by KC Kingmaker
It seemed my half-assed scheme to give Garnu the sword for the Oblyx Sheets then steal it back for Coalt was no longer going to happen. I had to think of something else.
I’d always been clever—the streets had taught me that. I knew if I put my mind to it, I could figure something out. Plus, I’d be in my hometown where I knew plenty of people and every nook, cranny, and dark alleyway.
My thoughts kept swirling back to Blythe. I became excited wondering how she was doing and how the refuge was holding up.
Had she brought in some new girls into the fold?
Had Pearl found her place?
Was Alondra still alive, the old matronly crone? I would give her a giant hug if I ever busted free, just to relish in her squirming.
The thoughts of home brought a smile to my face.
But the circumstances of my arrival quickly wiped that giddy excitement away.
What was Captain Rafe’s endgame here? I assumed he had plans for Coalt, both of them being from the Summer House and all. And surely those plans didn’t involve me.
So Rafe was going to, what, sell me into slavery?
My eyes widened at that thought. Is he going to let his men have their way with me in some secret back alley? And after I’ve been raped, kill me like a head of cattle?
Cold fear trickled down my spine and I shivered at my own grotesque thoughts. Merlog’s balls, I thought. I really shouldn’t be left alone this long.
It was so easy for me to wallow in defeat when I was surrounded on all sides by rusty iron bars.
And was this the sixth or seventh day we’d been on the road? I was starting to lose track of time. Gods above, I was losing track of my sanity!
Just when I thought I was going well and truly mad, we crested a small hill and Belfue came into view like a familiar lover I wanted to throttle.
The offensive smells of the poor district floated on the wind toward us and made some of the bounty hunters grimace and wrinkle their noses.
I had to laugh. Fuck these people, if they couldn’t put up with a little unwanted odor. Perhaps they’d lived as servants to the dragons for too long and had forgotten what it truly meant to be Unscaled.
“This is our lives, gentlemen!” I cried out, breathing in a deep swell of nastiness. “Get used to the shit and piss and mud!”
A few of the men grumbled. One of them smacked the pommel of his sword on my cage. “Shut up, you awful bitch.”
I shot a sly look at the man. He didn’t seem too sure of himself. “Believe me, Vero, it’s better to be free in the mud than enslaved in a palace.”
Ooh, I thought, that’s a good one. Wish I could write that down.
“Is it?” another guard asked with venom in his voice. “Because at least in the palace I’m eating three square meals and don’t have to worry about disease and wretchedness.”
I frowned. He had a point. Maybe my little quip wasn’t as powerful as I thought.
“And besides,” another soldier grumbled, “what are you even talking about? Look where you are, woman. You call that freedom?” He tapped the top of my cage.
Some of the soldiers chuckled.
It fueled my fury. “Yeah, well, you’ll see once I bust out of here.” I wagged a finger at him, but my jovial giddiness was already starting to plummet.
The soldier mimicked my speech pattern in a high voice, then cut himself off and finished with a guffaw. “Just shut the fuck up. You aren’t getting out of there.”
They ignored me after that. I folded my hands on my lap, trying to keep myself calm.
Even when we finally reached the gate and I recognized the houses and structures of the poor district, I kept my cool. I didn’t need anymore outbursts to give these guys the wrong idea. I needed to keep my excitement about being home to myself . . .
But I needed to definitely keep it, because that energy was the only thing holding back my dismal depression.
A crowd of beggars and decrepit peasants watched as Coalt and I were dragged into town like a couple of trophies. Like animals.
Some of the onlookers murmured to one another, pointing at me like they recognized me. And I’m sure they did—I’d lived here all my life.
Once we reached the town square, half of our captors split off left and the other half went right. I grabbed onto my bars with futility as I watched the second group of soldiers leading Coalt’s cage away from me, even further than before.
The sharp pang of loss came at me in a heady wave.
The guards took me to another section of town then set the cage down. Fingers reached between the skinny spaces of the bars and pulled at me.
At first, I was so despondent I didn’t even react.
Then one of the guards pulled my hair, exposing my throat.
I cried out, writhing but unable to move my head.
Darkness fell over my eyes. The cloth blindfold was tied to the bars so I wouldn’t be able to struggle.
Once my vision was gone, my nervousness reached new heights. Sweat freckled my brow and upper lip.
The cage rocked and then moved again.
I was being led away somewhere new, but this time I had no idea where they were taking me.
30
Coalt
We reached Belfue just as the sun was beginning to signal a new afternoon, raining down summer warmth on the Unscaled town.
Despite my initial repugnance toward the town, I had to admit it had grown on me. Perhaps it was only because Leviathan was born and raised there. That alone made me believe Belfue had much more to offer than I’d originally given it credit for.
Outside the gates, I heard Levia spouting off about the mud and piss and shit of Belfue, fired up about it. Her distant words had made me chuckle to myself, and then break out in full laughter as the annoyed guards cussed her out.
Yes, my mate was definitely a spitfire.
“I’m starting to understand what drew you to this Unscaled woman,” Rafe said nearby, scoffing.
I glowered at his smirking, stupid face. “You don’t know the half of it, traitor.”
