by Rinelle Grey
It was an entirely unremarkable and empty cave.
“It doesn't make any sense,” Karla muttered.
Of course, there could be any number of other caves, and possibly even a way up the mountain somewhere around the cliffs. But Karla couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something.
Why would illusionary dingoes guard a pointless cave? Someone had gone to a lot of effort to keep them out of this cave. Why? There was nothing at all to see here.
Of course, nothing to see. Why was she just believing her eyes after being deceived by a magical illusion only moments ago?
She shoved the torch into a loop on the backpack, then stepped over to the wall and began feeling along it. The stone was cold and hard, just as she expected stone to feel.
Karla felt silly. But luckily, there was no one here to see her. Ignoring the feeling, she made her way systematically around the cave, feeling each wall up and down. There had to be something here, there just had to.
She just hoped that it didn't bite when she found it.
About half way around, she reached for a normal looking bit of wall, only to touch thin air.
Despite feeling the pressure of time, Karla felt all the way around the edge of the concealed opening, judging its size carefully. It was unbelievable that the dragons had gone to such great lengths to hide the entrance. No one was going to make it past those dingoes, not unless they were really determined. Hiding the entrance was just overkill.
But this was the reason dragons had managed to exist in her world for all these years, and no one had been any the wiser. It made sense that they were a crafty bunch.
Taking a deep breath, Karla stepped into the illusion. It was harder than she thought to step right through what appeared to be a solid wall, but putting her hands though first seemed to help.
On the other side, it was as though the illusion didn't exist. She could clearly see the empty cave on the other side. On this side, her torchlight lit up a passageway that had to have been deliberately carved out of the rock. Had they done it by hand, or by magic?
She didn’t have time to wonder. Taurian had to be awake by now. Any minute he was going to appear and challenge Ultrima, and she needed to find Bruce before he did, or it all would have been for nothing.
The tunnel twisted and wound its way through the mountain, its dark, almost black, rock just increasing the feeling of foreboding that Karla couldn’t shake. It was narrow, far too narrow for a dragon to fit through. And the walls seemed to press in on her on all sides.
It needed only a musty or damp smell to make it really oppressive. But the air was clean and cool, a welcome salve to her throat as she gasped breathlessly at the steep climb. Sometimes it was so steep that there were steps carved into the rock. Several times she had to stop and rest, though each time Karla was impatient to get going again, despite the ache in her legs.
Karla tried to estimate how far up the mountain she was, but it was impossible without any outside clues.
She walked on until the tunnel sloped up steeply, a long set of stairs stretching out of sight. Karla heaved a sigh. So much for being nearly there.
Thoughts of Bruce spurred her on, and she trudged up the stairs, not even looking up.
After what felt like an age, Karla heard a soft murmur that grew louder as she walked. After another twenty stairs, she could hear voices, though their words were unrecognisable.
They were familiar though. The sound was similar to the words Taurian had used when she'd first met him. Taking a deep breath, Karla willed her shaking feet to tiptoe, and crept up the stairs. It took several more turns before she could see a light through an archway. She slowed her steps even more, creeping up until her head was level with the bottom of the archway, and she could see through into the room.
Several people, men and women, all of them wearing little more than Taurian had the first time she'd seen him, lounged on stone seats covered in rugs and pillows. All of them were having an animated conversation in the language she couldn't understand, and though her eyes roamed the room, she couldn't see Ultrima or Edtrima among them.
Were these all dragons? Karla’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected there to be so many of them. And where were Ultrima and Bruce? There was no way she could sneak through this room without being seen. And she couldn’t rescue Bruce if she couldn’t get to him. Karla could feel the sweat beading between her shoulder blades. She drew in a couple of breaths, trying to calm herself.
She could still do this. She just needed to wait until Taurian arrived. Hopefully then, they'd all leave this room to see what was going on.
One of the people sniffed the air and said something sharp. The others sniffed too, and Karla froze. They couldn't possibly...
