“You don’t eat grass, do you?”
He smiled, his lips curving beautifully, and then shook his head.
“Would I want to know about it?” she asked with a grimace.
He shook his head, a low sound in his throat sounded like a chuckle.
“I thought as much.”
She stroked his arm, her fingers trailing against his scales absently.
“But you aren’t a danger to me, right?”
He quickly shook his head no.
“Because Faolan told you not to eat me?”
He actually sounded like he was laughing now, his jaws hanging slightly open as his chest shook against her side.
“Well I don’t think it’s that funny,” she playfully chided him.
He dropped his head apologetically, but the curve of his lips and the light dancing in his onyx eyes told her that he wasn’t serious about it.
“Too bad dragons aren’t ticklish. I could make you suffer,” she threatened.
He snorted doubtfully, but his tail curled protectively over his side all the same.
Isabelle grinned at him. “I suppose you know that I’m pregnant, don’t you?” she asked him suddenly, her hand coming to rest on her rounded stomach. She felt him tense beside her. “I thought so. Did Faolan tell you?”
He shook his head.
“Can you sense it or something?” she asked him, her eyebrows raised. He tilted his head to the side, considering how much to tell her she supposed, and then nodded. “How?” she asked quickly.
He turned toward her, his nostrils wide. When she didn’t understand, he flared his nostrils and then snorted at her. She continued to look at him blankly so he sniffed her, loudly and deliberately
“You can smell his baby?”
The dragon nodded dramatically, nearly rolling his eyes at her.
“Your senses are that good?”
Again he nodded.
“What else can you smell?”
The dragon raised his head, looking up at the sky.
“Weather? You can smell weather?” she guessed.
He nodded.
“Can you smell other things, too? Or just weather and babies?” she pressed.
This time he did roll his eyes. But he shrugged, at a loss of how to describe his sense of smell, that was so complete and so beyond anything she would know, to a human.
“Can you talk?” she asked him, giving up on his senses for the moment.
He shook his head no and sighed.
“I think I’d like to talk to you though.”
He nodded, pressing his chin against her shoulder.
“Would you like to talk to me, too?”
Again he nodded, this time smiling slightly at her.
“Thank you. I like having you as my friend,” she said gently to him as she wrapped an arm clumsily around his neck.
He arched his neck, bringing his head against her shoulder for a hug.
Chapter Six
The next afternoon found Isabelle tucked inside of a stone crevice. The stone of the low ledge was cold against her bare legs. Isabelle couldn’t have said what made her climb the short way up. She only knew that she liked it there, surrounded by the darkness and hidden from view. She no longer felt exposed, on display, and most of all, vulnerable as these mood swings kept driving her crazy. She had been to see Caden and even he had seemed to want to be alone lately. Once he was better, well enough to live as a normal child of his age should, she knew that she would make Thadius hold to the terms of the contract and release him without her. Where and who he would then live with she hadn’t yet decided. She couldn’t very well send him back to Nuer, and back to Andrew, after all. She would think on that more. But the mountains were not the place for him.
As lost as she was in her thoughts Isabelle missed the sound of the men’s footsteps, hollow and nearly silent, on the hallway floor. If she had not felt Faolan’s presence beside her, she would not have noticed them even when they had paused to speak no more than a few feet from her. Not knowing who Faolan was with, Isabelle slid further into the darkness, holding her breath in case they could hear her breathing.
“Is everything ready?” she heard Thadius ask and instantly pulled further back, not wanting to see him in the least.
“Yes, Father, most of the clans have already gathered below us,” Faolan replied distractedly.
She could feel his eyes on her, searching the shadows for where he knew she was hiding. She silently shook her head at him, hoping that at least he could see that much of her and would know that she was in no mood to speak to his father tonight.
“Very good. And Isabelle?” His father’s voice pulled his attention away from her.
Isabelle was surprised to see her husband’s warm features harden instantly at the sound of her name. It made her pull away even more as chills began to lap against her arms.
“She will not interfere in this matter,” he bit out with a meaningful glance to where he knew she was hiding.
“Good. She wouldn’t understand this,” Thadius replied, not noticing his son’s gaze as it shifted.
Faolan sighed and looked toward the ceiling in what Isabelle recognized as something he only did when he was truly exhausted with the conversation. “I wouldn’t expect her to,” he said softly. “Even though I have known nothing else, I still cringe at the event’s extremes.”
Thadius clasped a large hand on his son’s shoulder and turned him back toward the hallway ahead of them. “Though this may seem old fashioned and possibly even barbaric to you at times, it is the way things have been done in our world for thousands of years. You’re just too soft. It won’t do for when you take over my clan. Now come, I’m sure our guests are getting anxious.”
Her curiosity now thoroughly piqued, Isabelle waited a few tense moments before deciding to follow after them. Although she could not tell where Thadius was, Faolan was unmistakably clear before her, regardless of how many winding staircases and narrow hallways they traveled through. She wanted to marvel at their connection, at being able to feel him in a way that had never been this strong before, but their steady pace kept her from being able to pause for even a moment as she moved between the shadows to keep up with them. Faolan paused in front of a large open chamber, making way for Thadius to enter before him. Isabelle stopped suddenly, her foot raised mid-step as his dark eyes locked onto hers, despite the darkness she remained hidden in. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, before opening them again. She couldn’t read his expression, not that she knew all of his many emotions by heart, but this one was different. She barely had time to think on it before he disappeared into the bleak darkness of the chamber his father waited for him in.