Rafe’s smirk vanished. He bared his teeth and took off toward the front of the group. As his minions led us through the poor district toward the town square, parading us down the street like priceless thoroughbreds, the townsfolk gawked.
I brooded, crossing my arms over my chest, staring down at the iron platform where I sat. Perhaps Levia had been right—how hard would the townsfolk gawk if they witnessed me breaking free from my confines in a flurry of wings, talons, scales, and fire?
The other part of me didn’t want to ruin Leviathan’s town. This was her home and I would do everything in my power to make sure it wasn’t destroyed.
The bottom line, however, was that I was getting out of this. And so was she. The bastards should have killed me when they had the chance.
Through the disgusting parade, my dragonrune sword had been all but forgotten. We were the real prizes. The blade was tucked away somewhere near Rafe, no doubt, in the white satchel that held its magic.
I hadn’t forgotten about it, though.
When the second company of Rafe’s mercenaries took Leviathan down a different road, I groaned as I watched her go. My entire body thrummed with energy, wanting to take action. Hot blood coursed through my veins and my itchy fingers kept clenching and unclenching into fists.
No, I told myself, sitting back. I have to bide my time and see what Rafe’s plan is. For once in my gods-damned life, I need to show restraint and patience to look at things with a calmer mind before exploding with a kneejerk reaction.
I snorted at the idea. Other dragons had been trying to teach me that my entire life—responding to problems rather than reacting to them—but now I realized only Levia had been able to make it stick.
She had changed me for the better.
I had to show her some respect, too. She’d made it this far in one piece, so I had to have confidence she’d survive without me for a while. Most of all, if I didn’t act n
ow, I could buy her some time.
She was smarter than me—I wasn’t afraid to admit it. And if there was anyone who could get themselves out of a sticky situation, it was Leviathan Sunfall.
RAFE AND HIS MEN BROUGHT me to Chief Garnu’s estate, as I’d expected. They took me through the fields and plopped me down at his front door, where a few servants were finishing construction.
I smiled at the fractured state of Garnu’s entrance, recalling the damage I’d caused after shifting to flee the town guard.
The lanky man came out of a different exit and crossed his arms. “Ah, Coalt Firesworn, how good to meet again.”
His mocking sneer made my muscles bunch together, but I kept my cool.
“It’s a shame we meet under such different circumstances than before, of course,” Garnu said, rolling his wrist absentmindedly.
“Yes, it’s a shame I’m in this box,” I said.
“Oh?”
“Because if I wasn’t, I’d rip your skinny body limb from limb.”
Ugh, I simply couldn’t help myself. Push my buttons enough and I was bound to respond. My serenity still needed some work, clearly.
He chortled in an annoying tone. “Yes, yes, but you are in a box, Coalt. And I plan to keep you that way, at least until this evening.”
“What happens this evening?”
He clicked his tongue and stared at me like I was dense. “I do away with you, my friend. But don’t worry, your exit will be grand. Everyone will be there.”
I’m sure he was expecting another snide response from me, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction.
I merely shrugged. “Can’t wait.”
Glaring, Garnu turned on his heels. “Bring him inside, Captain Rafe. And don’t forget the sword, either.”
Rafe mumbled something as the chieftain disappeared inside his house. I guessed he didn’t like being ordered around, especially by a slimy fucker like Garnu.
With three other guards helping him, the captain lugged my cage through the house and down the halls, before setting me down in a large study room.
Garnu ran a hand through his wispy dark hair and flashed his tiny teeth at me. It was unnerving. “I’m assuming you have questions,” he said, gesturing toward me with an open palm.
This was all grandstanding, but what the fuck else did I have to do?
“Why?” I asked.
He sat on the edge of a table and leaned forward. “Why did I corral you in chains rather than let you come on your own volition, you mean?”
I grunted.
He flapped a hand. “Because I knew you’d never actually return. Not once I did some digging and verified who you were. The truth is, you have more commitment to the dragonrune sword than I do and I realized you would never bring it back to me.”
“Then your belief you’re a Summer House kinsman with a connection to the sword was just a fantasy to get people riled up?”
His brow furrowed. “Oh, no, that is very much the case.”
I scoffed.
“Deny me all you want, Vero Firesworn, but you shall see. In time.” He smirked. “Or maybe you won’t see, actually.”
I faced Captain Rafe, who stood near the door with his hands clasped near his stomach. I nudged my chin toward him. “You are Summer House, Rafe. What do you think about the chieftain’s assertion?”
Rafe shrugged. “I don’t get paid to think.”
I snickered. “No, you definitely do not.”
He didn’t react as angrily as I would have liked.
I ignored him and returned to Garnu. “How did you find me? How did you get this dumbass to lie in wait when we approached Elowen?”
Garnu flared his nostrils. “I don’t know who that is, but it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t difficult, Coalt, despite how smart you think you are.”
“I never said I was.”
Garnu continued, relishing in his own brilliance by pacing back and forth with gesticulating arms. Clearly, he wanted someone to know all about how good he was.
