Two bodies were pinned to the wall opposite with a spear through the neck, their mouths open in silent screams. The faces were all too familiar—the faces of the resistance, of Buddy and his floppy-haired companion. Sophia had known this would happen. They’d been caught and executed, but ... the power was still going to go off. So, fuck you, Gustov. Fuck you!
The Dreki let out another cold-blooded bellow.
Five meters away, suspended on a rack, weapons glinted in the sunlight. Jezebel, my beautiful baby, beckoned. My cell door clanged open. The dragon’s head whipped round, and I ran, legs pumping, arms swinging. Claws slashed, missing me by a hairbreadth, and then Jezebel was in my hand, and metal met ivory with a scrape that set my teeth on edge and pushed my back against the rack with the force of the impact. I rolled away, coming to stand on the other side of the beast.
The black Dreki swung its head to glare at me with fiery orange eyes. For a moment, it looked like it was grinning.
“Anya! Anya, it’s him. It’s Vesper!” Dante shouted from his cell.
The obsidian dragon’s head whipped up, and his eyes narrowed. He was pissed. Real pissed. And how the fuck could I know that?
Don’t hurt her. Dante’s voice was in my head. She’s important to me.
Why aren’t I surprised? a new voice said, smooth with a sarcastic lilt. And yet you allow her into the pit with me when I’m hungry.
I came to get you out.
No, you got yourself captured, that’s what you did, and now you’re trying to play the hero for the pretty girl. Typical Dante.
What the fuck was going on here?
Vesper lashed out, swiping with his lethal claws. I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting my head torn off.
“Easy. Damn.”
I’m not into going easy.
“Well, maybe it’s time to start.”
He paused in his attack. Did you just respond to me?
“Why? Are you used to being ignored?”
You can hear me.
She can hear you, Dante confirmed, his tone not as surprised as Vesper’s.
“I can hear you both.”
Don’t speak. Think, Dante instructed. His voice was a comforting presence in my mind.
I snapped my mouth closed. What the fuck did he mean by think? Like project my thoughts?
Yes, just like that, Vesper drawled. Well, Dante, this is interesting. I can almost forgive you for ignoring protocol and getting your arse captured. What have you found for us to play with?
My temper spiked at his overly familiar tone and the insinuation. I’m not a plaything.
The crowd was booing.
And then Vesper’s bellow of rage echoed in my head, joining the roar that erupted from his lethal jaws. They’d just activated his collar.
Bastards.
You need to give them a show, Dante said.
Vesper shook his head and began to advance, his horns gleaming wickedly in the sunlight. If it’s a show they want, then that’s what the fuck they’ll get. You ready to duck and dive, woman?
A grin tugged at my lips and I held out my hands, palms upward, and beckoned him. Let’s dance.
A chuckle erupted in my mind and then he was swiping at me. I leapt out of the way and rolled under him. Jezebel scraped against his underbelly, leaving a gouge.
Hey, some warning would be nice, he chided.
I could say the same to you.
Fine. Watch out for the tail sweep.
I jumped high over his thick tail and landed lightly on my feet. Move. Now. I swung Jezebel at his flank.
Vesper swung his body away from me just in time to avoid another scrape with my axe.
Oh, God. I can’t watch, Dante said.
You can’t look away, you mean, Vesper retorted, his voice a rumble in my mind.
He sounded like he was having fun, and it forced me to acknowledge the bubble of euphoria forming in my chest. The screams of encouragement from the crowd, some for me, some for Vesper, the sting of dirt and sand, the grit in my eyes, it all combined in an exhilarating cocktail that had the blood galloping through my veins. The next few minutes were all about the acrobatics. He attacked, I evaded. He lashed with his tail and I jumped, latched on, and went for a short flight, landing hard in the dirt and rolling to my feet. The crowd was lapping up this shit like it was a chocolate sundae, and man, it felt good.
“Now for a little fun,” the Blood commentator’s voice boomed.
