by Ivy Clyde
He swept away the dark fringes falling over his pale blue eyes to stare at me. His luscious lips curved into a conniving grin. “You look dazed,” he said with a low chuckle.
I smiled back at him. “You’re beautiful,” I said honestly.
Only the slight widening of his eyes gave any indication to his surprise. Getting to his feet, he approached me. Coming to stand before me, he grazed my cheek with his glove. “Helena praised your prowess.”
I grinned. “Being a whore isn’t a prowess.”
Mekhi burst out in laughter. “You’re truly interesting, little miss. My sister indeed called you a whore so many times, I wondered if that’s what your parents named you.”
“Is there anything else she told you about me?” I asked, watching him through my lowered lashes. If one didn’t know the tension brewing between us, they would think we were a pair of shy maiden and flirtatious Casanova.
“She said you could fight.” His voice was suddenly cold, devoid of any humor. His eyes were like chips of ice as he suddenly slapped my cheek with his leather glove.
It stung but I kept my grin intact. “Is that all?”
He grabbed my braid, pulling it roughly so that my face was mere inches away from him. “What else can you do, whore?”
“I am going to kill you.”
He chuckled again, pushing me away from him.
“Fire won’t kill me, whore.”
“No,” I agreed.
Closing my eyes, I quickly established a connection with Tuto, urging him to fly over the spot where Cain waited for my signal. As I opened my eyes, I saw the tower room vanish to be replaced with the night sky. The city of Partaig was stretched out several feet down below.
“You! What are you doing?” Mekhi’s loud, threatening voice broke my connection with Tuto. He slapped me once more, this time using his fist. The blow was hard, painful enough to make me see black momentarily. Blood dripped down my chin.
“Why did your eyes change color?” he demanded. “What did you do?”
He came to slap me again but I conjured up my fire to burn through the rope. Tugging strongly at it, I broke free in time to kick at Mekhi’s gut. An angry gasp escaped him as he stumbled back. His icy blue eyes were burning with rage as he came at me again. Sidestepping, I avoided his blow.
“Didn’t the princess tell you what I can do with fire?” I asked, landing a blow on his back. “Why would you use a rope and not an iron manacle to bind me?”
Mekhi landed on the floor, swearing and writhing on the cold, hard ground. Taking a needle from underneath my sleeve, I shot it at him, hitting him in the spot that would paralyze for a few minutes. I wished it was poisonous but I didn’t have the time to dig for those. The most lethal ones were always hidden in the least accessible spot under the front of my tunic to avoid mishaps and accidentally killing anyone.
As Mekhi lay frozen on the ground, I took the opportunity to rush towards Norvin and burn off the rope keeping him bound. He fell heavily on me, almost taking me down to the floor.
“Wake up, Norvin!” I shouted through gritted teeth. “We’re about to leave.”
“You’re not going anywhere!” shouted Mekhi, pulling me backward. I thought I had more time but Mekhi was back to his former self. I toppled backward, landing on the cold, hard stone floor. Norvin’s heavy body fell on me, making the air whoosh out of my lungs.
“I am going to kill you, bitch,” shrieked Mekhi, kneeling beside me to press his flaming hands on both sides of my cheeks.
They didn’t have any effect on me but gave me time to distract him. I punched his nose, breaking it effectively. He cried out and fell back. I scrambled, hauling at Norvin’s fallen body.
A sudden wild shriek shattered the silence of the night.
Looking through the rectangular windows cut into the tower’s walls, I caught glimpses of the majestic creature flying around it. The moonlight hit the dragon’s silver scales, making them shimmer like diamonds. For a moment, I could only stare at it transfixed.
It roared again, breaking the momentary spell.
“Daria? Daria?” Cain’s frantic voice filled my mind.
“I am here,” I shouted as loudly as I could, hoping he would hear me. I even chanted the words. “Norvin is here too. Get us!”
A relieved sigh filled my mind. “Stay back. I am coming.”
