The Red Dragon Girl (Firethorn Chronicles Book 3)

by Lea Doué

  Vanda stood, fists clenched at her sides, glaring at Baz. “She’s my grandmother, and I will be the one to get her out. You’re the best one to distract your father.”

  Baz stood, too, and spoke loud enough for Keir to hear without the mind-talking. “I don’t want you anywhere near that tower! You and Mel both need to wait at the barrier with Orin. Let Tharius run a distraction. I’m sure he can stir up something from a distance that will get their attention.”

  That actually wasn’t a bad idea. Most of it. Her plan swirled around in her mind, solidifying even as she spoke. “If Tharius agrees, I think Baz’s idea for a distraction is a good start. I also agree that Vanda doesn’t belong anywhere near that tower. It’s too dangerous.” She made herself yawn, not difficult to do under the circumstances. “It’s also late. Or early, rather. We can’t risk Keir turning into a man mid-flight. Why don’t we make the final decisions after we’ve had a chance to rest, and we can head out as soon as Keir changes back into a dragon. Yes?”

  She looked at Vanda and risked a small wink, rubbing her eye quickly after to deflect suspicion. Hopefully Vanda would pick up her signal that she had more in mind than sleep. Everyone else followed her example and turned to Vanda for an answer. After all, it was her relative they were rescuing.

  Frowning, she nodded, her eyes never leaving Mel’s.

  Everyone else mumbled agreement, and Mel breathed a small sigh of relief.

  As they spread out their blankets to sleep, Baz spoke to Tharius as the sorcerer headed towards the entrance to join his dragon camped somewhere outside. “There may be search parties out there.”

  Tharius gave him a small bow. “I’ll be fine, but thank you for your concern, Your Highness.” He watched the others settling in, his eyes full of emotion, and then stepped out of the cave.

  Sadness. His eyes had been filled with sadness. He’d probably never had a friend before, someone to watch his back. He had too much trouble trusting people. Although his motives were still unclear, he seemed to be trying to do the right thing… in some circumstances… but his anger at Idris interfered. Perhaps one day he would learn to value friendship and trust over bitterness and revenge.

  She curled up next to Vanda, while Baz and Orin settled with True and the dragons snuggled between them. Baz covered the glowing scale, and silence blanketed the cave. Mel pinched herself repeatedly, waiting for them to fall asleep so she could put her plan into motion.

  She needed Tharius. Her stomach burned at the thought of asking him for help, but she needed his spelled dragon ring. They had to keep Vanda away from the tower.

  Finally, she brushed Vanda’s shoulder with her fingers and whispered in her ear. “Meet me outside, and wake up Keir.”

  Vanda squeezed her hand in acknowledgment. Mel tiptoed outside, thankful that True and the dragons slept, too. Vanda joined her, and they picked their way over to Keir’s resting spot in the underbrush, the waning moonlight guiding their steps.

  “We don’t have much time,” Mel said. “So I need you both to bear with me and wait here while I consult with Tharius for a few minutes. Fifteen at the most. I’ll explain when I get back, but I don’t want to have to do it twice. All right?”

  Vanda nodded in agreement, so Mel dashed off.

  Heading towards the lake first, she sprinted in the direction she’d seen Tharius go earlier. He wouldn’t have gone far. She finally spotted him, standing on the shore and gazing at the water, his cloak pulled close.

  She ran right up to him. “Show me the ring.”

  “I beg your pardon.”

  “Just do it and stop wasting time.”

  Gaze glued to her face, he removed the ring from the cord around his neck, clearly guessing which one she wanted. He held it out in his palm.

  She grasped his hand and stared at it. “How does this work? Would I be able to use it to disguise myself as Vanda and go through the chink in the barrier?”

  He pulled his hand away, and a slow smile spread across his face. “That’s quite brilliant. It never occurred to me to use the ring.” He continued, speaking more quickly than usual. “Yes, it is not only possible, it will work…”

  Yes! A chill raced down her spine.

