by K.N. Lee
Nimah’s eyes widened. “You do know where she is!”
Rickard nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t be good at what I do if I didn’t. I just wanted to make sure no one else knew. The prophecy will not work if that is so.”
She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you, your highness. I cannot thank you enough.”
He patted her back and stepped away. “I already told you, Nimah. I’ve claimed Rowen.”
She held tight to his hands, and when he looked at her, he gasped at how her eyes had changed to a silvery-white. Her voice also changed. It seemed to come from faraway.
“Save Rowen from her father. Do so, and you will save all of Draconia from doom.”
Swallowing, Rickard waved his hand before Nimah’s eyes. She’d essential spoken the words of the prophecy. But, it didn’t seem like they truly came for her.
He backed away, toward the door.
“I will,” he said. “I’ll protect and love her until my dying breath.”
Chapter 17
Starvation is a terrible way to die. As Rowen walked behind Elian and Siddhe, she realized that blistered feet were a close second. Her stomach screamed for sustenance, and her lips were chapped from dryness and thirst.
Her life had been in a steady decline since Lawson’s death. A battle between fate’s twisted sense of humor and her knack for being lucky had her torn about about what the world truly wanted from her. Her last prophecy still haunted her, but the agonizing death that seemed to lie ahead terrified her even more.
She didn’t trust Elian, and so she resisted touching the map. What would happen if she did? She knew he’d kill her. If he no longer had any need for her power, there was no need to keep her alive.
Elian shared what little provisions he had, but barely. Soon, they would all starve and no one would make it to the Red Dragon. The dusty valley was little more than red rocks, dry orange dirt, and a sky of bright blue. They’d walked for days, and the storms had gradually stopped. Elian kept the map in his hand, and kept looking at it to make sure they were going the right way. Soon, he would need more of Rowen’s blood to show him the exact location of the Red Dragon.
“What did your mother tell you about me,” Elian said, falling into step beside Rowen. He looked at her with a sense of genuine curiosity, but she wasn’t going to fall for his tricks.
“Too late for that, Elian,” Rowen grumbled. “If you wanted to be a father, you wouldn’t have left her behind to be tormented and forced into a marriage she didn’t want.”
Elian’s eyes narrowed. “Forced? She was probably all too happy to join forces with another wealthy family. She married a Duke after all.”
“And, he made me try to seduce the crown prince to replenish his squandered fortune,” Rowen said, looking ahead. The bitterness of that truth tasted like salt on her tongue. “No one won in that arrangement but him.”
“So, she’s been miserable all of these years?”
Rowen nodded. “Thanks to you.”
He kept quiet, then. She glanced at him and almost felt sorry.
Almost.
He’d made them suffer for something no one even seemed to understand. He seemed to be saddened by her words. Was it possible that he loved her mother? If he had, why would he leave her behind? She didn’t speak her thoughts. If he felt badly, he deserved it.
“Rowen,” he said, stopping to look at the map. He looked up at the mountains and his brows furrowed. “I need you to touch the map and make it tell us where to go next.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. The new power I have is too unstable. I’ll ruin it and we’ll all be stranded out here.”
“It’s true,” Feyda said. “Rowen’s power needs time and practice. She’ll burn it up. Mark my words.”
“Nonsense,” Elian said. “What is this power you speak of?”
“She can manipulate fire,” Perdan spoke up after days of quiet. Everyone looked to him. “I’ve seen her do it.”
“She just has to touch it.”
“But, I thought I had to bleed,” Rowen said. Just standing under the sun in the middle of the Wastelands made her tired. Speaking wasn’t helping. She wanted to just find a spot on the ground, curl up into a ball, and sleep.
“Just a prick of my dagger. It won’t hurt for more than a few seconds.”
“Not if I do it,” Siddhe mumbled.
Rowen sneered at her. The mermaid had done nothing but complain during the past few days. She was literally drying out. Her skin was cracked, her hair looked brittle, and she snapped at them at every chance. She never trusted Siddhe, and feared her even more now. Rowen rubbed the place on her hand where Siddhe had once stabbed her. She knew better than anyone the consequences of Siddhe losing her temper.
Elian ignored Siddhe, and held a hand out to her, silencing her. “Please, Rowen. You’re not going to be responsible for your friend’s deaths. Are you?”
“If you kill them, I will never tell you,” Rowen warned between clenched teeth.
Elian lowered his hands and rolled his eyes. Turning away from her, he spoke in hushed tones to Siddhe. Gavin strode over to them to join the scheming.
She was disappointed in Gavin. Why did he have to follow them?
“Don’t listen to him,” Feyda whispered from behind. “Run at the first chance you get.”
She tensed at those words. If Feyda would risk her and her son’s life to prevent Elian from finding the Red Dragon, the consequences must be dire.
She licked her lips and grimaced at the pain she felt and the blood she tasted. “Where will I run to?”
Feyda shot a glance to Elian and the others and nodded toward the mountains. “There are caves in this part. I’ve seen them drawn in ancient texts. Run, hide, and wait for Elian to give up. Or, snatch the map and go after the Red Dragon yourself. Just don’t let him get to it. That amount of power can ruin the world.”