Just as I was pulling Norvin’s body to the farthest side of the room, a second roar filled the air, followed by a sudden blast, scattering bricks and stone debris everywhere.
I bent over Norvin’s body, shielding him from the sharp fragments.
Mekhi lay unconscious, his body covered in pieces of bricks and stones. I could hear the shouts and cries of people from down below as the dragon’s massive form descended into the broken down tower room.
“We’ve got to go,” I said, shaking Norvin. He didn’t move, making my anxiety grow. Had I been too late to save him? Did Mekhi kill him while I was passed out?
“Daria.” Cain’s voice filled my mind.
I looked up at the dragon as he stared at me with his fiery eyes. Brushing away the tears from my cheeks, I began hauling Norvin, pulling and tugging at his body so I could put him on Cain’s back.
But it was a mammoth challenge.
The dragon’s back was several feet high. How did one climb it with an unconscious man?
Before I could think anymore, I saw the dragon lowering its head and extending it towards us. Its jaws opened wide, giving me a glimpse of rows of sword-long teeth. I closed my eyes as they got dangerously close. A part of me scoffed at myself. I didn’t even have the courage to look at a dragon closely.
Norvin’s body was gently pulled away from me. Opening my eyes, I saw his body dangling from the dragon’s teeth. “Dort hurt him!” I gasped, rushing forward.
“Of course, I won’t,” said Cain’s voice in my mind.
He placed Norvin on his back, a few feet above the spot where his wings started.
“Get on,” said Cain, his eyes looking at me. “I can hear more soldiers coming this way.”
Taking a deep breath, I leaped over his wings, using the hard ridges of bone and skin to give me a lift so I could reach his back. Seating myself behind Norvin, I used my arms to hold onto him tightly.
“Hold on,” said Cain, his body turning on the spot.
The movement was enough to make me feel like I was sliding off. It would be even more dangerous when he took to air. I couldn’t hold on to the raised ridges of his back without loosening my grip on Norvin’s unconscious body.
The dragon spread its wings wide, emitting another shriek.
I conjured a protective sphere of air around mine and Norvin’s body. Even as Cain took flight, the sudden blast of wind didn’t affect us. The magical bubble allowed us to stay on the dragon’s back like we were both stationary. Even the strong draft from the large beating wings didn’t affect us as the city of Partaig fell behind us to become nothing but pinpricks of light.
5
It felt surreal.
Wisps of cloud floated by as the dragon flew through the night sky. Its large wings beat at a steady rhythm, taking us further away from Partaig and the dangers that surrounded us. There was nothing visible down below other than a thick veil of darkness.
As the shock wore off, anger seeped into my mind once more. I’d missed my chance to kill Mekhi and Helena was nowhere to be seen. They both should have died tonight for harming Norvin to this extent.
“He appeared dead when we left,” said Cain’s voice in my head. It was clearly audible despite the stormy noise from his beating wings.
“When you came in, the blast caught him. He just passed out. Mekhi still lives.” I seethed.
I could feel the rage seeping from him. He stayed silent, flying us through the never-ending black veil of the night. From where we were, I could not ascertain the direction we were headed.
My eyes drooped close from exhaustion. I was desperate to heal Norvin but the w
ay my body felt, I would only kill myself without making much difference in his health. It was imperative I recovered while someone tended to his injuries. Once I was healthy, I could heal him using my inner energy.
Hours passed.
I’d finally fallen asleep during the course of time, only waking when bright shafts of light broke through my closed eyelids. Blinking against the harsh sunlight, I slowly sat up, realizing the bed underneath was soft grass.
“You’re finally up.” Cain’s voice sounded from behind me. Whirling around, I looked up at him. He was back in his human form. His mouth was tightly closed in a grim expression.
“How is Norvin?” I asked at once, scrambling to my feet. “Is he alive?”
“Barely.”
I looked around me, taking in the clearing where Cain had brought us. A brook gurgled in the distance while tall green trees surrounded us. Norvin lay on the ground a few feet away, still looking badly beaten. Cain’s cloak covered his body.
