by Luna Hunter
“About how to defeat the Qroq.”
My mate stiffens, a curious look on his face.
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“While I was a captive, I was a servant to General Vakgar, and—”
“Don’t speak his name,” Tau growls. “That’s history.”
“Please, let me finish. I served wine at a meeting of the generals, and I noticed there was a lot of discord between them. They were nearly bashing each others head in, if it wasn’t for all the drink.”
“And?” Tau says. “The Qroqs have always warred with each other. It is their way. That is why they never posed a threat to us, until Qotl, their so-called ‘emperor’, united the tribes, and turned them against us… I wish a thousand curses upon his name.”
I lick my dry lips. Here it is.
“What if I return, and try to play the generals out against one another?”
A deep frown forms on my mate’s deep blue face.
“Return?” he growls.
“Yeah. I’ll be able to make a real difference. Just imagine what we could do if we had someone inside the Qroqs inner circle.”
“Return?!” Tau says, his voice echoing off the cave walls. “Have you lost your mind?!”
He steps out of the bed and paces around the cave.
“Saving you was the most dangerous, most reckless thing we’ve ever done — and now you just want to return? People died saving you!”
“Do you think I don’t know that?!” I scream. “I can’t stop thinking about that! I never asked to be brought into this world — but now I want to do my part, to repay your people for all they’ve done for me. I won’t rest on my laurels!”
“You’re impossible,” he growls. “You can give me an heir. Isn’t that enough? Isn’t my love enough?”
I pull my knees up to my chest. I knew he wasn’t going to like it, but I didn’t expect him this angry. Tau is furiously pacing across the room, gesticulating wildly as he explains just how stupid my plan is.
I’ve already made up my mind though.
“Look. I saw their maps,” I say, trying to stay calm. “I can do more for your people, for our people out there than in here. Don’t you want to fight?”
“I want nothing more, my melethril. Nothing more. If it was up to me, I would have died on the battlefield a thousand times over, but it’s not about what I want. It’s about what is best for our people.”
I look around the cave. “And is this really the best? Cowering in here, like a wounded animal?”
Tau’s eyes open wide, and I can tell from his expression alone I wounded the proud warrior. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh — it just slipped out.
“Do you think that this is what I want for my people?!” he growls. His eyes seem to glow, just like when he shifted into his dragon form. He storms out of the cave, his blue skin glimmering with scales.
Well, that went poorly… but I haven’t changed my mind yet. And with Tau gone, now is my moment.
He might never leave me out of his sight after this.
16
Tau
Who knew having a mate could be so difficult?
Amelia is feisty. Too feisty for her own good. I understand her desire to help, to fight, to resist — I know it all too well.
It’s something I struggle with daily.
I can’t do everything I want because I have a people to lead. The Thalanil look to me for guidance in these troubling times, and it is my duty to lead. I never asked to be named prince, I was simply born that way.
Becoming the princess of a beleaguered species is not an easy task, but Amelia will learn, in time. She will see that she can serve her people best by staying by my side. Not by throwing her life away in some desperate attempt to turn the Qroq generals against one another.
It’s a brave plan, I’ll admit that — but a foolish one.
There’s no saying Vakgar is even still alive. The only way Qroqs advance up their ranks is by killing their superiors. Generals come and go every day.
Emperor Qotl is the only constant. Take him out, and the tribes will fall back into their old ways, warring with each other, and my people can be free once more.
However, the emperor has never even shown his face in this part of the world. He’s a damn near mythical figure, and according to the Qroq, he’s immortal, the strongest Qroq the world has ever seen, sent from the deep depths to usher in a new age.
Horseshit.
He must be a shaman of some kind, a dark warlock — for it was he who designed the shock-collars that helped enslave my kind. We still haven’t figured out how the strange devices work exactly, but we cannot deny that they are effective.
However, at the end of the day, Qotl is still mortal. I’ll do anything to have some one-on-one time with him. Anything.
As I walk through the long, dark tunnels of Mount Thirna, my mind calms itself. Amelia had me so angry that I was in danger of shifting right there and then. My dragon can’t bear the thought of being without her — the saknar reared its head, and I had to get out of there.
I’ve always been in perfect control of my impulses, until I met my mate. No one ever told me it would be so difficult. I thought that once you found your melethril, it was all roses, mating and babies.
Now, the mating part, we have that down pat.
Getting her to stop risking her life… now that might take some more time. Never a boring moment with my mate, I suppose.
I walk out of the darkness from the many, winding tunnels towards the caves where we’ve made our hide-out. There are so many tunnels underneath Mount Thirna that anyone who can’t read the hidden signs, etched into the cave walls, will inadvertently get lost.
My people salute me as I pass, and I’m in high spirits as I walk back into my personal cave — but I freeze when I find my bed empty and deserted.
A cold, sinking feeling fills my stomach.
“Where is the princess?” I ask the guard keeping duty at the entrance.
“She went to return the toy,” he replies.
Oh fuck.