  “…if you can get to the barrier in one piece and get through the opening. The ring will disguise you enough to fool the curse, and yet you will still be yourself. In essence, both red dragon girls will escape at once. Your biggest challenge will be to keep the ring—and thus your true identity—a secret from Prince Sebastian. If he suspects you’re not Vanda, he won’t be freeing his red dragon girl. Do you understand?”

  She nodded. “I can manage that.” How the ring could fool the curse, as if the sorcery at work were a living thing, was a complete puzzle, but the rest she understood. Keeping the secret would be the most difficult thing. She was a horrible liar and avoided it at all costs.

  “You want to keep Vanda away from the king, don’t you?” he said.

  “Yes.” She paced, sand and pebbles crunching under her boots. “Baz says King Lotario is fully capable of having her killed once he has what he wants, and we can’t take that chance.”

  “What about the grandmother?”

  “We’ll get her out first, of course. With your help.”

  He chuckled. “With my help. That’s the key, isn’t it? You can’t do any of this without my help.”

  She stepped right up to him, curled a fist around a dagger, and stared into his face. “We don’t have time to waste. Just tell me what it is you want in exchange for your help and the ring.”

  He stepped around her and walked to the water’s edge. “I wish I could, but the timing is not quite right. If you trust me enough to help you first, then I will ask for my… payment once everyone is safe and sound.”

  Trust and payment in the same breath. “That sounds like a contract.”

  “You can call it that, if you’d like.”

  What choice did she have? Their current plan took Vanda too close to the king and his soldiers. Whether he had Vanda killed on sight or waited until he could try to negotiate a marriage between Mel and Baz, the end result would be the same. Everyone could be stuck inside the kingdom of Mazereon forever. Whereas, if they caught Mel, she would simply remove the ring. The king wouldn’t risk harming Princess Melantha of Ituria when it could lead to war, even if he was heartless enough to harm a “nobody” like Vanda. He wasn’t stupid.

  She walked around so she could see Tharius’s face. If she agreed to his contract without knowing what he wanted, she was essentially promising to give him anything.

  What in all the world did the man want?

  His eyes softened. “What I want will cause harm to no one, I can say that much. You have my word.” He held out his hand. “Take the ring and seal the contract.”

  She reached out, hesitated for a split second, and then snatched the ring before she could change her mind. Her heart raced, and it wasn’t from running. She’d just made a deal with a sorcerer. The very one who’d already caused her family heartache.

  What had she done?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mel tightened her fingers around the spelled dragon ring and breathed deeply to slow her pulse. Hopefully she hadn’t made a mistake in trusting Tharius and his promise to cause no harm.

  His eyes glinted in the moonlight, exultant rather than gloating, which she took as a hopeful sign.

  She held the ring between two fingers as if it might bite her. “How exactly do I use this thing?”

  “You can put it on. It won’t change you until you’re ready.”

  She slipped it onto her middle finger, and it fit perfectly.

  “Whenever you want to disguise yourself, twist the ring once round your finger while saying the person’s name. Make the same motion using your own name when you’re finished.”

  The gold dragon glinted in the blue glow of the orbs around his neck. Only one of the six rubies remained red. The others had been drained of color. “Wait. You said w
henever. Do you mean I can use it more than once? But there’s only one ruby left.”

  He huffed. “There should be six spelled rubies, and therefore six disguises available whenever the wearer wishes. It’s ingenious, but Sissi managed to burn one out each time she used it.”

  How had Sissi managed to use it at all? She had told Gwen that Idris gave it to her, but she would have known how to use it properly if that were true. Tharius didn’t seem impressed with the girl, and yet he was still making enough counter-potion to give her some—if she would accept it.

  Mel wanted to ask Tharius how it felt to use the ring, to change from one form to another and how long it would take to work. But her stomach flipped to even think of it, and she didn’t want to waste more time.

  “I should mention…” He trailed off.

  “What?”

