Scales and Flames

by Catherine Banks

  “I’m sorry you’re hurting,” I said. “But you must know, my father admires you. He knows your true worth. Do you think that he would have assigned anyone to protect me? Well, keep me prisoner.”

  “He’s not keeping you prisoner.” Davian smirked. “You’re his daughter.”

  “He is,” I snapped. “He lied to me. He lied to me about the dragons, and I called him out on it. And then he used me.” My chest began to hurt as the anger inside me grew. “All the dragons we’ve killed aren’t mindless demons as Father had told us.”

  “What are you talking about Hensley?” I shook my head. Dammit. I knew unless Davian saw it for himself, he would never believe me. He grabbed my wrist. “What is going on?”

  “I don’t want to be here,” I confessed. “I told my father I was leaving so he ordered you to lock me in my room to make sure I don’t.” I needed Davian’s help. The only way he would help me is if I played both on his feelings for me and his need to please my father. “If I’m not here, my father has no choice but to turn to you. You become his favorite. The one he depends on. And you become the one everyone loves and adores and toasts after a battle. You’re the hero, not me. And I get to leave.”

  “You have a great life. A perfect life. Why would you want to leave?”

  “I don’t—I never wanted this life. It was given to me, forced on me.” I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. The same knot that always developed when I realized where the path of my life had gone. “I did it because it’s what my father wanted. And I wanted to please him. But now I see that no matter what I do, it will never be enough to win his approval or his love.”

  “He loves you, Hensley,” Davian said. His voice was soft and caring. “He’s your father.”

  “He loves what I do for him,” I replied. My voice was not sharp and bitter. “He loves the accuracy of my bow. He loves that I followed in his footsteps as a victorious warrior.”

  “I love you.” I looked into Davian’s eyes. I’d known for years about his feelings for me. But I watched the members of my father’s elite force die every time we fought against my father’s enemies. I watched the women who loved them cry and wail as their bodies were pulled home in wagons. I watched as families had their lives torn and destroyed, never to be whole again. I refused to be on either end of that scenario.

  “I know.” I put my forehead to his. “But I think that you love me for the same reasons as my father—or something very similar. You have never seen me as anything but a fighter, a warrior, a general. You don’t see me as a woman. I don’t want to be loved for how strong I am on the battlefield. I want to be loved for how strong I am in here.” I touched the tips of my fingers to my temple. “And in here.” I placed my hand on my chest, over my heart.

  We stood in silence for a few minutes. I ran through various things I could say to try to convince Davian to help me. Just as I was about to say something, Davian spoke first.

  “Hensley,” he spoke softly. “If I let you go, I will be court-martialed.”

  Having already thought of that, I attempted to hide my smile. “Not if you told them I knocked you out and ran away.” Davian furrowed his brow, tilted his head, and scoffed. “What?” I chuckled. “It’s not like it would be the first time.”

  “You said we’d never talk about that again.” Davian pointed his finger at me.

  I smiled sweetly. “And we won’t. I promise.”

  “Fine,” Davian said. “But if something goes wrong and we get caught, I’m going to tell them the truth—it was all you. I won’t defend you.” I nodded. “You’ll be hunted. You’ll be excommunicated and barred from ever returning to the compound.”

  I nodded again. “I know.” Smiling, I kissed Davian on the cheek and opened the large door to my room. My body felt alive, energized, every nerve ending from my ears to my toes tingling with excitement. “Give me five minutes to get dressed and gather my things and I’ll knock to signal you to come in.”

  “You have three,” Davian said, softly. He closed the door behind me, and I began running around the room, grabbing this and that and tossing the items into a bag, unable to remove the smile from my lips.

  I heard a soft tapping on the door and knew my time was up. I glanced over the room one last time, quickly scanning for anything I may have overlooked. I caught sight of the picture of my mother on my bedside table, next to the string of pearls she wore nearly every day. Mom. It was all I had left of her. If I was leaving, never to come back, I had to take the only thing I had left of my mother with me. I darted to the table and grabbed them both, tucking them into the side pocket of my bag, tucking clothing around them to ensure they were well protected.