She searched Feyda’s face. The woman was serious. “How do you know all of this?”
Feyda made a face. “I know things. Trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone,” Rowen muttered under her breath.
Feyda nudged her. “You’re going to have to trust me. Do you really think our meeting was a coincidence?”
That got her attention. “What?”
“My mission was never for the Red Dragon, dear. It was for you,” she said, poking Rowen in the chest.
“Mission?”
Feyda pursed her thin lips and nodded. “That’s right. There is someone more powerful and more dangerous than Captain Elian looking out for you from the shadows. Then, you’ll be forced to choose and trust your greatest enemy.”
“Elian?”
Feyda snorted. “Aren’t you listening? Elian is no one compared to him. Elian is an old man who is sick and desperate. That does not make him your enemy.”
Who that could be was a mystery. Why would anyone care to look out for her? She froze. It did make sense, though. Maybe it wasn’t luck that saved her all of those times. Her mind went to the black Dragon. Her eyes widened. Whoever that was, might very well be the person Feyda warned her about.
“Think of the one person who could have orchestrated this all. Your downfall, your rescue. All of it.”
She thought long and hard. The only person she could think of was Macana. She gasped. Could it be? Why would she do this? Then again, it could be King Thorne. She wavered. It was hard to focus with the weakness entering her legs.
Groaning, Rowen closed her eyes against the pain in her stomach. She rubbed her belly and nearly fell over from dizziness. Blurs of color flashed before her eyes as she lost control of her body. She could feel herself falling, but could do nothing to stop it.
Feyda caught her. Perdan helped.
“Bring the girl some food! She’s going to die if you don’t,” Perdan shouted.
Rowen tried to stand, but before she could get a grip on her senses, Siddhe growled and stormed over to her.
She cri
ed out as Siddhe shoved Feyda away and kicked Perdan in his stomach. “Enough of this!” She grabbed Rowen by the hair, nearly ripping it from her scalp as she dragged her over to Elian.
Snatching the map from Elian’s hand, Siddhe forced it into Rowen’s, and sliced her across the cheek with her dagger.
She screamed.
“Siddhe,” Elian shouted. “Stop!”
“No, Captain. We’re wasting time being nice,” Siddhe growled and rubbed the blood from Rowen’s face onto the map. “See. This is how you get stuff done.”
Dumbstruck, Rowen stared at Siddhe with widened eyes and her mouth open.
She did it again. She cut her and drew blood. Rowen felt the heat rise from her toes, up her body, and to her cheeks. Her breaths came out quick and labored as she tried to control what threatened to burst free.
Your power is like a river blocked by a damn, Feyda has once said.
Enough of the abuse. Enough playing the sweet, innocent girl. Enough of it all. With a blood-curdling cry, Rowen raised her hand, with the map and flames shot out of her hand like a flood of hot red and orange.
Eyes ablaze, she glared at Siddhe, and turned the flames toward her.
Siddhe gasped and dodged her power.
The flames wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop now. All she wanted was justice and absolution. She wanted Siddhe dead.
“Rowen!” Elian shouted to her.
She could barely hear him as she slowly walked to the mermaid who cowered on the ground, her hands raised in surrender.
“Enough of this! You burnt the map!”
Rowen glared at him. “You can be next.”
His jaw dropped and before Rowen could take another step, or say another word, all her power raged and roared, as her head was thrown back and it escaped through her mouth.
Rowen’s eyes widened as she watched her power turn from flames, to a bright golden light.
One that lit a trail in the air. A perfect trail. Like the one on the map.
Chapter 18
Rowen’s heart raced as she looked at the others, and then at the trail she’d mapped out on the air.
Elian stepped to it, awestruck. “What?” He raked through his hair with his hands and stood there with his mouth ajar. “What did you do?”
Rowen wiped her hands on her dress and stepped away. While in the midst of using her power, she’d never felt so powerful. So unafraid. So invincible.
“I don’t know,” she said in a soft voice. Now, she felt exposed.
Elian looked back at her, and grinned. For a moment, he looked to her like a boy who’d just been given a new toy.
“This,” he said, pointing to the trail. “Might actually work.” It glittered and glowed before them, leading down the valley and to a mountain.
She thought of Feyda’s words. Letting Elian get to the Red Dragon was dangerous. It could destroy the world.
A newfound energy soared inside her veins, and before Elian could do anything, Rowen ran for it. To the trail. For the Red Dragon.
She pumped her arms and worked her legs as fast as she’d ever run in her life. Not even Blackthorn and his men chasing her could make her run as fast as she did just then.
Elian ran after her, and to her surprise, he was also fast.
She took a chance and glanced over her shoulders to see Elian right on her heels. The look on his face was one of a crazed man, bent on outrunning or killing her. She screamed as he raised a hand to her.
No. She’d seen him do that before. She couldn’t let him release one of his dark shadowy souls on her. So, she skidded to a stop and raised her hands back at him.
Elian, out of breath, stopped as well. “What are you going to do, Rowen?”
Rowen shook her head. She wasn’t sure. But, she wasn’t going to let him kill her in the middle of the Wastelands. Not after everything she’d been through. Not when she was that close to finding the Red Dragon from her prophecy.
