by Naomi Sparks
Or maybe it's because she's nothing like Rota, the woman I'd loved. It would be hard to find a woman like her, a woman who could match my strength in battle. It nearly killed me when I lost her, and even if Faith isn't my woman, I'll be damned if I would lose her, too. I make a silent vow to protect her as best I can until we part ways, at least.
"What's your plan now?" I ask. I honestly have no idea what Lex's plans with her are, but I want to hear what she wants. After all, this is her life, and she deserves a say in what happens next. Otherwise, we're no better than Amasis, and I'm determined not to be anything like that bastard.
"I... I don't know. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I mostly just want to get out of here, get as far away from Seattle and The Clutch as I can. Then, I'll figure it out from there, I guess."
I nod, keeping my eyes on the cooking meat in front of me. I want her to stay with us, to stay with me, but I don't say that out loud. I don't want her to freak, to think she has no choice. Because she does have a choice. It's her life, and after everything she's been through, she deserves to live it anyway she chooses. I just hope she'll choose to live it with us.
"Where are you from?" she asks, surprising me. "I can't quite place your accent."
It's such a simple, innocent question. It's not one I'd expected from someone like her. Does she really care? Or is she just trying to make small-talk to pass the time? Either way, there's no reason not to tell her. "I've been all over the world, but I was born in what's modern day Scandinavia."
Faith nods, smiling slightly. "You look like a Viking, you know."
"Good. I was a Viking." I look over at her and winked. "I was a slave for a long time too, so I know your pain," I admit to her. "I know what it's like to never want to go back to that world. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't end up back there."
Faith keeps her head down, but I can see her eyes flick over to me briefly. She's smiling slightly now, for the first time since she arrived. And it's a smile that nearly melts my heart. "Thank you," she says, and I can feel the sincerity behind those two simple words.
Footsteps reach my ears, and I look over in time to see Lex coming downstairs, looking like he'd literally just rolled out of bed. He grinned as he took a deep inhale. "God, that smells amazing!" he declares as he walks into the kitchen.
He doesn't even ask to help. He just walks over and starts getting dishes and silverware out. Conversation slows to a stop now that Lex is here, but I don't mind. Just standing next to Faith, knowing she's no longer terrified of us, is enough for me. Besides, I know she'll open up once she gets more comfortable with Lex and the others.
I remember how little I trusted people when I was first freed. It'll take time, but I'm willing to be patient. And I know the others will be, too. None of us are fans of Amasis and his methods. We'll all do what we can to help Faith get through this.
Soon, the kitchen is filled to the brim with people as everyone jostles around, trying to get their share of food. It's a mad house, and I can see Faith shrink away from the mass of people, and I can't help but chuckle. There's definitely not going to be an easy, slow settling-in process for her. She's been thrown right into the thick of it, and I hope she's good at adapting.
"So," Lex says once we all have food. The table isn't nearly big enough for everyone, so we're all spread out on every available surface in the kitchen area. Most of the guys are already stuffing their faces, while the girls eat at a more restrained, civilized pace. "What can you tell us about the compound where Amasis kept you?"
I see Faith flinch, even from across the room. I have to bite my tongue to keep from rushing over to her and wrapping my arms around her body. I know it can't be easy to talk about the place where you've been held captive. Even after centuries, I don't like thinking of the place I was kept as a slave. But Faith tightens her lips into a line and powers through her discomfort.
"It's... It's like a fortress. It seems to be nearly impossible to get in or out without them knowing. That's why I'd had to wait until Leon took me out on our date before I could escape." She takes a deep breath, then shakes her head. "It's like some stereotypical villain’s fortress, like you’d see in a movie. It's even on a small island in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca."
Yeah, that sounds just like Amasis. The only thing that overpowers his tremendous strength is his ego. He knows he's powerful, and he wants everyone else to know it, too. Which is how he's been able to keep an iron grip on most of Dragonkind. One day we'll be free from him, and I can't wait until that day finally comes.
It's quiet for a moment as everyone mulls over what she said. A few of the guys are exchanging looks, and I wish I had her power. It would be so much easier to communicate if we all know what we’re thinking.
"Are you planning to attack it?" Faith asks. Everyone looks up from their food at her words, gazes fixating on Lex. None of us are eager to face Amasis head on, especially not on his turf, but if Lex thinks it's our best shot, then we'll all follow him. The warrior inside me rears up, itching for a real fight. The scuffle with Leon hasn't done more than ignite that spark inside me.
I need something to sate it, though I’m not sure I want Amasis to be that something. At least not yet, not without a lot of planning and preparation.
But Lex shakes his head. Everyone lets out a breath, as if the tension was just suddenly sucked out of the room. "No, at least not right now. Maybe at some point in the future that will be part of the plan, but now isn't the time, I don't think."
Abruptly, Hannah asks a question. "Do you know anything about his breeding project?" Everyone turns to stare at her, but she just shrugs. "What? I had a flash of a vision, that's all."
Again, Faith flinches. I can see the color drain from her face and I know whatever she's seen in there must be bad. "Anyone they suspect might be compatible as a mother is brought to the compound and tested. If they're compatible, they're artificially inseminated, unless the woman has been claimed as the mate of a dragon. They don't... They really don't care about consent, either."
