I knew I had to let go of the idea that Mak was in there. Thinking of him as a person wasn’t working. Instead, I had to focus on the dragon. The beast in front of me. The animal I was supposed to control. I stepped closer. He towered over me, a huge skyscraper of a monster that could crush me with the slightest move. Hell, he didn’t need to breathe fire, he could destroy us all under those massive paws. But his movements were clumsy and disconnected. He didn’t work best on land. He needed to fly.
“Look at me,” I demanded.
His energy pulsed around me. Strong and sure. But anxious. This was a wild beast in an unfamiliar surrounding. I took another step closer. He wanted to fly. To destroy the soldiers he saw approaching. He wanted to escape. I couldn’t let him. Not yet.
His frantic gaze swept from side to side. I stepped so close I could feel the heat coming from his body. He paid me no mind. I was no threat, at least. “Look here.”
He swung his head toward me.
I stood my ground, gathering the energy around me and finding strength in him. “You’ll listen to me. Right?”
I was only steps away. The energy pulsing from him was so strong, it was like a drum beat that only I could hear. Gingerly, I stepped closer. He watched me, his breath coming out in harsh pants. Slowly, I lifted my arm and brushed my fingers over his hard scales. A low rumble shook his throat, almost like a cat purring. He liked my touch. A grin lifted my lips.
“Shhh, hush now.” I slid my hand down his neck. The scales were smooth and cool. From afar he seemed dark green, but up close those scales glittered green, purple and black, a rainbow of night shades. It was like he was made out of precious jewels. “You’re beautiful.”
A war cry echoed from the hill in front of us, startling me. His uncle was coming. The dragon tore his gaze from me, and focused on the soldiers who started running toward him, intent on killing. With a growl, he lowered his body. He was going to fly.
“Shit.”
Frantic, I grabbed onto the spines coming down his neck and scrambled onto his back. His body was warm, so very warm. I just fit between two of those sharp spikes. Hell, if I leaned back or forward, I would impale myself. Desperate, I clung to that spike, and pressed my knees into his neck as he thundered forward. Soldiers screamed, jumping out of the way. He had just enough room to unfurl his wings and take flight.
For a brief moment, all I could focus on was clutching that spine and not falling to my death. But as he began to glide, and his flying became smooth and natural, the truth of what was happening hit me.
“Holy cow, I’m flying,” I whispered.
Amazed, I looked out at the world around me. A surge of peace washed through my body; a contentment that I’d never felt before. His feelings or mine, I wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter. I felt like I was hang gliding. This high up, nothing mattered. The wind whipped at my hair, my clothing. The air was crisp, cold this high, the stars so close it seemed like I could reach out and touch them.
Below, I could barely see the soldiers. Only tiny dots from fires burned brightly, indicating land. We could escape, I realized. It would be so easy. It was what the dragon wanted to do. He wanted to fly away from here. He had no desire nor need to fight in this stupid, human war. I could sense his urge to be free and it mingled with mine.
Then he turned, gliding gently to the right and heading toward the crescent moon, and that’s when I saw them on the hill in the distance. The glint of their armor under the moonlight. So much fighting. Unmoving bodies. Glistening pools of blood. Death.
Helen. Brynjar. Mak’s sister. Aunt Millie. Even the general. I could not leave them behind. We had a job to do. I could not lose focus.
I closed my eyes and grasped at the energy around me. It was there, pulsing in the very air I breathed. Anxiety. Anger. Determination. Desperation. I needed to change his focus and fast, before it was too late. With a deep breath, I calmed my racing heart and shared the peace I felt, letting our energy mingle. Slowly, ever so slowly, I felt his wingbeats gentle. Felt his body relax. It was working.
“Come on, Mak,” I whispered, pressing my hands to his smooth, warm scales. “You have to end this. You must.”
Even though it made me dizzy, I gripped the spine in front of me and looked below. His soldiers were still on that hill. Instead of aiming at Acadia, they were readying arrows and pointing them directly at us. We were the bigger threat now. Arrows would not pierce his scales. The only way to kill a dragon was to get close enough to that artery near his neck. The artery pulsing under my hands. But the arrows could annoy him, make him fall, which would make me fall.
I glanced back. Acadia remained far enough away that they wouldn’t burn. I dug my knees into the dragon’s neck and urged him toward that hill and the Cashel soldiers. As we flew closer, the men started to take shape. No longer were they tiny, nameless spots, but actual living, breathing people. They covered that hill like ants swarming from a mound. There was nowhere for them to run, to hide. They were out in the open. It was time.
“Fire,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
The dragon resisted at first, and I knew it was my fault. He could feel the hesitation in my energy. I wasn’t exactly being commanding.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and gave it my all. “Fire, Dragon!”
When I felt the gentle turn in his body, the wind sweeping through my hair as we dove down, I knew he was obeying. There was no time for regret. No time for second-guessing
“Lower!” I cried out over the wind. “Fire, Dragon!”
Determined, I opened my eyes and nudged my left knee into his side. At the same time, I urged him toward the hill. We rushed down the valley, toward the men readying their bows. If he didn’t pull up quick enough, we’d either be hit by arrows, or slam into the ground. But we needed to be close for the fire to reach them.
