by Lea Doué
“What do you think, my little friend? Is it safe to get down now?”
Wist stirred from under his wing and blinked at her, no sign of alarm in his expression.
She creaked to her feet, the shivering branches throwing leaves onto her head in farewell, her legs nearly useless. After waiting for the tingling to fade, she began her descent, which proved more difficult than climbing up. Terror had spurred her higher than she would have otherwise dared to climb.
Wist tiptoed on nearby branches and chittered encouragement when she stopped for frequent breaks or to search for the best route in the dark.
Almost there. She rubbed her weary eyes and wiggled farther down, until her boot got wedged between the double trunks. With an exasperated sigh, she yanked it free harder than needed and lost her balance. Gasping, she spun and jumped onto the ground rather than risk falling and breaking her neck, but she landed wrong, and her ankle twisted under her.
She forgot about her aching muscles and curled up on the grass, rocking while she cradled her ankle. Wist flitted about her head, obviously aware something was wrong but unsure how to help.
“I have to remember I’m a real person and not a heroine in some book.” She groaned and sat up.
Wist landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her ear.
She prodded her ankle. Sore, but likely not broken. She’d certainly had worse injuries after some of her adventures with Azure.
She limped to the road, ready to duck into the woods and climb the nearest tree should Wist show any signs of alarm. He clung to her ear, alert as any bodyguard. She’d told Keir that Wist wasn’t a pet, but she’d already come to think of him as her own. She’d healed other garden dragons before, but while some still visited from time to time, none of them had stayed after getting better. Wist was different. He seemed to have no interest in moving on, and that suited her fine.
Her head pounded, her throat burned, and her stomach ached with worry for Keir and the caretakers. Surely the village was nearby.
She wobbled into a pink-tinged dawn. With a huge yawn, she crawled under the prickly branches of a pine tree and collapsed. She would rest for a few minutes and then continue, counting on Wist to alert her of danger. As she drifted off to sleep, the pain in her ankle subsided, and she danced once again with Zared in the moonlight.
Sometime later, her dream shifted, and Zared’s face hovered above her own where she lay in the shadows. Brow furrowed, he ran the back of his gloved hand along her cheek. He wore drab traveling clothes instead of the finely-embroidered tunic that had matched her moonflower gown.
Blinking, she wiggled out from under the tree and propped herself up on her elbows. Prickly pine needles dug into her skin.
Zared smiled.
She wasn’t dreaming. Overwhelmed to see a familiar face, she threw her arms around him.
He sighed into her hair and hugged her tightly. “Neylan, are you all right?”
She pulled away and sat up. “I’m well.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Just a sore ankle and a headache. What are you doing here?”
“There was panic in the city over a razor-tail sighting near the sea, and then I heard a rumor that a messenger dragon sent to the tower returned empty-handed.”
Rumors spread fast—she hadn’t even known that. Neither she nor Keir had taken the time to pen a reply to Vanda’s note. Either the caretakers had sent it home with no note, or it had spooked at having a razor-tail in the vicinity. They were trained to avoid confrontation at all costs. Messages came first.
“Do you know what happened to Keir? Or the caretakers from the tower?”
He shook his head. “I’ve had no contact with anyone since leaving the city.”
Her shoulders slumped.
“Are you able to travel? I have a rock dragon and can get you to town by sundown. You can ask about them there.”
“Sundown? I’ve been walking since yesterday. How much farther can the village be?”
He picked a pine needle out of her hair. “You took a wrong turn. You’re on the path leading to the capitol. You missed the turnoff to the closest village not far from the tower.”
Dratted fog. Perhaps she should’ve looked at a map before running off. “How do you know the area so well?”
“Master Jiri’s shopkeeper has a sister in the village who makes exquisite lace. I like to meet my sources when I can.”
“So, I could be back at the palace tonight?”
He nodded and smiled, a welcome sight.
“I’ve always wanted to ride a rock dragon.”
He helped her stand and then offered an arm for her to lean on. She winced at the first step.
“If I may be so bold, would you mind if I carried you? It’s not far, but it will save you from further injury.”
She wasn’t above being pampered for a bit. “All right, then.”
He lifted her easily into his arms and strode forward.
“Wait!” She glanced around. “Where’s Wist? Have you seen him?”
He frowned but stopped and turned in a circle, gazing into the treetops.
“Wist!” Where did he go?
“Let me take you to the dragon, and then I’ll have a look around, if you want.”
She nodded. Neither of them would find the little dragon if he didn’t want to be found.
Zared’s grey rock dragon stood beside the road with a bored look on its face, ignoring the tiny aconite perched on its head peering into its ear hole. Wist flew immediately to Neylan and landed on her cupped hand.
She should have known. “Here’s the little runaway.”
Zared’s eyes clouded with the familiar look of apprehension at seeing a venomous dragon face to face. To his credit, he refrained from the usual lip curl or full out sneer of revulsion. He seated her on the rock dragon, donned a pair of goggles, and then climbed up in front of her.
“You might want to hold on.”
Neylan wrapped her arms tightly around Zared’s waist, and Wist crawled into the messy remains of the braid at her neck.
