Embrace the Fire

by Tamara Shoemaker

  “Great.” Lincoln rolled his eyes as they walked.

  “There are too many people here right now, but as soon as the rush settles, let's go check on Cedric. Don't forget that you'll need to use your Pixie magic on the guards.”

  “Obviously. Kinna,” Lincoln stopped abruptly, pulling her with him. “Why don't you want to let Julian know you're here?”

  Kinna's shoulders sagged as she thought of her betrothed. There was so much she couldn't explain about the situation, so she said the only thing that made sense. “Because he'll send me home.”

  The camp gradually quieted as recruits received their supplies and packed off to their quarters. Kinna, who had found a sheltered space between the backs of two tents, stole toward the gaol, Lincoln beside her. The Commanders' tent flaps were closed, though torchlight dipped beneath the canvas. As Kinna hurried past it and through the rows toward the gaol tent, a shiver of apprehension laced her spine. It was too easy.

  The same thought appeared to have struck Lincoln. The Pixie paused. “The guards are gone, Kinna.”

  “They were there only minutes earlier.”

  “When appearance demanded it for the new recruits. They didn't want to let on that all was not as it was supposed to be, particularly with the new recruits and ranking officers arriving from the Three Maids.”

  Without answering, Kinna ran the rest of the way, circling to the rear of the gaol. She jerked the tent flaps aside, her heart sinking to her toes as she surveyed the empty cell.

  Cedric was gone.

  Lincoln's quiet presence behind her turned her.

  “What have they done with him?” Her voice cracked as she struggled to control emotions that tumbled through her insides.

  For once, Lincoln had no answer. He pulled her into a hug, lightly rubbing her back. “We'll figure it out, Kinna. We'll find him.”

  Tears didn't come even then. They swelled inside Kinna, seeking a bursting point, but she couldn't release them. She needed Chennuh. She needed to look into his smoky irises and feel the soul connection she shared with him, and somehow, her fear would work itself out.

  She squeezed Lincoln and stepped back. She opened her mouth to spell out her plans, but he already knew. “Chennuh?” he asked.

  She nodded, her mind searching for her Dragon's.

  She couldn't find it. “Chennuh?” Panic sparked, and she broke into a run, pulling Lincoln behind her. He easily matched her steps as they splashed into the bog. Kinna still couldn't connect with her Dragon's mind. “Linc, he's gone!”

  Lincoln pointed to the left. “Are you sure? We left him over there.”

  Kinna splashed farther into the bog, heedless of guards or anything else. She flew across the land toward the dark Rues that rose before them. Dread ate at her insides, and her memory flashed to Chennuh's inexplicable pull toward the south and the Camaran Sea.

  It must be true. She sank to the ground. “Linc, no!”

  “What's the matter?”

  “Chennuh flew away.” She unsuccessfully searched the darkness around them for the Dragon's thought patterns. “He—he's gone.”

  Chapter Six

  Ayden

  Ayden marched in his dreams now. He'd marched until his feet ached and his head pounded and the rhythm of tramping feet and grunting horses and Commanders' orders penetrated his sleep. He could hardly separate fantasy from reality.

  The regiment had crossed the Rues on its way east to the Forgotten Plains, but as they had crested the last ridges, Sebastian's riders had met them. Commander Lanier had sent word that while most of the soldiers and Dimn were to continue on to the battlefield, a small number from their troop were to be diverted to the south shore.

  Ayden had pulled twenty of the Elves and Elvendimn aside. The group had surrounded him on their horses, each Dimn next to his creature, all eyeing Ayden expectantly. “We've been given a different mission,” he said, furling the official scroll he'd received with their orders inscribed on it. “We are to ride hard for the Cliffs of Vadekin. A rumor has reached us that Nicholas Erlane is sailing a portion of his navy into the Camaran Sea, with plans to enter West Ashwynd's soil from the south. We are to scout the shore there and bring word back.”

  Now Ayden sat astride a horse and watched from a cliff's edge as the rest of the regiment streamed into the valley, the Stars guiding their steps.