  He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “As I’ve said before, this curse is tangled and has loose ends, something I’ve never seen before. It’s both intricate and sloppy. When you go through the barrier, when the curse senses you, for lack of a better word, as two people at once… there’s a chance that you may remain so, even after the ring is removed.”

  She wrinkled her nose in disgust, her skin flashing hot and cold all at once. Her head buzzed. “So, I’ll be myself, but I’ll look like Vanda?”

  “Precisely.”

  She studied her freckled hands, her small fingers. She pulled her braid over her shoulder and ran her hands down the length of it. She’d always wished she were more conventionally pretty like her sisters. Looking like Vanda would fulfill that wish. But Orin liked her just as she was, and when it came down to it… so did she. Still, she wouldn’t lose her identity, although the change would take some getting used to. Her family would be shocked and dismayed, but no one would ever mistake her for Mara again.

  She shook her head to quiet the thoughts. “I have to take the chance. It’s a small price to pay, considering everything.” Once she finished detailing her plan, she asked, “Can you create a diversion from afar? Preferably without sorcery.”

  He fetched his saddle and started readying his dragon. “The moon will be down soon, so you’ll have the cover of darkness. I’ll create some noise. The Burnt River might cooperate for a few explosions.”

  That would be something to see. “All right. I’ll meet you back at the cave when it’s all over.”

  He nodded, mounted his dragon, and sped off along the shore. Even on a rock dragon, he needed a head start to get around the lake. Keir could fly over it.

  She raced back to the cave, slowing as she got closer and taking care where she placed her feet to avoid waking anyone. Keir and Vanda watched as she tiptoed up and took a moment to catch her breath.

  “That was twenty minutes.” Vanda shrugged. “Keir said to tell you.”

  “No time to waste then.” She took Vanda’s hand in her own and looked her in the eyes. “Baz is right. We can’t risk having you anywhere near the king. You’re one of the keys, but you’re also the one he’s most keen on ending. Whether he’s right or wrong doesn’t matter.”

  “Then how—”

  Mel held up the hand with the ring. “I have Tharius’s dragon ring that will allow me to disguise myself as you. He says it will work—I’m the only one of us that needs to be there. But we have to keep it a secret from Baz, so he believes I’m you, that I’m his red dragon girl.”

  Vanda’s brows drew down. She looked at Keir for a long moment and then turned back to Mel. “He wants to know why Baz will leave you behind. We all know you’re part of this, too.”

  “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.” She had no idea yet how to handle that issue.

  “Why can’t I disguise myself as you?” Vanda asked.

  Mel shook her head, her braid flapping against her back. “Because it’s still you. They catch you and take off the ring, no more Vanda. We can’t take that risk.”

  Vanda sighed.

  “You’ve got to leave in a minute, just far enough away that Baz won’t see you. Keir can keep you informed of what’s going on as long as possible, and I need to change before anyone wakes up.”

  “I hate this!” Vanda whispered. “I’m worried about Gram. Please get her out before anything else.”

  “We will.” She hugged Vanda and gave her a nudge. “Now go. Wait until you see us fly over, and then come back and explain things to Orin. You need to look after True and the dragons.”

  Vanda jogged off into the trees, following the curve of the cave rather than risking exposure along the shore. She glanced over her shoulder twice before she disappeared.

  Mel wanted Orin by her side, but if he knew ahead of time that she was disguised as Vanda, something in his demeanor might tip off Baz and ruin everything. After this, she never wanted to leave him behind again.

  Only a few hours until dawn. Keir would have to fly fast.

  “Here goes nothing.” Twisting the ring on her finger, she said, “Vanda,” expecting a gradual change or darkening to spread over her skin, like paper soaking up spilled coffee. But the change happened from one blink to the next.

  Keir’s head jerked upward so fast he nearly cracked it on a tree limb.

  She allowed herself a moment to inspect her hands, noting the change in clothes. She ran her fingers through the shoulder-length hair and swung her head back and forth letting it sweep against her neck. Vanda was taller, but walking back and forth in her form felt normal, not awkward or uncoordinated.

  She stared up at Keir’s great black eyes. “It worked.”