How long did I spend wandering, lost in my own mind? With her stubborn nature, she could have sneaked out and be in Qroqs hands already...
17
Amelia
I’m stumbling around in the dark. My knees are scraped, the tips of my fingers raw from feeling the cave walls as I make my way towards the exit… but I can’t turn back now.
Celaena’s parents were so kind to point me towards the exit. They had no idea I was sneaking out without Tau’s permission, of course. I returned Fenrir, and headed out. I could never accept the gift, as sweet a gesture as it is.
The Fortress of Bones is no place for stuffed toys.
I turn the corner, and my heart skips a beat when I see the welcome glare of light. I made it! I break out into a run, feeling borderline euphoric. The first part of my plan has gone over without a hitch.
Now the second part.
I step outside. The moon is bathing the forest in a silver light. Up high, through the trees, I see dragons circling in the sky. As I watch the magnificent beasts, I’m starting to have second thoughts.
Too late to turn back now.
I set off towards a clearing, where I’m sure they will see me. I have to force my legs to take one step after another, as I imagine all kinds of horrible scenarios. Still, I persist. I have to take the chance.
When I reach the clearing, the Qroqs notice me instantly. Three dragons land in front of me, and their riders hop off, practically brimming with glee.
I had almost forgotten how foul the Qroqs are from up close. Their wicked smell makes me wretch, and that’s before I’ve even looked at them…
“What do we have here,” one of them cackles. “The curvy one! We’re in luck!”
The middle one rubs his hands while his forked tongue licks his lips. The third Qroq hangs back, keeping one hand on his dragon’s neck.
This is it.
“Take me to General
Vakgar,” I say, trying to sound as authoritative as possible.
The talkative one laughs, and I try not to wince. I’ve never heard such a spiteful laugh before. He reaches for me with a spindly arm, and I flinch back.
“Don’t touch me, or Vakgar will have your head!” I threaten.
“Should you tell or should I?” the middle Qroq giggles.
It’s an unsettling sight, and my heart is beating like a war drum. This is not going how I imagined it would go. The Qroq guard at the Fortress froze when I merely mentioned the general’s name, but these soldiers don’t seem to care in the slightest.
“Vakgar is dead,” the left Qroq says gleefully. “Dead, dead, dead!”
My heart skips a beat. Oh crap.
“Emperor himself skewered him when he let you escape!” the middle one pipes up. “Everyone is looking for you… and we have you! We’ll be rich!”
The left one snaps his jaws at me.
“We can take a bite, can’t we?” he says. “Just a little taste.”
“No.” The Qroq in the back speaks up for the first time. He’s smaller than the other two, frailer — and he doesn’t have that murderous, sadistic gleam in his eyes. “The emperor said we have to take her back unharmed.”
“Bah, you’re no fun,” the middle Qroq growls. “I want my taste… and I’m having it!”
I back up slowly, until my back bumps into a tree, and I have nowhere left to go, surrounded by dragons and Qroqs on all sides.
Fuck.
18
Tau
I rush through the caves, following Amelia’s scent. It feels like since she arrived in my life, all I’ve done is chase her down.
That, and mate passionately.
She wasn’t at Celaena, of course. My mate flew the coop at the first possible opportunity. I can’t deny her tenacity.
To my surprise she didn’t get lost in the many caves, but managed to find her way out. She’s more resourceful than I thought. I burst outside, following her tracks, shifting into my dragon form instantly when I have enough room.
With my senses heightened, I see her instantly in a clearing down below, and my strong heart skips a beat.
Three Qroqs have her surrounded, and they are inches away from touching her.
No!
My vision turns red, furious anger overtaking me. This time, I welcome it. It flows through my veins, making my claws even sharper, my breath even more powerful, my wingspan even greater.
The Qroqs have no idea what hits them.
I burst through the treetops. One Qroq is skewered by my talons, my claws piercing his chest, while I reach down and bite another in half with my massive fangs.
The wretched taste of the acidic Qroq blood fills my mouth.
A single swipe of my tail takes care of the third enemy. He is launched against a tree and falls to the ground, coughing and hacking.
The three dragons stand there frightened, my attack so sudden and quick they are spooked. Their riders are dead or incapacitated, in no state to threaten them into action, and they lay down flat on their stomachs in an act of submission.
I turn towards the single Qroq still alive and raise my claw to strike him down when Amelia unexpectedly jumps in front of him.
“Stop!” she says, spreading her arms wide.
I can only narrowly avoid striking her. What in Avik’s name is she doing?!
“Please, stop!” she pleads.
Adrenaline is still coursing through my veins, the taste of blood in my mouth, but I will myself to calm down. Mustering every bit of willpower I have, I manage to shift back into my other form.
However, I’m not any less furious.
“What are you doing?!” I growl with barely contained anger. The Qroq behind her is still gasping for air, scrambling to get to his feet. “Let me at him!”
“He’s wounded,” she says. “You’ve already won. You don’t need to kill him.”
