Besides, I was still mad at him. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to trust him again after he’d kept so many things from me. Maybe it would be best for all of us if we parted ways now and he went back to his old life. But then who would be my Golden Dragon?
The Golden Dragon… I’d seen the current one tonight for the first time and he’d instantly set me on edge. He’d been right there—if he had turned around, would he have realized who we were? And what did he want from Auric’s parents?
As my thoughts churned, I allowed myself to sink onto the edge of the bed and drop my head in my hands. We’d come so close to ruin today in so many ways, it was no wonder I was exhausted. Maybe I'd be able to sort through all my tangled thoughts after I'd had a bit of sleep.
Someone knocked on my door. I slowly moved to open it and was surprised to find Slade standing on the other side. "My room is right next to yours in case you need anything,” he said. "Are you all right?"
"Not really. I'm tired, overwhelmed, upset..." I shrugged helplessly. "But I'll be fine in the morning."
He rested his hands on my upper arms. "You don't have to be strong all the time, Kira. It's okay to cry or yell or break down. That's why you have us. We're here for you to lean on."
Tears filled my eyes at his words, which touched me deep to my core. "Thank you. For so many years I relied on no one but myself. I'm not used to having other people I can turn to for help or support. Except Tash, I suppose."
His thumbs slowly rubbed my arms. "You miss her?"
"Very much. I wish she were here. I'd love to have another girl to talk to about all this."
"Brin seemed nice enough."
My nose scrunched up. "Yes, but that only makes it harder. It would be so much easier if I could hate her. Besides, she’s the one I want to talk about!"
He let out a low chuckle. "Maybe you can send a letter to Tash to let her know you're safe. It might make you feel better."
A smile touched my lips for the first time in hours. "That's a great idea. I’ll write it in the morning and tell Auric to make sure it gets delivered to her. He owes me that, at least.”
He nodded. "I know we're your mates and that makes things complicated. But don’t forget, we're your friends too."
"And I'm lucky to have you.” I sighed and leaned against the doorway. “Well, some of you. I'm not feeling very lucky to have Auric right now."
Slade ran a hand over his dark beard as he chose his next words. "Auric made a mistake, it's true. But we're all doing the best we can with this situation we've been put in. We each have pasts we'd like to forget, or things we're trying to run from. At least he is facing it now."
"That doesn't excuse him keeping this from me."
"No, it doesn't.” His large, dark hand cupped my cheek and I thought he might kiss me for the first time, but then he turned away. “Get some rest, Kira."
I stared after Slade as he slipped into his room, then closed my own door. Would he ever see me as more than a friend? I was grateful for his friendship, I truly was, but I wanted more too. Someday. I wouldn't rush him, even if I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted him to kiss me. Did he feel that invisible tug between us too, trying to bring our bodies together? Or was I the only one?
16
Kira
In the morning I found myself restless and unsure of what to do or where to go in the palace. What was my role here? And how long would we stay before continuing on to the Air Temple? While it was nice to have some time to rest and recover from our travels, every second we delayed increased the likelihood of the Dragons uncovering who we were or reaching the temple before us.
Jasin suggested we take this time to train, and while the idea of using fire would have previously terrified me, today I really needed to burn some of my anxious energy off.
The palace was nestled on a tall hill overlooking the city on one side and the ocean on the other, and Jasin and I trekked out to the end of the bluff overlooking the water, where the blue sky seemed endless. The bright sun warmed us as we stared down the edge of the steep, rocky cliff that disappeared into the ocean below us.
“This will do,” Jasin said, glancing around at the sparse trees and rocks.
I inched away from the drop. “Isn’t it a bit close to the edge?”
Jasin shrugged. “If you fall, I’ll catch you. Don’t forget I can turn into a dragon now.”
“Sorry, but I’m not that confident in your flying skills yet.”
“All right, we can move back a bit. I suppose it would be hard to explain why an unknown Dragon was flying near the palace.” He moved to a safer location and spread his arms. “Let’s see what you can do.”
I summoned a small ball of fire and threw it at Jasin, who swept it away with an easy gesture. “How is that?”
“Not bad at all. You’re a natural. Which is surprising since you were scared of fire only days ago.”
“I learned by watching you, I suppose.” Truth be told, I was still scared of fire and what it could do, but I had to get over it. And I could only do that with practice and training.
“Then you know that fire is the hardest element to keep control of. Summoning it is easy. But making it do what you want…that’s the real challenge. I’m still learning that part myself.” He pointed at a nearby shrubby bush and it instantly caught fire, but the blaze didn’t spread to anything else. Jasin’s face pinched as he concentrated, and I could tell it took a lot of effort to keep it contained. Then the fire vanished in a blast of smoke. “For now, let’s just have you concentrate on throwing the fire and making sure it goes where you want it to go.”
Jasin hurled a ball of fire at a nearby boulder, where it flashed and then disappeared with nothing to keep it burning. I nodded and summoned my own flames, then tossed them at the stone. As I did, the events of yesterday came back to me, including everything I’d been trying very hard not to think about, like Auric and how he’d kept the truth about Brin from me. I still cared for him, but how was I supposed to trust him now? Or bond with him in only a few days?