  Another tapping. “Come in,” I said. I zipped the bag and moved toward the door. Davian pushed the door open enough to squeeze through, quickly shutting it behind him once inside. He turned to look at me and took a deep breath. “You ready?” I asked him.

  “Let’s do this before I change my mind,” he said. He took a few steps into the room.

  “Do you have the key to my room?” I asked him. He nodded. “Give it to me.” He furrowed his brow, flashing me a confused look as he slowly reached down to his pocket. “It will be more believable if it looks like I stole the key from you and locked you inside.”

  Davian let out another deep breath. I covered my mouth with my hand, attempting to hide my smile.

  “I’m sorry.” He handed me the key. “Thank you. Now I was thinking…” I walked toward the fireplace at the far side of the room, Davian a few steps behind. “The best way to do this would be to…” I reached out and grabbed a small statue from the mantel. Spinning around quickly, I clenched my jaw as I swung and hit Davian on the side of his head with the porcelain sculpture. He stumbled, fell back against a chair in the corner, and sat on the floor with his legs out in front of him. “…to hit you when you weren’t expecting it.”

  Davian pointed up at me, waving his finger back and forth slowly several times. “That’s good thinking,” he said. “Makes sense.” He reached up and touched the side of his head where the statue made contact. Blood had begun to stream down the side of his face. “So now what?” he asked.

  “Just sit there,” I replied. “Close your eyes. Pretend to be knocked out if anyone comes into the room.” The statue made a dull thud as I released my grip and allowed it to fall to the floor. Moving toward Davian, I bent down and kissed his cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered. He held up his hand and closed his eyes. I wasted no time in making my escape. Grabbing my bag, I ran out the door, locked it behind me, and tossed the key into the pot of a nearby plant. I’m coming, Greylore.

  Thirteen

  I knew my father would be watching my normal route of escape, so I had to find another way out. The escape passage. I remembered the secret escape tunnel that was designed to evacuate the compound in the event of an attack. I didn’t think anyone used it, but I remembered where it was, and how to get in.

  Turning the corner, I pushed a large tapestry aside and pressed on the wall behind it. It opened and I quickly slipped through, adjusting the tapestry before pushing it shut behind me. Large square windows ran along the top of the passage, allowing just enough light in to see my way. The passage sloped downward slightly, going around in a circle several times. There were no stairs to make it easier for children and the elderly to use. There were two exits. One at the backside of the stables allowing the soldiers to access their horses and weapons. And the other near the docks, to allow the people to safely make it to the boats and escape on the river. I knew which I needed.

  I slowly and quietly opened the exit, peeking out to make sure no one was around. A little boy of four or five played in the dirt nearby. I smiled and waved, motioning him to come over. He trotted over to me.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Shh!” I put my finger to my lips. “Hello,” I whispered. “Can you do me a favor?” he nodded. “Do you know Marcum?” The boy smiled and nodded again. “If you can be very q
uiet and get Marcum for me without anyone hearing you, I will give you this silver piece.” I reached into my bag, pulled out a silver piece, and held it up for him to see. “Deal?” He nodded vigorously. “Okay. Remember. You must be very, very quiet. Don’t tell anyone but Marcum I’m here.” He smiled, nodded, and scurried away. Please tell me I didn’t send off my own alarm system. Within a few minutes, the boy returned, pulling Marcum by the hand behind him.

  “See?” He whispered. “I told you. There’s a lady here that needs you.”

  Marcum saw me, picked up the boy, and raced over. “Miss Hensley,” he said. “After I saw you earlier, I knew something was wrong. Aurora is already saddled. I put some things in the saddlebags just in case. I knew something was wrong. Are you all right?”