With a clunk and a hiss, spikes appeared beneath Dante’s cage.
“Better hold on, Skin,” the commentator said.
Dante grabbed onto the bars just as the floor of the cage flipped open.
Fuck! There was a rope and hook hanging on the spikes. They expected me to help Dante by hooking and pulling the cage out of danger while Vesper was on my tail.
Vesper thrashed in pain again. He clawed at the ground. If he wasn’t Dante’s brother, there was no doubt he’d have ripped me to shreds by now just to make it stop, but he was holding out. I ran for the rope and hook and scooped them up. Two tries and I managed to get a high enough swing to latch onto the bars.
The crowd had begun to boo again, and behind me, Vesper was a thrashing mess as his body was dealt shock after shock via that damned collar.
Dammit, what time was it? When was the power due to go out? At least it would knock Vesper’s collar out and ... and the force field above us ... Oh, God. We weren’t trapped, because we had the perfect getaway vehicle as long as ... Vesper, can you carry me?
You want to ride me? he drawled.
How could he be so suggestive when under such duress?
It’s an art, Dante said. I can’t hold on much longer.
I pulled with all my might, and the cage swayed away from the spikes.
“Now!”
Dante dropped fifteen feet to the ground and landed in a crouch. Damn, he looked hot.
Really? Is that really appropriate? Vesper drawled.
Had I projected? And how could I sever the link?
I have no idea, Dante said. But we need to—
Sirens filled the arena, and for a split second, there was nothing but absolute silence, and then the air above us rippled and the barrier became visible. It shimmered and then dissipated.
A low, rumbling growl lit up Vesper’s chest, and then the collar around his neck fell to the ground with a clung. The power was definitely off, which meant ... I tugged on the collar around my neck and it disengaged with a click. I was free. Yes! Dante tried to pry his off, but it wouldn’t budge. Fuck. It was one of the collars that would need the key Sophia had given us, but there was nothing we could do about that now.
The crowd erupted in screams as the Bloods tried to make a run for it.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Vesper lowered his body, and Dante gave me a leg up before climbing on behind me.
The whirr of motors filled the air. They were mobilizing forces to try and stop us.
“We need to go. Now,” Dante urged.
“Hold on,” Vesper said, and then he launched himself up into the air with his powerful haunches. For a moment, we were sailing, silent and streamlined, and then he flapped his wings, once, twice, and we were flying.
Fighter planes, small and bullet-shaped, appeared behind us. Something whizzed past to our left, way too close, and exploded a few meters ahead.
They were firing at us.
Dante, evasive maneuvers, Vesper said.
Dante leaned into me, forcing my upper body down so it was flush against Vesper’s scales. He covered me from behind, his arms stretched out, hands pressed to the scales. Jezebel, strapped to my back, dug into me.
Grip with your thighs, Anya.
I flexed and then Vesper went into real motion. He turned his body one-hundred-eighty degrees to the left, and if the air wasn’t trapped in my lungs, my scream would have been epic; instead it resounded inside my skull, cutting off as we banked suddenly and sharply to the
right, and then we were spinning a full three-sixty.
Fuck!
They were going to shoot us down. They had the advantage. We needed to take back the upper hand. We needed to get on the ground and under cover.
Dante, we need to head east toward the Wilds. They’d have to go on foot to get us, and even they’re not crazy enough to brave the Wilds.
Vesper? Dante urged.
I heard her, he growled.
We banked left again and my stomach dropped. We were losing altitude.
Dante, can you morph? Vesper asked.
Not without choking myself to death. The damned collar needs to come off first.
Fuck. You’re gonna have to leap. I’ll circle back and drop the girl then lead the bullets away. I’ll meet you back in the Wilds.
That didn’t sound safe. Wait. What does that mean? What do you mean drop?
Just keep holding on until he tells you not to, Dante said.
And then he let go, his body tumbling forty feet toward the ground. This time, my scream was a live thing.
