Embers of Darkness (Through the Ashes Book 2)

by J. A. Culican

  Dawning let him to a nearby house—a small one, which in this neighborhood meant it was someone's guest house—and ushered him inside. Dawning motioned toward the two living room couches, then sat on one and waited with an expectant look.

  Jaekob sat on the other side of the coffee table and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Okay, then. How can I help you?"

  "I know the sword was taken. It's luck you both survived the attack, frankly."

  "Luck will do."

  Dawning reached up to scratch the side of his nose, seemingly oblivious to his poor manners. He was an absent-minded fellow, apparently. He replied, "I have a plan to get it back. Now, it'll require—"

  Jaekob interrupted, holding his hand palm-out at Dawning. "Hold on. What makes you think I want to go get the sword? Right now, my best plan is to lead the dragons into the Warrens and spend every waking moment reinforcing the Wards until all of this blows over. Or, if it doesn't blow over, to stay down there forever." Jaekob lied.

  Dawning stared with his mouth hanging open, one eyebrow raised. "I... What? You can't do that—"

  "Why not? To save you fae? You're already slaves. What difference does it make to me if your people are happy about it instead of miserable? And why do I care what happens to our lessers? I couldn't care less about the White King or the Black Court, much less their troll and were minions. Let our subjects fight their own battles."

  Dawning stuttered, "You can't mean that. You're not like the other dragons. You'll never sleep right again. What about Bells, her family, her friends? What about me for that matter? You dragons are destined to save the world. This is that time and you know it."

  Jaekob didn't really believe his own words any more than Dawning seemed to. He desperately wanted to avoid fighting to save the world, but at the same time, he couldn't simply stand by while some elf ruled it. Not ruled, but enslaved the world. Forever and ever. And forever was long enough to figure out how to get one person with a sword through the Wards. Hesitantly, he said, "I could, I guess, just take Bells and her family with us. You too. There's lots of Warrens that won't be occupied."

  Dawning stared at him for several seconds. When he spoke again, his voice was flat, almost mocking. "You don't really think any fae would rather spend eternity underground than out among the trees and flowers and sky, do you? Do you think that would be saving her? I think you don't know her people at all, which you should, since we're the ones you are supposed to protect, along with the humans. Good job with that one, by the way."

  "Shut up," Jaekob roared. "How many times should we save humans from themselves before we throw up our hands and be done with that ancient duty? I'm—"

  "You aren't saving them from themselves this time," Dawning snarled, raising his voice to interrupt. "You're saving them from Pures, like you were supposed to save the fae. Isn't that what your grandiose mission in life is? To fight to protect all your subjects—all the Pures? Last time I checked, fae were Pures. Humans are, too, some say."

  Jaekob's jaw dropped. How dare a fae interrupt a dragon? The future ruler of dragons, at that. His first instinct was to roast the arrogant fae where he sat, but just as quickly, he knew Dawning had a point. And it was ironic that he felt so angry about Dawning's arrogance when he could hear the high-and-mighty tone in his own thoughts. It stank of hypocrisy.

  He let out a long breath, trying to let his irritation fade. "You're right. Of course, you are. And the fact is, Bells and I already decided to somehow get that sword back. I intend bring it to the Warrens, where dragons can keep it safe forever while we turn our backs on the never-ending fighting between everyone else."

  It was Dawning's turn to be silent for a moment, and Jaekob watched a series of emotions flash across his face. Anger. Disbelief. A moment where he looked ready to plead and beg. At last, Dawning pursed his lips, huffed through his nose, and shook his head slowly. "Fine. I never thought of dragons as being the type to give up their duties, but if we get the Sword of Fire away from anyone who might misuse it, that's good enough. As I said, I have a plan. It'll work, too."

  Jaekob rolled his neck, feeling it crack a couple times as tension fled. He said, "All right, let's hear this plan so we can get it done as fast as possible. I don't want to spend one more minute above ground than I have to."