Rushing forward, I fell to my knees beside him. It pained my heart to look into his beaten and bloodied face. Tears fell down my cheeks as I picked up his head to let it rest on my lap. My fingers gently caressed the long strands of his blood-matted midnight-blue hair as I continued to sob.
“How can one human do this to another human?” I asked in a tear-choked voice.
“There’s nothing more to expect from Ivan’s sons. The man killed his own brother and proceeded to rape his wife. If they can do that to their family, there’s no boundary to what they’ll do to others.”
“Norvin,” I called out as hard sobs wracked through me. “My beautiful, handsome prince. I won’t let them get away with this. I swear to you.” Taking a deep breath, I met Cain’s grim gaze. “I am going to kill Mekhi.”
“If you don’t, I will.”
Brushing away the tears, I looked around the woods once more. “Where are we?”
“Just outside Huadu, the capital of Baledonia.” His dark curls fell into his steely eyes as a warm breeze blew by. The weather was a lot warmer here than Iorna. Dark stubble covered his strong jaw but he still looked handsome, even more so in a rough, rugged way.
“Are you all right, Daria?” he asked, noticing my momentary daze.
“I’m fine,” I said with a nod. “We should find a place to stay.”
“It will be difficult to find one with an injured man like him,” said Cain. “People would be suspicious, thinking he escaped torture in the prison. I’m sure Mekhi has already sent word to the four kingdoms about Norvin’s escape. If anyone sees him, they would alert the guards at once.”
“Why should we care?” I asked. “You can defeat them singlehandedly.”
Cain shook his head. “We can’t alert the emperor yet. There’s so much to learn about being a dragon. I was scared out of my mind last night. Let’s take things slow, learn what we can about dragons before facing one who has more knowledge and experience than us.”
I nodded, understanding and agreeing with what he was saying. However, the problem remained. We needed a place to shelter Norvin. “Have you thought of where we could go?”
“There’s an abandoned cottage nearby,” said Cain, gesturing into the distance. “The place is deserted with a stream nearby. Best place for us to stay a few days until we can get Adal’s help.”
“Have you checked the cottage properly?” I asked, thinking of traps and hidden enemies.
“I did. It’s in a bad condition but the roof is intact. We can clean it out and stay there for a while.”
“Have you eaten anything since last night?” I asked as my stomach groaned, my body protesting against any hard labor.
“No. I didn’t dare leave you both to look for food.”
“Did you bring my packs along with you?” I asked.
“I did. What about the scrolls I gave you?”
I patted the front of my tunic, feeling the hard length of the binding against my chest. “It’s safe.” My gaze went to the clear stream in the distance. At least, we had some fresh water to start with. “I am so hungry though. Do you think we could get some fish?”
Cain’s grim expression shifted to guilt. “I have never fished before.”
Getting to my feet, I walked to the spot where our bundles were laid together under a tree. Opening one of my packs, I searched through the spare darts and needles. “Yes!” I’d found the fish hooks. Taking them along with a thick stub of wood tightly wound with string, I walked back to Cain. “Let’s put some lines in the water and eat the leftover stuff in my pack.”
Cain watched me dig the ground to find worms. Once I got a few, I took them with me to the edge of the stream. I pierced the live worms with hooks and threw them into the gently rushing waters. “We’ll come back again,” I said, placing heavy stones on the ends of the fishing lines.
We went back to sit beside Norvin. His rising and falling chest was the only indication he wasn’t dead yet. I couldn’t bear to look at his bloodied face without a sob choking my throat. There were herbs and tonics in my pack that could help him, but they had to carefully picked and mixed. My head was already spinning with weakness. I didn’t dare give him anything at the risk of poisoning him. He’d suffered enough already.
A heavy hand rested on my shoulder.