Dammit, woman, pipe down. Vesper swerved right and flipped over so we were facing the bullets for a split second before he fell into a circuit. The forest was far below us, and Dante, thank God, was safe on the ground—a tiny figure, his arms raised as if beckoning.
Beckoning who?
Time to let go, Skin.
Are you insane?
Completely. But you can trust me on this. Dante will catch you, and if he doesn’t, then you won’t know anyway because you’ll be dead.
Huh? What? No. I can’t.
Yeah, you can, because you don’t have a damned choice. On the count of three. One. Two. He flipped over, and I lost my grip. For a second it was almost pleasant being cushioned by the air current, and then gravity stuck its claws into me and pulled.
My scream was lost in the rush of air as Vesper was tugged away from me. He banked right, distracting the bullets and steering them away from us. Away from me. The earth was a force at my back, waiting to welcome me by crushing my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact. Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Helgi, and fucking hell, I was mad. Going out like this after everything I’d been through, and everything that was in store for me, sucked. Any moment now it would be lights out, except it wasn’t. The ground didn’t split me in two. Instead, it wrapped its sturdy arms around me and cushioned me against muscle.
“I got you, Anya. I got you.” Dante’s voice was a prayer, and I was a believer.
He’d caught me at great velocity, and he didn’t even sound winded. What the heck? But there was no time to question his stamina, only to marvel at it as he ran into the forest with me in his arms. The Wilds closed around us, shrouding us in the damp, moist scent of fresh growing things and casting us in dappled sunlight that kissed my chilled skin with welcome warmth.
He came to a standstill a few meters into the tree line, and stood, head tipped back, his arms bands around me. For a moment, his scent, the electric scent of a storm, filled my head, blocking out everything else. His arms flexed, and I looked up to find his attention on me, intense and probing. Desire was a tug and a lurch in my chest and lower abdomen, unwelcome and yet coveted. It was a complication I didn’t need.
“I can walk. Thanks.”
His arms tightened around me for a second and then he released me. As soon as my boots touched ground, I switched gears, building a mental map of our location, figuring out how far my shack was and how long it would take me to get to Dad. Helgi would have escaped, she would meet me there. I had to get home, pack up, and then we’d leave for the Furtherlands. It was time to say goodbye to Dante, for now. A sharp sting lanced through my chest. No. Go away. I rubbed at my diaphragm.
“Anya, are you all right?” Dante asked softly.
“I’m fine. Just trying to get my bearings. Thanks for getting me out. It’s been educational.”
He arched a brow. “You speak as if you’re leaving me.”
“That’s because I am. I have to get home. Back to my Dad.”
His gaze darkened. “I can’t let you do that. You need to come with me. Your skills will be invaluable to our cause. You know what’s at stake.”
“You can’t stop me. But I fully intend to join you in the Furtherlands. I just have to get my family and Helgi first. I told her to meet me at my home.”
“If she escaped.”
“She did. I know she did.” I slammed a hand onto my chest. “I know here.” I turned westward, pretty sure that was the direction I needed to go.
A howl rose up in the air, followed by another. I froze, a shudder climbing up my spine. “What was that?”
“Hounds, they know you’re here,” Dante said softly. “You won’t survive the journey alone. The Wilds are home to creatures that defy logic. Things that hunger for mortal flesh and souls.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s not my first trip through the Wilds.”
Although the hounds were a new development, and, admittedly, I’d been on the outskirts to the west, but still ...
“Then you were lucky.”
My gut told me he was right, that I should listen to his warning. Helgi and I had barely escaped the crazy little people with crimson scalps that had hunted us the last time we’d ventured into the Wilds. We’d been lucky we hadn’t traveled too far in, that we’d been barely a quarter of a mile into the forest when we’d been attacked. Getting out with the boy had been pure luck, not skill, because the little buggers had magic and enchantment and against that we’d been fucked.