I can feel the anger radiating off everyone in the room as Faith gives the details she knows. They'd been apprehensive about attacking the stronghold only minutes ago. Now though, I can feel their urge to storm the castle and rip everyone in Amasis's crew to shreds because I feel it, too. But just as quickly as that anger builds up, it dissipates. Letting anger cloud our judgement will just lead to all of us getting killed.
Anger was a useful tool, a powerful one, but none of us could afford to let it control us. We had to keep calm, keep our heads clear. It's how we've survived this long.
The thing that didn't go along with what we'd heard from Bo was the mortality rate. "Two-thirds?" Lex asks, his mouth hanging agape.
Faith lets out a sigh and nods. I can see the pain in her eyes and know she doesn't want to be talking about any of this. "Yes. About two thirds of the pregnancies result in either a miscarriage or the death of the mother." Faith's voice is low, almost a whisper. But in the silence of the room, we can all hear it loud and clear.
Lex reaches out and pulls Hannah into his arms protectively as the others all watch Faith with worried looks. It sure sounds like dragons mixing with mortals is risky, riskier than we'd imagined.
"Do they have anything to keep the mothers healthy? Drugs or something like that?" Lex asks. Even I can hear the hopefulness in his voice. I can't help but feel the same hope inside me. Sure, Hannah gets on my nerves on occasion, but she's still a valuable member of our clutch, one I don't want to lose. Nor do I want her to have to go through the pain of losing a child before it's even born. Miscarriages had been common in humans ages ago, but even then it was never easy on the families.
Faith frowns and shrugs. Her shoulders slump now, as if the conversation had zapped most of her energy. "I don't know, I'm sorry. Almost everything I know I've gotten second hand."
Lex nods, then turns to the guys. "We need to think this over. Do we make an attack on the stronghold? S
ee what kind of information we can get out of it?"
As everyone starts throwing opinions out, Faith slips away from the table. No one seems to notice her leave. Or if they do, they let her. I wait a moment, then follow her into the living room. She's sitting on the couch again, legs drawn up against her chest, head resting on her knees. Something is really bothering her, and I have a feeling it's more than just dredging up memories.
I sit down next to her, resisting the urge to pull her against me. We're not quite that close yet, and I don't want to push things. "Are you okay?"
Faith nods, but she doesn't say anything. She just keeps her eyes forward, staring off into nothingness.
"Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?" Mentally, I kick myself. Could that sound any stupider? She's probably just going to tell me to go away, since it's not like she knows me all that well. If something really is bothering her, then she doesn't really have any reason to talk to me.
"I'm okay, really." She turns and tries to smile at me, but I can tell it's forced. "I'm just worried about Hannah, that's all. Pregnancy isn't easy even without the complications of mixing blood."
I blink at her a few times, wondering how she knows Hannah is pregnant. It's not something we talk about, since none of us really want to upset her over a topic we don't know little about. "How did you know Hannah's pregnant? She's not showing yet."
Faith lets out a sigh. She tightens her grip around her legs and keeps staring straight ahead. I sit there and wait though, knowing she'll either talk to me or she won't. There isn't much point in pushing the issue too hard.
"It's my power," she says at last. "I could hear her and Lex both thinking about it. They're worried, worried something is going to happen to either her or their baby."
"So you really can read minds." It's a scary idea, knowing she can root around inside our heads without our consent. But at the same time, I don't feel any danger from her. I doubt she'll hurt us, though I'm not sure I should trust that instinct.
Faith nods. She's still not looking at me, but she doesn't have a death grip on her legs anymore. Slowly, she's opening up, bit by bit. "Amasis found my power useful. He'd have me listen in on discussions from behind a curtain, feeding him information through a communication link.” She shudders, and I can tell she feels guilty about having helped him. "Or he'd have me sit in on interrogations. Even when you're actively trying to conceal your thoughts, it's hard to keep them from slipping out when someone is beating you senseless."
Fuck, I think to myself. It must've been excruciating to witness all torture and be unable to stop it. When Faith looks over at me, she has such a sad look on her face. She looks right on the verge of tears, but at the same time, now that she's opened up, it's like she can't help but keep going.
"It was horrible. Any time Amasis thought someone was hiding something from him, he'd bring me in. I was his little trump card, there to make sure no one betrayed him."
"You actually helped that bastard?" Ezra’s voice cuts through the room. It’s only then that I realize the guys are no longer talking amongst themselves. They are all standing there listening now, hearing every word Faith just told me.
I turn and glare at them, especially Ezra. She was just beginning to open up, and now that he's opened his big mouth, she shuts right back down. Her arms wrap tight around herself again, her eyes go hard.
It's not like she'd had any choice but to help Amasis. Despite her power, she's still only human. What human could stand up against a dragon, especially one so powerful as Amasis? She would have been suicidal to fight him.
But Ezra apparently doesn't see it that way. He keeps glaring at her, yelling at her for helping him, treating her like she is our enemy, "Don't you know how many people he's killed? Why would you do anything for him? Why not just escape? Or find someone else, to help take him down?"