“He’ll survive,” said Cain. His silvery eyes were warm as he kneeled down beside me. Drawing me to him, he held me close as sobs wracked through my trembling body. “It’s all right, Daria. We got him away.” He whispered soothing words, comforting me while I bawled like a child, dampening his tunic.
It was a while before I could calm myself. It was so easy to succumb to my fears and anxieties with him, without fearing punishment and scorn. As I moved away, sniffing and wiping away the tears from my cheeks, I realized I felt a hundred times lighter. “Thank you,” I said, giving him a small smile.
“Dragonborns heal faster than regular humans,” said Cain in a gentle voice. “He is getting better even as we speak. Most of his injuries are superficial, though I believe he has a few broken ribs. Mekhi wanted to torture him till the end before killing him.”
“Bastard.”
“The three brothers were always cruel. Even as children, they would mutilate birds and rats for the sake of fun. I remember one time, they tried it on a servant boy. King Helmut punished them with lashings for their cowardly acts, enraging their father. It was that very week, Ivan took his revenge on his brother and the rest of the dragon clans.”
“You were there to see it all?”
A faraway look settled in the silvery depths of his eyes. “My eldest brother issued the order to get me out of the palace as soon as news reached him. He was present there too, having accompanied us to meet a noblewoman he liked. Ivan killed him and two of my sisters a few hours later, leaving me as the only heir to the kingdom of Iorna.”
“Why did he have to kill them?”
“They protested, of course,” said Cain, meeting my gaze. “It was a question of honor and they didn’t back down. To this day, I don’t know if I agree with them or not. They could have escaped with me, staying alive to gather forces and fight another day.”
I stayed quiet, digging into my bundle for food. Cain was always cautious, always planning ahead and figuring out the risks before making a move. At times, it was frustrating but I was beginning to understand where he was coming from. He was the kind of person who would wait till he was sure his attack would yield the best result.
I tore the remaining loaf of bread into halves, handing one to Cain.
“Can you believe it’s just been a single day since we were last eating this meal?” asked Cain, staring at the hunk of bread in his hand.
I shook my head. “Too much happened,” I said, thinking of the underground temple chambers, our lovemaking and the moment Cain shifted into his true dragon form. Even that wasn’t enough to be the highlight of the day. Norvin’s rescue from the tower in Partaig took the spot.
“We need a day to rest,” said Cain,
cramming the whole piece of bread into his mouth.
“Take Norvin with you to the shack you spoke about,” I said, eating a bit of cheese. “I will forage in these woods and come find you. Wish we still had our horse though.”
“I could shift for you if you wanted me to carry something.”
I laughed out at his suggestion, imagining the magnificent silver-scaled dragon carrying a pail of water in its jaws. Cain smiled back, suddenly taking my breath away. He was beautiful when he let the anxiety slip off his face. A breeze blew by, lifting the dark strands of hair away from his eyes.
“I will manage on my own, thanks!”
Cain got to his feet and moved towards Norvin. Kneeling beside him, he picked up his arms and wound them around his neck. He stood up, hauling Norvin on his back.
“It’s best if you follow us, Daria. Bring our packs with you and see what you can use from the cottage. We don’t even have waterskins anymore.”
A heavy sigh escaped me as I hurried to pick up our bundles. The adventure I’d been looking forward to was quickly turning into a chore-ridden nightmare. I walked behind Cain as my stomach groaned in protest. It wanted more than a hunk of bread.
The cottage turned out to be a ghostly little shack. The shutters at the open windows were hanging on hinges while the front door lay in a dusty heap on the side. Walking inside, I found it covered in dust and cobwebs, but there was a cot in the corner. An intact set of a round table with chairs stood close to it. As I moved deeper into the shadowy corners, I found more things of use. There were kettles, pots and earthenware cups and bowls.
“I wonder what happened here,” I said, looking around. “Why would people suddenly leave this hut?”
Cain laid Norvin on the dusty cot. “I have no idea. The door was broken down, so I am assuming they were attacked by robbers or something worse.”
“Is it safe to stay here?” I asked.