Breath of Dragons (A Pandoran Novel)

by Barbara Kloss

  "And then, seeing that the girl could not bring herself to touch the flower they'd so carefully cultivated, he plucked it for her and his body vanished into thin air."

  I regarded Alex a long, silent moment, waiting for him to continue, but he did not. "That's it?" I asked. "That's the end?"

  He nodded, staring only at our hands.

  "The stone you gave me…is it the same?" I asked.

  "It isn't the exact one he had given her, but it is the same kind of stone. The stones exist only in the Arborenne and are very rare. I found yours in a stream, of all places, a few years back while I’d been traveling with my father through the Arborenne on business for the king. The clan we stayed with was very surprised I'd come across one. They told me the story then and I've loved it ever since."

  "But how could you love something so tragic?" I asked.

  "I don't…find it quite so tragic, Daria." He massaged my hand with his thumb again. "The woman gave birth to his child—a child with white hair and strangely purple eyes."

  "Ehren," I whispered, and he nodded. Ehren was the champion who represented the Arborenne at the games. He'd had white hair and purple eyes.

  "It was the beginning of the Arborenne race," Alex continued, "and it was said that the stone—the vitality stone—remained a place of warmth for her until the day she died. I knew I would give you that stone the moment I found it." He looked back at me and his eyes swallowed me whole. "That stone is a piece of my heart—it carries a piece of my soul, and it is a piece I give to you freely. It is a piece I want you to have, always, no matter what happens. But I won't take this from you." He squeezed my hand for emphasis. "Not when your fate is still so undecided. I will not dishonor you by being your lover."

  I inhaled slowly, deeply, and with my free hand, I reached out and trailed my fingertips along his jaw, feeling the stubble. "I love you, Alexander Del Conte. Though sometimes I wish I'd fallen in love with a rebel instead of a gentleman," I teased, dropping my fingers. "It wouldn't be nearly so frustrating."

  He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed the tips of my fingers. "Careful what you wish for, because if the day ever comes, you'll be lucky if I ever let you out of the bedroom."

  My heart skipped a beat. "Don't say if," I whispered.

  He held my gaze a moment and let go of my hand. "I need to let you rest."

  I knew his words had more to do with us staying off of each other than my need to sleep. "I'll never sleep now. I'm going to be daydreaming about what would have happened if you hadn't stopped me."

  "I already daydream about that." He grinned.

  I grinned back, feeling my cheeks warm. "So speaks the gentleman."

  He reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "I never admitted to being perfect."

  "No," I sighed. "But you are."

  He shook his head as he stood, then grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stand. He let go of me, walked to my bed, and pulled back the covers, while I hurried behind my dressing screen and quickly changed into the shift Ansha had laid out. I tried not thinking about the fact that I was naked with Alex in my room.

  "What about you?" I asked, stepping out from behind the screen in my shift.

  "I'll stay on your couch until Vera comes back. I still need to place a ward over your balcony, anyway."

  He watched me while I climbed into my bed. "You sure you won't sleep beside me?" I asked.

  "You know I can't." He trailed the backs of his fingers along my cheek.

  "I know. I just had to ask." I smiled, curling on my side but still looking up at him.

  He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, letting his lips linger there a moment. "Someday…your grace," he whispered at my ear.

  "Someday."

  Chapter 14

  A High Calling

  I was in Valdon. I only knew it was Valdon because of the mountains. It was a ridge I knew well because I had stared at it from the heights of my bedroom window every day for months. Otherwise, I would not have known it; the once beautiful land of lush greens and plunging waterfalls had transformed into a nuclear wasteland. It was barren and scorched, with great pines charred and broken, marring the hillsides like black stubble. Only pieces of the great wall surrounding the castle remained, like some somber memory of a dynasty lost. There was no marketplace. There were no people or horses or guards. And there was no castle.