“Just stay back,” she yelled at him. Sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped into her eyes. She was ready to fight with all she had left within her.
Elia cracked a grin and raised both hands. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Rowen. Put your hands down, or I will have to hurt you.”
“No!”
“Very well,” he said, and sucked in a long breath—longer than was humanly possible. His chest seemed to expand as he did so and she feared the worst.
Come on, Rowen. Do something.
She closed her eyes and breathed in herself. She summoned her power.
Elian’s cry made her open her eyes. She stumbled back and gasped as a large black Dragon with silver talons scooped Elian off the ground and threw him yards across the desert. Eyes wide, she and the others watched as the black dragon blew a ring of fire around them all.
“It’s him,” she said to herself as she watched him fly in her direction.
She stood her ground. Was this her savior? Her arms opened, ready to be taken away, ready to learn of his true identity.
Hope filled her belly, and a smile came to her face. Tears stung her eyes. Thank the fates for sending him.
As he flew closer, she was certain he was coming to fly her away.
Her face drained of color and a scream came from her lips as a giant red dragon flew from the clouds and tackled the black dragon in the air. She covered her mouth as the red Dragon threw the black one into the sky, and blew an intense stream of fire at him.
Feyda and Perdan ran to her, and the red Dragon noticed. He swept his wings in their way and knocked them to the ground. Then, he blew a ring of fire just around Rowen, blocking her from any chance of escape. She fell to her knees as the heat nearly blinded her vision of the fire that ensued as the black Dragon returned for another shot at the red one.
They dove and thrashed at each other, drawing blood and causing loud screeches from one another. Her poor black Dragon had his wing nipped and nearly torn in half. He spun and blew fire at it, but the red Dragon was bigger, more powerful, and closed it wings making a fire-proof shield.
Rowen looked to Elian, who lay on the ground, knocked out. Siddhe and Gavin had run to check on him. They pulled him away by his arms, and did nothing to save Rowen.
She rubbed her hands together.
Time to save myself.
She focused on clearing her head. She breathed in deep and exhaled and all sounds of the battle and the crackling fire around her faded into silence. When she opened her eyes, she tilted her head and searched for the bright energy that controlled the flames. She pulled it toward her, and then sent flames of her own to fight them. Like a dutiful subject, the flames bent to her will, and bowed before her.
She grinned and bit her bottom lips. It was working. They lowered into the ground, until not a single flame remained. She stood, and raised a hand over her eyes to block the sun’s rays. She peered at the Dragons and saw that they were still in an intense battle.
If that red Dragon was the Red Dragon, she was in deep trouble.
Chapter 19
Rowen’s heart soared as the black Dragon threw its body, and all its weight into the red Dragon and knocked it from the sky. She cheered as he took the chance to fly to her. She ran to him, her hands outstretched and ready to be swept away. They were so close, and hope once again returned to tempt her.
He reached a talon toward her and she increased her speed, when something knocked her to the ground, and dug its sharp talon into her shoulder.
Rowen screamed and looked back to see the red Dragon lift her from the ground, and fly at such a speed that she could barely keep her eyes open.
“Let me go!”
The red Dragon ignored her.
She looked back as gusts of wind blew at her face. From what she could see, the black Dragon didn’t have a chance at catching up and soon became nothing but a speck in the distance. It flew faster, so fast that she lost all track of where they were.
“What are you doing? Let me go,” Rowen ordered. She wasn’t eve
n sure if the Dragon heard her over the raging wind. She could barely hear herself.
To make matters worse, the Dragon flew higher, so high that the air grew thin, and she started to shiver violently at the cold. She couldn’t keep her eyes open as fatigue and weakness took over.
“Please,” she pleaded one last time. She couldn’t breathe. The air was scarce and it caused her to panic. The sound of her own heartbeat vibrated in her ears. “Please!”
The Dragon slowed, and she looked down to see a small stone city built in the top of the mountain. She realized that this was where her fire line ended. It glowed below, signaling that this was it.
The lair of the Red Dragon.
Her eyes started to flutter closed, but she fought it.
The Dragon circled around in the sky, and she wondered what he had planned. It was difficult to stay awake, but she used the last of her energy to do so. She had to see what was going to happen. What was coming.
She screamed as the Dragon opened its claws…and released her.
Her scream filled her ears and the entire mountain and valleys as she fell. The wind gripped her and pushed her down and she accelerated. To her horror, sharp rocks awaited below.
This was it. Why did her prophecies never tell her she’d die like this?
She fought the air, tried to control her screams, but the sheer terror took over and left her devoid of all thoughts. She couldn’t manipulate the air like she did fire, at least not with how terrible she was at focusing at that moment. She could do nothing, but prepare herself for the pain.
She closed her eyes and wept. She hoped it would at least be quick.
All thought disappeared, and all Rowen could feel were her instincts and fire filling her veins. Then, there was the pain. She sucked in a breath as her bones started to crack and her body started to bend. She couldn’t even scream through the pain. Was she dying? Had she hit the rocks? She couldn’t tell. All she knew was agony.
