Unleash the Inferno (Heart of a Dragon Book 3) Page 12

  “What you wanted to do, Ayden, was go behind my back at the time when I most hoped to lean on you. I'd thought you were dead. Dead, Ayden, so you can only imagine my relief when you reappeared in my life. And then for you to betray me like this—to seek help from someone even Lanier has reservations about. It's unfathomable.”

  She turned to Chennuh, subtly wiping her nose on her sleeve. She needed a handkerchief.

  Ayden threw his hands in the air behind her; she saw his reflection in Chennuh's scales. “So where does this leave us? Shall I cancel plans to accompany you to Ongalia tomorrow?”

  “This changes nothing for our plans for Ongalia,” she said. “We still leave in the morning, you, me, Hazel, and Jakkob.”

  “Kinna—”

  “I need some space to think, all right?” Kinna shouted, her temper erupting from inside of her. “You kissed a Pixie—not just any Pixie—the one who had always hated me and who would have loved to see me fail. You were gone for an entire month before you decided to let me know you were alive—”

  “Kinna, that's not how—”

  “I know it's not how you meant it to appear, but I still feel betrayed, Ayden. Four whole weeks, I assumed you were dead. I'd started trying to put together my life again without you in it. It was the most pain I've ever felt in my entire existence, and I never, ever want to go through that pain again. Now you've gone behind my back to do something I've asked you not to do, and you stand there throwing platitudes my way. I don't want to hear it. It's been a long day, and I'm hurting and jealous. I want to be left alone.”

  Ayden stared at her, his silver eyes spiking with anger and pain. After a moment, he wheeled into the corridor and was gone.

  The next morning, Kinna wasn't soothed. While she did not doubt that Hazel had had the gall to put Ayden under her Pixie charms, perhaps not through any malicious urge but certainly thoughtless of how it would affect Kinna, she couldn't erase the picture that blazed in her mind over and over: Ayden pulling away from the Pixie, Ayden's lips red with the assault, Ayden's silver eyes dazed with the passion, Ayden's hair ruffled and unruly from Hazel's hands. Kinna shuddered in disgust.

  Luasa and Chennuh's normal, playful interaction was gone in the light of day. Both of them seemed to sense their psuche partner's strain, and both seemed affected by it.

  Ayden sat on Luasa's back, his spine stiff as he waited for Kinna to finish adjusting Hazel's saddle.

  The Pixie stared distastefully at the Dragons. “Could we not take another creature? Dragon scales are too hot,” she complained.

  Kinna gritted her teeth, deliberately pausing before answering in an effort to control her temper. “The logical choice, Hazel, is to take our psuche partners for effortless communication. I could not fly on a Griffon with nearly as much ease as I can on Chennuh.” She gave one final yank on the cord binding Hazel's saddle to Chennuh and stepped back. “I added extra blankets so you wouldn't burn yourself,” she added, not entirely unable to keep the snap from her words. Lincoln hadn't complained, Kinna thought bitterly as she clambered onto Chennuh's back. Well, he did, but in the end, he and Chennuh didn't mind each other.

  Hazel stood beside Jakkob, who had arrived in the dens, blinking groggily, his thick, dark hair spiky and matted from sleep. His clothes were misshapen and his expression was sour, but he had two swords, one on each leg, and a dagger in each boot. He'd slung an enormous bow over his shoulder, and a quiver chock full of arrows was strapped across his chest.

  “By the looks of things, Jakkob plans to take on the entire Ongalian nobility by himself,” Hazel commented to no one's amusement. Ayden stared at his hands where they gripped Luasa's fins, and Kinna relentlessly stroked Chennuh's scales.

  Jakkob glared at her. “I could, certainly, if I don't lose sight of them behind anyone's blinding pink hair.”

  Hazel opened her mouth to argue, but Kinna snapped, “Enough, you two. We're going to Ongalia to negotiate an alliance.” She jerked her head toward the saddle, motioning to Hazel to get into it. “We're not going to show off our weapons skills or create any new fights.” Kinna watched Hazel swing between the fins, settling onto the padding. “One war is enough for us at the moment.”

  Jakkob mounted Luasa, pulling himself onto a saddle Ayden had already rigged for him. Then she patted Chennuh's neck as the Dragon turned his head toward her, nosing her leg. “Everyone ready?” she asked in a voice that was too sharp and too loud.