  In its place was a skeleton. Brittle bones of stone and broken turrets, as though the entire castle had been placed inside of a great smelter. Walls had melted and the turrets had been reduced to squat and blackened stumps, reminding me of burnt candles. The castle was a corpse left to rot as an example for all to see.

  A cold wind stirred around me, filled with the putrid scent of death. "I could not have done this without you, Daria," said Eris, who stood beside me. Behind him was an army of shadowguard, blanketing the sterile landscape in black. And then the vision transformed.

  It was a wedding—my wedding to Danton Pontefract. I stood beside him, dressed in a crimson gown while the curate spoke of our impending vows. It was almost time to say those little words that would seal my fate to his forever. I heard Danton say them aloud, happy to declare his devotion till death, and then the curate turned to me.

  It was my turn.

  Though my heart ached, my mind was resolute. This had to be done. This had to be done or those I loved would perish. This was my sacrifice.

  The curate began speaking, though his words were suddenly drowned out by a voice that echoed in every facet of my mind.

  In your hands rests the power to protect or destroy, Daria. It is your choice.

  The curate finished, awaiting my reply. The audience was silent and the wind outside rattled against the stained-glass windows as if it were trying to break inside the cathedral and stop me.

  My heart tore in half, and I said, "I do."

  I bolted upright in a bed of pearlescent satin sheets, and the air smelled of lavender and rain. My room was dark, lit only by a solitary candle upon my nightstand. The pain in my chest was fresh, and I fisted the silk fabric of my gown, right over my heart. It was just a dream. It was just a dream.

  Wasn't it?

  I looked around my room. Alex lay on my couch near the glass doors, one arm bent behind his head and the other draped over his torso. His eyes were closed and his dark lashes rested upon his cheekbones, ankles crossed over the armrest. He looked so peaceful lying there. There was no sign of Vera; she must have stayed elsewhere. Distant thunder rumbled and a cool breeze slipped over my skin right as I heard the first whispers of falling rain. That's when I noticed that one of my glass doors was cracked open.

  That couldn't be right. Alex had said he meant to put a ward over my doors; I doubted he'd intended to leave one open. Hesitant, I pushed my senses beyond, searching for any signs of life inside of my room other than Alex and myself, but there was nothing. I pressed my senses farther out onto my balcony. Still, nothing.

  Unease pricked my skin. The world beyond was black and my porch was veiled in shadow. I pushed back my covers, slid out of bed, and slipped into my cloak that had been carefully laid across the foot of my bed. Alex must have done that after I'd fallen asleep.

  Memories of our last kiss weren't far from my thoughts.

  The stone floor felt cool on my bare feet as I padded my way over to the door, slow and cautious. I'd expected my movement to wake Alex, but he only shifted his head a little, adjusting it in the fold of his arm. I stopped at the wall beside the doors and craned my neck to peer outside.

  My eyes swept the shadows, looking for the slightest movement—anything. The wind blew again, rustling the leaves of the giant fern, and the open door swung a little on its hinge without sound.

  There was a sudden whoosh of air, a soft percussive beat, and then a small dark shadow landed on the railing of my porch. Startled, I ducked back behind the wall, heart thumping in my chest. I held my breath and put my hand over my heart as I peered back. It was a bird—a
large, black raven.

  You face gargons and dragons and giants, and you're almost taken out by a bird.

  I took a slow, steadying breath to calm myself. The black bird sat there, twitching its head from side to side, eerie red eyes glowing in the night, and it had something in its talons.

  A white scroll.

  Curious, I pushed the door open a bit wider so that I could slip through. I'd expected the raven to fly away from me, but it didn't. It just sat there, eyeing me with those blood-red eyes. I held my robe tightly against the wind and drizzle and stepped toward the raven while trying to steady my feet upon the slick stone. I noticed a shimmer on its breast, like it had been branded with silver: the symbol of the elongated diamond with a vertical line through the center that I had seen on Vera's wrist and on the shortcut. I wondered who this messenger raven belonged to, and I thought my answer was probably inside of that scroll. Slowly, I reached my fingers towards the bird's talons. Just…a little…closer…

  My fingertips grazed the edge of the scroll, and then the bird opened its talons, releasing the paper. I had to crouch to catch it, and in a whoosh of air the raven spread its great black wings and took off into the night, leaving me alone, standing in the rain with a scroll in my hands.