Seeing a small opening above her, Isabelle quickly pulled herself the short way up into what became another small ledge. This time though her view was much different.
Barely fathomable as it was, Isabelle found herself in the largest room she had ever seen. Far above her the stone ceiling continued to climb, dotted along the way by small ledges and outcroppings of stone much like the one she now crouched on. No less than fifty feet below her, Thadius was descending a long crude staircase that leveled out onto a large flat floor. He took a seat on the only chair she could see, one placed above the floor on a dais where he could easily see what was around him. Except for her, she made sure of that by pressing herself flat against ledge and only peeking at him when she knew his dark eyes were not searching in her direction. Not knowing where Faolan had gone, for he was no longer beside his father, was bothersome. She frowned at the puzzle of it.
Far below her, Isabelle heard Thadius as he clapped his hands together once, the sound reverberating through the large empty room, if the immense chamber could even be called merely that at all. To her amazement, dragons of all shapes and colors began coming toward him, slipping through holes she had not been able to see from her angle above them. As more of them came flooding through, the fi
rst of them began acting anxious as they swayed back and forth, making low guttural sounds to each other. Isabelle had the distinct impression that whatever was going to happen tonight, she was not supposed to be a part of it or know anything about. For a short lived moment, she felt a flash of anger at the thought of Faolan keeping such a secret from her, though her rational mind was quick to remind her of how ridiculous that was when she kept plenty from him.
Above her, Isabelle was vaguely aware of the ledges higher than hers slowly filling with more dragons and a few men. Surrounded by so many that she did not know, she hoped that her hiding place would not be found as she pressed herself further into the unforgiving stone floor. She had a moment to wonder about the heat of the room and the warmth of the stone beneath her, as well as the smell of gas that strongly permeated the air, before Thadius’ voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Welcome, brothers, to tonight’s festivities,” he said, causing a chorus of beating wings and rough cries as the dragons called back to him. With a broad, satisfied smile, Thadius continued, “Now let us all remember again why we are here. This has been a tradition in our world since the time of the ancients. This is a matter of clan pride and so, boys, please keep in mind what is at stake here as you enter the pit. And as always, we fight to the death. If you are afraid of dying, I recommend that you leave now and don’t waste my time with your cowardly presence. I promise that you will make it out of the mountain before the elders kill you. To all the rest of you, welcome to my home and let the bloodshed begin!”
Again there was an uproar of cries and beating wings, this time so loud that Isabelle shuddered from the force of it. Bloodshed? Suddenly Isabelle felt quite panicked. Where could Faolan be? Surely he wouldn’t be involved in something of this nature. She had no idea what Thadius could possibly be talking about, but from how it all sounded, she knew it wasn’t going to be nice or pretty. Isabelle could clearly feel the stab of pain that erupted through her as she worried for the safety of her husband.
Shuffling and the sound of claws against hard stone below momentarily tore her attention from her thoughts. Glancing below her, Isabelle’s eyes widened at the sight of a large, heavily muscled red dragon as he made his way into the middle of the slowly forming circle. He threw his head back and uttered a sharp cry, so loud it made Isabelle cry out as she scrambled to cover her ears from the worst of it. Moments later a sharper cry joined the first and she had the distinct impression that the dragon’s call had been answered. Risking a glance, her thoughts were confirmed as the red dragon and a smaller yellow one began to circle each other, sending low growling threats to each other.
Without hesitation, the red dragon suddenly lunged, his formidable mass hurling straight toward the smaller dragon’s side. Isabelle held her breath, wanting desperately not to watch such a thing, but not being able to turn herself away from it. Just before she thought the red dragon would slam into the other, most likely killing the poor creature instantly, the yellow dragon lithely flitted away, narrowly escaping the other’s claws and bared teeth.
With the red dragon’s side open and vulnerable to him as his larger opponent struggled to turn and attack him again, the yellow dragon launched himself onto his shoulder, instantly sinking his teeth and claws into the red dragon’s side. With the sickening sound of tearing flesh, Isabelle watched as the yellow dragon pushed his powerful back legs down, tearing through the red dragon’s side. Again he did it. And again until the red dragon finally collapsed underneath him, blood pulsing in large gushes, turning the dark stone a ghastly red.
Isabelle turned away, no longer able to watch as she held a hand over her stomach and another over her mouth to keep the bile from rising out of her throat. Dragons really were monsters. She couldn’t believe she had come here, had trusted them, had trusted Kylin. She needed to take Caden and leave.