  Dawning nodded, but at the same time, there was a terrible crash at the door behind Jaekob. He spun around and extended his claws, ready to fight, but through the door poured not elves but dragons. They were fully armored as if for war and had their weapons drawn. They formed a semicircle around Jaekob and Dawning.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Jaekob cried. "As heir to the First Councilor, I order you to sheath your weapons. Now!" He glared at the soldiers in front of him, half wishing they'd attack him. His Dragonblood had risen and he could feel the fire coursing through his veins, priming him and making him eager to fight.

  One more dragon walked through the door. He stopped behind the line of soldiers, facing Jaekob. Darren, the Council opposition leader. Jaekob's eyes went wide. He realized then that the soldiers all wore Darren's house colors, orange and putrid green, emblazoned in the piping and details in their uniforms.

  Jaekob's lip curled up on one side and he took a step to go around the couch, but the soldiers stomped and leveled their weapons at him in unison.

  Darren chuckled. "Jaekob, oh Prince. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I can no longer support the First Councilor's plan."

  "Darren, you don't understand. You can't do this. We have to get the Sword of Fire from the elves before it's too late."

  "Oh, I agree. Dragons must have this sword I've heard whispers of, not elves. But it certainly can't be you or Mikah to have that power. The opposition party is the only thing that has kept you power-hungry fools in check."

  "Mikah doesn't need more power, fool," Jaekob said, his fists clenched hard enough that his nails dug into his palms. "He's the First Councilor."

  "Which is why he's done nothing to stop the elves? Hah. Actually, I thought you were like him, but you aren't. Instead of doing nothing, you're conspiring with a servant of the White King."

  "I don't conspire with anyone, Darren. You twist things around like the snake you are."

  Darren's face became a picture of pained sincerity. "I am shaken to my core to say this, but for the good of all dragons, I charge you with the capital crime of giving that sword to our enemies. What did they offer you? What could they? We'll find out what it was after the interrogator is done with both of you. I imagine the fae will crack first."

  Jaekob looked to the line of Guardians facing him and said, "You cannot do this. It's treason! You don't have our ruler's authority behind you. Arrest him and help me get out of here, and you'll go into the history songs as heroes instead of traitors. I swear it."

  Darren laughed, and the soldiers' weapons didn't even waver. He said, "Once we have even one of your confessions, then even the great Mikah won't have the power to save you from dragon justice. You'll burn for this. Unless..." His voice trailed away.

  Glaring at him, Jaekob spat on the floor and said, "Unless what, traitor?"

  "Oh, how funny. You are caught here in the very act of treason, but you call me a traitor? The First Councilor doesn't rule us all as a king, but as a leader."

  "Last time I checked, that leader was Mikah."

  "Oh, I think I'll be a much better leader, and many others agree. Being better than him isn't setting the bar very high, I'm afraid, since he hasn't actually led anyone except into hiding in the Dragon District."

  "He kept his people safe from the infection."

  "No, young fool. What he actually did was condemn everyone outside the Wards to certain death. Those people are our subjects, which Mikah seems to have forgotten. We can't let our property be taken from us, now can we?"

  Jaekob narrowed his eyes. Of course. Now it all made sense. Darren himself had to be working with the elves, and this bold move meant he was getting to th
e endgame. By tainting Mikah's rule with a son's supposed treason, the dragons would be embroiled in a civil war for the first time since Rome fell. They'd be too busy to resist the coming elf conqueror. Darren would be their puppet, their task-master, but he'd be secure in his rule as long as he bowed and scraped to the elves—who would be outside and not very interested in taking over the Warrens.

  Jaekob thought about launching himself at Darren in the hope of killing him before dying, but that would help no one. He shook with the effort of restraining himself. Also, as long as the conspirators had him alive, Bells still had a chance at getting away. If they had to kill him, then Darren would be forced to strike immediately, and she'd be in the middle of a brutal civil war. He said, "You plan to trade my life for my father’s power."