Desperate, I urged him to sweep low. “Farther, farther.”
His head bent toward the ground, his gaze focused on the soldiers. They had become the enemy, his target. I squeezed my eyes shut and pictured him breathing fire upon the men. He swooped deeper, the angle so sharp, that I pressed against the very spine I held onto, the point digging into my chest. I could feel the rumble deep inside of him. Feel the heat seeping through his body, hotter, hotter. Afraid of falling, I squeezed my legs more tightly around him.
“Fire, Dragon!”
I heard the screams right before his entire body shook and he roared with flames. Wind caught the heat and blew it toward me. I felt flayed alive. Vaguely, I was aware that my own screams mingled with those of the soldiers. My very blood felt as if it boiled. I knew, in that moment, I was going to die.
And so when he dove left and I lost my hold and slid, I didn’t try to catch myself. I didn’t try to live. I accepted my fate. I’d come here to do what I’d been born to do. My hands slid from his spine. My legs lost their hold. Suddenly, I was alone. Falling. Falling. The night air rushed around me as I swept through the sky.
This was going to hurt. I hoped it would be over quickly.
The ground came up fast and hard.
My body hit the dirt and the wind burst from my lungs leaving me gasping for air. I tried to breathe, but with each inhale, the pain shattered my body, splintering my bones, until I could take it no more.
“Mak,” I whispered, calling him to me.
It was the last thing I could do.
I gave into temptation and closed my eyes, sinking into blissful darkness, hoping we had done enough. Praying that my death would not be in vain.
Epilogue
Shay
In Mangata, there was magic.
Real magic.
Which is the only reason why a human girl could survive a fire-breathing dragon, and a fall from ten stories.
Magic.
It didn’t mean there wasn’t pain. There wasn’t heartache. There wasn’t death.
Not even magic could stop that. But the magic made it somehow more bearable.
And in the evening, righ
t between day and night, was when the magic was strongest.
On Earth Realm I’d always dreaded nightfall. Dusk meant no school where I could hide. It meant working long hours at the restaurant. It meant Sarah would return home and start drinking, screaming.
But here…
I took in a deep breath. In the air hung the scent of fall. I loved the evening here. The way the sun rays spread across the sky. The rolling green hills, the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The roaring ocean just a ten-minute stroll away. Peace.
I braced my hands on the worn, wooden window sill and leaned out, breathing deeply. Someone was burning leaves. A unicorn strolled from the woods and into the yard. It was a young male who had started coming to the gardens a month ago, his horn bright and new. Daisy nudged her way closer, wanting to see.
I slid my hand down the dog’s head, ruffling her fur. “Silly puppy.”
Yes, peace. The air was full of contentment. Something I’d never experienced before.
The unicorn nibbled on a leaf and then ambled around the garden, admiring the flowers I’d planted, before heading back into the woods. Who knew I liked to garden? But then, there were a lot of things I’d discovered about myself since coming to this realm over a year ago. The unicorns appeared more often now. Someone even swore they spotted a wolf or two.
Because of me.
The one blessed by Queen Iduna.
They stared at me in awe. Whispered behind their hands when I was near. Watched me warily, unsure what to make of it all. Often, they steered clear, like I had something they feared was catchy.
It was embarrassing. Other times, when I wanted to be alone, useful.
I heard a familiar high-pitched whistle and searched the trees. Mak stepped into view. He wore that perpetual charming grin that made me want to kiss him. His beige shirt was open at the collar, showing his bronzed skin, and the trousers he wore molded to his muscled legs. He looked like a hero from a Jane Austen novel.
Swoon.
But underneath that natural tan and muscled form, there was a sense of unease. I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t sure if he’d ever truly be happy. Not while his kingdom suffered, not while his sister was lost to him.
If the gossip I had to endure was bad, it was much worse for Mak. A Cashel Prince, the enemy. A dragon who destroyed. Prince Beast. I wondered if they’d ever trust him. Not likely.
He lived in a cottage a ten-minute walk away, sharing the place with Bryn, no less. I thought for sure they’d murder each other within the first week. But Bryn was the only one who didn’t treat Mak any differently, now that he knew his true identity. They still despised each other, but there was a peace that came with the normalcy of that hatred.
I leaned farther out the window, watching him as he made his way toward our small orchard. Mak was so handsome it hurt. It wasn’t just his looks, but the magic that growled beneath his skin, within his very cells, that added to his appeal. He was charming, yet feral. He was completely out of my league, but I didn’t care; I was keeping him anyway. I grinned, and waved.
He was waiting for me. Always.
I grabbed my pack and tossed it over my shoulder. The room where I’d been living the last couple months was much smaller than my castle suite, but it felt more like home. This is where I belonged: in a cottage that looked like something from a Disney movie, on the edge of a forest where unicorns visited. The castle was for someone else. Someone I intended to find.
“Don’t worry, I’m coming back. I promise,” I whispered to the room. A room that had been waiting for me for seventeen years. I shut the door softly and made my way down the rickety steps that creaked and groaned with age, Daisy following. A fire burned brightly in the stone hearth, the scent of burnt wood welcoming. I would miss this place. But hopefully I wouldn’t be gone long.