The first woman who'd sniffed rose to her feet, and Karla hurriedly backed away from the archway. She wasn't fast enough though, the people all headed in her direction, shouting.
Karla turned and ran, with several of the people hot on her tail. She made it only a few steps before a hand closed around her upper arm.
Wriggling and kicking, Karla shouted, “Let go of me!”
More hands grabbed her, fingers digging into her skin like claws.
“Release her,” a quiet voice said.
Instantly, all the people froze. The hands all let go and pulled back so suddenly Karla stumbled down several steps.
She looked up into Ultrima’s blue eyes. “Welcome to my home, Karla. I must say, I wasn't expecting this visit.”
Turning and running would be the best option, there was no doubt about it. Not that she would get very far. Besides, running wasn’t in her plan. Ultrima had kidnapped Bruce in order to get to Taurian. Karla wasn’t going to let that happen. In fact, this was just what she needed. He could lead her straight to Bruce. Karla sucked in a breath, fuelling her anger at Ultrima’s motives, using it to stamp down the fear.
She took a step up the stairs, towards Ultrima. “You didn't really believe I would betray Taurian so easily, did you?”
“I'm afraid I grossly misjudged you, yes. Don't worry, it won't happen again. Never mind, you’ll make a far better hostage than your boyfriend does. Taurian will have to rescue you, and as soon as possible, or he’ll never complete the Mesmer.”
Karla tried not to be deterred by the fact that Ultrima didn’t even seem fazed. “That was my plan,” she said. “I'm here in exchange for Bruce. Let him go, and I'll stay here.”
Ultrima's eyes widened. “You're deliberately offering to stay in the other man’s place? You chose that, instead of bringing Taurian somewhere like I asked? That makes absolutely no sense. Why would you do that?”
Karla shrugged. “None of this is Bruce’s fault. He should be home, not stuck in this dragon’s mess.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bruce appear in the doorway. “Karla? What are you doing here?”
“She came to rescue you, apparently.” Ultrima watched Bruce carefully as he spoke.
Bruce looked uncomfortable. “You should have stayed away, there's nothing you can do here, Karla.”
A smile twisted Ultrima’s lips. “On the contrary. She's offered to stay in your stead, and I'm considering the deal, once I can figure out what she stands to gain by it.”
Bruce’s face paled. “Don't you get it? It's not about gaining anything. We had an argument right before I walked out and you carried me off. Karla feels responsible, so she's trying to fix the issue.”
Ultrima tilted his head. “I gave her a perfectly good way to fix it, by exchanging you for Taurian. And yet, she's chosen to protect him and offer up herself instead. Why would she do that?”
Karla winced. She had a pretty good idea what Bruce would be thinking. Because she cared too much about Taurian. And his answer would be partly true too.
“Because it's the right thing to do,” Bruce said quietly, his words surprising her. “Karla always does the right thing, don't you, Karla? Even when it would be easier to do the wrong thing. That's why you couldn't marry me,
isn't it?”
Damn him. Why did Bruce have to choose right now to have this conversation? The memory of sleeping with Taurian right before coming here rose up in her mind and refused to be dismissed. Had that been the right thing to do? She doubted Bruce would think so if he knew.
Had she just done it because she wanted to? Even she couldn’t answer that question. There hadn’t been enough time for her to even think about the experience, much less evaluate her feelings about it. But she did know one thing.
“I couldn't marry you because I realised that I didn't love you in that way,” she said gruffly. “It had nothing to do with doing the right thing.”
Ultrima was watching them, his eyes bright, but he didn't interrupt.
Leaving the perfect silence for Bruce to say, “Yes it did. We had a good relationship, and you could have ignored the fact that you didn’t love me and married me anyway. I know a lot of women would have done that for the chance to have a secure and wealthy life. It wasn’t like you were in love with anyone else. But that never even occurred to you.”