  Darren laughed as though he'd just heard the best tale ever. "Why, of course. For the good of our people, I'll pardon your treason when Mikah puts a real leader in charge. Officially, you'll be exiled, but of course I can't allow you to wander around telling far-fetched tales, can I?" His eyes narrowed. "And the fae agent, here, will have his fate decided by his master, after we have his confession on you. I'm sure I won't have to worry about him again after that."

  Dawning's face went white.

  Jaekob said, "It seems you've planned well. I have no moves left to make, and you've proved to be my better. I surrender." For Bells' sake, he didn't add.

  Jaekob had a mental image of ripping Darren's throat out as the traitor ginned savagely. The traitor lost his smile when Jaekob added, "If I get the chance, I'm going to rip your spine from your body."

  Darren nodded, his lips curling up at the ends. "Of course. You've been brainwashed by your father for your whole life, so I expect no more original thought from you than that." He turned to the soldiers. "Bind up both these men and bring them to my estate. You know the room."

  "Yes, councilor," one dragon replied as he snapped a salute, and a wave of soldiers advanced like a tidal wave at Jaekob and Dawning.

  Bells sat at a table in the almost empty marketplace and used her fork to push the food around her plate, leaning her chin on her other hand, both elbows on the table. She'd picked a table in the shade and was using her shadow ability so much lately that she didn't have to think about it to keep it going. No one would find her here unless they were looking for her specifically and knew where to look, or had some powerful magic of their own.

  Across from her, Hawking was doing the same, though he had no problem eating his food with enthusiasm. "Thanks for meeting me," he said between bites.

  "Of course. I can't tell you how happy I am that you got away from those terrible people."

  "The dragons? They are pretty terrible."

  Bells looked into his eyes. Was he really behind the assassination attempt against Mikah? If so, was that all part of the elf plot to take the sword? She couldn't believe he could be involved, not a member of her own family. Still, so many of her assumptions had been challenged lately. "Who do you think took the sword?” she asked. “The White King or the Black Court?"

  He paused just a moment too long before answering. "I couldn't say. They've been in a stalemate in the war to control Earth, and whoever wins here will have the resources to take over everything beyond the Veil. It could be either." He quickly looked back down at his food and took a bite, stuffing his mouth. "Unless the dragons decide to take over first, of course."

  Bells watched him chew and, although it was a terrible violation of a family member's privacy, she opened her mind to see his aura. All she saw was a faint green shade that didn't move and swirl at all, with no variation of color. Normally, auras churned around the edges like a lava lamp or sun flares. He was blocking her; she had not even known that was possible. Nor could she ask about it without admitting she'd violated his privacy.

  "Well," she said, letting her aura-sight fade, "not all the dragons are so bad. Mikah is honorable, if cold, and Jaekob is brave and noble, even if he's arrogant."

  Hawking looked up from his plate. "Do I detect a hint of something more than irritation in your voice? You two have spent an awful lot of time together lately, sharing adventures, surviving danger. It wouldn't be the first time two people like that began to feel more toward each other than they should. More than would be healthy for a simple fae should others of her kind find out."

  Bells swallowed hard. She couldn't rip her eyes away from his, and if he wasn't reading her aura at that moment, she'd have been shocked. So much for privacy. Or maybe she was just reading into it because she had done it first.

  "You seem ah, conflicted, cousin."

  Well, that was as close to an admission as she'd get from him. Thankfully, she didn't really know how she felt. Not about Jaekob, or Mikah, Dragons, the Sword—none of it. He'd only seen her confusion, nothing that would get her in trouble. "No, just mixed feelings about so many things right now. I don't know who to trust, which is why I called for you."

  He smiled, and this time, it reached his eyes. "When your thoughts reached me, I was taking a shower. At least the water is still running, for now at least. I sort of feel responsible for everything you got yourself into, so I had to come. I figured that when you heard about what happened to Jaekob, you'd realize you needed some outside help."

