Embrace the Fire Page 27

  “No, Julian.”

  “Yes, Kinna. You obviously can't come with the army—”

  “And why not?”

  “You can't follow the accursed orders, now, can you?” Julian thundered. “You were ordered to wait in camp. You broke that. Now, I'm ordering you to go home. Get on your Dragon and leave!” His nostrils flared. Kinna glared at him.

  Julian pulled in several sharp breaths, squeezing his eyes closed. When he reopened them, he brushed a hand over her cheek, moving close and kissing her forehead. “I love you, Kinna.” He squeezed her hands briefly and was gone.

  “He wasn't wrong, you know.” Ayden's voice whipped Kinna's head around. He slid from Luasa's back, his hand resting on the Dragon's scales. “You wanted to go back.”

  “Yes, but after I found Cedric.”

  “Leave Cedric to me,” Ayden said. “I'll find him. I promise.”

  Kinna licked her lips to tell him she could find her own brother, but Ayden interrupted her. “In the meantime, I want you to come meet Commander Jerrus.”

  “Who is Commander Jerrus?” Kinna asked.

  “An excellent question.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ayden

  Ayden led the way along the river to where the trees gapped and the sky spread above them. “Jerrus wants to meet with you up there. See that stony outcropping?” He pointed. “If you take Chennuh to the crest north of us, Jerrus waits at the treeline.”

  Kinna pulled Chennuh down to climb on his back, but Ayden remained standing. She raised her brows. “Aren't you coming?”

  Ayden shook his head. “Linc must have followed Julian.” He gestured behind Kinna.

  The Pixie appeared between two trees and approached, dodging Chennuh as the Dragon snapped playfully at him. He scrambled away, scowling. “I'll make a Dragon filet out of you yet,” he threatened.

  Flames left Chennuh's mouth, singeing the ground where Lincoln had stood only a moment before.

  “Chennuh,” Kinna reproved.

  The Dragon swung his head around, slowly lowering it until his muzzle touched the ground. Kinna crossed the open space and scratched between his nostrils. “I know you like that, you beggar.” She leaned down to kiss his scales.

  Ayden's mouth tightened as the late afternoon sun kindled her hair. He swallowed his longing against a dry throat. “The Stars guide you and keep you, Kinna.” The common parting blessing stuck, coming out more roughly than he intended. He back-stepped toward Luasa.

  “Please, Ayden, please come with us.”

  Ayden's emotions raged inside of him. Half of him wanted to leave and never see her again. If she believed Julian had healed her in the woods, she deserved the wretched Pixiedimn and his lies. The other half remembered the chord of fear in her voice when she spoke of her father in Sebastian's dungeons.

  His gaze moved back to her. Her beauty stabbed him yet again, along with the urge to help her, despite his jealousy, despite her insistence on honoring the ill-favored betrothal.

  Spawn.

  Had Kinna told Julian about her hope to ignite a rebellion against Sebastian? Would Julian support that? Ayden no longer trusted the Pixiedimn.

  “Please?” Kinna's voice had a catch in it that he just couldn't resist.

  “All right,” Ayden heard himself say. “But only through the talk with Jerrus. Then I'm off.”

  “Where will you go?”

  Ayden shrugged. “You said you wanted to find Cedric. Jerrus has excused me from my position in the army; I will begin searching for him.”

  Her face flushed, with pleasure, he thought—or hoped—but he wasn't sure. “Shall we go?” He turned for Luasa, but Kinna stopped him again.

  “Thank you.” Profound simplicity wove her words.

  “For what?”

  “For—seeing what is important to me and—and helping. It means a lot.”

  Ayden nodded in a single jerk and scrambled onto Luasa's back, settling between her familiar fins. She snorted a fireball at his boots, which he'd once thought showed her irritation, but after psuche, he knew it was a sign of affection.

  Kinna had pulled Lincoln onto Chennuh's back, the Pixie protesting the whole way, and now the Dragon beat its heavy wings, lifting into the air. Luasa followed, nosing the wind and sliding into the air-stream behind Chennuh, angling toward the rocky outcropping where Jerrus waited.