“Were they not about to hurt you?”
“The other two were — not this one.”
“You are too compassionate,” I growl. “All Qroqs deserve death.”
“I hope I never lose that compassion then,” she answers. “I don’t see enemies everywhere, and I hope I never do. The bloodshed needs to stop. Back on Earth we have a saying: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Killing him will change nothing.”
My fists are balled up in anger, the veins in my neck throbbing. My mate can be impossible. First she sneaks out, and now she pleads compassion for our tormentors?!
She wanders over towards the three dragons, which still have their bellies pressed flat against the floor in submission.
“Careful,” I say. “They are dangerous.”
Amelia runs her fingers across the dragon’s skin, gently patting him behind the ear.
“Nonsense. They just need little warmth.”
She loosens the straps on the shock-collars, and the devices fall on the forest floor with a thud. Freed from their chains, the dragons kick off into the air and flee instantly.
My mate watches them go, and sighs. “Will they ever be regular Thalanil, like you?”
I shake my head. “Honestly… we don’t know. They are traumatized, damaged…”
Amelia turns back to me, looking determined.
“I have another plan, and this time, you are going to like it.”
“To hell with your plans,” I growl. “How many times have I saved you now?!” The gleam in her eyes stops me in my tracks. “What?”
“Remember the emperor?”
“Yes,” I answer. “The source of all this evil.”
“He’s at the Fortress, and he wants me. Isn’t that right?”
The Qroq behind her crawls to his feet, one hand resting on his cracked ribs. “Yes,” he wheezes. “Yes.”
My heart skips a beat.
Emperor Qotl.
Here?
I rush towards the wounded Qroq and grab his neck. “Are you telling the truth?!”
“Y-yes,” he stammers. “Y-yes, m-master Thalanil! S-spare me, please!”
“It’s too convenient,” I say.
I can’t believe it. All my life, the Qroq emperor has been a specter. A ghost. An unseeable, unmovable force that has sunk his talons into my people.
And now he’s come, and my claws are itching to sink into his chest and tear him to pieces.
My mate places a hand on my arm. “What if it’s true?” she asks. “What if we can end it all with one great strike?”
It’s risky.
Hell, it’s a suicide mission.
But if we kill the emperor…
Then it just might be worth it.
19
Amelia
“What do you propose?”
Tau is looking at me, a hopeful look in his eyes. I’m happy that my ill-advised plan has led to something good at least. We might be able to strike at the heart of the Qroqs, end this war once and for all.
Wouldn’t that be grand?
“The emperor wants me, according to the Qroqs, so I say we stick to my original plan… and take me in as a prisoner.”
“What about me?” Tau frowns.
I look around. The three dragons are just specks on the horizon at this point. Only their shock-collars remain.
“We’ll need a dragon to reach the Fortress of Bones, right? You’re a dragon…”
His turquoise eyes light up.
“You propose we fly right in and take on the emperor, just like that?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Why not?”
“It’s bold… risky, but bold. I like it.”
“You wear collar,” the Qroq pipes up.
We both turn to the injured alien.
“If you no wear, dragons attack.”
“Why are you helping us?” Tau growls. “I nearly killed you.”
“Lady show mercy,” he says, bowing before Amelia. “More than Qroq generals. I have life debt.”
I return the alien’s bow.
“I accept your service, noble warrior.”
Tau frowns deeply. “You are a strange one, woman. We can’t trust a Qroq. They are the enemy.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I smile.
“The Qroqs don’t want war either,” the alien says, coughing. “Life better before emperor. We fish, we hunt… and no more. Now everything is war, everything is battle, everything is fight. Everything is death.”
The Qroq’s yellow eyes are filled with pain and sorrow.
“No emperor is better,” he says. “I help.”
“See,” I tell Tau. “The Qroq are people, just like the Thalanil.”
“They are nothing like the Thalanil,” my mate says bitterly.
“We accept your help… what’s your name?”
“Xnath,” he snivels.
“Thank you, Xnath.”
Tau places his hand on my cheek and leans in for a kiss. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment while it lasts. It might be the last one we share…
“Are you sure about this, my melethril? This is extremely dangerous. I do not know how powerful the emperor truly is.”
“I have faith in you,” I answer. “I’m the best shot we have at having an audience with the emperor. I’m sure.”
A cold shiver runs down my spine. Never, in a million years, did I imagine myself ever being in this position; planning an attack on an alien emperor, with my alien prince boyfriend.
My biggest problems used to be heating bills or busted tires. And cheating boyfriends. Now, it’s warring alien empires, with the life of two entire species hanging in the balance.
Yet, to my own surprise, I’m not scared. I’m not frightened.
I was, certainly, at first… but here, I have found purpose. I have found love, true love. And now that I have experienced that, I can die peacefully.
Of course, I hope to spend the rest of my days with Tau, and watch our many, many children grow up to be proud warriors… but if that’s not to be, then I wish to die at his side, fighting for peace.
