Ashe (Fuse Book 2)

by E. L. Todd

  “I’m sure these feelings aren’t mutual, but I feel a connection with him that I can’t explain. We have nothing in common, we aren’t even the same species, but when we’re together…it just feels right.” Ashe’s words were blunt and abrupt, and he was aggressive nearly all the time. They were separated by more than their race, their age, their opinions, but that barrier wasn’t big enough to subdue her feelings. “I can talk to him again, but I understand why he doesn’t want to leave. He has a family.”

  “A cute one.”

  “Really cute.”

  “But family is bound by more than just blood. It’s bound by scales, claws, and teeth.” Rush lifted his eyes once again. “I’m sure he left behind dragons that he loved—and that haunts him, whether he wants to admit it or not. If there’s a chance that we can be successful, then he needs to try. And we already know that he believes there’s a chance.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And the feelings you have for him… They’re mutual.”

  “You think so?” she whispered. “He nearly made me pass out…”

  “But he didn’t hurt you. Trust me, he would have killed anyone else. You will be successful in this. It just might take some time. And let’s take all the time we can get…and appreciate every last second of it.”

  Her eyes dropped at his words, dreading the moment they would say goodbye as lovers and move forward as friends. Her heart had refused to let him in until he broke through the gate, and now that gate wanted to lock up again—and keep him inside. Their meeting had been entirely by chance when she’d run into the wilds and was called before a ferocious red dragon, but in hindsight, it didn’t feel like it was remotely chance at all. It was meant to happen. They were meant to be together…but also break apart. Not everything was meant to last. Sometimes they were supposed to be moments—and then memories.

  The red dragon came down from the sky and landed with a powerful thud in the meadow. His open wings folded against his body, and then he kneeled to allow Cora to slide down.

  “Thanks for the ride.” Her boots hit the grass, and she turned to the cave.

  We’ll wait here—in case.

  Be careful, Cora.

  “I will.”

  Flare remained at the edge and watched her approach the cave, his fire-red eyes watching her closely.

  The closer she got to the cave, the bigger it appeared. The ceiling rose as high as a mountain, and the inside was so pitch dark that she couldn’t see anything. She stopped at the entrance and didn’t cross the invisible threshold into the dragons’ domain. Hello?

  Silence.

  Then footsteps sounded, loud and heavy, slowly moving through the dark to where she stood. The face of the white dragon emerged, teeth visible, eyes narrowed, a gentle growl coming from her throat.

  Cora, I don’t like this.

  It’s fine.

  The white dragon stopped, her snout still lowered to Cora’s level. Come any closer to my nest, and I will feed you to my hatchlings.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—”

  You did.

  “I just want to talk to Ashe. I can’t feel his mind.”

  Because he doesn’t want to talk to you.

  “Yeah…I gathered that.”

  Humans. She shook her head. You think you deserve the world just because you want it.

  “It’s not like that. I just…miss him.”

  He told you to leave our island. Obey or die.

  “Just tell him I want to talk to him—”

  Ashe emerged, his eyes a hurricane on the seas, his snout pulled back to reveal his impressive array of teeth, layers and layers of sharpness that could crack dozens of bodies at once. He was one with the darkness until he became separate from it, his scales reflecting the sunlight from outside the cave. He cut off his Zuhurk, blocking her from view with his larger size, as if protecting her from an assault. He growled, loud and distinct, the sound echoing off the walls of the cave.

  Cora instinctively stood back. “Ashe, I’m sorry that I upset you. I just want to talk.”

  The growl grew louder.

  “Please.”

  He stepped forward, pushing her back, driving her away from the cave.

  She shuffled backward so quickly that she tripped and fell on the grass.

  Smoke billowed from his snout, a blazing fire restrained behind his closed teeth. When he’d made his point, he turned around and returned to the cave.

  She closed her eyes, opened her mind, and tried to connect with his.

  Stone. Nothing but hard stone.

  She tried again, exploring the rocky protection around his mind, the impenetrable wall that he’d erected. She tried to find a way in, a back door entrance, but there was none. She cleared her mind, focused on her breathing, and then with as much force as she could muster, she pushed herself forward. Ashe.

  The stone around his mind shattered like a volcano, the rocks exploding into the sky and revealing the direct path to his thoughts.

  I just want to talk to you.

  His mind was clear as the summer sky without a single cloud to block the sun. The connection between them was stronger than it’d ever been. It was as if he were right beside her, his scales underneath her fingertips.

  You broke through my mind.

  Her eyes opened, seeing him right in front of her, the smoke gone.

  No one has ever done that before—not even my Zuhurk.

  “I’m sorry…I just want to talk to you.”

  Then talk.

  She pushed herself to her feet then regarded him, off-balance because she hadn’t anticipated an audience with him so soon. “I just want to explain myself. I don’t want you to misunderstand my intentions from last week…”

  I understood them perfectly. You want to fuse.

  “Yes, but I need you to understand why.”

  So, you can convince Queen Delwyn to give you her army. Your mind may be stronger than mine, but my intelligence is superior to yours. I told you the only aid I would provide you is from this island. You need to listen.