  The rocks were even larger than they appeared from afar. A massive, fifty-span rock wall dropped into trees on the forest floor, and on top of the cliff, a small clearing led into the woods again.

  Chennuh landed first, scrabbling his talons on the stony edges to slow his momentum. Ayden guided Luasa to land beside her mate. Her footing was surer than Chennuh's.

  Ayden slid from Luasa's back, motioning for her to lower her head. She did, and he quickly twisted the topmost fin. She completely disappeared. Kinna, following his example, did the same. Lincoln shuddered as he hit the ground. “Someday, Kinna, please just travel by land.” He paused with a sideways glance where the Dragons stood, invisible. “You've stopped my heart a few times too many.”

  “Buck up, Pixie,” Ayden muttered good-naturedly as he passed him. “This way, Kinna.”

  “How do you know where to find him?”

  “Prior arrangements. When he lectured me for desertion, he also let me go with the understanding that I was to bring you here.”

  “I don't understand. What does he want with me?”

  “You'll see.” Ayden brushed by her. “I think you'll find it interesting, at least.” He hoped, at any rate, that she might consider the Commander's strategic proposal.

  Kinna cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. “All right, lead the way,” she said. The three of them entered the cover of the deep, dark boughs. This high on the mountain, the trees felt older, more mysterious, and magic seemed to coat the depths of the forest and the leaves.

  They wended along needle-rich carpets until they rounded a bend where a spring bubbled from a circle of moss-covered rocks. A man sat on the stones, poking a stick into the spring. A Dryad leaned against a nearby tree, talking to him.

  When they moved into the man's line of sight, the Dryad quickly slid inside the tree, and the man nodded. His heavy brown mustache drooped over his lips, and his hair was slicked back, wet with water or grease or both. Emblazoned on his mantle was West Ashwynd's red and gold crest, and Commander's stripes underlined the symbol.

  “Commander,” Ayden saluted.

  Jerrus stood. “Ayden, lad, it's good to see you here. I thought you were off?”

  “Yes, Commander, I was, but Kinna asked me to accompany her.”

  “Ah.” He smiled at Kinna. “And what a beautiful woman asks, she usually receives.”

  Kinna's eyes flashed. “What did you want with me?” Ice coated her words.

  Ayden hid a smile. The Commander should have known better.

  Jerrus sketched a bow. “Apologies. I meant no offense.” He gestured to the rocks. “Will you have a seat, my lady?”

  Kinna sank onto a rock, her back stiff as a rod. The Commander stood in front of her, his arms folded.

  “Where is his entourage?” Lincoln whispered to Ayden. “Surely, a Commander wouldn't come here alone.”

  Ayden shook his head. “I don't believe he wants Sebastian to know about this meeting.” He nodded at the Dryad who leaned against his tree. “He invited only those he trusts.”

  Jerrus smoothed his mustache. “I understand that you have a plan, my lady.”

  “A plan?”

  “Perhaps I am being too direct.” Jerrus paced away, his hands clasped behind his back. After a moment, he turned to face her again. “I have heard there is someone, or someones, who might be interested in reinstating the old kingdom and the old ways.”

  “Aarkan's kingdom?” Kinna asked. “My—Liam's kingdom?”

  “That name is treasonous, my lady, and best not used in either Lismaria or West Ashwynd.”

  “I see.” Kinna toyed with her cl
oak. “Then what would you say to such a person, if there were one?”

  “I would say that if that person cared about history, if that person were a symbol of the hope to end tyranny, if that person were willing to lead the people into peace—long, long sought-after peace, I would say that I would do everything in my power to help such a person, and,” he crouched before Kinna, looking her directly in the eye, “as a member of Sebastian's military Council, I can tell you, I have a good bit of sway in the government.”

  He glanced back at Ayden with a significant look. “I'm also not alone.”

  “What do you mean? Is the King's entire government against him?”

  Jerrus shook his head. “Not everyone. Many feed like parasites on the power he gives them, and they mistakenly believe that he will continue to favor them if they maintain their loyalty.” He frowned. “Not I. I have seen his about-faces too often to expect that he will stay in one frame of mind.” He went on. “I understand from my spies that you plan to find your brother?”

