Embrace the Fire

by Tamara Shoemaker

  A different kind of heat blazed beneath Ayden's skin; he slid his own eyes shut, tracing down her spine, back up her side, and into her hair again. If this was what he had missed by turning his back on her four months ago, leaving her because of her betrothal—

  She broke free with a cry and scrambled to her feet, her hand pressing against her mouth. To Ayden's dismay, tears erupted from her eyes, overflowing and coursing down her cheeks.

  “I—I'm sorry,” she stuttered.

  Pain knifed through Ayden's chest. He couldn't say anything even if he had wanted to.

  “I—can't.”

  The knife edged in harder, green with the sheen of jealousy.

  Kinna shook her head, swiping away the tears on her cheeks.

  Ayden found his tongue. “Kinna,” he said as he stood, “do you love Julian?” The question hung crystallized in the air.

  Kinna dropped her gaze. “It doesn't matter,” she said at last. “I'm promised to him by Sebastian's order. He holds all the cards, Ayden, and I just—can't.”

  “Can't? Or won't?” Ayden ground out.

  Kinna licked her lips. “Both.”

  Ayden stepped forward, and she took a step back. He stopped, frustrated. “You can't tell me you feel nothing for me. Not after that kiss.”

  “Ayden, please don't.”

  Irritation and anger crashed through Ayden's mind. “Don't what?” Ayden ignored her hasty backstep and gripped Kinna's shoulders. “Don't ask you to search your heart, Kinna?” he demanded. “The girl I know wouldn't be cowed by a simple order from a man she hates. So what are you saying, Kinna? That I don't deserve your honesty?”

  “Just—don't.” Secrets lurked in the roiling green depths of her gaze.

  Ayden stared at her, willing her to break down, to give in, to declare her love for him—anything but the steely glint he read in her expression. His jaw pressed together, sending sparks of pain into his head. Finally, disgusted, he turned and climbed toward the cliffs, springing from boulder to boulder on his way up.

  Fool. Fool to think that she would have ever considered you—you with your curses, you with your history, you instead of him. Fool to think Liam's daughter would ever have wanted the boy who mucked Dragons' dens.

  He reached the woods and wove into the trees, bitterness clinging to him like the moss on the roots beneath his leather boots.

  * * *

  By the time Ayden returned to the fire at dusk with a brace of rabbits in his hands, Lincoln had returned. Ayden's horse grazed in the dusky shadows behind some boulders, Kinna knelt over the flames, frying fish on a rock, and the Pixie raised an orange eyebrow at Ayden's approach.

  “Where did you find the horse?” Ayden asked. He was sure the animal would have found its way to the Elven Ward, its original home.

  Lincoln stepped closer, and without warning, rammed his fist into Ayden's jaw. For such a slight figure, the Pixie packed an enormous amount of strength. Ayden staggered backward, catching himself on a boulder.

  Kinna looked up from the fire, but didn't move.

  “What was that for?” Ayden asked angrily as he rubbed his jaw.

  “I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count.” The Pixie's eyes flashed dangerously.

  Ayden grew furious. He turned on Kinna. “You told him that we kissed—?”

  “Wait! You kissed?” Lincoln's fist flew forward again, but this time, Ayden caught it and twisted it behind the Pixie's back.

  “What did you tell him?” Ayden growled at Kinna.

  She stood. “Just that you went and got yourself burned, and then he thought that you'd let me get too close to Luasa.”

  “Too close to—” Ayden turned on the Pixie. “She was born in Dragon's fire! You of all people should know a little blaze from a Dragon's mouth won't hurt her.”

  Lincoln's temper burned away quickly. “The Dragon has talons, too, in case you haven't noticed. And teeth,” Lincoln mumbled, sounding nearly apologetic.

  “I've noticed lots of things about Dragons that you wouldn't even know about,” Ayden began, “and you know I would never—”

  “Just stop it,” Kinna snapped. “Both of you.” She stepped away from the fire, her hands planted on her hips. “Listen to me, and listen well. This is what's going to happen. Ayden will do what he can to train Luasa over the course of the next few days. Chennuh has been working with her; it's likely she'll be ready before too long. Meanwhile, there will be no mention of protecting me, and you will both stop fighting.” Her gaze swung angrily between them. “And there will be no more kisses,” she tacked on, flushing scarlet. “Are we clear on those things?”

