by Naomi Sparks
When Lex comes back to where I'm waiting with Faith, he's frowning. "Did you find them all?" I ask him, holding my breath. Tell me it's over, I'm thinking to myself. Tell me we've struck a major blow against Amasis, that we've weakened him.
But Lex shakes his head, his frown deepening. "None of these Fae are from the encampment," he says. His voice is low, strained, almost like he's in pain. He has no physical wounds, and I hadn't seen the guard strike him, so I knew his pain was emotional. He had hoped for a successful recovery. We all had. And now we'd failed.
"Are you sure?" But even as the words leave my mouth, I know he is. Katia went through the cells with him. She knew who was gone. After Amasis's attack on the camp, Katia, Surem, Tyko, and her sister, listed everyone who'd survived, died, or gone missing.
Lex nods slowly. His face grew grimmer with each passing moment Katia and others help the Fae out of the cages and bring them to us. Saphira squirms in my arms, and when I look down at her, she has this satisfied look on her face. As the Fae get closer and I can make out their faces, I know why.
We were tricked. Not in the way I'd thought. This wasn't a trap to lure us to our deaths. It was a deception meant to waste our time. None of the rescued Fae are from Katia's compound. They're all weak and look like they're on death's door. These must be the Fae Amasis already bled dry.
The morale is definitely low, so I keep my mouth shut for now. We can figure out what the hell went wrong once we're out of here and back at the camp.
"We should meet up with the others," I tell Lex, and he nods. Now that we have a large group of non-combatants with us, we'll need to join with the Fae warriors. It's safer if we're all together. If we do run into an actual trap, the Fae can protect the wounded while we dragons do the brunt of the fighting. It'll be easier for us to fight if we don't have to protect the captive Fae at the same time.
Katia pushes her way to the front and pulls out the pendant Surem had given her. One of the warriors had a matching one, and the Fae had charmed them to allow the wearers to speak to each other, mind to mind, over a good distance. After looking at the map, Katia gives the Fae warriors directions to find us, and they promise to be there by the time we're all back up the stairs.
"Let's get going then," Lex says with a growl. Anyone with half a brain can see the anger bubbling up inside him, just below the surface.
Everyone takes their places again, and we lead the Fae up the long stone staircase. We move slower since the Fae are very weak, some need help climbing the stairs. Tyko is going to have his hands full with this group. I'll be surprised if the caravan will be able to move out anytime soon. It's going to take a lot of time to bring these folks back to some semblance of normal.
I find myself silently cursing Amasis. How can he do this to people? Even if they're not our kind, how can he do this to them? They are still living, breathing people. They don't deserve to be treated like lab rats, locked in cages and abused for the benefit of Amasis and his crew.
Just as the Fae warriors promised, they're at the top of the stairs in a defensive position waiting for us. They all gasp and curse as we lead the battered Fae up. These may not have been their friends and family, or even from their tribe, but they are all of the same blood.
Their eyes flash with anger, and I know they will all fight to the death to stop Amasis. Saphira shifts in my arms again, and that familiar war inside me rears up again. I'm torn between wanting to protect her and wanting to toss her to the Fae, knowing she's somehow responsible for this. She's at least responsible for us ending up here, though I'm not sure how.
A few of the Fae eye her, but no one makes a move, and so I'm spared having to make a decision right then. Instead, Faith is the one who speaks up. She has the map in her hand and is studying it thoroughly. "It looks like there's a medical lab here," she says, pointing to a spot near where we are. "I think we should swing by and pick up some more supplies. I have a feeling Tyko might need them."
Looking at the group of injured Fae, huddling together, everyone agrees. I don't know much about Fae healing, but Tyko should appreciate having more supplies. The more medical supplies we had on hand, the better off we were, I figured.
We take up our positions, the Fae warriors in the back, the dragons in the front. Faith, Saphira, and I stay near the middle with the injured Fae. Katia does as well, to assure them they'll be free and safe soon enough.
With such a large group, and many injured, it doesn't take long for us to run into more guards. Lex and Galen move surgically, taking down anyone who got in their way without mercy. No effort to be gentle after what we saw down in the cells, I don't blame them. Even I have trouble keeping my temper in check.
Part of me hopes Amasis is here, wants to take him out here and now. But the other part of me hopes he's not. If he is, we'll have no choice but to fight him, and that will put the injured Fae in the line of fire. Amasis doesn't show up. Neither do any of the council members. By the time we have the supplies and head for the exit, we still haven't seen anyone of any real strength, either physically or politically. It really was a set-up.
We make it back to the camp with no difficulty. Everyone waits for us with hope in their eyes, and I flinch. No doubt they'll think we failed, or blame us for not having rescued their people. We may have been tricked, but it's our fault for not figuring that out beforehand.
Tyko and the Fae warriors take the rescued captives into the camp to assess and treat their injuries. Surem, Lysandra, and Katia lead the rest of us into Surem's camp. I let Saphira down. Now that we're back in the camp, I don't have to carry her around, though I still have to drag her.
"What happened?" Lysandra asks. Her dark eyes silently question each one of us as she speaks. "Where are our people?."