  Ayden leaned against a nearby tree, crossing his arms, appreciating the view of Kinna as she took the measure of the Commander.

  “Yes, but...” Kinna motioned to Ayden, and Jerrus turned to him.

  “I've suggested, Commander, that she return to West Ashwynd, and gather those willing to begin to give hope where she can, and to organize in Sebastian's absence. It is a prime opportunity with Sebastian's forces cut in half.” Ayden glanced at Kinna, sliding his brows up in question. Oddly enough, he didn't know what she'd chosen to do. Normally, he understood her better than she understood herself, but she'd been especially distant since the Oracle's prophecy.

  Jerrus nodded. “It's a good plan, my lady. Sebastian did not leave many of those loyal to him behind. The ones he trusts the most, he keeps the closest. The leftovers in his castle, I think, can be persuaded.”

  Jerrus motioned to the Dryad in his tree. The lad stepped forward with a slight bow. “Commander?”

  “Have you word on the whereabouts of the Dragon-Master?”

  The Dryad looked uncomfortable. “I'm not supposed to say; the trees punish us if we give too much information—”

  “Just tell me—is the boy with Nicholas Erlane?”

  The Dryad stroked the bark of his tree. Indecision flickered in his eyes. After a moment, he nodded. “Aye, my lord, he arrived at the castle and has been contained inside.”

  Kinna sucked in a sharp breath, and Ayden pushed away from his tree. “What do you mean? Is he a prisoner? Does Nicholas Erlane keep him in his dungeons?”

  The Dryad glanced at Ayden before swinging his gaze to Kinna. “I cannot say.” Without another word, he disappeared into his tree.

  Ayden straightened. “I will go seek out the Dragon-Master, Commander. If a coup is truly to happen, Kinna and Cedric will need to join together.”

  “Aye, I agree.” Jerrus nodded. “Liam's twins, a symbol of hope together. I doubt if many of those loyal to the King will hold back with both of his bloodline ready to take West Ashwynd. It is not a coup, but rather, a restoration.”

  “Perhaps they can restore Lismaria as well,” Lincoln ventured. “The country is theirs by rights.”

  Jerrus pinned the Pixie with a flinty gaze. “Not Lismaria. And we will leave it at that.”

  An insidious dread crept into Ayden's mind. He'd known that Jerrus did not love Sebastian. But he did not know whom the Commander truly served. That last comment troubled him.

  Jerrus turned to Kinna. “In the meantime, get what start you can on gathering support among the Dimn and creatures of West Ashwynd. I will stay with Sebastian and will send word of any movement he makes.”

  “Are you the only one—who feels this way?” Kinna asked the Commander. “Within Sebastian's inner Council, I mean?”

  “I dare not say, my lady, although I regret denying you anything you ask of me. There is too much at stake to bandy about careless words.”

  The Commander bowed and left the clearing. Ayden turned to go, but Kinna's voice interrupted him. “I guess it's goodbye for a time, then.”

  Ayden halted. “So it seems.”

  The light filtering through the forest leaves and across her hair gave her the appearance of a wood sprite or a fairy. The color was high in her cheeks and she tried to speak, twice, but both times, the words died on her lips.

  Fire twisted in Ayden's fingers; it seemed to feed from his heart, and instead of raging out of control, feeding on his fears, it leaped in time to every emotion that passed through him. His heart was alive with fire for her. He stifled it and nodded to Lincoln.

  “Take care of her,” he told the Pixie.

  “I do my best.” Lincoln held out a hand, and Ayden gripped the Pixie's forearm firmly. “She's no longer solely my responsibility.”

  Ayden's brows arched in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “I should think it was obvious,” Linc chided with a half-grin.

  Of course, it was. Ayden's heart belonged to Kinna, along with his allegiance and any protection he could offer her. His love was not nearly enough. When she became queen, he would fade into memory—a man who had once touched her heart, leaving an impression of a dream and nothing more. But he would always serve her.

  Pain lanced his chest as he faced Kinna. “Good-bye, Your Grace.” He swept a low bow before striding through the woods toward the rock ledge and Luasa, pulling himself onto her back. The she-Dragon knew what was coming—she always did—and while a large part of her protested leaving her mate, she willingly lifted into the air, carrying him into the brilliant blue of the sky.