  “Ashe, now that I’ve seen your family, I understand. They’re beautiful, by the way.”

  His anger stalled, his nostrils flaring without sign of smoke. Thank you. My Zuhurk has given me two sons—Kyanite and Onyx.

  “How old are they?”

  In human years, seven and ten.

  “Super cute.”

  Cute? They’re strong, powerful dragons.

  “Yeah…that too. What is your Zuhurk’s name?”

  Diamond.

  “Aww, that’s perfect. She looks like a diamond.”

  She’s beautiful and deadly. She’s a great protector of our hatchlings. And her scales shine in a very special way in the sun.

  “Yes, I’ve noticed. You’ve chosen well.”

  She chose me. It’s the way of the dragons. The female chooses her mate—but she was the one I always wanted.

  Cora’s face melted into a smile. “She couldn’t have picked a better dragon to father her hatchlings.”

  I know.

  She released a chuckle. “A little arrogant.”

  Confident. I’m the King of Dragons. I’m the largest in both size and mind. There is no better Zuhurk.

  “So, you’re an alpha?”

  Excuse me?

  “Never mind,” she said with a laugh. “I miss this. I miss talking to you.”

  He lowered himself to the grass outside the cave, getting his eyes level with her. I can’t leave this island, Cora. I can’t leave my family behind.

  It had been hard to leave Dorian in her village. It had been hard to watch Callon walk away. Watching Rush leave would be the hardest departure of all. “I don’t blame you, Ashe. I would feel the exact same way.”

  Then let us settle this for good. I believe that you’re unique, that your abilities have unlimited potential, that you have the strength to topple King Lux from his throne once and for all. Grab what allies you can. Or sneak into the
castle alone and kill him in his sleep. Find a way, Cora.

  “Ashe, if you really believe that, then you should help me.”

  I have.

  “What happens when I don’t succeed?” she whispered. “I’m gone. Rush is tortured into service. They go after the elves…and then they grow their armada and search for more minerals and ores. You’re immortal, so your sons will be grown, but you won’t be enough to stop the entire empire from invading this island. But if you help me…that could make all the difference in the world.”

  His midnight eyes stared, his anger subtle.

  “I have no chance of recruiting the elves without you. They’re more stubborn than you, believe it or not. The only way I’ll get their allegiance is by getting the allegiance of the dragons first. And it doesn’t matter how powerful my mind is or whatever. I’m not enough to make a difference. I need an army at my back.”

  And a dragon at your disposal.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all.”

  Sounds that way.

  “Ashe, I just need you to help me convince the elves. We’ll need to be fused at that time because that’s the only way I can hide you. Once that’s accomplished, there is no reason for us to be fused. When I speak of battle, you and your kin fight on your own. I’m not asking for us to be joined for that.”

  Even if I agreed, there’s no guarantee you’ll release me.

  “Release you?”

  Allow me to unfuse.

  “You don’t need my permission, Ashe.”

  With every breath he took, there was a crackle in his lungs, like a small fire constantly rolled around inside his impenetrable tissues. Like a cat hiding in the grass, about to pounce on its prey, he watched her with observant eyes. My mind is still superior to yours—for the time being. But you must have realized that with time and patience, that will probably change. That your mind will grow to a magnitude unseen.

  “I don’t see why that matters.”

  It matters because you will have the power to bind me forever—and I won’t have a choice.

  All the features of her face slowly sank, slowly deflated. “Like the Shamans force the dragons to fuse…”

  Yes.

  Her eyes dropped, looking at the grass below her feet.

  Understand what you’re asking me.

  “I understand now.” She lifted her gaze again. “But we both know I would never do that. That goes against everything that I believe in, everything that I’m fighting for.”

  At the moment.

  “What does that mean?”

  You’ll be fused with the most powerful dragon that still lives. You’ll know strength that you couldn’t imagine. You’ll conquer the skies with enormous wings. You’ll fight with fire, claw, and teeth. You’ll have immortality. It’s more valuable than all the gold, ores, and minerals in Anastille. And you’re telling me that you’ll be able to give that up at a moment’s notice?

  She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  Why?

  “Because none of that stuff is important to me.”

  It’s important to everyone.

  “Not me.”

  Then what is important to you, Cora?

  Put on the spot, she hesitated, unsure what that answer was. “Being with the people I love…”

  A long silence passed, his eyes taking her in with even further scrutiny.

  “Different things are important to different people. I just want the world to be at peace, for the dragons to be free, for me to have a relationship with my uncle, to protect my guardian, to walk in the fields as I search for crops and see a big dragon flying in the sky…”

  That’s a beautiful picture.

  “I want it to be more than a picture. I want it to be reality.”

  I still feel like there needs to be a stronger reason for you to do all this. You could live in Eden Star and forget about all this.

  She dropped her gaze.

  It’s because of him, isn’t it?