I tossed a huge ball of fire, enjoying the sizzle and the flash of heat. “This is exactly what I needed.”
“Of course it is. Fire is all about passion. Anger, desire, excitement… When you channel these emotions, you’ll find it easier to conjure fire.” He tilted his head. “I get the sense you’re definitely feeling some passion today.”
I wiped the sweat off my forehead. “Anger, mostly. I trusted Auric and he kept a huge secret from me for the second time. How am I supposed to just accept that and move on now?”
“That’s understandable. But we’re all keeping things from each other. I didn’t tell you about my brother’s death, or that my parents were staunch supporters of the Dragons, Sark in particular. In fact, I purposefully kept that to myself because I couldn’t stand to talk about it and I worried what you would think. Maybe Auric felt the same way about his engagement?”
I stared at Jasin. “Are you defending him?”
He held up his hands. “No, definitely not.”
“Good, because his secret is different. I can’t be with a man who is engaged to another.”
Jasin shrugged. “It sounds like their betrothal was more for show or convenience than love, and he told his parents he wanted to be with you instead.”
I summoned another ball of flame and rolled it around in my palms. “Maybe so, but it was still there all this time. I wish he would have told me from the beginning.”
“For what it’s worth, I think Auric loves you and you alone. You have every right to be mad at him, but I don’t think Brin is a threat. Their engagement will end, and soon we’ll be on our way to the Air Temple.”
I glanced away, annoyed at how reasonable Jasin was being. Wasn’t he normally the hotheaded one of the group? And why was he defending Auric when only days ago they’d hated each other? I knew I would have to forgive Auric and move past this somehow, but at the moment all I wanted was to let out my anger and sma
sh things—or burn them.
I launched my next fireball, but it was bigger than I expected and went wide, hitting a large bush, which instantly went up in flames. The fire quickly leaped to a tree beside it and spread faster than I could have imagined, sending cold panic down my spine. Flashbacks of the fire that had taken my parents’ lives flickered in my head as my heart pounded and my breathing grew ragged. I couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t stop it.
“Get back!” Jasin stepped forward and gestured at the fire. His face was tight with concentration as he soothed the flames and contained them, then slowly made them smaller and smaller.
After a few minutes there was nothing but ash and smoke where the tree had been. I’d completely destroyed it, and I’d lost all control of the fire. I sank to the grass and stared at the charred ground, feeling empty and hollow. What if I’d lost control during battle? Or in a crowded area with people and houses? I could have killed someone. I could have destroyed innocent lives. How could I use fire when it had so much potential for destruction and pain?
Jasin sat beside me on the grass and began slowly rubbing my back. “It’s over. You’re fine.”
“It’s not fine. I lost control.” I covered my face with my hands, which were still trembling.
“I did too, at first. Remember when Reven had to put out all my fires?” He pulled me close. “You just need more practice, that’s all.”
I nodded and buried my face against his shoulder, but if I was honest, I didn’t want to practice my magic ever again. I didn’t want that kind of power or responsibility. Even now, I couldn’t help but think this was all a mistake and someone else should be the Black Dragon. How was I supposed to master all four elements when I couldn’t even handle one?
17
Reven
In the morning I slipped out of the palace, unnoticed by any guards or servants, and headed back into the city. Stormhaven was already waking up even as dawn crested over the ocean waves to the east, a sight that always seemed wrong to me. The sun should be setting into the water, as it did in the Water Realm, not rising from it.
I moved through the brightening streets with my hood up, a shadow among the bustling crowds headed for the markets and shops. As the day heated up, I made my way to the docks, where the air smelled of salt and fish, while sailors hauled crates onto the ships. Our boat waited at the northern end, and though Auric had said he'd sorted everything out with the guard, I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes to make sure we had a quick exit strategy, especially since we didn't have our horses with us. All good assassins had at least three exits planned out in case something went wrong...and something always went wrong.
A royal guard was perched in front of our boat, but I had no interest in giving her an explanation to as to why I was there. When no one was looking, I dropped off the dock and slipped into the water, feeling the instant relief as the chill surrounded me. As the Azure Dragon’s ascendant I could breathe underwater, and I easily swam over to the other side of the boat. I climbed up the outside of it while using my magic to remove the water from my clothes and send it back into the ocean. By the time I vaulted up onto the wooden deck I was completely dry and the royal guard didn't have a clue I was there.
From up here, everything seemed to be in order. I dropped down into the hatch leading below deck, and found evidence that the guards had tossed the place, probably looking for something incriminating so they could pin Auric's supposed kidnapping on us, or perhaps find an explanation as to where he'd been all this time. Our things had been taken during the search and had been delivered last night to us in the palace, but I checked a few nooks and crannies to make sure nothing had been left behind, then removed the spare knife I’d hidden under one of the wooden planks. Finally, I rearranged the hammock and cleaned up some of the other mess, before climbing back up.