  May they guide mine, too, directly to Sebastian with a sword in my hand. He couldn't, not yet. The king was still far too powerful. But Ayden had no doubt that he would one day stand toe to toe with the King and plunge his sword into the man's heart.

  The Elves and Elvendimn behind him moved restlessly. Quinn had assured him that the Elves would obey him; his position as Deputy Officer demanded it, but it was plain that the Clansmen did not like taking orders from a Dragondimn. Ayden turned his horse. “Onward, Dimn. We must be at the Cliffs before daybreak.”

  He urged his horse into a gallop, guiding the animal through some of the gentler slopes as they wove through the foothills of the Rue Ridges. Rocking on the back of the horse was soothing with the wind in his hair and the night breeze cooling his arms.

  He checked his hands carefully. They were hot, but not unbearable, and thus far, he'd kept them from glowing in front of his fellow soldiers. When the heat burned the hottest, he'd managed to escape for short segments of time to drown his hands in the cold mountain streams of the Rues. He thought a lot about what the Dryad had said. You must learn to use it, and wisely.

  Guilt gutted him. For years, he'd been a slave to the Ash-Touch, and he'd killed as a result of accidental brushes of his skin on other living creatures'. The thought that he could have learned to control it, rein it in, still slammed at his temples. If only someone had told me.

  Still, he couldn't understand how to use his present affliction. All he could feel was heat—heat and pain. He no longer had breaks from it. After he'd given Sebastian the Amulet, the pain had come and then gone again. Episode after episode had plagued him, but at least the pain hadn't been constant ... then. Now, it never left.

  He wrapped his searing hands around his horse's reins and tried not to touch the animal's mane, as the horse had shrieked a whinny the first time he'd lowered his hands. He was thankful for his long expertise in riding without touching the mount when he'd had the Ash-Touch; his leather-clad knees clung to the horse's side with little trouble through the long night of riding.

  As dawn bit into night's overarching sphere, he could see the gray choppiness of the sea. He halted, holding up his hand to call the other riders to a stop as well. He split the company in half and instructed one segment to ride west along the seaboard and the other to ride east.

  Some muttering and grumbles followed Ayden's instructions, but Ayden ignored it. He rode with the westward group, leading the smaller company across the ridges that draped over the cliffs and barred the sea from infiltrating the land. Water flecked and roiled far below them, and the riders were careful to keep a steady watch where their horses stepped, as well as on the sea as they searched for signs of ships.

  After some distance, Ayden called a halt. The sun had pierced the dense fog of the sea, and their company was too exposed. If a keen-eyed sailor spied them from a crows' nest, their whole mission would be in peril.

  “Let's split up again,” Ayden ordered. “Each Dimn back into the cover of trees, but keep a sharp eye on the cliff's edge. If we've found nothing by midday, we'll meet back here and reconvene.”

  The Dimn nodded. Ayden felt their silence like a wall against him. He'd impressed Quinn with his expertise in hand-to-hand combat, and since then with his weapons skills, but he couldn't understand why Quinn didn't comprehend the animosity that arose from making a Dragondimn a leader over Elves and their Dimn. It should be obvious, but evidently, the situation had no impact on the Officer.

  One by one, they turned their horses away and left Ayden alone in the blessed silence broken only by pounding surf far below.

  As Ayden descended i
nto a craggy valley, his horse fought the bit, side-stepping and prancing with every nudge of Ayden's knees.

  “What's the matter?” Ayden asked, his voice low and soothing. “Those rocks aren't going to get you.” He wished he could stroke the horse's neck, and then he wished, for the first time, for the gloves he'd shed once he'd rid himself of his Ash-Touch curse four months ago.

  His horse's hooves clattered against a stone, and the poor beast reared, screaming a whinny that vibrated through the canyon.

  The movement threw Ayden off balance. He slipped, and then swung his feet from the stirrups and landed, standing rather than risk being thrown off onto his head or neck. The reins sizzled through his hand, and the horse leaped into a run, straight back out of the valley toward the mountains.

  “No!” Ayden shouted, but his word died in the wind. With a disgusted sigh, Ayden dusted off his breeches and turned to hike back out of the canyon.

  A flash of silver snagged his attention, and his heart stopped.