  Lincoln nodded sheepishly, and Kinna faced Ayden, green fire flickering in her eyes.

  Ayden swallowed. “Got it.”

  “Good.” As she turned back to the fire, Ayden pondered the regret he heard echoing in that one word.

  * * *

  Three evenings later, Ayden was still attempting to approach the she-Dragon, and Luasa was still resisting his advances. Kinna sat on a boulder overlooking the valley, watching his repeated attempts, directing Chennuh with a suggestion or two as Ayden tried to break through Luasa's barrier.

  She'd stayed quiet and reserved since their kiss; if necessity forced her to talk to him, her sentences were short and to the point. Ayden gave up on drawing her out. When she was ready to talk to him again, she would.

  He forced his thoughts back to the she-Dragon in front of him. He hadn't released the taibe flames beneath his skin for two days, and the familiar twinges of pain were growing rapidly stronger. He didn't dare release the fire within sight of Luasa, though.

  Luasa watched him approach for what Ayden was sure was the hundredth time. She flinched less often than she had; she was curled in the entrance of the cave now, Chennuh's long, armored body just behind her. Both of their heads faced his direction, and trails of smoke drifted upward from both sets of nostrils.

  Ayden sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing, contemplating the she-Dragon. He cast his mind toward her, wishing he could somehow brush up against her thoughts, show her he meant no harm, but such things didn't come until psuche was achieved, and he still had a long way to go.

  Chennuh's mirrored head edged beneath his mate's chin, and his huge body nudged her closer to Ayden. A deep rumble shook his long neck, and after a long, silent moment, Luasa placed one tentative, taloned foot in the dirt outside the cave. Her body slid smoothly after it, and her mirrored wings lifted, spreading high above her.

  She faced Ayden directly.

  Ayden slowly got to his feet. Luasa twitched, but stood her ground. Ayden heard Kinna's sharp intake of breath and Lincoln's exultant crow ricocheting off the surrounding boulders.

  Ayden kept his feet still, though he wanted to run to the she-Dragon to finish the task that he'd set for himself. He didn't move.

  Luasa lowered her head. Smoke rolled across the grass as she nosed the ground. At another nudge from Chennuh, she lifted her head and placed another leg forward. Orlach by orlach, she crept forward. Her head turned many times back to Chennuh as if seeking reassurance before swiveling back to Ayden again.

  Ayden kept his posture loose, angling away from the she-Dragon, watching her from the corner of his eye.

  She came closer.

  Ayden cemented his feet where he stood. She would come to him, not him to her.

  At last, a mere span separated them. If Ayden wished, he could touch the smooth, reflective scales of her neck as she towered over him. Strangely, his fear fled.

  “Luasa,” he breathed. The last rays of the evening sun darkened her shadow over him as she lowered her head. Excitement pricked Ayden's spine as her head drew near. Still, he felt no fear.

  A cloud of smoke wafted around his face. Ayden slowly raised his head, and his hair brushed the she-Dragon's smooth snout.

  “Hello, Luasa,” he whispered. “I'm Ayden.”

  She didn't move, and Ayden lifted his hand toward the Dragon's
snout. His fingers were less than an orlach away when Kinna's startled cry ripped his hand from the Dragon, and Luasa tumbled backward with a roar.

  Over the ledge of rocks above the cave, three Nine-Tails and a Poison-Quill scrambled, most likely drawn by the scent of the two Mirages. The Nine-Tails were smaller Dragons than the Poison-Quill, and quicker, but the Poison-Quill's spikes trembled loosely from his gigantic frame as he stood on the ledge over the cave entrance and roared, the sound vibrating through the ground.

  Chennuh flashed from the mouth of the cave toward Kinna, a wave of flame arcing at the beasts above his head. The Nine-Tails whisked down the rocks like overgrown lizards, their razor-tipped tails whirling behind them. Luasa scrambled first one way and then the other, but in a moment, she was the centerpiece of a deadly half circle.

  She opened her maw, and Ayden could see the blazing glow of her throat before she released a torrent of flame at the beasts. They hissed and snapped back.

  “Kinna!” Ayden shouted.

  “Chennuh's coming!”