  Ayden turned with a frustrated huff. “Kinna—”

  “Good. Let's go, then.” Go, Chennuh. The Dragon obeyed her request, billowing his wings outward and, perhaps accidentally—or perhaps not, dislodging Ayden from his seat on Luasa's back. Ayden tumbled to the ground, catching himself on Luasa's wing.

  Amusement tinged the Dragon's thoughts. Kinna glanced over her shoulder to see Ayden scrambling back between Luasa's fins and the she-Dragon taking off after them.

  Kinna's lips tightened. The pain was too fresh to smile yet.

  She leaned forward, draping herself across Chennuh's neck, and closed her eyes. Touching the topmost fin on his head, she, Hazel, and Chennuh shuddered into invisibility. Behind them, Kinna saw Ayden, Jakkob, and Luasa do the same. They would reach Ongalia by nightfall.

  The Marron Mountains had long since given way to the Sand Flats. The Midland Ridges of Lismaria curved north into Ongalia, and it wasn't until the Dragons had crossed the blue, misty peaks that Kinna instructed Chennuh to lower their altitude. The frigid air whipped past them, but the warmth from Chennuh's scales heated Kinna nicely. She wondered how Hazel was doing—not that she cared. But when she'd taken the trouble to keep the Dragon's heat from burning the Pixie, she hadn't considered that the frigid air temperatures might do the opposite.

  When the Dragon landed on the banks of the River Trifecta in dense woodland and Kinna twisted the fin on Chennuh's head, Hazel appeared to be none the worse for wear, though her cheeks were pink from the whipping wind. She vaulted from the Dragon's back as Ayden and Jakkob appeared behind them on Luasa.

  Kinna slid from Chennuh's neck, avoiding Ayden's gaze, rubbing along Chennuh's scales, checking his wing that had been injured the year before. It still ticked rhythmically now and then after a lot of strain, and Kinna wanted to be careful.

  Ayden moved quietly beside her, his hands joining hers on the wing and heating to orange as Kinna pulled away. The wing glowed beneath the white-hot temperature, and Chennuh rumbled in satisfaction.

  Kinna turned away, looking upstream between the giant willows that wept over the riverbanks. “Ongalia's capital of Allande is only ten fieldspans north of here,” she said, glancing at Hazel and Jakkob, determinedly ignoring Ayden. Hazel watched Ayden's ministrations to Chennuh with avid fascination.

  Jakkob bent over the river, refilling his water skin. He frowned up at her. “Then why under the Stars didn't we land a little closer to Allande? We're not walking ten fieldspans and getting there before any curfew the city may hold.”

  Kinna shook her head. “Nay, I hadn't intended to. It's late; we're tired and cramped after a long day of travel. We'll make camp here, and then trek into Allande, hopefully in time for King Bennjan's weekly Council he holds with all his nobility.” The lists of names, dates, and times Lanier had scrounged up and given her before she'd left blurred in her mind, and again, she second-guessed herself. What if she were going about this all wrong? What if King Bennjan and Lord Fellowes, whom she counted as her potential liaison with the Valley of the Dragons, wanted nothing to do with Kinna Andrachen?

  Kinna pulled her pack free from Chennuh's back and slung her sleeping roll on the ground. “The woods will end five fieldspans to the north according to the maps, and we'll have to continue in open prairie environs to Allande.” She pulled some jerky from her bag and chewed on it, watching Jakkob copy her motions. His dark gaze carefully swept the trees.

  “Get some sleep, Jakkob,” Kinna muttered. “You look tired.”

  “Nay,” he rasped. “I'll take first watc
h.” He glanced her way. “Best you get some sleep, Majesty. You've got a fair lot of people to impress tomorrow, and you'll get nowhere with those shadows hanging like a worm-eaten spectre beneath your eyes.”

  Kinna blinked at his words, but he ignored her, chomping off a piece of his own jerky. Ayden took his roll from his back and slung it next to Kinna's, ignoring her glare. He said nothing as he settled himself beneath the furs, immediately closing his eyes.

  Kinna's glare felt horribly ineffective when he wasn't benefiting from its censure. Her lips tightened, but before she could speak, he murmured without opening his eyes, “Sleep, Kinna. You'll feel better for it.”

  Kinna turned her glare to Hazel, but found the Pixie climbing a tree. “What are you doing, Hazel?”