  He jerked his head toward a cave that trenched deep beneath the mountains, staring at the dull blackness of the opening. He waited, holding his breath. He'd nearly convinced himself that it was his imagination when the silver flashed again.

  That was it. A wing. A mirrored wing that caught the light from the doorway as it fluttered inside.

  Chennuh.

  His heart slammed in his ribcage.

  If Chennuh, then Kinna. He looked desperately around for flaming hair, but found nothing. A draining feeling opened in the pit of his stomach. He was being foolish. Other Mirages, though rare, did exist.

  This time, the deep rumble issuing from a Dragon's throat shook the air above the muted sound of crashing surf. Ayden tensed before he began climbing over rock and boulder toward the cave, slowly making his way, ducking behind rocks anytime he heard another grunt.

  He edged around another boulder, close enough that he could see the dim outline of something moving inside the cave. A taloned foot emerged into a shaft of sunlight, followed by another. In a slow crawl, a magnificent Mirage crept from the cave into the brilliance, its eyes slitted shut as summer sun glanced off the scales, nearly blinding Ayden with refracted rays.

  It wasn't Chennuh. Ayden had spent a winter with Chennuh; he knew that Dragon from snout to tail and every scale in between. This Dragon was smaller, with sharper ridges along the face and a longer snout.

  A she-Dragon. Ayden crouched farther into the shadow of the rock. She-Dragons were usually fiercer than their male counterparts—much more explosive and fiery-tempered.

  And a Mirage at that.

  Ayden glanced up the hill toward where he'd left the others and where his horse had escaped. His Dimn shouldn't be returning until noon, and according to the sun, he had another couple of hours. Still, if they entered this canyon and caught sight of the Dragon, it would bring Sebastian and all his hordes screaming down upon them. Sebastian lived for Dragons, believing the fiery beasts the most power-centric creatures of all. The chance to capture a Mirage and add it to his menagerie would be too much for him.

  Ayden braced his burning fists against the rock. He'd lost his chance to find psuche with Chennuh because the Dragon had fallen for Kinna as hard as he himself had. But, miraculously, he'd found another Dragon. Perhaps this would be the one he'd been waiting for.

  Flames licked across his wrists and Ayden gritted his teeth against the pain. He took a deep breath and stepped into the open. He knew his scent would carry, and he let it. It wafted across the distance to the Dragon, whose smoky irises opened wide, head turning alertly to discover the source of the smell.

  Ayden met the Dragon's gaze, felt the creature studying him as she drew back, skittish, ready for flight or engagement. He didn't move. His hands burned hotter, and tongues of flame lapped up his arms to his shoulders, kindling his tunic.

  Slowly, in a controlled manner, he pulled the burning fabric over his head, dropping it into a smoking, smoldering heap beside him. He wanted to keep his breeches from kindling, so he held his hands far away from them.

  The Dragon hissed at the movement, and then with a lurch, spat fire at him.

  Ayden's reflexes were quick and sharp from his years in the fighting pits and his time working in the Dragon dens. He hit the ground and rolled, but a flaming river released from his arms and met the Dragon's in midair.

  A cloud of fire erupted into the sky, and both the Dragon and Ayden blinked at the mushrooming explosion.

  Most surprising of all, the pain fled from Ayden's hands and arms.

  Ayden curled his fingers over his palm, searching for the intense burn he'd felt before, but it was gone, completely. When he squeezed, flame licked across his fist in an orange, moving sheet, and then disappeared when he released the pressure.

  A slow smile spread across Ayden's face. He held out his hand to the Dragon. “Come on, girl. Let's see what you've got.”

  The Dragon counter-stepped when Ayden moved to the left, always keeping her front toward him.

  With another sharp inhalation, she released a solid blazing stream at Ayden. He spread his hands to meet the flames, calling on all the pressure he'd fought over the last two months.

  Heat exploded from his hands, once again hurtling into the Dragon's fire, pluming smoke and white-hot flame upward a hundred lengths.

  When the smoke cleared, the Dragon wasn't done. She crouched, racing toward Ayden, and then leaped back as another fiery eruption left his hands.