  It had been tightly wound and secured in place with a wax seal, but standing there in the dark, I couldn't tell if the seal bore any kind of insignia. Thunder rumbled overhead, and with one last glance at the dark sky, I slipped back into my room and closed the door behind me. The door latched in place with a soft click.

  I went over to where Alex was lying on my couch. My fingers were mere centimeters from his forehead when his eyes snapped open and the hand that had been resting over his stomach flew up and cinched around my wrist.

  "Alex, it's just me," I whispered. I couldn't move my wrist, and he was holding on to it so tightly that my hand was already going numb.

  He blinked, and then he swung his feet down and sat upright, releasing my wrist. I flexed my hand, trying to help the blood flow back into it.

  "Spirits, Daria." He rubbed his temples. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

  "Sorry, but I tried to wake you up as gently as possible. It's not my fault you wake up in attack mode." I frowned at my wrist and looked back at him as if to make a point.

  His eyes narrowed as he noticed the scroll in my grasp. "Where'd you get that?"

  "A raven just delivered it on my porch." I wiped away a raindrop that had begun sluicing down my temple. Strangely, the scroll wasn't the least bit damp.

  He frowned. "What were you doing on your porch?"

  "One of the doors had cracked open, and when I got up to close it, I saw the raven."

  Alex's gaze slid past me to the doors, glaring at them as if they should've known better.

  I moved around and sat right beside Alex. His body went rigid, like he was afraid to be anywhere near me. I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "Would you relax? I'm not going to attack you. I just thought we could read it together."

  He relaxed a little, though his expression was wary. Ignoring him, I studied the seal a bit more closely, running my fingers over the impression in the wax. It was the same diamond with a line through the center. "I saw this symbol on the breast of the raven, too," I said, then slid my finger beneath the seal and unrolled the paper. Elegant writing was scrawled upon the surface, but it was difficult to see in the low lighting.

  "Here," Alex said, and with a wave of his hand, a small orb of soft light appeared above us.

  "Thanks." I grinned up at him. He purposefully looked away and firmly set his gaze upon the paper in my hands.

  My goodness. He acted like I was some kind of evil temptress.

  Well…?

  Conscience. Enough.

  I looked back at the note in my hands. The two of us hunched over it like a pair of conspirators.

  Your Grace,

  I understand you intend to sail to Pendel, though considering the events of this evening, and the threat you confirmed at dinner, I see time is of the essence. You have quite the talent with words, and I believe you may have convinced Gesh to aid Valdon. After what you have done for her ladyship, we, the venita, would also like to bestow upon you the honor befitting a citizen of Gesh. If this pleases you, you may come to the Temple of Draconi within the half hour. You may bring Aegis Del Conte, but no one else must know. The danger is great, and confidentiality is of utmost importance.

  May the blessing of the spirits forever

  fall upon you.

  ~ Ven Orelius, High Priest of Mosaque

  The letter sparked, disintegrated like chaff, and vanished into thin air. So much for a reread.

  We were both quiet a moment. And then sudden hope made me jump to my feet. "Alex." I faced him. "The high priest of Mosaque is going to let us use the portal!"

  Alex's brows knit together as he gazed up at me. He didn't look nearly as excited as I felt. "So it seems."

  "What's wrong?" I asked. "Don't you trust him?"

  "It's not that," he said, rubbing his chin. "I don't like the fact that he delivered a letter to you through your window."

  I raised a brow at him. "It didn't stop you."

  He knew I was referring to the letter he'd left on my pillow at the castle. "That was different."