  He left his heart behind on the ground.

  * * *

  The wind was cold, and Ayden inched farther up Luasa's neck to the fin at the top. He twisted it, turning both of them completely invisible, and clung to the heated scales as Luasa carried him over the highest peaks of the Marron Mountains. The land creased in deep ridges and steep drops into the heart of the valley below where the massive castle lay.

  He had never visited ClarenVale when he lived in Lismaria as a boy, but he'd heard tales of the enormous gates, the huge turrets, and the sheer size. A city lived within ClarenVale's walls—walls that were spans thick and lengths high, nearly impenetrable to enemies.

  Ayden wondered, How under the Stars does Sebastian think he will conquer it?

  “Let's not go down just yet, Luasa.” The sun had begun to set on the horizon, and the pink of dusk made the mountains glow in the glare from its gold. It was quiet and cold, but Ayden's inner warmth and Luasa's heated scales beneath him made it bearable.

  Ayden sprawled close to her tail where her fins were fewer and smaller, his limbs hanging down on either side of her, his chin propped on the scaly ridge that lined her back.

  Sadness swept through Luasa, so strong, it hit Ayden like a punch in the gut. The Dragon missed her mate and fought the urge to turn west to him.

  “I know,” Ayden murmured. “I miss them, too.”

  A flash of fire jolted him upright, and he moved forward until he straddled Luasa's neck again. He strained to see in the gathering darkness, searching the castle below, the turrets and parapets, the battlements that lined the fortress walls.

  There it was again. It came from what looked like a typical Dragon-training arena, open to the air above, with tethered Dragons flying. The one that had caught his attention was an Ember who flew in and out of an overhang, appearing in the night air and then disappearing beneath the stonework. Even as high as Ayden was, he could still hear the heavy clank of chains around the beast's legs.

  It angered him, more than it ever had before. When he had worked in the arena at Dragon Hollow, he'd been numbed to the majestic creatures' painful captivity. It had been normal, and though he'd felt sorry for the Dragons, he'd been too downtrodden himself to consider their plight. Sebastian, uncaring in his majestic throne room, wished only for trained creatures in battle, and he issued his harsh commands to his Dimn with little thought for the screams of the b
easts that echoed through the Dragon keep. To protect himself, Ayden had deadened his pain behind blind obedience.

  Until Kinna.

  Kinna had changed that, kindling a flame in his blind depths, lighting his passion for justice and freedom, giving him a light by which to see.

  “Luasa, go lower.” He guided the Dragon toward the parapets, surveying the guards standing at attention along the castle walls and the citizens wandering through various courtyards outside of the kitchens and the weapons rooms. ClarenVale put Sebastian's castle in The Crossings to shame. No wonder the King hungered for his old home.

  It was his own fault that he had lost it in the first place. Treachery rarely paid for itself.

  Luasa landed on the battlements outside the Dragon arena, between two sets of guards who stood fifty spans apart, one of each set facing the eastern mountains outside the castle, the others facing the arena.

  When Luasa arrived, all four guards jerked their gazes toward Ayden, but Luasa had landed on the wall instead of the walkway and did not block their vision. As Luasa's shimmering scales were cloaked in invisibility, the guards did nothing more than search for something amiss.

  Ayden waited for the next time the Ember emerged from the overhang. He didn't have to wait long.

  With a rush of swirling, stifling air, the Ember appeared between the ceiling beams of the arena, flying upward as far as his tether-chain would allow. On his head, prominent and recognizable, was the crooked fin that set him apart from every other Ember Ayden had ever seen.

  Ayden searched the arena floor. Several Dimn worked with their Dragons, but he could see no sign of the auburn-haired Dragon-Master.

  The soldiers on either side of him were making Luasa nervous. One of them shouted to the others, and two of them jogged forward to meet in the middle, directly in front of Luasa.

  Ayden clutched the Dragon's neck. The ground outside.

  Luasa left the wall, silently, as swiftly as a bird in flight. The soldiers never even noticed.

  When she descended half a fieldspan from the wall behind the first row of trees, Ayden slid from her back. His body reappeared as soon as he lost contact with the Dragon's scales.