  "Wait. What? Jaekob? I haven't heard." Her stomach began to churn with the same sort of fear she felt before Jaekob had saved her whole family from the troll. She didn't have time to analyze those feelings at the moment. "What about Jaekob?" she asked, trying to keep the true depth of her concern out of her voice.

  Hawking scrunched up his face, pursing his lips. "You really don't know? He was arrested. The Dragon Council's minority party leader apparently caught Jaekob plotting with a fae spy working for the elves. They're saying he gave that sword to the elves in exchange for being named the new First Councilor after the elves take over the world with the Sword of Fire. Rumor has it that he was going to get Australia as his own personal domain in the bargain."

  Bells shook her head frantically. This couldn't be happening, not now. "What do you mean? Jaekob doesn't even want to be the First Councilor. In fact, he just wants the dragons to go back down into the Warrens after we deal with the threat of the sword."

  Hawking shrugged. "I'm just telling you what they say. You know how rumors are. Hey, I believe you. He really has nothing to gain by betraying his father and his people. If you ask me, this is just some sort of power-play between dragon factions. Jaekob's life might be enough leverage to get Mikah to step down, don't you think?"

  The hairs on her arms stood up and a shiver went through her, leaving goosebumps. This just could not be happening. Her near-panic about Jaekob's imprisonment wasn't only about the sword and the infection and all the other reasons they had plotted and schemed and adventured together. No, there was definitely more to it. She simply didn't want to be without him, she realized. That couldn't be, though. Jaekob was a dragon, for Creation's sake, and the second most important person of the most powerful race in either world. A fae girl had no business even thinking such thoughts. Anyone in her family would have laughed hysterically if they even had a notion of what she had been thinking.

  But the more she considered it, the more she couldn't avoid coming to one conclusion. She had started to have deeper feelings for Jaekob.

  Another thought suddenly struck her and she asked, "You said he was arrested in the middle of conspiring with someone. Who was he with, when they caught him? Maybe that person is a clue to unraveling this. Maybe we could get help from the fae’s master." Yeah, that could work. If their master refused, well, she would just have to convince them.

  Hawking's neck and ears grew red and his eyebrows furrowed. Then, he killed that idea in just three words. "It was Dawning." He looked down. "No member of the Sword Society would ever betray the blade to the elves. It took the end of the world staring us in the face for us to even begin to trust the dragons with it. That's just more evidence that this is some trumped up charge for polit
ical reasons."

  Bells put her elbow on the table and pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed. She had to think. If she did nothing, it played right into the hands of whoever had the sword, but what could she do? It wouldn't even really matter what she did as long as Jaekob was imprisoned and painted as a traitor. He would have to get loose in order to clear his name, and he'd have to clear his name in order to have a chance at rallying his people. And on top of that, dragons were very good at keeping people imprisoned. Even Hawking had only escaped because someone took pity on him.

  She stared at Hawking while she built the nerve to ask her next question. If he didn't know the answer, the world would most likely be doomed. Then she asked, "Have you heard where they are keeping Jaekob prisoner?"

  Bells stared at the nondescript building sitting well away from the Dragon District's common areas east of the manor. It might have once been a library, but its sign was long gone. The dragons had torn it out for some reason, or it was destroyed when the Pures first invaded Earth.

  She whispered, "Are you seeing this? It can't be the right place."

  Yes, I see it. It's definitely the right place, Hawking said in her mind, but I don't see the entrance you'll need to take to get in. Can you circle around it and get a look at the backside?

  "Sure." Bells frowned and started walking, keeping her shadow ability as strong as possible. Why should this be any easier than anything else had been ever since she met Jaekob? To stay out of sight from the facility, she had to walk the equivalent of five blocks to get to the backside, but with the lack of lighting, it was easy for her to stay hidden.

  Hawking's voice boomed inside her skull. There it is! See the small door just to the left of that row of high windows?

  "Why can't I just go into the windows?"

  Because they're enchanted. They don't want anyone coming in or especially going out through those windows. That door, on the other hand—