  Chennuh lurched from Kinna's ledge and barreled into the Poison-Quill who roared on the ledge above the cave. The Dragon dwarfed the Mirage, but Chennuh's angry impact bowled the monster sideways, and his talons scrabbled to maintain his position on the shelf.

  Two of the Nine-Tails kept Luasa's attention, darting in and striking her scales. Bits of mirrored shards flew from her as she hissed in fury.

  The third Nine-Tail faced Ayden, swiftly approaching. He stopped when Ayden's hands burst into an inferno so large, it dwarfed both of them. The Nine-Tail rocked back on his haunches and released a jet of flame.

  Ayden met it in the air with his own. Lincoln leaped lightly from rock to rock, closing the gap, already singing. As the Pixie came closer, Ayden could hear the words and feel the magic as it washed over him.

  The Dragons seemed confused. One Nine-Tail accidentally swiped at another one. The recipient rolled, hissing, to the side, and Luasa took advantage. She leaped at one of the Dragons, her razor-sharp teeth sinking into the Dragon's neck.

  The Nine-Tail roared, but Luasa's hold didn't last. The other Dragon in her circle launched himself at her, his tails spinning.

  Ayden wanted to duck around the third Dragon that stood in his way, but the Nine-Tail countered every movement with one of his own.

  Lincoln neared, his song crashing against the rocks. Ayden checked Kinna's position. She had disappeared; only Chennuh's mirrored bulk fought the Poison-Quill. His heart dropped into his stomach.

  “Kinna!”

  Her blue tunic and brilliant braid flashed behind Chennuh's flailing talons and lashing tail, and a moment later, she appeared on the Dragon's back, clinging to the slippery scales, her head tucked to the side.

  “Kinna, what—”

  He didn't have a chance to finish. The Nine-Tail in front of him leaped, and Ayden tumbled backward as the Dragon's weight cemented him into the ground.

  Lincoln's song strengthened, and the Nine-Tail, whose open mouth slavered above Ayden, missed. The razor-tipped tail stabbed the ground beside Ayden's head, and Ayden twisted beneath the talons, his hands igniting patches of fire in the grass.

  The Dragon seemed surprised to have missed his prey. He drew his maw closer to inspect Ayden's struggle, and Ayden slammed his fiery hands against the beast's sensitive snout.

  The Nine-Tail roared in fury and pain.

  “Ayden!” Lincoln's voice broke the tempo of his song.

  Ayden jerked toward the Pixie. A knife thudded into the dirt near Ayden's side.

  Ayden snatched the handle, and the next time the Dragon swung its tail toward him, Ayden's blade was faster. The knife severed the tip from its tail, and the Dragon screamed. Deep crimson blood streaked from the wound, and the other points whirled around to attack, but Lincoln's song was more effective in the Dragon's weakness.

  Two more points impaled the ground, while a third narrowly missed Ayden's cheek. He ducked, and severed the two tips still in the ground.

  The Dragon's distress distracted the Nine-Tails still struggling with Luasa. She seemed to be fighting a losing battle; her scales were rent in patches from her neck to her tail. Her mirrored fins were blackened with smoke.

  The Nine-Tail in front of Ayden snarled and closed the distance between them. Ayden hated to do it, despised himself as he raised his knife, but the situation didn't call for mercy. As soon as the Dragon's head was within reach, he brought his knife point down into the snout, driving it clear through the roof of the creature's mouth.

  The Nine-Tail shrieked; his black wings flapped helplessly. Ayden yanked the knife free again, and Lincoln's song at last broke through the Dragon's fury. In another moment, the creature crawled across the meadow to the rocks, climbing, a wounded beast, weeping as he made his slow way up the ridge.

  Ayden hurled himself into the fray with Luasa. On the shelf above him, Chennuh and Kinna had disappeared again. The Poison-Quill still thrashed against an unseen opponent, though, and Ayden jerked his head back to the nearest Nine-Tail in time to feel the scrape of teeth across his bare shoulder.

  He rolled to the side, blood flowing over his skin, soaking into the waistband of his breeches. He lunged for the Dragon, clinging to his neck and underside. The sharp tails whirled harmlessly past him as the Dragon roared his fury, his forelegs clawing the air.

  Ayden clamped the knife in his teeth and climbed underneath the writhing neck toward the Dragon's mouth. With a prayer to the Great Star for strength, he plunged the knife into the roof of the beast's open mouth, penetrating the creature's brain.