It was a day and night trek to get across the Wilds, and a good few hours to get home from there. If there was a chance that the Bloods would abandon their search, then I’d skirt the Wilds instead of cutting through. But there was no way they’d abandon a Dreki and head back. They weren’t crazy either—they’d avoid venturing into the forest.
“You can’t make it alone,” Dante said.
“I don’t have a choice.”
He tucked in his chin, his eyes flicking back and forth in thought. Was he going to try and stop me? Would he try and force me to go with him? My hand twitched, eager for Jezebel’s hilt. I didn’t want to hurt him, but there was no way I was abandoning Helgi, Dad, and the kids. Not for any cause, not for any pretty face.
Finally, he raised his head. “I’ll escort you home. But you must give me your word that once the journey is done, you will return with me to the Furtherlands.”
The coil of anxiety in the pit of my stomach unwound a fraction. “That’s the plan. It’s what Dad wanted to do anyway, and Helgi’s on board.”
He nodded curtly. “In that case, we should get going.”
“What about Vesper? Aren’t you supposed to wait for him?”
Dante strode past me. “Do you want to go home or not?”
I followed at a trot. “What do you mean? Will Vesper try and stop me?”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Vesper has no time for sentimentality. He cares only for ammunition in this war, and with your mechanical skills and your ability to tap into our mental communication, you’re a prize he’ll want to claim.”
“You make him sound mercenary.”
“That’s because he is.”
“But you risked your life to get him out of Draco City.”
“A necessary evil. Vesper is unemotional, ruthless, and calculating, and it’s those qualities that make him a formidable lord general. We can’t do this without him. His army is the most vicious, and he’s the only one that can command them.”
So, he’d come for him out of necessity not love. “You said you were blood brothers? How does that work?”
We stepped over a large fallen branch.
“It’s a ceremonial bond sealed in blood,” Dante said. “We were bound to each other and to the dragon queen. She was our anchor. She made it possible for three very different factions to work together. Vesper is an Obsidian dragon. His army was created to fight the Jotunn that would rise from lava and ash. Then there is Orion,
his abilities are tailored to bring down the frost Jotunn, and me, I’m an inferno Dreki, and we will counter the Jotunn forged in fire. But the queen had a better idea. She claimed that if we were bonded we would be more powerful. That frost Dreki could fight the fire Jotunn and the inferno Dreki could combat the frost Jotunn. She believed that we could work together and unite the isolated into factions.”
“Then she was killed.”
“And the bond was weakened. There has been much inter-faction dispute, and I fear when the Jotunn do rise, we will be ill-equipped to fight them. I’m afraid that we may lose. It’s why I feel that you will provide a bridge for the factions. You can train Dreki from each faction, teach them how to fix things without using magic. Show them the power of technology and how to harness it. With both magic and technology in our grasp, we will be at an advantage against the ancient enemy.”
We climbed over roots, boots crunching against bracken. A howl drifted toward us from the south.
“We need to move quickly,” Dante said. His stride lengthened. “The hounds are on our trail. I hear a stream up ahead. We can cut across it and kill the scent.”
I cocked my head, straining to hear the sound of running water, but there was nothing but the low background noise of a forest rife with life. But then he was Dreki, and who knew how sharp his senses were. Which reminded me—man, I reeked. It had been days since I’d washed. All that sweat and grime from the arena was probably a halo of yuck around me. Hopefully, his sense of smell wasn’t as great as his hearing.
We wound through the trees at a brisk pace. “Do you have any technology in the Furtherlands?”
“There is much, but it is unused and dead. Life is basic—oil lamps and gasoline are our fuels. Maybe you can bring it back to life. Maybe it will give us an advantage.”
“And what about the Skins who’ve already traveled to the Furtherlands? Have you tried to recruit them to help you?”
“Yes. We’ve helped develop several communities. Certain areas of the city now have generators, which the Skins have succeeded in getting to work, but we haven’t come across anyone with your skills.”
Dragon Trial: Dragon Guard Series book 1 Page 12