“I knew you’d never return the sword to me and also understood you were the most likely bounty hunter to find it. So, when Captain Rafe came to Belfue searching for a man matching your description, I told him where I sent you. From there, I suppose he had his own means of tracking you.”
Rafe picked up where Garnu left off. “It wasn’t difficult to follow a wagon toward Cerophus, then two sets of heavy footprints from careless people not bothering to cover their tracks into the city. And the giant dragon leaving Cerophus was a bit of a giveaway.
“I noticed you were going to the woods for some reason, so I hurried there first. The fae found us, I threatened their precious forest with fire and violence, and that was that.”
He shrugged like he was discussing the weather.
“Oh, you truly are a capable and merciless individual, Captain Rafe,” Garnu said with glee.
I rolled my eyes in disgust. Okay, so Levia and I hadn’t been the stealthiest travelers. That was my fault—I had known the dangers and disregarded them.
I’d been so drawn to her it had fucked up my concentration. I’d never felt so alive and free than when journeying with Leviathan, even through the arguments and angst. For a few days, she made me forget I was an alpha dragon with a duty to my people and homeland.
And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
“Ah, he looks like he’s reminiscing, Captain Rafe, doesn’t he?” Garnu asked with mock concern.
Rafe took a step toward my cage. “Yes, well, that is my big question: Why in Fernus’ name did you get tangled up with an Unscaled woman, Coalt? What could she possibly mean to you, to so greatly knock you off your game?”
I stared Rafe straight in the eyes, gritting my teeth. “She means everything to me.”
He studied me with a furrowed brow. Then his eyes widened and he broke into belly-rumbling laughter. Garnu joined him, though it didn’t sound like he knew what he was laughing at.
“Oh, that’s rich,” the captain said after getting control of his breath. He wiped tears out of his eyes. “You mean to tell me the son of Dante Firesworn and a captain in the Summer-Winter War, which saw the death and subjugation of thousands of Unscaled, suddenly cares for this one?”
“There’s never been another one like her,” I said. I gulped, choking back emotion. I didn’t like thinking about the War, and especially not the specifics. I had been young, foolhardy, and headstrong, and I had done terrible things.
“Ashlyn will get a kick out of this,” Rafe spat, shaking his head. “You think Empress Orphea will allow you to toss aside Dyna, her daughter, just because there’s ‘never been another’ Unscaled like this silver-headed cunt?”
“I suppose we’ll never find out, will we? Since this raggedy bag of bones plans on getting rid of me.”
My eyes flared. It was a long shot, of course, hoping Rafe would come to his senses and help a fellow Summer dragon before he’d help this coward Garnu, but I had to try. I needed to put things in perspective for him because I didn’t see this whole thing playing out how Rafe thought it would.
“I suppose not,” he said through gritted teeth, suddenly quite uncomfortable looking.
“You’re going to give the Summer Sword to this rogue, Rafe? Just like that?”
“He’s paying me handsomely for it. And I don’t fucking need it.”
Garnu’s eyes were darting back and forth between me and the captain. I saw a bead of sweat on his brow.
“You think Ashlyn will forgive you for that?” I asked.
“Let me worry about your sister, Coalt.”
Our words lingered. What went unspoken between us was that Ashlyn could always fly her ass down here and take it from Garnu, if she saw fit. I could tell Rafe was thinking it also, just by the glinting fire in his eyes.
“Enough!” Garnu screeched suddenly. “Captain Rafe, you’ll hand me the sword and join me this evening for the spectacle, yes?”
Rafe bowed a fraction then twisted a
sneering grin at me. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Chief.”
Garnu made a pleased sound in his throat and turned to leave the room.
Before he could get too far, I called out, “What do you plan to do with Leviathan?”
He wheeled. “The peasant woman?” His forehead creased with confusion and he waved a dismissive hand. “She means nothing to me. But she’s caused enough problems in my town with her little refuge, scaring off all the womenfolk, so her loss will be no heartbreak.”
I growled low in my throat.
“Though I suppose we’ll make hers less of a spectacle than your grand execution, Coalt Firesworn,” he finished, and then left the room.
Scorching rage swelled through my veins.
Well. That wouldn’t do.
That wouldn’t fucking do at all.
31
Levia
I had no idea where I was but knew it had to be nighttime. Hours had passed in silence, except for the maddening trickle of water droplets plopping onto the hard cold stone where I sat.
At least I wasn’t in a cage anymore. I’d been unceremoniously tossed into this cell, my hands tied behind my back so I couldn’t mess with the blindfold.
When everything was dark, even the slightest inconvenience—like leaking water—pissed me off. I was just waiting for something to happen, something to change my fortunes either for better or worse. Inaction was not part of my personality.
And then I heard it right outside the room.
It started off as a sultry whisper that carried down the hall, prickling my ears with anticipation.
I recognized the voice. My heart skipped a beat.
“Evening, boys.”
Surprised shuffling sounds and the steely snick of unsheathing swords followed.
“What—who are you? What are you doing down here?” one skittish male voice asked.
“Easy there, guys. Your boss sent me down here to provide some much-needed . . . relief. We’re from the brothel down the street.”
Another man snorted in dismissal. “Get out of here, harlot. Rafe would never allow such a thing.”