There was a loud crack and the sounds of dragon’s cheering far below her. Isabelle cringed as she thought of the red dragon dying, just lying there in a pool of his own blood with the yellow dragon looking on as the victor. But as she looked over the side of the ledge, she had to cover her mouth to stop the gasp that threatened to escape from her lips. The red dragon was struggling to stand, his body thrown over the yellow dragon below him. Still bleeding badly, the red dragon looked down at the unmoving beast below him and, with one last final strike, his head flew down, his mouth wide, his teeth already glistening with blood as his large fangs closed around the other dragon’s neck. With a sharp, well-practiced twist of his head, the yellow dragon’s throat was completely torn from his neck, leaving only a wide, gaping hole.
Isabelle wasn’t able to hold back the bile as she shuddered against the cold stone. Unable to turn away from the bloody carnage below her, Isabelle’s blood suddenly ran cold and her breath caught as the yellow dragon’s body slowly faded, leaving a badly mutilated man in its wake. Her breath started to come faster, tears pricking her eyes as she tried and failed to understand how such a thing could be possible.
Thadius rose from his chair, smiling widely with a look of sheer joy she had never seen on his face. “Well that was quite a beginning. Reyes, your father will be quite proud. Honor and power are yours, good son, return home and enjoy in your victory.” The red dragon nodded, bowing low before Thadius until his chin touched the bloodied stone floor before silently leaving the group, his head held high, despite the gaping wound that continued to bleed from his side.
Turning toward the group of gathered dragons, Thadius circled with his arms held wide and said, “Now, brothers, I am very proud to introduce someone who I’m sure you all know well by now. Fighting for the first time here tonight, my son, Faolan!”
Isabelle rushed forward on the ledge, nearly toppling over the side of it as she leaned far over, struggling to see what the others did as they erupted in a surge of roaring greetings. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her breath caught as the young black dragon she had befriended confidently walked into the center of the gathered beasts. Isabelle watched, wide eyed, as the dragon turned slowly, his head held high, his wings splayed dramatically, meeting the fiery gaze of every other dragon in the large room. Finally he came to stand before Thadius, his bright eyes alert and trained on the man before him.
“Come on, boys, who will challenge him? Surely there must be one of you out there brave enough to face my son!” Thadius called.
Isabelle could no longer tell if she was breathing as a cold wave of numbness surged through her already stricken body. Faolan couldn’t be the black dragon, she told herself, that was impossible. Even more impossible was that his own father, a man she knew could be selfish and manipulative at times, was willing to put his very life in danger for the sake of nothing more than stupid pride. She began to shake as tremors raked through her body at the sight of a much larger blue dragon entering the circle. He walked up to the black dragon, his nostrils flared, his neck arched as he stared down at his smaller opponent. The black dragon merely spared him a glance before turning back to Thadius.
“Ah, Clyce. Very good. We have a challenger!” Thadius eagerly declared, following by more roaring from the surrounding dragons.
At Thadius’ final word, with the crowd continuing to cheer around them, the blue dragon made the first attack, attempting to slam himself into the smaller dragon. Faolan skillfully dodged it, but then the blue dragon turned sharply, much more so than something of his size should have been able to, and grabbed the black dragon in one twisting claw, sending him slamming against the far wall. As dust and rubble fell down on him, Isabelle fought back a scream to warn him as the blue dragon began steadily approaching him. He attacked again, but this time he was ready for him, managing to slice open Faolan’s chest before the blue dragon sent him sprawling against the stone floor with blood dripping from his finely scaled lips. Again the blue dragon approached and again the smaller black dragon lay bleeding and broken on the floor. Isabelle forced herself to watch, not wanting to leave him in even this
smallest of ways, despite the large amount of blood that covered his midnight black scales.
He lay on the stone, his wings twisted at odd angles beneath him, his breathing fast and shallow as he struggled for air as the blue dragon came up for one final blow. Isabelle shut her eyes tightly, curling into a ball and forcing herself not to cry out as she thought of what he must be going through down below her. She did not want to think of his pain. Or of his possible death at the hands of a dragon she would probably never be able to seek revenge against. She just couldn’t.
There was a roar followed by the loud crack of bones breaking which shook her to the core. She felt a sob escape her throat, not caring anymore who or what found her hiding there now that Faolan had been killed. But he didn’t feel gone. It was strange, she almost felt relief. Not trusting what she felt, she forced herself to her knees and peered over the edge. She was just in time to see the black dragon slowly limp away from a human body with a badly broken neck and shattered skull. He stumbled a few more times before collapsing onto the hard stone floor and slowly, obviously painfully, turning back into a man.
“Men, please take my son back to his rooms and have the healer join him there. You have done well, Faolan. Tonight you have made me proud. Who wants to be next to fight?” Thadius quickly said.
Isabelle watched a group of men carry Faolan out of the pit and then ran back to their rooms. She was standing next to the bed when the men opened the door, their surprised eyes taking in her anger.
“Lady Isabelle, please, you would not wish to see him like this. He is badly hurt,” the guard closest to her said.
Isabelle waved him off. “I know. Lay him down on the bed.” It was a struggle to keep her voice even and her anger in check.
“But, my lady—” the guard continued, oblivious to the rage in her eyes.
“You’re wasting time and unfortunately that is something that my husband is severely lacking in. So I suggest you stop arguing with me and do as I ask,” she snapped at him.
Betrayed by Dragons Page 4