  I hugged Marcum. “I’m fine,” I said. “And thank you so much. Can you take Aurora over there?” I pointed to a group of trees just outside the compound, near the back end of the docks. “If anyone asks, I’ve been confined to my room and you’ve been ordered to take Aurora on her daily ride before locking her in the stall.”

  Marcum smiled and nodded. “Do you need anything else?”

  “No,” I said. “You’ve done more than enough. I’ll meet you over there in about ten minutes. And here you go little guy.” I bent down and handed the little boy the silver piece. “You did a great job. Now, don’t tell anyone you saw me or talked to me, and I’ll have Marcum give you this one tomorrow morning.” The boy smiled up at Marcum. Marcum nodded his head. I handed the second silver piece to Marcum. I hugged Marcum again and hurried back inside the secret passage, pushing the exit door closed behind me.

  Continuing down the passage, I made my way to the second exit, near the docks. Again, I slowly opened it and looked around before stepping outside. There was no one around so I shut the exit and sprinted to the brush for cover. Staying behind the safety of the brush, I followed it as far as I could and waited for Marcum. As I watched him ride toward the trees, I ran to meet him.

  “Don’t go back the way you came,” I instructed him. “Go this way, through the docks. It will take you a little longer to get back, but you won’t run into the same men. And by the time you see them again, I’ll be gone and all those people on the docks will say they saw you today.” He nodded, a sad expression on his face. “Don’t be sad,” I said. “It will all work out fine. You’ll see.”

  “I’ll miss you,” he said. “And Aurora.” He hugged me.

  “We’ll miss you, too. Oh and…” I reached into my shoulder bag and pulled out a small blue sack containing twenty gold pieces. “This is for you,” I said. I handed it to him. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Now please, don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me, or that you helped me, or they will prosecute you for helping me escape.”

  “I won’t,” he said. “I promise.”

  “Now tuck that away somewhere safe and walk away. That way you can honestly say you didn’t see me take the horse or which way I was headed.” I kissed Marcum on the cheek and waited for him to turn and walk away before mounting Aurora and sprinting toward the tree line.

  I made my way to Greylore’s house, fear growing inside me with each gallop of Aurora’s hooves. I was scared that he knew who I was, what I was, what I had done, and he would hate me. I wouldn’t blame him if he did. But I wasn’t going there for me. I had to warn him that my father was coming. I didn’t care what happened to me, but I didn’t want anything to happen to him.

  As I approached the house, I didn’t wait until I was dismounted to call out to him. “Greylore!” I shouted, disrupting the peacefulness of his home. “Greylore are you here?” There was no answer. You have to be here. “Greylore!” I jumped off Aurora’s back, grabbing her reins and pulling her behind me. I coaxed her toward the stall, she went the rest of the way on her own.

  Greylore darted out of the house. “Hensley?”

  I was so happy to see him. I ran to him, wrapping my arms around him, and pulling him in close. If this was our final meeting, then I was going to hold him one last time. He felt so good. He embraced me, lifting from the ground, and tucked his face into the nape of my neck. As wonderful as it felt to be in his arms, it wasn’t why I came. I had to tell him.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, pushing him back. “I have to tell you something. And I understand if you hate me, but I need you to be safe.”

  “Hensley, what is it? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, but you have to leave this place. Leave and never come back.” Saying the words to him made me feel ill. I didn’t want him to leave. I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t want our love to end.

  “Slow down,” he said. He grabbed my hand and held it to his chest. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “I lied to you,” I said. My heart hurt. “Well, I didn’t lie to you, but I didn’t tell you so I guess it’s still a lie because lying by omission is still lying.”

  “Hensley!” I looked up to see a small smile on Greylore’s face. “You’re rambling, baby. Just slow down and tell me what’s wrong.” How do I break this man’s heart? How can I do this?