  “I don't sleep on the ground,” was the Pixie's only explanation. She settled herself into the crook of a branch, her back against the tree trunk. “Good night, Your Grace.”

  Kinna watched her close her eyes, murmuring, “Good night.” She settled into her roll and slept uneasily, waking once, she thought, to the sound of something moving, perhaps, but in the blackness, she could see nothing.

  The Dragons can scent danger long before I can, she reminded herself, settling farther into her sleeping roll.

  In the morning, she could find nothing wrong, but she could not erase the feeling that someone or something had been walking through their campsite.

  “Did you see anything last night?” Kinna asked Jakkob, but the youth shook his head. “Not I. You can ask your Dragon boy. He took my place halfway through the night.”

  Kinna turned her attention to Ayden, but he shook his head. “Not on my watch, either, Kinna, but I did wake to find Jakkob asleep.”

  “I did no such thing,” Jakkob roared, turning on Ayden. “I've never fallen asleep on the job.”

  “Except once,” Ayden said, curling his bedroll and replacing it in his bag. He slung it on top of Luasa. “Are we to go to Allande invisible on the Dragons' backs, Kinna?”

  “Nay,” Kinna shook her head. “I don't want to go into Ongalia's capital requesting an alliance against Sebastian when I've entered their gates without warning. They'll mistrust us.”

  “We may face attack if we go visibly,” Ayden said quietly.

  “Perhaps Hazel's Pixie charm will be of better use today, then, than it was two nights past,” Kinna said before she could snatch the words back.

  Ayden's face turned a deep shade of red, and Hazel smirked where she stood.

  Kinna cleared her throat. “Let's go, then.”

  Allande differed from ClarenVale and The Crossings in that the fortress was almost entirely made from wood. Wooden poles the height of trees, sharpened to spikes, surrounded the city. Above the spikes, Kinna could see the wood houses that made up Allande, circling in a tier-like pattern all the way up the hill to the grandest house itself where the banners flew with the green and gold stripes of Ongalia.

  No moat surrounded the city, though since Allande was set on the banks of the River Trifecta, a drawbridge crossed the waterway. No portcullis barred their entry, but a guard house stood on the far side of the drawbridge from the town.

  As Kinna approached with her hand on Chennuh's neck, the others following behind, a guard stepped from the house. He tossed a cursory look over the Dragons. “No Dragons allowed in the city, ma'am,” he said curtly. “State your business.”

  Nerves tied Kinna's tongue. She couldn't afford to mess this up; she had to make it work. The Rebellion desperately needed Ongalian help.

  “I come seeking the aid of King Bennjan,” she said, stopping on the riverbank. Chennuh curled up beside her, his smoky irises carefully assessing the guard. Suspicion darkened his thoughts, and a warning rumble shuddered from his throat. Kinna tensed. Luasa nudged past the other two and crouched next to Chennuh, both Dragons eyeing the guard.

  The guard didn't seem perturbed. He raised an eyebrow. “King Bennjan sees no strangers unless I tell him there's a solid reason he should.”

  Kinna glanced beyond the guard at the palace on the hilltop. “Then Lord Adrian Fellowes?” she asked.

  The guard spat to the side. “The King's nobles don't see strangers, either. What's your business with him?”

  “I'd prefer to discuss that with King Bennjan or Lord Fellowes directly,” Kinna replied.

  “I don't let sassy wenches through these gates without a reason,” the guard said, stepping closer as he scratched at his beard.

  Ayden pushed past Kinna and shoved the guard backward, hard. The guard stumbled, and then immediately drew his sword. Two other soldiers emerged from the guard house, swords unsheathed, moving to block the drawbridge.

  Jakkob met them with both of his weapons. He caught the first guard in his arm, his sword piercing the leather seam between his spaulder and rerebrace. The man dropped his weapon, stumbling back and moaning. And then, everyone watched in amazement as Jakkob fought both of the other guards with two swords in separate simultaneous battles. The weapons rang. Soon both Ongalian guards had fallen, injured, and Jakkob sheathed his weapons, though his dark gaze speared the guard before Kinna. “Shall I dispatch them, Majesty?” he asked.

  The guard froze when he heard the title, his gaze creeping back toward Kinna, his face ashen.

