by Jada Fisher
“Punished? For what?”
“That, I don’t know, but it has to do with the rotted dragon. I think, somehow, he claimed her too, and that…um, she betrayed someone, somehow.”
“Well, not exactly super informative, but it’s a start.”
I nodded. “Yeah, a start that we need, because she’s made it very apparent that she’s not going to stop coming for me unless the entire city dies. And we just spent a considerable amount of energy making sure that didn’t happen, so I’d prefer not to ruin all our efforts.”
“So what you’re saying,” Mal groused, “is that we’re on a timer between two ancient beings that both want you in not-so-great ways.”
“Yup.” I did my best to smile, but I probably looked very scared. Because I was. I could feel fear coursing through me more and more as I woke up. “The clock’s ticking, my friends. If we want to stop all of this, we’re going to have to take the fight to the anti-humanist dragons.
“While I’ve still got time.”
Trial and Fire
Dragon Oracle, Book 6
1
Surprise, the Boogey Man is Real and so is Everything Else
I sighed as I looked at the television, which was running on some sort of emergency network. The signal couldn’t get out of the city, not with the shield that I had put up, but it was concerning enough.
It made me wish I could slip back into sleep and pretend like the world wasn’t turning upside-down and inside-out. After the battle in the city, I had pretty much slept for almost three days straight, only waking up to use the restroom and eat and make sure that my shield hadn’t suddenly disappeared in a flash of light while I was unconscious.
It hadn’t, luckily, but that didn’t stop the nightmares from creeping into my mind.
And boy, did they creep.
It was a strange thing, to need sleep so badly, to feel it wearing at my brain, body, and soul until I felt like I was just going to melt into an under-caffeinated, over-exhausted pile of sludge, but also to be incredibly afraid of what might happen every time I closed my eyes.
Would it be a nightmare? A vision? Would I return to the land of the rotted dragon and end up in his grip? Would it be the Grim Reaper again in the coffee shop?
Or would it be faces of the oracles that had been murdered while they were still children? None of the visions had told me what they looked like, and yet I had images in my head all the same. Sometimes they filled my dreams, asking for revenge. Sometimes, they begged for help. Other times, they just asked why I got to live and they didn’t.
I never had answers for them. I could rarely even speak. I would just stare into their doleful, sunken eyes and wonder the same thing. Why? Why me and not them? I wasn’t anything particularly spectacular. I wasn’t a genius. I wasn’t some fighting expert. I was just stubborn and highly protective of my friends.
So many people died, all day, every day. In violent ways. Terrible ways. Ways that I would wipe clean if given half the chance. And yet I was alive. I’d died. I’d literally felt the last of my life drain from my body as I spiraled into nothingness. I’d been stuck in the miasma of time and space and dimensions for what felt like centuries until I’d been able to make heads or tails of all of it.
I had learned so much, but I felt like I barely had most of that information where I could reach it. I knew how to access the oracle magic that was in me much more than before. I had a sort of…sensitivity to the energies that were swirling around more and more.
But it was nothing like how it had been when I was orchestrating my resurrection. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there were whole chunks that I couldn’t remember. Apparently, I’d lead Krisjian around and set up steps to make sure they all met, but I could only recall bits and pieces, and even that grew less and less every time I woke up.
“Hey, how are we doing in here?”
I blinked, looking to Mickey as she leaned against the door. It wasn’t anything like my room in the dragon palace, but we weren’t in that bad of a place either.
It was still incredibly dangerous to travel between the city and the castle, with only covert dragon parties making emergency runs whenever the situation absolutely called for it. I was pretty sure that I could have made a run, but Bronn wouldn’t allow it.
It made me bristle that he told me what to do, but I also couldn’t blame him. He had left me alone for all of three minutes and I’d rushed to the city and almost gotten myself killed. It didn’t matter to him that I had saved the day, he was just so scared of losing me again.
Yet even though I knew he only did it because he cared and was worried, it still grated my every last nerve. It seemed the more into his world I got, the less I liked being told what to do.
Then again, I’d never been very good at following the rules.
“Just watching the news. They’re still trying to speculate what the flying creatures were and what the strange forcefield is surrounding the city.”
“Yeah, the theories are pretty funny considering it all literally happened right in front of their faces. Dragons. Magic. It’s really that simple.”
I nodded as Mickey came to sit next to me. “I’m worried about supplies. We’re cut off from a lot of things. Soon the rest of the world is gonna know what happened here.”
“But if you drop the shields, the anti-humanists are going to come pouring in.”
I groaned. “Yeah, that’s the crux. You’d think that modern amenities would help with siege warfare, but there’s just not enough farms within my shield or flying range to support everyone once the stores are picked clean.”
“It’s probably only a matter of time until riots start. Then all out destruction. The strong taking advantage of the week. Hording supplies. You know.”
I rested my head against my sister’s shoulder, feeling so exhausted even though I’d slept for nearly twenty-four hours. “I feel like we’re sitting on a powder keg and it can go off at any minute.”
“Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate statement.”
We were quiet for a long moment as we both watched the news. Maybe it was a bit ridiculous for two seers to rely on television for our updates, but Mickey’s abilities rarely laid within precognition, and my visions were scattered at best. Ever since dying, they really hadn’t been around unless directly prompted by something else. Maybe it was to balance out the swell in my protective abilities.
Who knew? There wasn’t exactly a manual I could read. And if there were, it would have been at the castle, and Bronn was decidedly not letting me travel there.
So instead, we were stuck with the news in the very first building that I had ever met him in. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and in a way, I guessed it was. Was I even that girl anymore? Technically, I was just a reanimated golem. But also not? It was complicated, like much of the magical world.
“Do you think he’ll be back soon?”
“Who?” Mickey asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“You know exactly who.”
“The prince?”
“Bronn.”
I could feel her shrug under where my head rested against her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
“…I think he’s too important to be risking his life making trips back and forth.”
“He’s the war leader of his people now. He needs to be there for them.”
“I guess so.” I sighed. I didn’t like the feeling of anxiety that built in my stomach. I just wanted everything to be over. I wanted to go back to my old life, but still have all my friends with me.
“We made breakfast. You losers want some?”
I looked back over the couch to see that Mal was standing in the doorway. As usual lately, every time I looked at her, I got a slight shock thinking it was Mallory standing there. I hadn’t seen Mallory since all of…that had happened, and I didn’t really want to.
I understood, in a way, needing a moment to gather thoughts. I even understood her needing a day
or two to digest the fact that her parents were murderers. But it’d been days since the attempted battle in the city, and as far as I knew, she’d made absolutely zero effort to contact us. To apologize. Anything. It was just…silence.
I knew I could reach out to her. But I also couldn’t. Her parents had killed my parents. They’d killed other people. Children. Babies. So many lives gone, because they were weak. Cowards. They purchased their daughter’s health with the blood of oracles and found that an appropriate price.
There was a weird bundle of emotions inside of me that I didn’t know what to do with. I couldn’t conflate the memories I had of Mallory defending me, of her going to bat for me, with the girl who pushed me back from her parents and defended them.
“Since when do you cook?” Mickey asked, standing up from the couch and pulling me with her.
“Since we’ve got nothing else to do around here. Apparently, death’s not coming after you for a bit, and Krisjian an’ I are trying to figure out where we fit in things now that your merry little core group is all, uh, screwy.”
“Core group? What?”
“You know, you two, the prince, and the other me.”
“That’s…” I sputtered a bit. “There’s no core group. You’re just as important to me as—”
“Pfft, save it. It’s not an insult, Davie. Just how things are. You never planned on having me come over from a different dimension, and now that Krisjian did everything you found him for, he’s a free agent too. It’s just how it is.”
Her tone was casual, flippant, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I hated feeling like I didn’t belong. Like I was some unwelcome part of a whole. Had I been doing that to people who were supposed to be my closest friends?
Yikes.
“That’s… That’s not how it is.”
“Whatever you say, oracle lady. You hungry or what?”
My stomach grumbled, and I headed downstairs with the others. There weren’t any servants around, all of them at the castle, but there were still a few soldiers who would occasionally check in with me like either doting uncles or suspicious worrywarts. Thankfully, we didn’t run into any of them until we hit the kitchen.
It wasn’t as nice or as impressive as the facilities at the castle, but that wasn’t exactly surprising. It was just a mansion, after all.
I rolled my eyes at myself. Since when was I ever in a position to think of something as just a mansion?
“Oh good, you are here!” Krisjian said as they stepped into the room. “I worried you were still sleeping.”
“I’m getting better about that. I feel like I’m almost back to normal. You know, whatever normal is.”
“I, uh, I do not know what is considered normal in your world in this day and age, but I am glad to hear you are returning to it.”
“Thanks, Krisjian.”
“Of course. Come on, sit down. Eat before it gets cold.”
I nodded, and soon we were all settled with plates of our own. It was a quiet sort of mood that fell over us, forks scraping against plates and appreciative sounds at the delicious fare. For being pretty new to cooking, it certainly wasn’t bad. It wasn’t five-star dining, but good, nonetheless.
We were almost done when I heard the telltale sound of wings flapping. I knew that noise without a doubt, and I got to my feet, dropping my fork.
“Go,” Mickey said with a sigh. “Say hi to your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I retorted automatically, without thinking.
“He isn’t?” Mal asked in surprise. “You could have fooled me.”
“I…” I didn’t know what to say to that. Yeah, we had kissed a couple of times. And I couldn’t deny that I felt things toward him I had never really felt before, but we’d never really put a label on things. Made a declaration of a relationship or anything. We were just two people who cared about each other deeply.
Very deeply.
“What are you waiting for?” Mickey said, saving me from my own thoughts. “Go to him. I’m sure he’ll be anxious to see you too.”
