She could decide how to react to the events she’d seen.

  In seconds, she had a plan. She rushed to Dani’s room, flipping the switch on the wall. Painful light penetrated her skull, which was already pounding. “Dani, wake up!”

  Dani sat up, squinting. “What is it?”

  “Do you trust me?” Sarza asked.

  She swallowed, waiting for the answer. Several times since Sarza had arrived, Dani had gotten up and sat with her in the middle of the night. Once, they ate cookies the chef had given them. Another night, they silently played a board game. They never said much, but every time, Dani gave Sarza a tight hug before going back to bed. Despite the strangeness of it all, these late-night meetings were the most normal part of Sarza’s miserable life. That had been enough to instill trust in her. Did Dani feel the same?

  “I do trust you,” Dani said.

  “Then if you can get us out of this house, I’ll get us out of the dome.”

  Dani blinked several times, her gaze wary. Sarza thought she understood her concerns. If this didn’t work, Ulmin would be furious. He might kill them both.

  “Let’s get dressed,” Dani said.

  They did, quickly. Dani whispered a few instructions, and they hurried to the door of her quarters.

  As soon as it opened, a female guard stepped in front of it, hand on her gun. “What’s going on?” Her eyes fell on Sarza, who was holding her middle and grimacing.

  “Cramps,” Dani said. “Nora used to get them too. I’m sure there’s some medicine in her bathroom. We’ll be right back.”

  She tried to step into the hallway, but the guard grabbed her arm. “I’ll come with you.”

  Sarza’s heart dropped, but she followed Dani and the guard down the hall. The guard led them into Nora’s quarters, flipping on the light to illuminate another smoke-stained room.

  Sarza pushed the door closed and followed Dani through Nora’s sitting room and into her bedroom. She held her gut and released a miserable moan. Once in the bathroom, Dani got a chance to breathe three words—“Get her gun”—before the guard followed them in.

  Dani opened a door to a closet Sarza would’ve expected to be filled with linens. Instead, its shelves were cramme
d with cosmetics, jewelry, and handbags. She rolled her eyes.

  “It’s on the top shelf,” Dani told the guard. “I can’t reach up there. Can you get it?”

  The guard wasn’t much taller than Dani. She glanced at Sarza, who hunched even lower, muttering, “I hope this stuff works.”

  With a sigh, the guard stood on her tiptoes, propping her left hand on a lower shelf and reaching up with her right.

  Sarza sprang into action, grabbing the guard’s gun from the holster at her hip. The guard managed a short shout before Dani clapped a hand over her mouth.

  The guard was well trained, but Sarza’s years of knife drills had given her impressive dexterity. She pulled the woman into a headlock, cutting off her ability to cry out. Ignoring the boot pummeling her shins, she told Dani, “Grab some scarves! Fast!”

  Dani did, and between the two of them, they soon had the guard gagged and tied up.

  “Come on!” Dani said.

  Sarza shoved the gun in the rear waistband of her pants and followed Dani. They ran through Nora’s quarters and into a small room with chests on the floor on either side. Nora’s icehouse. Several locks had been installed on the door to the outside. Dani threw the bolts, then stopped. “There are caynins. Follow me out, and stay very close to me for the first few seconds. They’ll trust you when they know you’re with me.”

  She opened the door. Light from Nora’s bedroom fell on the perked-up ears of two waiting caynins. Sarza followed Dani out of the icehouse, shuddering when the caynins sniffed at her. She’d never liked the beasts. Even the docile ones had double rows of sharp teeth, and she was certain the palace’s caynins had been trained to be the opposite of docile when necessary. But Dani’s presence protected her.

  After a sprint along the fence surrounding the palace residence, the two women reached the gate. Dani unlocked it, and they emerged into the bright-white light of security lamps.