Of course it hadn't. Life was about far more than wealth and security. Maybe Bruce was right. She hadn’t felt that accepting his marriage proposal was the right thing to do, even though she hadn’t fully understood why at the time. Maybe she hadn’t even really known what love felt like. That was why she hadn’t been able to say yes, even when she’d felt like she should.
If only she’d been able to see that earlier, before Bruce had to be hurt. And definitely before he was kidnapped by Ultrima. But she couldn’t go back in time and change that, she could only do what she could to fix it now.
“Why I’m doing this doesn't matter,” Karla said. She turned to Ultrima. “Do you accept my deal or not?”
The dragon looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then he nodded abruptly. “I do.” He turned to Bruce. “You are free to go.”
Bruce's lower lip jutted out. “I'm not going without Karla.”
Karla swore and Ultrima laughed.
“Just go, Bruce. Please. I'll be fine.” If he stayed, he’d mess up all her plans. But she couldn't say that.
“No,” Bruce said firmly. “I won’t go.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Ultrima said firmly. He turned away and strode towards the doorway on the other side of the room. “Bring her, remove the other from my lair.”
“No, I won't go,” Bruce insisted. But his protests were to no avail. He was dragged from the room and pushed back down the tunnel.
Karla blocked out his cries. Hopefully, he would find Lisa near the cave at the bottom of the tunnel, and she would get Bruce to safety. But Karla couldn’t worry about that now. She had to focus on what was happening here and now, and be ready for her chance.
“This way please.” One of the men stepped between her and the tunnel, and lifted his hand in the direction Ultrima was walking.
She wasn't really sure she wanted to follow the dragon, but right now, she probably didn't have a lot of options. Perhaps being close to him when Taurian arrived might help. He would be so busy thinking of the upcoming fight, he wouldn't be worrying about where she was.
They walked through several rocky corridors, and then out into a huge cavern with one side completely open. The view was breathtaking, and Karla couldn't help taking a step closer to gape. The mountain wasn't hugely high, but high enough that she could see for miles. Below them, the untouched bushland stretched out. They could well be in another world.
Through the trees, she caught a glimpse of the ute. Hopefully, Bruce would find it without too much difficulty, and Lisa would do her part and fire arrows to stop the dragons fighting when Taurian arrived.
Behind her, Ultrima cleared his throat, and she tore her eyes away from the view to look at him.
Ultrima couldn’t be more different from Taurian in looks. His blond hair and blue eyes might be attractive to some, but Karla couldn’t see them as anything more than cold and hard, a sharp contrast to Taurian’s warmth. She turned away, unable to meet his eyes.
The room was comfortably appointed, not as bare and natural as the others. Cushions were scattered about, and filmy curtains relieved the severity of the rocky walls. Ultrima reclined on one of the cushions and waved her to another in front of him.
As she took a seat, he asked, “So, were you unaware of the dangers of coming here, or are you just foolhardy?”
Taken aback, Karla asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I could very easily have decided to kill you.”
Suddenly, his silken voice had a thread of steel that sent chills whispering across Karla's skin. She swallowed. “I… that hadn't even occurred to me. Why would you decide to do that? I'm no threat to you.”
“Not directly, no. But your death would serve my purposes quite well.”
His words sent a shudder up her spine and her knees felt weak. It took all Karla’s willpower not to sag against a wall. “It would?”
“If you die without completing the Mesmer ritual, Taurian dies as well.”
Some of her apprehension eased a little, and Karla couldn't help feeling a little smug. She hesitated, but Bruce was out of the dragon’s lair now and hopefully heading away from the mountain as fast as he could go. She didn't need to protect him any longer.
“It would indeed have been careless of me to put Taurian in danger in that way, wouldn't it?”
The only sign of surprise Ultrima gave was a blink. Then a slow smile spread across his face. “He bedded you.”
It was a statement, not a question, but Karla bristled. He thought Taurian had persuaded her. “No,” she corrected. “I bedded him.”