I gave her a nod then dashed up to the roof. I wasn’t sure what had made them fly to us—we were trying to be somewhat incognito—but I hoped it wasn’t anything bad…
Who was I kidding? It was always bad news.
2
Stolen Moments
I hadn’t even made it to the second floor before I heard a door burst open and someone rush down the stairs. I’d barely made it to the end of the hall when the figure came into sight.
Of course, it was none other than Bronn, looking tired and concerned and so worn that I just wanted to hold him until everything was alright.
Except alright was a long way off, so instead I contented myself with walking casually toward him. I didn’t want to overwhelm him or maybe embarrass him in front of his subjects. Although all my friends knew about…whatever was happening between us, that didn’t mean that his people did. Although I was certain that plenty already suspected it.
But it seemed that being calm was nowhere in Bronn’s agenda, because suddenly he was rushing me, throwing his arms around my body and practically crushing me to him. I let out a short, surprised breath, my cheeks quickly warming at how solid and strong his body felt pressed against my wider, softer one.
Oh geez, if my heart would just slow its roll, that would be awesome.
But it didn’t. And that was probably because Bronn picked me up and swung me around before setting me back on the ground. He wasn’t contented with that either, it seemed, because his hands came up to cradle my face and he looked me over.
“Are you alright? Did anything happen?”
I shook my head. “I’ve just been sleeping and trying to keep up to date on things. You usually drive the car through the city not to draw attention? What was with the wings?”
“There’s an intense storm that’s going to hit tonight. We used the thicker cloud cover so I could get here sooner.”
“Sooner? What’s the rush?”
He grimaced. “If I say it, I will sound stupid.”
I reached up and squeezed his arms, the moment between us feeling too tender for me to bear when I was so fragile. “That’s never stopped you before.”
“Hah, you’re right.” He leaned down and rested his forehead against mine, making my breath quicken. “I just needed to see you again. Hear your voice. Make sure you’re alright.”
“Geez, you act like I’m gonna go and die on you or something.”
“It’s not entirely out of your wheelhouse.”
“No, I suppose it’s not.”
I closed my eyes, unable to meet his gaze. Somewhere between confiding in him and kissing him and also saving an entire city, the bond between us had grown that much more. It made me feel pretty terrible just as much as it made me feel elated. Death was coming for me—we knew that much. What was I doing to Bronn by letting him think I was ever going to be able to stick around? It wasn’t fair to make him watch me die twice.
And yet I didn’t pull away from him. I let him press a tender kiss to my forehead before he straightened. “Would you want to go on a walk with me?”
“Is it safe to go outside?”
“We can’t leave the estate, no, so most likely just a walk to the gate and back. But…” He took a deep breath. “I just need to get out of this building. I need to think. And breathe.”
The stress that was so apparent in his tone made my heart ache. He carried so much weight on his shoulders and most of it was because of me.
“Yeah. I can do a walk. Let’s go.”
I looped my arm through his and we headed out. We were quiet, Bronn seeming to be in his head, and I was too busy observing his every move and expression to say much.
His face was still as handsome as ever, strong angles and kind eyes framed by ridiculously long lashes, but some of his boyish charm was gone. His cheeks were less full, his jaw more defined. And darkish circles were definitely forming under his normally bright gaze.
The war was weighing on him, of course, because war was heavy, but I wished I could lighten his burden.
Instead, I always seemed to be adding to it.
We made it out to the front yard without any disturbances, which was pretty rare for us, and started walking down the long drive. It drenched me in a strange sense of déjà vu, and I found myself marveling again at the difference between who I had been and who I had become.
“What are you thinking?” Bronn asked when we were about halfway down the drive.
“A lot of things.”
“Clarify?”
I shrugged. “Kinda stream of consciousness at this point. Remembering where I started, what’s happened, who we’ve all become, and what we’ve…discovered.” I sighed and felt my heart squeeze painfully. “I remember when my biggest stress was if we were gonna be able to pay the bills each month, and now it’s…it’s whether or not I’ve accidentally doomed the world.”
“Whoa, Davie. If anything, you’ve saved it.”
“Yeah, not so sure about that. I did just reveal magic and dragons to humans, which is supposed to be a big no-no.”
“What else were you supposed to do? Let them die?”
I shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
He stopped, his hands going to my arms again to force me to look at him. “Davie, what’s going on?”
“Why does anything have to be going on?”
“Davie.”
I sighed, and yet the feeling still didn’t alleviate anything within me. “I mean, nothing more than what was wrong a few days ago. I just can’t help but wonder if we’re making things worse or better.”
“You’ve been to a dimension where the anti-humanists were in control. You told me the horrors that were there. Do you think that we’re doing worse than that?”
“No,” I admitted slowly. “But… I don’t know if we’ve avoided that path either. We’ve managed to squeak ahead of Baelfyre and his superiors twice, but only because I’m a seer. In every other sense of the word, they’ve always been a step ahead of us.”