  “My name is Hensley Ekard. My father is Commander Ekard of the Dragon Defense Force.” I watched the smile on Greylore’s face melt away. “My father is coming,” I said. “He’s coming with his men. He has plans to take you prisoner and use you as bait to flush out your father and your whole family. They know who you are—what you are. And they know your father is the emperor.”

  I let out a deep breath and had to take several more before I could breathe normally.

  Greylore stood quietly, still holding my hand to his chest. I waited for him to rip my arm off or to fly away and drop me into a volcano. He just stood there and looked at me.

  “I know what you are, too,” I said, my voice softer, quieter. “And I don’t care. But I’m sure you know the things I’ve done, and I understand if you can never forgive me.”

  “I know who you are, too, Hensley,” he said, his voice was sweet and calm. “I’ve always known.”

  “What? I don’t…how…what?” Confused, I waited for an explanation.

  “That day I rescued you from the wolves?” I nodded. “Well, I had to examine Aurora to make sure she wasn’t hurt. And when I move the saddle out of the way, I saw the emblem.”

  I covered my face with my free hand. Greylore pulled my hand away and looked me in the eyes. “I don’t care either,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me who you are. And after getting to know you, I can tell you are a beautiful person and a gentle soul.”

  “How can you say that now that you know what I’ve done?” I wanted to pull my hand away, but touching him, feeling him holding me, I needed every moment of his touch I could get before it would be gone forever.

  “Did you know about my kind—human dragon shifters—when you were hunting dragons? Did you even know dragon shifters existed?”

  “No,” I said. “I didn’t know anything about shifters. I swear. If I had known—”

  “I know. And I’m sorry you had to do those things,” Greylore said. “I can understand what you’re going through. It’s one of the reasons I left my family. My grandfather was a very power-hungry ruler. He wanted us to rule the land and everything in it—including humans. He felt we were a superior race to pure humans and he had many of them slaughtered. But my father is the opposite. He is a great man and an even better emperor.”

  “Then we must protect him, as my father wishes to destroy your whole family. We need to hurry. You need to leave, to go warn your family.”

  “First, may I ask you a question?”

  “We don’t have time for this,” I said. “My father is coming for you. He has a plan and—”

  “It’s important to me,” he said. “Please.”

  I let out a frustrated huff. “Yeah, okay. sure. What’s the question?”

  “Do you love me?” Is he being serious? Why would he want to know that right now?

  “What? I don’t understand…” />
  “Do you love me?” I looked into Greylore’s eyes. Felt his hand on top of mine. His heart beating against my skin. I couldn’t deny it. I did love him.

  “Yes,” I said. “I love you.”

  “Then come with me.”

  “Come with you? To your father. The dragon emperor.”

  “If your father finds you, he will have you imprisoned or maybe even killed as a traitor. He’ll know you warned me.”

  “But what about your father? He’s the dragon emperor, and I am a famous dragon slayer. Those things don’t exactly mix.”

  “When my father learns that you were betrayed by your own father for the purpose of killing our kind, but then turned your back on him when you learned the truth, risking your life to warn me, he will be more than welcoming. I promise you.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Plus, I love you,” Greylore kissed my forehead. “And with my kind, when you love someone, it holds a lot of weight with the rest of family.” I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck again, filling my lungs with his scent.

  He wants me to come with him. I want to be with him. Why am I making this so hard? I’m going.

  Fourteen

  “I want to come with you,” I said. “We’ll go together.” I was shocked at my own words as they floated on away on my breath. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. But I wasn’t about to lose him now, and he was right. My father would have me imprisoned, or maybe even killed for warning Greylore. His obsession with revenge had blinded him to rational thought, to reason, to the reality that I was the only family he had left. Once Greylore wrapped his arms around me, I knew I was doing the right thing.

  “I’m so happy you said that,” he whispered. “There’s no way I could have left you behind.” I squeezed him tighter. “We’ll gather some things, figure out the best route, and make sure ...” Greylore pulled away and turned his head, looking off toward the trees. His posture was tall and stiff.