  Ayden drew his own sword, standing in front of Kinna. “You have no idea whom you address,” he snapped. “Kinna Andrachen, Queen of the thrones of Lismaria and West Ashwynd, daughter of Olivia of Ongalia. Get on your knees, dog.”

  The soldier's eyes widened as he glanced back at his fallen companions. He hesitated, but as Ayden's weapon pressed urgently on his chest, he dropped to one knee, bowing his head. “Aye, I can see her father’s eyes now. My sincerest apologies, Your Grace.” He stood, backing onto the drawbridge. “If you will accompany me, I will take you to King Bennjan himself. I am certain he will wish to meet you.”

  Kinna glanced at Ayden as she bypassed him. She nodded, hardly more than a twitch of her chin, but Ayden's expression relaxed into a half-smile.

  Kinna swallowed and turned away. She would take care of that later. Right now, she had a country to convince to go to war.

  The walk up the hill toward King Bennjan's palace was steep and winding; it curved in hairpin paths lined with houses clear to the top. The houses jutted outward from the hill, descending in importance and magnificence, so that the hovels and shanties huddled along the wooden walls of the city.

  Kinna had wished to bring the Dragons into the city, but the guard had apologetically informed her that because of the many wood structures, Dragons were barred from entry. Still, she wished Chennuh could have accompanied her.

  The guard led them up the stairs onto the terrace that wrapped around the vaulted palace. Curtains wafted at the entrance. The guard stopped them. “King Bennjan is in session with his nobles today. I will tell him you seek an audience with them, but I must ask you to leave your weapons at the door.”

  Jakkob's jaw tightened, and he gripped the hilt of one of his swords tightly. “There is no call—”

  “Tell the King we will do as he asks,” Kinna said. She stared at Jakkob, returning his furious gaze until he at last drew his weapons and tossed them onto the terrace with a clatter—his swords, both daggers, his bow, and his quiver.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?” she asked.

  “I'd hate to say,” he snapped, turning his back on her and folding his arms.

  Ayden tossed his sword and dagger onto the pile, and then Hazel and Kinna each reached for the daggers at their belts and did the same. Kinna hadn't been sure if she should wear court-dress to appear before the King of Ongalia, but neither was traveling in a gown on a Dragon's back very practical. She had opted for her leather breeches and tunic belted at the waist.

  The guard bowed his thanks and entered through the curtain. The wind whipped around them at the top of the hill. Far below, Kinna could see the glint of mirrored scales on the other side of the River Trifecta where Chennuh an
d Luasa curled together on the ground, waiting for her return. Kinna could read Chennuh's thoughts; the Dragon was impatient. This will be short, she thought. I hope.

  Footsteps returned at a rapid clip, and the guard stood before them. “Please, enter. King Bennjan is most intrigued.”

  Kinna and Ayden led the way through the curtain, along a wide corridor, and into a spacious and vaulted room supported by oak beams and wood-grained walls. An elderly man—her grandfather, Kinna thought nervously—sat on a throne, his crown on his graying head, his gaze affixed to Kinna's face. No warmth exuded from his expression, though a glint of curiosity lit his iron gray eyes. Kinna wiped her sweaty palms on her breeches, gathering her courage. So he wasn't pleased to see her, but he hadn't yet turned her away.

  On either side of his throne, nobles spanned outward, each of them watching the newcomers, each with hands clasped behind their backs. Kinna did a quick head-count. Thirty in all, as Helga had said. According to Lanier, each noble lord commanded at least eight-hundred to several thousand men—if she were successful, she could add significantly to Lanier's lacking numbers. She wondered which one was Lord Adrian Fellowes.

  A man near the end of the line of nobles with salt and pepper hair and a goatee—and a lurid red scar that ran the length of one side of his face—offered her an uncertain smile. Her gaze lingered on him; she wondered if he were Lord Fellowes.

  “Your Grace,” Kinna bowed deeply, suddenly wishing she had decided on full court-dress. She straightened to her full height. “I am Kinna Andrachen of West Ashwynd, daughter of Queen Olivia Andrachen of Lismaria. I come in peace, and... to seek aid.”

  The King slowly stood, his expression opaque. “Kinna Andrachen. We have heard much of you; rumors fly fast through the mountains and rivers of these countries of ours.”

  “Aye,” Kinna said. “I am not surprised.”

  “Approach me, Kinna Andrachen.”