Faith jumps up off the couch and stares him down. "You don't know anything!" she shouts, her voice echoes off the walls. Everyone stares at her, stunned. "You don't know what it's like, being stuck with that monster, day in and day out. You don't know the hell I've been through. Maybe you should think about that instead of blaming me for everything he's done!"
The others back away a step, wanting no part in this fight. All except Ezra, who doesn't realize he' being an idiot. He stands his ground, even as Faith berates him, taking out all of her pent-up anger and rage on him.
"You think you're so big and tough, I'd like to see you fight him. Y'all sit here in this cozy house, talking about going up against him, but you don't have the slightest idea what he's capable of!" She turns so that her back is facing us, then lifts her shirt, showing us her bare back. It's covered in dozens of crisscrossing scars that could only come from one thing - a whip.
For a long moment, my heart completely stops beating. All I can do is stand there and stare at the scars, unable to comprehend them as my brain shuts down. Then, she yanks her shirt back into place and turns to glare at Ezra, who is now silent.
"That's what happened the last time I tried to escape. Amasis doesn't take kindly to people who betray him or try to leave." Tears streams down her face, but she doesn't stop, probably doesn't even notice them. She's too worked up, everything she'd repressed for so long finally comes to the surface. "What do you think he'll do this time, huh? I'm too important for him to kill, so that's off the table. Maybe he'll just break my legs, or cut them off entirely, so I can never possibly escape."
The entire room is silent. Everyone is too stunned to say a word as we listen to her rant. None of us want to stop her or get in the way of her wrath. Once she stops, Ezra speaks again. "I'm sorry," he says simply, his eyes downcast.
But as Ezra feels humbled, the anger flares up inside me again. How dare Amasis do that to her, how dare he kidnap and torture a woman just to further his own agenda? Now, more than ever, I want to go in there and rip his head off.
I turn to Lex, fighting to keep my anger under control. "We should strike at his stronghold now, while we have the chance. He doesn't know we're here and probably thinks he's invincible inside that place. That'll give us the advantage we need. We could end all of this, here and now. Take out Amasis and the rest of the council, free Dragonkind from his rule."
Everyone starts speaking all at once. Lex stands with his arm around Hannah and listens to everyone. I'm not sure how he can do it without going crazy, but he nods and considers everything thrown at him.
It's not until Faith speaks up again, her voice cuts through everyone else's, that everyone stops talking. "The council isn't likely to be there. They rarely all stay in the same place, unless they have a meeting. They travel to different strongholds to avoid having their power consolidated in one place."
I let out a huff, knowing that's a smart plan for them. It would be too easy for them to lose their stranglehold on the population if they risked being wiped out at once. Dragons are not invulnerable. A strategic strike could still wipe them out and cost them their position of power.
Which is exactly what I was hoping for. Still, there was likely to be a handful of the council there, along with Amasis. It would be a good, strong blow if we could take them out. It could weaken the council enough to make them easy to take on. Even if we just got Amasis, we could rally his dragons to our cause and systematically take out the remaining council members one by one.
"The only way you'd be able to get them all would be if you found some way to lure them to the stronghold. Even then, your window would be short. They don't stay together long before going their own ways again."
Lex nods as he absorbs her words. I can almost see the gears in his head turning as he thinks everything over. Finally, he speaks, and everyone listens. "It's too risky to attack there right now. There are benefits, but there are huge risks, as well." He tightens his grip on Hannah, and I notice Faris does the same with Kyra.
He's not wrong, either. The risk for us dragons is going to be high, but it'll be even worse for the women. They don't have our strengt
h, our endurance. I could easily get both of them killed. Lex and Faris aren't going to be eager to do something that puts their mates at risk, and I can't blame them.
"A small-scale recon mission to gather intel would be one thing, but a full-scale assault is another," Lex continues. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I need to give this more thought. Even if I decide an attack is our best course of action, we won't do it right away. We'll need a plan, one that gives us the best chance of success."
Frustration wells up inside me, overpowering the anger from before. I understand what Lex is saying and even agree with him. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to get in there and teach Amasis a lesson for what he did to Faith. He doesn't deserve another day of life, doesn't deserve the safety of that stronghold any longer.
It’s time the council understands what it’s like to run for their lives, to live every day in fear they might be discovered.
4
Faith
The guys take their discussion to another part of the house, leaving me alone on the couch. I sit there for a long while, just staring at the front door. I want to get up and just walk away and never look back, but my legs refuse to move. Where would I go anyway? It isn't like I know anyone around here, and even if I did, they'll easily be tracked down by Amasis and his men, and they'll drag me right back to him.
I don't have any money or possessions either, so I'd be stuck walking or hitchhiking to get away from here. That idea doesn't really appeal to me, but then, it is better than going back to Amasis. Hell, anything is better than going back to him.
I let out a sigh and place my hands on my stomach. It's been six weeks. Six long, brutal weeks since the artificial insemination procedure. Soon, I'll have the symptoms, start feeling nauseous all the time and all the other side-effects women experience when they're pregnant. Even if I'm one of the lucky ones and don't have the severe issues some women have, the upcoming months are not going to be fun.