As I walked off the ship, I gave the confused guard a nod. She called out some questions, but didn't follow me more than a few feet. Probably on orders to stay with the ship at all times. I turned a corner and left her behind.
It had been a year since I'd been in Stormhaven, but it hadn't changed much. People wore colorful, loose clothing, and the bustling crowd was ripe for pickpocketing. Cafes and little shops sold everything from clothes to art to pastries. For a split second I considered buying something for Kira to cheer her up after what Auric had done, but then dismissed the idea entirely. I wasn't trying to woo her. We weren't a couple. If I was smart, I'd just keep walking and never return to the castle at all.
Maybe that was why I ended up in a seedy neighborhood where the crowd didn’t dare wander. A dark, unmarked building was tucked at the end of an alley, and I slipped inside. The tavern was otherwise empty this early in the day, and the bartender gave me a nod as I sat at the end of the bar. She had short, white hair and a tattoo of a dagger on her wrinkled neck, and though she didn’t look like much of a threat, I knew better.
Zara poured me some ale. "Surprised to see you, Reven. Last I heard you weren't taking on any jobs at the moment."
I pushed my hood back. "I took some time off."
She nodded. "Always a good idea now and then. Don't want to get burned out. This is a tough profession."
My eyes narrowed. Me, burn out? Was that what others in the Guild thought? I took a long sip of the cold ale and then said, "I'm here now."
"That so?" She wiped down the counter as she eyed me with scrutiny. "As it turns out, a job came in last night that requires a special touch."
"My specialty."
"This one is high profile, with the biggest reward I've seen in all my days. Won't be easy though. Might be too much for even you."
“I doubt that.” I gestured for her to get on with it. "What's the job?"
She leaned over the counter and dropped her voice. "The target is the King."
"The King," I said, my voice flat. "Why would someone want him dead?"
"I don't know. The order came from above.” Her eyes flicked to the ceiling. “Way above."
"A Dragon?"
“I can’t say any more.” She refilled my drink and sighed. “The King is well loved here in Stormhaven and his reign has been a good one. It’s a damn shame. But we can't exactly say no to the Dragons."
I tightened my grip on the glass. "No, we can't."
"Are you interested?" Zara asked. “Or should I find someone else?”
I chugged my ale as I considered, realizing this moment would define my path for the rest of my life. Zara was giving me the chance to return to my old life and prove to the Guild I was still the best. It would require killing Auric’s father and serving the Dragons, but wasn’t that who I was—an assassin for hire? I’d already walked away from Kira once. I could do it again, and this time it would be permanent. Or I could walk away from my past and accept my fate with Kira as the next Azure Dragon.
I set down my ale and met Zara’s eyes. "I'll take the job."
18
Kira
After my training with Jasin I returned to my room to take my midday meal alone with my thoughts. As I picked at the cod cooked with tomatoes and onions, I composed a letter to Tash telling her everything we had experienced so far, while trying to keep my wording vague enough that no one would know what our plans were if the letter got into the wrong hands.
The letter ended up being two pages front and back because once I started talking to Tash in my head I couldn’t stop. I told her about Jasin’s family and about Auric’s fiancé. I told her about how Slade was distant and Reven had left for a short time. I told her about the weight of the responsibility that had been pressed upon me and my fears I would never become the leader I was supposed to be. And even though Tash wouldn’t read my letter for some time, a great weight was lifted off me simply by writing it.
A knock sounded on my door and I called out for them to enter. As I folded up the letter and put it in an envelope, Auric stepped inside. My stomach twisted at the sight of him lingering in the doorway as if he was
n’t sure he was truly welcome. He’d returned to his fine nobleman’s clothing, his face had been shaved, and his golden hair had been cut short again. He looked every inch the handsome prince that he was, even though I’d liked his rougher traveling look too. I suspected the true Auric was somewhere between the two extremes.
“Can we talk, Kira?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m just finishing up a letter to my friend Tash back in Stoneham. Would it be possible to have it delivered to her?”
“Of course.” He held out his palm and I set the letter in it. “I’ll send a messenger right away.”
“Thank you.” I couldn’t help but notice how stiff we were around each other and didn’t like this new tension between us, even though I was still upset with him. “What did you want to talk about?”
His storm gray eyes stared into mine. “My engagement with Brin is over. We met with her parents this morning to make it official.”
I let out a long breath. “That’s a relief.”
“Yes. Everyone is quite upset with me, but I’ve never been a very dutiful son or prince, so it’s to be expected I guess. And soon we’ll be gone anyway.”
“When can we leave for the Air Temple?”
“Soon, but I need another day or two to appease my parents. My mother insists on throwing us a ball before we go.”
My eyebrows darted up and anxiety fluttered in my stomach. “A ball?”
“Yes, to celebrate my safe return, however short it may be, but you don’t need to worry. It will be drinking, dancing, and lots of food, and then we can leave for the Air Temple the next day.” He cleared his throat. “That is, if you still want me to go to the Air Temple with you.”
“I do,” I said without hesitation. Though I was upset with Auric, he was still the one I wanted as my mate. The second he’d walked into my room I’d known that for sure.
Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series Page 25