  He dipped his head. Yes.

  Mel jumped backward in shock. “I think I just heard you in my head.”

  This might ruin the whole disguise. Say something to me. Mind-talk, so I can tell if you sound like her.

  How was she supposed to mind-talk? She closed her eyes, visualized the words, and imagined herself pushing them out towards him. Do you think Vanda can hear me, too? Her eyes popped open.

  Keir’s posture relaxed. I’m not sure. You could try. And you sound the same. I mean, like her.

  She spoke again, just to practice a bit more before trying it with Baz. I am her. Remember that. You can’t let anything slip. If he even suspects, it could ruin the whole thing, and I don’t know how many chances we’ll get at this.

  Of course.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. Vanda? Can you hear me?

  Silence.

  Melantha? What… how is this possible?

  Mel put her hands to her temples, her head already pounding. Did the others get headaches from doing this? None of this should be possible. Keir will talk to you when he can, but you can’t say a word. We can’t take the chance that Baz might hear you.

  Yes, I know. I’ll wait until you fly over and then head back to the cave.

  Mel smiled. You’re amazing. Thank you!

  Her heart pounded as she walked to the cave entrance, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her tunic. She had to remember not to talk too fast or too much. She was Vanda now.

  “Baz? Orin?”

  They woke after only a couple of calls. True lifted her head and then went back to sleep. The dragons didn’t stir.

  Orin glanced over to where she and Vanda had been sleeping and then bolted to his feet. “What’s wrong? Where’s Mel?”

  She grimaced inwardly, working out how to answer without lying. On principle, she didn’t like lying, and now was a bad time to start.

  Baz walked to her side.

  “We need to leave tonight. Tharius will create a distraction while we get Gram and go out through the chink in the barrier.”

  “What about Mel?” Orin asked. “Doesn’t she have to go through, too?”

  “Yes, but the king isn’t trying to kill Mel.”

  “Of course,” Baz said. “You and Gram are the priority. Melantha can go through later. Or is that where she’s at now? Getting a head start?”

  “I wish I could tell you where she was.” And that was the truth.

/>   Orin’s eyes narrowed, and he studied her face. His gaze slid downward, and she crossed her arms quickly to hide the ring. Drat! She’d forgotten to put on gloves. She’d also referred to herself as Mel, when Vanda always called her Melantha.

  Before anyone could argue, or before Orin could blurt out something that might ruin the entire plan, she spoke to Baz. “I’m getting Gram out tonight, no matter what. Are you with me or not?” She turned her back on them and collected all the rope she could find from the basket. “Keir is ready, and we have no time to waste.”

  Baz scratched the back of his neck and looked at Orin. “I don’t like this, but I’m with you. Of course I’m with you.” He took a coil of rope and slung it over his shoulder.

  Orin stepped forward. “I’ll come, too.”

  “No!”

  He flinched.

  She lowered her voice. “You have to stay with True and the dragons. We can’t have them trying to follow us and getting hurt.”

  “You want me to stay here and babysit?”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  Anger and hurt washed over his features. “Mel’s out helping Tharius, isn’t she? And she didn’t want to tell me.”

  “Orin—”

  He held up his hands, palms out, and backed up. “Don’t let me stop you, then. Go do what you have to.” He sat on the floor against the far wall, arms crossed.

  Mel’s heart ached, but she pulled Baz with her outside. “We’ll use a rope around Keir’s neck to hold on to since we won’t have the basket. There wouldn’t be time to scramble in and out of it, anyway.”

  Keir lowered his neck obligingly when they approached. Baz threw a rope over his head and tied it with a secure knot. The other ropes they looped crosswise over their bodies. Mel shuddered and donned Vanda’s gloves, a new pair Baz had given her to match her cloak. Talking and walking like Vanda might not be the hardest part of this after all. Now she had to pretend flying didn’t bother her.

  Baz stooped and gave her a leg up.

  “Let me sit behind you,” she said. “You’re stronger and can grip the rope better.”