  “Come on, girl, I'm not going to hurt you,” Ayden sang jubilantly. The pain was gone. Gone! His hands felt normal, completely cool to the touch. “Don't let a little fire deter you.”

  The Dragon stopped moving and eyed him speculatively. Ayden also stilled, allowing the inspection. He spoke again, his voice low and even. “I've known Dragons for a long time, girl. Most of them are my friends. I even know of another Mirage who likes me pretty well. If I passed his inspection, surely I could pass yours. Come on, let's give it a try?”

  The Dragon blinked and backed up a step into the shadows of the cave. Ayden glanced again at the sun and then the top of the hill. Maybe he could send the men back without him—make up some excuse to come later. He didn't want to leave now. A Mirage—he'd found another Mirage!

  The Dragon settled onto her belly in the shade. She didn't take her eyes off of Ayden.

  A waiting game. Ayden backed against a boulder and crouched, the bare skin of his back feeling cool against the smooth stone. “We can wait,” he murmured, sing-song, to the Dragon. He relaxed, reveling in the coolness of his hands. “I'll send my Dimn on their way, and you and I will figure this out.”

  With a move quicker than a blink, the Dragon was out of the cave, launching herself at Ayden.

  Ayden rolled, his heart hammering in this throat. He shot a bolt of fire at the Dragon, which rocked the beast's jaw sideways. She lurched to one side and roared.

  The sound shook the ground beneath Ayden. He scrambled to his feet. “By the Stars, you're fast.” He gasped and backed away, circling the Dragon. “Don't roar like that, girl, you'll give yourself away. The crashing sea can only cover so much.”

  The two surveyed each other, once again settling into neutral stances.

  Ayden kept up a monotone chat. “You're a wild one, that's for sure. Fast, splendid. I bet you'd be the prize pick of Sebastian's keep. He'd love to dig his greedy fingers into your scales, wouldn't he? All the more reason to keep you hidden.”

  Ayden's thoughts turned to a long-ago conversation with the one person he couldn't keep completely from his thoughts.

  “Does he have a name?” Kinna had asked.

  “It's not necessary for everything to have a name. What's the point?”

  “The point is that everything deserves to have a handle, something to which it feels it belongs.”

  “You think his feelings are hurt because he doesn't have a name?”

  “Whether he's hurt or not is irrelevant. A name gives him a sense of belonging, a h
ome no matter where he goes.”

  Her wide green eyes hadn't blinked when she had uttered those words, but the meaning had skewered him like a battering ram. A home. Something he had rarely known, not for years.

  He studied the Dragon. A silver wing twitched to the side, barely a ripple in the cave's shadows. “Luasa,” he breathed. “For speed of the wind.”

  Luasa didn't move, and Ayden glanced once more at the sun. At last, he rose to his feet. “I'll be back.” He fervently hoped Luasa would remain in her cave, but he had no way of knowing she would. When Chennuh had wintered in the Rues, he'd stayed put because a Griffon attack had nearly killed the creature. Luasa had no such hindrance.

  The Dragon's behavior told him he might not have to worry. Her stance, her rigid protectiveness of the cave, indicated that she was probably in heat. Soon other Dragons would arrive from fieldspans around to battle it out for her favor while she watched from her chosen spot. Once a she-Dragon picked a spot in which to mate, removing her from that spot was next to impossible.

  Ayden worked his way up the side of the canyon until he stood once again atop the cliffs where the cool sea breeze washed over his cheeks and the sun beat down on his bare torso. His loss of tunic would invite speculation; he hoped the men wouldn't have the audacity to question him.

  Of course they did. As soon as the first Elvendimn reappeared, an eyebrow winged upward on the Dimn's forehead. “What happened to you?”

  Ayden shrugged. “The wind caught my tunic and blew it out to sea.”

  “Right off your back?”

  Ayden sighed. “Did you see signs of Nicholas Erlane's fleet?”

  “Nay. The waters were clear. If the fleet has passed this point, they remain well hidden, by taibe, by the far horizon, or by some other art.”

  Ayden nodded thoughtfully but said nothing. He'd found that the less he said, the less his orders were questioned. After a moment, the soldier said, “The others are right behind me.”