  "Not very," I said. "Besides, how else would he have delivered something so sensitive? What if someone else had intercepted it? There's a guard standing outside of my door, and who knows how many more are walking the streets. And you saw what he wrote. He doesn't want anyone else to know. Alex." I placed my hands on his shoulders, and he was forced to look up at me, though his expression was guarded. "We at least need to check this out. It's exactly the break we've needed. This would save us at least two weeks of travel, and you know as well as I do that we are short of time."

  He put his hands over mine. "What about the patricians? Don't you want to stay at least till tomorrow to see if they've changed their minds?"

  "Yes, of course I do. But if last night didn't convince them of how real the threat is, there is nothing more that I can say or do to earn their support. We have to keep moving forward, Alex, and this is our chance. We have to hope that we've made a difference in the time we've been given."

  His eyes flickered over my face, his resignation making him look tired. "What about Vera?"

  Vera.

  I released his shoulders and let my hands fall to my side. "I don't like leaving her like this, but she also never promised to travel with us beyond Gesh. And Ven Orelius said I could bring you, specifically. I'll leave a note for her and tell her what we've done."

  "Daria, I don't think that's wise. What if someone else finds it?"

  "I'm not leaving without an explanation. She's done too much, and if someone else finds it, it won't matter. We'll be long gone by then."

  He sighed, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees. "There's no changing your mind, is there?"

  I placed my hand on his head and played with a lock of his hair. "Listen. I'm not saying that I don't have reservations—I do—but I have to at least look into this. Time is a luxury I don't have anymore, so to me, the answer is clear. My presence here puts the people of Gesh in danger, anyway, so the faster we leave, the better."

  He wrung his hands together and sighed. "I suppose you should get dressed, then."

  It took all of ten minutes for me to change into my leathers, pack my things and put on my cloak. My leathers felt unusually tight after wearing nothing but silks for a few days. I found paper, quill, and ink in the small desk and wrote Vera a quick note, thanking her for all of her help. I also, despite Alex's objection, let her know where we'd gone. I dusted it with sand, folded it in half, wrote her name on the front and set the note on my bed. Hopefully she'd find it, or Ansha would know to take it to her.

  "Let me do the talking to the guard outside your room," Alex said, "but I'd prefer it if we stay hidden on our way to the temple. The less questions, the better." He didn't seem too
thrilled about this entire situation, but he kept those opinions to himself.

  "Alex," I placed my hand on his arm. He stilled at my touch. "Thank you."

  He held my gaze a moment. He looked like he was about to say something, but at the last moment turned away and waved a hand over my door. Energy pulsed through the air and the invisible shield fell. Alex put a hand on the door, and with one quick nod at me, we stepped out into the night.

  The guard was still standing there, and he looked surprised at seeing both of us. They must have changed guards while I'd been sleeping. This one hadn't seen Alex accompany me to my room, and he looked a little startled seeing him now. Alex said something to him in Saqai. The guard smirked and replied, and then Alex chuckled, shaking his head. Alex tugged his hood over his head, and I mirrored him, and then the two of us stepped out into the rain.

  "What did you say to him?" I asked as I followed him down a path, our boots splashing in small puddles.

  "That you couldn't sleep and demanded I take you for a walk," he said.

  "Even in the rain?" I asked. "He believed you?"

  "That you're extremely demanding? Yes."

  I snorted. "Do you enjoy pretending I make your life miserable?"

  "I'm not pretending."

  I punched him in the ribs just as a few guards appeared on our pathway. Alex jerked me back into the shadows and out of sight. He held two fingers to my lips, his gaze urging me to be quiet. We stood there for a moment, huddled between two trellises of bougainvillea, and the guards turned down our pathway. Alex pressed me back farther against the wall, but it was too late. I'd felt curiosity spark from one of the guards as he'd spotted us. And then one by one, more points of curiosity pricked over me. Alex noticed, frowning, then whispered, "I'll handle this."