  A cold, bare sound escaped the Dragon, and after a moment of stunned stillness, he collapsed. Ayden rolled on impact, regret lancing his movements.

  Luasa slammed against the cave mouth beneath the ledge that held the writhing Poison-Quill, and Ayden threw himself between her and the advancing Nine-Tail. His back was to the Mirage, and he knew she could dismember him with one swipe of her talons, but he took the risk.

  He advanced, countering each step the Nine-Tail made toward him. When the Dragon charged, Ayden was ready. His hand blazed so hot that the knife in it turned brilliant orange, and white flame licked the metal. In a clash of fire, sparks, smoke, and heat, Ayden leaped on the beast's back, carving a circle of fire across the Dragon's snout, slicing with his super-heated blade through the creature's scales up and over the head, circling around the neck to the underside where the Dragon's life-blood pulsed.

  A moment later, the Nine-Tail thudded to the ground with a final shudder.

  A roar from above jerked Ayden's gaze to the ledge. Chennuh stood on the shelf, visible again, Kinna clinging to his back. The Poison-Quill's head dripped blood where Chennuh's teeth had sunk in, and the rest of the body keeled slowly to the side, sliding over the edge of the ledge, impacting the earth with thunder and narrowly missing Luasa's exhausted and bleeding frame.

  Silence flooded the valley.

  Lincoln descended from the rock where he'd stood, singing. The magic in his words drifted away on the sea breeze. Kinna slid from Chennuh's back, jumping from boulder to boulder to the valley floor. Chennuh scrambled down the other side of the cave mouth to approach his mate.

  Ayden's gaze lingered on the dead Dragons, and he flinched when Kinna placed a hand on his arm.

  “Ayden?”

  The Nine-Tail at his feet bore a strong resemblance to his pet Dragon, Flindel. Memories from his life as an eight-year-old Lismarian screamed through his senses.

  “Are you all right?” Kinna's quiet voice broke his train of thought.

  Ayden hastily brushed an arm across his eyes, clearing the blur.

  “The Dragons were only here to mate with Luasa; her season was still in progress even though she'd taken Chennuh for her mate. That's all it was, nature in its most primal form, and I killed them.” The words ripped from his throat in a maelstrom of guilt. “I killed them,” he repeated, flaying his conscience with the words.

  Kinna's cool han
d gently cradled his arm. “It wasn't your fault, Ayden. They would have killed all of us if you hadn't done what you did.”

  Ayden couldn't look away from the dead Nine-Tail. “I could have done something else. Anything. And now they're dead.”

  Kinna's silence brought his attention to her. Her arms slid around his waist, and her head rested against his chest. Ayden blinked, determined to keep the tears from his eyes. He brushed an arm across them and caught a glimpse of Luasa behind him.

  He jerked away from Kinna and wheeled toward Luasa. Her gasping pants echoed against the rocks and crashed inside his head. Her blood flowed from deep cracks in her flesh; her eyes dulled in the last light of day. Ayden knelt by her neck, his touch running over her scales. “Luasa, don't die on me.” For the first time in his life, he half-wished he still maintained the curse Sebastian had placed on him as a child. His touch would turn anyone else to ash, but it had always strengthened a Dragon's scales, hardening its armor.

  “Heat your hands,” Kinna whispered, kneeling beside him.

  “It's not the same,” Ayden shook his head.

  “Just do it. Hot enough, and the scales will weld together.”

  Ayden reached for Luasa, lightly touching the nearest cut. A deep whimper shook the Dragon as Ayden slowly brought the edges of the wound together, his hands glowing bright. He laid a white-hot hand against the closed wound, and felt the tiny adjustments of the scales beneath his fingers.

  Lincoln appeared on Ayden's other side, and Kinna gasped as the Pixie approached the Dragon's limp head. He squatted by the Dragon's nostrils as small furls of smoke rose about him and began to sing.

  Dragon scales and torn up limbs,

  Ruptured by some Dragons' whims,

  Close those wounds and bloody gaps,

  Heal 'neath Ayden's fiery taps.

  Sinew, bone, and tissue all

  Heed the song of life's clear call.

  The last notes of the Pixie's song died over the Dragon, and Kinna started to speak, but Ayden stopped her.