"They weren't there," Katia says. Her voice is strained, her mouth drawn into a tight line. She's just as angry as the rest of us.
Faith is the one who speaks next. Faith stalks over to Saphira and me and glares at Saphira. "You did this, didn't you? You somehow tricked us into coming here, knowing full well the people we're after wouldn't be here, didn't you?"
Saphira smirks at Faith, clearly happy with today's outcome. No doubt the Fae we've rescued are of little use to Amasis now. He's probably bled them dry of all of their powers and usefulness in his projects.
"How did you do it?" Faith asks. She puts her hands on her hips and stares the dragoness down. Even though she's just a human, she doesn't show the least bit of fear confronting a dragon.
Saphira doesn't answer. She just glares back at Faith, still smirking, with a flicker of pride in her gaze. However she did it, she's proud of herself. Happy that she's still able to serve Amasis.
"Answer her," I growl, my patience growing thin. "What is your power?"
Saphira looks over at me and glares now. She tries to move away, but the chains hold her there. She'll need more strength than that ito break them. She looks down at the manacles, annoyed, but she doesn't try to fight them. Instead, she just looks back up at me and glares some more.
Her silent treatment is starting to get on my nerves. It's like dealing with a petulant child, one who doesn't understand you're trying to help them. I glance over at Lex who locks eyes with me, then I nod. We need to know what Saphira's powers entail.
"Do it, Faith," Lex orders. Everyone goes still.
Saphira understands as well. She tries to move away, but I step over to her and hold her tight. My fingers dig into her as she squirms, trying to get away from me. But just like she doesn't have the strength to break the chains easily, she doesn't have the strength to break out of my grasp either.
Faith walks over and presses her hands to Saphira's head, closing her eyes and breathing deep. At first, Saphira goes still. Then, she lets out a scream and starts thrashing harder and harder against my grip.
I grit my teeth and tighten my grip. I don't like hearing her in pain, but I can't afford to let her know. We need to know what she's hiding from us, how she led us astray. For
all we know, she has a way to contact Amasis. Maybe the Fae had been there, and he'd moved them, eager to whittle down our numbers a little bit more before facing us again.
I doubt that's the case, but either way, we need to know. And Faith will find out for us.
It takes longer than the last time Faith used her power on Saphira. Is Saphira somehow resisting it, now that she's regained some of her strength? Or is Faith just being more thorough than before, making sure she's not missing anything. When Faith finally pulls away and Saphira slumps in my arms, I have a feeling it's a bit of both.
"You bitch...." Saphira says between gasps of air.
This time, it's Faith who glares at her. "She has limited mind control abilities," Faith says at last. "She used them before to hide her thoughts from me, to guide me to the things she wanted me to see. That's why we'd gone to the California facility rather than the Nevada one."
I release my grip on Saphira, taking a step backwards. Mind control? She can control and influence people? Is that why I care how she feels? I don't think she's strong enough to be able to influence me, but I can't be sure, and that bugs me.
As Faith describes her powers and the other information she got to Lex and the others, I dig the key to the shackles out of my pocket, releasing the one on my wrist. If Saphira is controlling me or influencing me, then I need to put some distance between us. Everyone else talks about the implications of her power, while I drag her back out into the camp. I find a good place, then drive a metal stake as deep into the ground as I could, then hook her shackles to the stake.
Saphira eyes me as I walk away, but I refuse to meet her gaze. The stake won't hold her permanently, but it will have to do for now. I'll have to talk to Tyko about getting something enchanted made, since I'm not sure I want to keep her shackled to me any longer. Not if she's using her powers on me, trying to sway me into becoming her ally.
As much as I feel for Saphira, I can't let myself become distracted from our ultimate goal. We need to stop Amasis. Setting Saphira free might be the nice thing to do, but it's not a good idea. And no matter how badly I want to help her, I know that one life isn't worth sacrificing hundreds for.
When I go see Tyko, I'll see if he knows any enchantments to dampen her powers. Until then, I just need to keep my distance.
5
Saphira
Shackled to the metal stake, I let out a sigh and lean back. Bren has tired of having me attached to his arm, which is just fine by me. The less time I spend with him, the better.
Other than looking over to make sure I'm not trying to escape, Bren and the rest of the Fire Riders pretty much ignore me. Ever since that bitch Faith went poking around in my head, they no longer seem to want to be near me. Part of me is okay with that. Having Bren constantly by my side was starting to drive me crazy. But, the problem is, I can't gather much intel for Father at a distance
The Fire Riders and the Fae mingle around the rescued Fae, who look more like zombies than actual people, but everyone is patient with them. It doesn't seem to matter that these Fae aren't the ones they were searching for. Each shuffles into the tent belonging to the one they call Tyko, their primary healer, who checks them over.
It's fascinating to watch. From what I can tell, no one in this camp had met these Fae before pulling them from the dungeons. And yet, that doesn't stop them from bending over backward to help them. It's unusual. Why do they care so much for these people? They're not family or even friends. That doesn't seem to matter, from what I can see.
Are they hoping to gather information from the Fae?