  She lived in a village where she didn’t belong, in the company of people who agreed that she didn’t belong. She’d done something no one else would have and stabbed a Shaman, which caused her to flee the only life she’d ever known. But that was the moment when her real life began, when she felt like she belonged for the first time—looking into the eyes of a fiery red dragon. “It’s not the only reason…”

  You’re foolish to think there’s any chance of a future for you—even if you win.

  “Together or apart, he’s my family. Doesn’t change anything.”

  Then I will tell you something that will change everything.

  She held her breath, unsure what emotional attack he would unleash.

  Dragons are immortal. Elves are practically immortal. A human lifetime passes in the blink of an eye. What does that mean for you?

  “I…I don’t understand.”

  Your elven blood will grant you a life longer than any human, but your human nature binds you to death. Your lifespan will not be as long as a full-blooded elf. You will pass from this life in the blink of an eye as well.

  The thought had never crossed her mind, and now that it had, her relationship with death changed. She didn’t have as long with Callon as she thought. She didn’t have the horizon of thousands of years ahead of her. “How long do I have?”

  Half the lifespan of an elf—so maybe a few thousand years.

  “That feels like a long time to me.”

  Time passes quickly, Cora. It’ll be over before you know it. Your only option to retain immortality is to be like Rush—and fuse.

  Rush had never confided his age to her, but she gathered he was several thousand years old, if he had been a teenager when the humans first came from the Land of Ashes. Without Flare, he would disintegrate on the wind.

  You will have immortality at your fingertips—and you won’t be able to let it go.

  She snapped out of her thoughts and came back to the present moment. “Without the threat of death, there is no reason to live life to the fullest. There is no reason to have children. There is no reason…to do anything. I accept my lifespan, and even if those feelings change someday, my feelings about others won’t. I would never force anyone to do anything against their will—ever. I know all I can give you is my word and that may not be enough, but…it’s all I have.”

  His dark eyes shifted back and forth as he regarded her. I told you I wouldn’t trust you—and that’s what you’re asking me.

  “Well, I trust you. I trust you as much as Rush, Flare, Callon…”

  I never asked that of you.

  “It’s not something that can be asked. It’s something that just happens.”

  His eyes focused harder on her face, going still.

  “Ashe, one day, he will come for you. He will come for all of you. And if life passes as quickly as you say, it’ll feel like tomorrow. The only way to really protect your family is to help me kill him.”

  He gave a snort, his nostrils flaring. I can’t pledge the alliance of the remaining free dragons.

  Her hands started to shake, victory in sight. “Then pledge the alliance of those willing to volunteer. We don’t need all the dragons, just enough. Protect the ones too young to fight. Leave behind some of the strong that will defend the island in the future. Only take the ones that want to be a part of this—and I’m sure there are many. But the others who want nothing to do with it, there’s no point in forcing them. Don’t force someone to be there if they don’t want to be.”

  His lungs deflated as he released a long, drawn-out breath.

  “Fly with me to Eden Star. Help me convince the queen. And then we unfuse and fight side by side.”

  He continued to hold his silence, his eyes shifting away completely, becoming deep in thought.

  “Ashe, come on…”

  I will consider your request.

  She went still on the spot, unable to believe those words spoken loudly into her mind.

  I must speak with my Zuhurk a
bout it. She has final say. I will not leave my family if she wishes me to stay.

  Her sense of victory suddenly disappeared.

  If she says yes, I will then discuss with the dragons and ask for volunteers. If we have enough, I will take you to Eden Star.

  “That’s great…”

  I expected you to be more jovial about this.

  “I am. I just… I can’t imagine Diamond letting you go.”

  Her love for me is deep. But her love for our children is deeper than the ocean that surrounds this island. She would sacrifice me in a heartbeat to protect them—as I would want her to.

  Cora gave a slight nod in agreement.

  But there’s something you need to understand, Cora.

  “I’m listening.”

  Diamond is vicious. I’ve watched her kill, and it’s a sight to behold. Combine those skills with her love for me, and you have the most ferocious dragon that’s ever soared these skies. Betray me—and she will not stop until every bone is snapped in two, until every drop of your blood is stained on the rocks, until every person you love is butchered the same exact way.

  Thirty-Eight

  Diamond

  Once Cora was safely on the ground, Rush appeared, in his black shirt and trousers, his sword at his side. He walked alongside her, approaching the cave they had turned into an oasis. “What happened?”

  Cora wore a dazed expression, her eyes glossed over like there was too much to process at once. Her arms swung gently by her sides, her posture sagging a little as if an invisible weight were on her shoulders. “He said he would talk to Diamond about it…and see what she says.”

  “Diamond?”

  “His Zuhurk.” She halted in front of the cave, her eyes still on the ground.

  Rush stared at the side of her face, watching her grapple with everything that had happened in a silent conversation he couldn’t hear. All he could see was the way Ashe changed, the way his posture turned less defensive, the way the fire turned to smoke, and then the smoke turned to air. Whatever she said was enough to tame the fire of an angry dragon. “Talk to her about what?”

  She finally lifted her chin and met his gaze. “About everything. If she says yes…he’ll ask the dragons for volunteers.”