Zared nudged the dragon to a moderate pace, but they picked up speed quickly, and she tucked her face into his shoulder to shield her eyes. It had a different feel that riding a horse, less up and down and more side to side. And, although the dragon certainly proved faster than any horse she’d ridden, Zared seemed to be holding back, either because he was unused to riding himself, or because he had a passenger.
The whole experience would have been more exciting if she weren’t so tired and sore. And if she hadn’t already experienced flying with Keir. He’d better be safe, or else… or else…
Her stomach knotted. She couldn’t continue that line of thought. Instead, she concentrated on the dragon’s movement and the blur of green and brown as they sped down the road.
Eventually, fields appeared, as if carved out of the forest itself. The rock dragon slowed, although it still clipped along, quick as a horse’s slow gallop. Cottages and small farms dotted the landscape. The dragon slowed more, until finally they wove around houses and buildings and reached the heart of a village.
Zared dismounted in front of an inn with peeling blue paint.
“I thought you said the village was near the tower.” She never would have reached this place in a day on foot. “Aren’t we headed to the palace?”
“There are several villages on the way to the palace. If you’d taken the side path, you would have reached the closest one yesterday.”
Oh, right. Well, maybe one of the villagers would know something about Keir.
Zared disappeared inside the building. When he returned, he helped her to the ground and left her in the care of the innkeeper’s wife, promising to see her in half an hour for lunch.
After a hasty wash in one of the empty rooms upstairs, Neylan gingerly pulled her boots back on. The innkeeper’s wife had cleaned them off herself as she chatted with Neylan about the razor-tail sighting, assuring her she’d spoken with Master Keir early that morning. The razor-tail had dis
appeared for the time being, but dragon soldiers were out in full force hunting it.
Neylan breathed a sigh of relief as she secured her hair in a low knot.
As soon as he saw her on the stairs, Zared rose from his table in the common room, looking her over from head to toe as she approached.
She tried not to limp too much.
Wist launched himself from her shoulder and flew out an open window. A nearby maid shrieked and shot Neylan an alarmed look. When Neylan returned her gaze calmly, the girl swallowed and continued her work.
Zared helped her into a chair, while the innkeeper’s wife laid out tea and refreshments. A different maid brought a footstool so she could rest her ankle. They had apparently cleared the common room of guests so the visiting royalty could enjoy some peace and quiet.
“I didn’t thank you properly for coming after me, so thank you.” Perhaps she might show her gratitude by convincing Baz or Vanda to let her invite him to one of the balls. He would certainly find it a source of inspiration.
“I’m just glad I found you,” he said.
“How did you convince Master Jiri to give you time off to search?” Not to mention the money to hire a rock dragon.
“Given that my sole responsibility at present is outfitting you for your stay, I had plenty of time on my hands waiting for your return.”
She nodded absently and bit into a butter tart, her mind already turning to Keir and wondering how far he’d gone since his visit to the inn that morning. Her wrist burned, and she twisted the cuff in an effort to ease the discomfort.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Zared took her hand in his and inspected the cuff. “You looked a little worse for the wear when I found you.”
“I’m all right. I just…” So much had happened, and she longed for someone to talk to. She watched his fingers play over the flowers on her wrist cuff, wishing for any one of her sisters to be closer.
She sipped her tea as Zared unlaced the moonflower ribbon. Her sisters were out of reach, but he was here, and he’d been the one to find her, taking time away from his work to do so. He seemed genuinely concerned about her.
As if reading her thoughts, he said, “My ears are all yours, if you need to talk.” He cupped her hand in his.
A heaviness formed in her chest, as if the words might burst out of her if she tried to keep them in any longer. Without getting bogged down in details, she told him about the razor-tail and the wolves, about her escape from the black tower, and about her search for an answer to Keir’s lingering curse. A little backwards, but mostly coherent.
His eyes widened. “I thought the curse was broken last summer.”
She shook her head and explained what she could, including the secret behind the celebrations and red gowns. Her chest eased, and she leaned back with a sigh.
Zared held the cuff in his hand, and he nodded in understanding. “You’ve been carrying quite a burden.”
“I’m determined to find a way to help him. I feel certain Gram knows more than what she’s letting on, and I want to speak with her.”
His face lit up in obvious surprise.
People seldom admitted aloud a desire to learn more about sorcery.
“I know what you’re going to say. Showing an interest in sorcery is all but taboo, but I only want to find out what I need to help Keir, and to… .” She paused. “And to keep my sisters from being caught up in anything like what we experienced last summer.”
He leaned forward and took her hand. “I heard about that. It’s understandable that you would want to do whatever you can to keep your family safe.”
“Yes! Exactly. Most people don’t see it that way. I’m glad you understand.”
“I do, and I would be happy to listen anytime you need to talk about it.”
She felt lighter than she had in days. She’d been right to confide in him. “Thank you.”
He held up something pinched in his fingers. “I think I found what was irritating your wrist—a splinter.”
She squinted but didn’t see anything. “I’ll take your word for it.” She finished the tart while he tied the cuff back on. It did feel more comfortable.