But no, I don't think that's it. As I watch, the Fae seem to actually care for the people they rescued, even the Fire Riders. It doesn't seem to matter to these dragons that they liberated only sick and weakened Fae with a handful of humans mixed in. The dragons care for them as if they're their own kind. It's so alien to me, so very different from the way every other dragon I've known acts.
I frown as I watch Lex carry a grey-haired woman to Tyko's tent. He's their leader. Even among the dragons of The Clutch, Lex is famous for his power and strength. And yet he carries an old, dying woman with a gentleness I'd never seen in another dragon before.
Everyone seems to be doing everything they can to make these newcomers comfortable. It doesn't matter that they're from different races. Why do they care so much for people they don't even know? The prisoners from this facility were ones Amasis has little use for anymore. He had drained most of their power and life. It would have been a mercy to kill them all in their cages and put an end to their miserable lives. But no. They have escorted them out of the compound, outright carrying them in some cases. Now they are tending to them, trying to nurse them as best they can.
But why?
It frustrates me, not understanding how these people think. I wish my powers were more along the lines of Faith's. Then, maybe, I'd be able to look into their blasted skulls and see what makes them tick.
At some point, as the sun sits high in the sky, one of the Fire Riders, I think his name is, Jerrick, brings me a plate of food, setting it in front of me before heading off again. He doesn't speak to me, but he doesn't glare at me. Even though they all know well that I've misled them, used what power I could, to influence Faith to send them there.
By all rights, they should've killed me the moment they found out. But they didn't. Nor did they just leave me here, chained up, and wishing for death. They brought me food and water. None of them look all too friendly when they check in on me, but neither do they seem to be biting back anger or disgust as I expected. Sure, they'd been angry when Faith first spilled my secret, but now that anger seems to have faded.
Aleksander is a very different leader from Father. Father would have had me executed on the spot for daring to lie to him. But not Aleksander. He seems content just to leave me chained up, with no other punishment. It's all so strange.
It's not at all like Father and the others had said. They'd always referred to the Fire Riders as outlaws living on the run. While it was obvious Father had a lot of respect for Aleksander, he considered the others to be not much more than savages, snubbing their noses at civilized dragon culture. A culture that always put their continued survival above everything else.
He'd never described Aleksander as caring for Fae and humans. And yet he has a human mate. Most of the Fire Riders seem to have human or Fae mates. While Father and the others find human and Fae females to be quite useful in their breeding pens, they'd never entertain the idea of actually mating with one. So why do the Fire Riders?
I stare at my plate of food. For all I know, it might be poison. Their dislike might just be a smokescreen to lull me into thinking it's safe. But, somehow, I doubt it. While I have no doubt some of the Fae would gladly poison me, I can't see any of the Fire Riders going along with it. They don't seem to have the stomach for that kind of thing.
Slowly, I start to pick at the food, eating little bites of it. My stomach growls, demanding I devour the food immediately. I don't want to appear too eager, so I keep my slow pace as I replay the day over in my head. The Fire Riders worked seamlessly together, with no arguments. Hell, there'd barely been any discussion. It was like they all operated on the same wavelength.
As I reviewed the encounter with Father's soldiers, the Fire Riders didn't go out of their way to kill their enemies who tried to stop them from saving the imprisoned Fae. Why would the Fire Riders withhold lethal force. That's the only possible explanation I can come up with. Father is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our species continues and remains dominant. Lex and the others don't have that kind of will. And that's why they're going to lose.
If they were smart, they would have Faith pull every bit of information out of me, then kill me. They would have killed every one of Father's men in that compound and maybe even occupied it as their own stronghold. They would be using the Fae and humans as tools. There's so much they could do to give themselves a fighting chance against Father. And yet, they'v
e done none of it.
Stubborn but without the will.
I shake my head. Perhaps they could make a trade with Father and come to a mutual agreement. But no, I had spent enough time among them to know that won't happen. The Fire Riders are doomed. And these Fae will eventually be taken by Father as well.
For some reason, this thought makes me sad. As much as I hate to admit it, I've grown fond of Bren and the others. He seems to be a good person, even if he is annoying beyond belief. The others have treated me well, considering I'm their prisoner. It's too bad that Father will eventually crush them beneath his boots.
Closing my eyes, I lean back against the post and sigh. I need to remember what my goal is, I tell myself. They are soft and kind, and they are my enemy. They want to destroy everything Father has spent his life building. They cannot see the bigger picture. Their kindness and compassion will only lead to the demise of our race. I need to remember that.
I must've drifted off. The next thing I know, Bren is standing next to me, speaking softly. "Here, you need to eat," he says as he sets another plate of food down in front of me.
I sit up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. How had I fallen asleep? I'm in the middle of an enemy camp, and I'd just fallen asleep. Mentally, I chastise myself for getting sloppy. Not only does that put me at risk, but I can't gather intel if I'm sleeping. God only knows what they've talked about or planned while I was napping.
Bren nudges the plate toward me, and when I look up at him, he's looking at me expectantly. I accept the plate, pulling it into my lap, which makes him smile. That's when I notice he has another plate in his hands, and he sits down next to me with it.