The general sensed me and set his book down on the small table next to his worn sofa. Everything was old and used in this cottage, but for some reason I liked it that way. It was comfortable and homey. Slowly, he stood and faced me. I still hadn’t called him dad. It was too awkward.
“How’s Sarah?” I asked.
He shrugged. “She seems better.”
I nodded. Although I had no desire to see her, every month he checked on her for me. They’d given her a small cottage a few villages over, and she seemed to be settling into her new life as best as she could.
“You’re leaving,” he said.
I’d warned him the other day about my plans. I rested my hand on Daisy’s head. The dog looked up at me with mournful eyes. “Yeah.”
He pulled on his beard. “You know you don’t need to go. There are other…”
With a sigh, he paused, knowing it was pointless to argue. I was leaving. I had to. I knew Earth better than anyone else here, and I couldn’t abandon the other two to fend for themselves.
“Be careful.”
I nodded and moved toward the door. Yes, I would miss this small, comfortable cottage. I would even miss the general. It was a strange relationship we had. During the day, I kept to my room, or was out with Mak, Bryn, or Helen. I only saw him at dinner, when we ate together. Dinners filled with silence, but after the chaos that had been Sarah, I’d grown to like the quietness of this place. Even grown to accept him as my father.
“Before you go, I have something.” He reached into his pocket and handed me a ring. It was silver, the band carved with vines and petals. In the middle was what looked like an opal. “Not worth a lot, but it’s something.”
I took the ring and slid it onto my finger. It fit perfectly. “It’s beautiful.”
“Was your mother’s. Blessed by the fairies, supposedly. To keep you safe.”
I couldn’t explain the mixture of emotions that washed over me. Sadness, appreciation, hope. I smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
He nodded.
I gave Daisy one last pat, then headed toward the door. I was eager to start the journey, even more eager to finish.
“You’ll return?” he asked, as I reached for the door handle.
I hid my grin. I’d spent so many years wishing for someone who cared, apparently he’d wished for someone to care about. “I’ll return…Father.”
I didn’t wait for his response, but pulled open the door and shut it behind me. There. I’d called him dad. It felt strange, weird. But it was done. I’d get used to it…right?
I found Mak immediately. He leaned against the trunk of a large, craggily apple tree, an apple in hand. He took a bite, those white teeth flashing. “I missed those trousers on you.”
With a grin, I moved toward him. He tossed the apple aside and met me halfway. Gently, he cupped the sides of my face. When his lips found mine, it was just as shocking as it had been the first time. He tasted like sweet apple and him. He was addictive.
He sighed as he pulled away, resting his chin atop my head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to kissing you.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn’t want the moment to end. Because…because it would. Who knew what would be out there, waiting for us? I breathed in his scent, soaked in his warmth. He was holding me tightly. Too tightly. But I didn’t care.
“Bryn says to jump to Earth we need the stone. That we have one chance.”
He nodded.
“That we need to time it perfectly.”
He nodded again.
I squeezed my eyes shut, dreading the next moment. It was something I had to do, even if I didn’t want to. “Go.”
He stepped back. “What do you mean?”
“Go. You have to.” Tears stung my eyes. “You have no idea what happened to your sister. You need to find her. You won’t rest until you do. I won’t rest until you do.”
He frowned. “That letter she sent is most likely a trap.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. But maybe it’s not. Maybe the scavengers really are holding her for ransom. I know you, Mak. I know it will eat you alive if you don’t go.”
“I can’t leave you. Your
powers won’t work on Earth. You’ll be defenseless.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be with Bryn.”
“Exactly,” he muttered.
I laughed. “You trust me.”
He smoothed my hair back from my face. “I do. If he tries anything, punch him in his ugly face…twice.”
“I will.”
So, it was agreed. But then I knew he would go if I told him. I knew he wanted to go. I also knew that he would have stayed with me if I’d asked. Of course, I wouldn’t do that to him.
I could sense Bryn and Helen not far away. It was time. Time to go our separate ways. Just for a little while, because this was where our paths diverged. But I knew our paths would merge again. We belonged together. We’d belonged together even before I’d been blessed with my powers, and the bond was even stronger now.
A tear slid down my cheek. Damn it all, I hadn’t cried in a long, long time. He cupped the sides of my face. “Do you believe in destiny, Princess?”
“I don’t know.”
He smiled, a sad, lovely smile. “I do. I believe I was supposed to track Brynjar. I was supposed to find you. I was supposed to take you to Queen Iduna. I believe you’re my destiny, and I’m yours.”
My heart warmed, my chest grew tight.
“And it is our destiny to see each other again.”
I grasped his wrists, needing to touch him. “Is it?”
“Of course.” He gave me a confident smile. “We were meant to be together. I found you through realms, through time. We’ll find each other again.”
They were possibly the most romantic words I’d ever heard. The last couple of months had been perfect. But even as we’d spent day after day together, so that we felt we knew each other better than we knew ourselves, deep down we’d realized we would eventually have to part. There had always been a dark cloud that had followed us around.
Warrior Page 36