He took a last sip of tea. “And now I think it’s time to get you back to the palace. You rest a moment longer while I ready the dragon.”
While Zared was gone, the common room remained empty, except for the innkeeper’s wife, who did a bad job of trying to look busy wiping down spotless tables while keeping an eye on her.
Five minutes passed. Outside, a dog barked, and a man shouted gruffly.
The innkeeper’s wife straightened and gripped her cleaning cloth in both hands at the sudden noise, as if prepared to strangle someone at a moment’s notice.
The heavy wooden door slammed into the wall.
Keir stepped into the room.
Chapter Twelve
Neylan returned Keir’s stare as he stood in the doorway of the inn, taking in the sword at his side and his pinched eyes. Her breath caught in her throat to see him in front of her, looking exhausted but whole.
He closed the door gently and wiped his hands on mud-stained trousers before sinking to his knees. Raising a shaky hand to his mouth, his bloodshot eyes filled with tears. “You’re all right.”
She took a deep breath. She hadn’t meant to cause him concern. If his imagination was anything like hers, his mind had supplied him with all sorts of terrible scenarios after he’d found her missing from the tower.
He staggered to his feet, walked the few steps to her table, and then fell to his knees again in front of her and grasped her hands.
She gripped his in return and nodded to the innkeeper’s wife to give them some privacy.
Keir looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry.” His voice sounded rough, as if he’d been yelling for hours and gone hoarse. “I should have told you what was going on, but I didn’t want to frighten you. Oswald thought it would be a quick hunt, but he’s never seen a juvenile act so erratically. When I couldn’t find you this morning… .” He hid his face on her knees.
She touched his cheek, wanting to explain her own concern when they hadn’t returned. “Keir, I—”
Zared burst into the room just as Keir had done moments before. He paused and stared at her, his expression unreadable, until the door bumped his arm. He pushed it shut and strode to the table, positioning himself behind her chair, one hand on its back, his fingers brushing her shoulder. He started to say something, but Keir spoke first.
“What’s he doing here?”
“Zared found me in the woods, and he’s taking me back to the palace.”
Anger flashed in Keir’s eyes, but it disappeared quickly, replaced by confusion and a million questions. He stood and spoke to Zared. “I saw the rock dragon outside. I assume it’s yours?”
Zared nodded.
“If you see any signs of the razor-tail, get as deep into the woods as you can. The rock dragon will be faster there, and the canopy will provide some protection against an aerial attack.”
Another nod, and then Zared addressed Neylan. “We should go if you want to arrive by nightfall.”
A groom waited beside the rock dragon at a corner of the inn, and Wist lay sunning himself on the larger dragon’s head. When Wist saw her, he zipped over with a delighted chirp, flitted around her waist a few times, and then tucked himself into her hair above the knot.
After settling behind Zared on the dragon, she wrapped her arms around his waist, eager to see Euna again. Wary villagers scurried by, averting their eyes, as if having a princess in their midst after being warned of a razor-tail in the area was one too many disruptions to their daily routine.
Keir watched from the doorway, leaning on the frame like a lightning-struck tree, weariness and longing etched on his face.
How much longer could he bear up under such a curse?
How much longer before someone could break it?
*
The next day after lunch, Neylan and Vanda pored over books
in her sitting room in the garden manor. Somehow, Keir had managed to collect a couple of crates from the tower and fly them to the palace, as Neylan had suggested, and Vanda had dropped by wanting an excuse to take a break from preparation for the coronation ball that evening.
Neylan had given an account of her run-in with the razor-tail to Baz and his advisers, including Keir, and dragon soldiers had been sent to scout the area.
“Is this the one you’re looking for?” Vanda held up the book titled Dragons and Sorcery that Neylan had found before leaving the tower.
Neylan grabbed it. “Yes! It’s the only thing I’ve found with any clear mention of sorcery.” Although it probably contained nothing more than a detailed, boring account of all the ways that most dragons detested it. She flipped it open and found most of the book water damaged, the ink smeared and unreadable. Undaunted, she flipped through the first pages, scanning for keywords. At first glance, it seemed as dry as she’d anticipated, but then it began discussing the Dragon Wars, and a few phrases caught her attention.
… alarming control… razor-tail dragons… The next word could have been either unusable or unstable followed by a blur, and then volatile…
Someone had control of something dangerous? Did the dragons have control, or did someone have control of the dragons? Or did they have control of something dangerous to defeat the dragons? Either way, it wasn’t of any use to Keir.
Fleet swooped in through the open window and landed in front of Vanda, waiting for his next assignment. To keep him busy, Neylan and Vanda had devised a game, directing him to deliver a variety of flowers to courtiers and servants. Mel had done something similar, so people were accustomed to receiving random gifts from the messenger dragons without reading too much into the gesture.
Neylan scanned the book again until another phrase stood out.
… break the bond… . What bond? Did it mean a curse?
Vanda handed Fleet a white rose. “Take this to Teo at the training grounds. Teo. Training grounds.”
He clutched the flower and made a coughing noise to let her know he understood. On his way, he poked Wist, who was sleeping on the back of a chair, and then raced out the window.