Though she would have laughed at the old fashioned terms in any other situation, here they just made it more romantic somehow.
“Sorry,” Ultrima said, and he actually sounded as if he meant it. His eyes twinkled. “I'm not sure how I came to make that mistake.”
“Just don't do it again.”
What was she doing, bantering with this dragon? He'd just basically threatened to kill her, and she was chatting to him as if they were old friends.
It was hard to be as scared of Ultrima when he was in human form. When he was a massive dragon breathing lightning, sure, he was scary as hell, but as a human, he was so controlled and polite, it was hard to believe he was the same creature.
She needed to keep her head and to remember that even though he may appear harmless, he was a dragon, and Taurian's enemy.
As if to remind her, a chilling scream echoed around the cavern. Karla jumped to her feet and ran the couple of steps to the opening.
A dragon sped towards them, his gold scales glistening in the sunlight.
Taurian.
Karla took a moment to take in the sight. He was beautiful. Perfect.
On the ledge beside her, Ultrima transformed, his silver shape taking up almost the whole ledge. Was it her imagination, or was he larger than Taurian?
Did Taurian stand any chance in this fight?
Her heart skipped a beat. She should never have done this. Never have brought Taurian here. She should have done everything in her power to keep him away from Ultrima, no matter what.
How had she ever thought that Lisa with her bow and arrows would be able to help him against Ultrima?
Even if her plan worked and she saved Bruce, that couldn’t make up for the fact that Taurian might die.
She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to him.
The sudden realisation that her life would feel dull and empty without him took her breath away.
Chapter 6
The sight of Karla standing on the ledge outside Ultrima's lair incensed Taurian's already considerable rage.
Why couldn't the Trima clan leave his family alone? First his sister, and now his mate.
His mate?
Whoa, where had that come from?
Ultrima pushed past her, transforming as he ran, launching himself off the ledge and straight at Taurian.
Taurian pushed the strange thought aside and focused on the fire that burned through him. A tingle of nerves raced along beside it, and he couldn't help contrasting it to the last time he had flown into battle. Then, he had flown beside his brothers and sisters and had been confident of their victory. He’d thought no one could best the full Rian clan.
That confidence had been shattered by the wounds they had sustained. The fact that the Trima clan had also suffered casualties did little to soften the blow. The battle could not be called a success by any stretch of the imagination, and thus it had to be deemed a failure.
That failure was the reason for his nerves now. But this was different. This wasn’t a war, it was a challenge. And the rules of engagement meant that if Taurian challenged him alone, he alone would fight.
Ultrima on his own was no threat.
Still, Taurian skipped a wingbeat as the older dragon flew towards him. He was big, bigger than he remembered.
But he was also old and slow. Taurian's body hadn't aged while was in the Mesmer, Ultrima had. Taurian wasn’t sure why he was even alive. After a hundred years, he should be ancient, if it had been longer than that, he should be dead.
Taurian beat his wings in a complex pattern, taunting the other dragon.
Ultrima ignored it, flying directly at Taurian, lightning flickering over his scales.
If that was the way he wanted it.
Taurian braced, ready for the impact, then jumped as he heard something whistle through the wind, narrowly missing his wingtip.
An arrow.
Where had that come from? He glanced down into the trees below, but could see no sign of anything. He didn’t have time to focus.
Taurian drew in as much power from the sun as he could. The weather was to his advantage, there was no natural energy for his rival to draw on. Taurian had plenty to spare to create a magnificent flaming pattern over his scales.
The lightning faded from Ultrima, and Taurian focused his attention. The dragon would strike any minute now, the trick was to be ready for it.
He didn't have long to wait. Blue electricity crackled through the sky towards him. Taurian heard a scream as he dove to avoid the energy. He spared a glance at the ledge, where Karla's white face stared at him. He waggled his wings at her confidently, letting the flames brighten for a few seconds.