by Ashley Frost
Wake up. Hurry. He needs you.
Danger—its foreboding sensation swarmed Constance’s mind. Her own voice refused to stop urging her to wake up. But the darkness felt so good. She needed it. She hadn’t had peaceful sleep in three weeks.
Hurry!
Her eyes shot open. Her blurry sight sharpened. The first thing she recognized was the brute.
Dead.
He lay motionless in front of her, his head cleanly severed from his shoulders. The smell of blood and fire soaked the ashen air. The crackling of flames grew clearer in her dulled hearing. What happened? The gravity of the situation sank in, albeit not fast enough. She remembered the fight, the dragon mother, and the threat of death looming over her and her mate. The war cries of dragons still thundered outside. The fight was still on. She couldn’t have slept for more than an hour.
Her gaze darted to the bed. Rayse was missing. Had they taken him? Anxiety gripped her like a vicious python. She prayed that wasn’t the case. She saw a shadowy female figure walk in before she fell unconscious. Maybe Greta had come and managed to wake Rayse?
She pushed herself to her feet. Her ribs hurt from the kick, and her jaw was probably dislocated.
With much effort, she shuffled to the window. Death and destruction awaited her outside. So many of the buildings were either flattened or charred. Some dead bodies littered the ground. Did she cause all this by provoking the fight? In her mind, it had to be done. But was her life and Rayse’s really worth all these others?
At that moment, she realized Rayse was worth anything and everything to her. The whole world could burn to ashes, but Rayse had to be alive. It was the most selfish thought that ever came to her.
She loved him that much.
A loud roar reverberated toward her. It was so deafening, she felt it through the walls. A brown dragon fell from the sky and into the rubble. It didn’t stir after landing. The Black Menace descended right after it did—alive, but barely.
She threw her hand over her mouth, relieved. The relief didn’t last long, however. Rayse was in bad shape. She noticed the fight between the two coalitions of dragons had actually stopped. Most of the remaining dragons were just watching.
They were observing Rayse and those who dared challenge him.
Another dragon lunged toward her mate. She couldn’t withstand the sight. Her mate was beat up and bleeding. He hadn’t even fully recovered from his battles at the outskirts. Claws and spikes—from other dragons, most likely—stuck out from his black scales. He was obviously tired and very much in pain.
She rushed to the front porch despite the aches trying to stop her, eager to help Rayse, but she couldn’t do anything, not while being human and beaten and bruised, too. “Rayse!” she called his name, not knowing how else to act.
One by one, the challengers stepped forward. They took advantage of his weakened state. This wasn’t fair. It was ridiculous.
“Keep fighting,” she said, more to herself. The scene was hard to watch, but she did so regardless.
He shredded past them one dragon at a time, but each opponent made him wearier than the last.
Finally, he was down to the last three challengers. The other dragons looked healthy and ready for a fight. Rayse was limping by that point. He wouldn’t survive one more fight, much less three more. Bodies of his defeated opponents lay around her battered mate’s frame. Wasn’t that proof that he was strong enough?
A dying man whimpered next to her. The man seemed delirious. “Goddess, goddess,” he muttered. “She has forsaken me.”
Her first inclination was to comfort him. Then a dark thought intruded her mind. Kill him. Take his soul. She could save Rayse with this man’s soul. But she remembered what the books said, and what Crescent had taught her. To take a dragon or human’s soul was the greatest sin and danger a witch could ever do. The dark magic could kill the witch, taint her, or even destroy everything around her. Such magics were forbidden because of their destructive and unpredictable nature.
But a human or dragon’s soul was the strongest of all. She could freeze all three of Rayse’s opponents with a powerful ice spell. But at the cost of this man’s life, and even the cost of her own.
She found herself in the dark pits of her mind. Her thoughts pushed against each other.
“Es rea misrea—”
A shriek pierced the air. A purple beast soared through the ashen sky.
Greta had arrived.
She dived toward Rayse’s opponents. They were startled by her interruption, and stumbled at the swing of her tail and the lashings of her claws. Rayse took the opening immediately and bit at the neck of the opponent he was currently facing. Then, he lunged for the next one and crippled its back. Greta held onto the last dragon while Rayse knocked it unconscious with a head bash. He worked so expertly and fluidly, she Constance almost forgot he was injured for a second. But his weariness quickly showed itself again when he finished dealing with his two enemies. He lied on the floor, exhausted. His body shrank, and he receded into his human form. Greta, having helped finish the fight, flew off.
Constance yelled his name as she dashed toward him. The sharp pain in her ribs reminded her she was in no condition to be running, but she didn’t care.
She brought him into her arms. He felt warm.
“You’ll be all right,” she said, kissing his forehead.
He nodded, then frowned. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t be there for you.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I promised.”
“It’s okay, Rayse. Don’t worry about it.”
“I promised I’d protect you. But look at these bruises.” He softly brushed his fingers over her cheek. She couldn’t feel his touch, not with her numbed jaw, but she liked it nevertheless. “At least you’re safe. Thank the goddess,” he said.
The goddess was the last person she’d thank, but she didn’t argue. At least she could hold him in her arms without worries. That was all that mattered at that moment. “You silly man. I should be saying that to you. Not the other way around.”
Then, as she lay there with Rayse, more relieved than she’d ever felt, everything went black.
CHAPTER TWELVE
It is said that the magnificent Dragon Keep was built in a mere three days. This proclamation, said to have been made by the dragons themselves, cannot be confirmed however, because no records from so long ago exist. Many experts believe the estimation of three days might be a false rumor, spread by someone who wanted to discredit the dragons of their godhood. Dragons should not require so long to build a castle. Their divine powers should allow them to create such superficial structures simply by willing them into existence.
Run, hide, run. Know your place, Constance. The thought began to lose its grip.
“My lord! She’s awake. You might want to have a look.”
Bustles sounded in the background. Constance’s eyes fluttered. Her sides ached, though not nearly as much as before she collapsed. The first person she saw was Rayse. He had her hand clasped in his.
“How long?” she asked.
“A few weeks.” He lightly kissed her hand. “I’ve been waiting.”
“So long? I swear, it feels like I’ve barely had a night’s sleep.”
“Your injuries were severe,” Rayse said gravely. “I still can’t get that image of you out of my head.”
“It’s not your fault.” She smiled, cupping his hand with her other one. “You weren’t in such a good shape either. I couldn’t do anything about it.” He looked healthier, and as gorgeous as ever, though the dark circles still plagued under his eyes. Still, she couldn’t point out a single scratch. The vision of rocks and claws jutting out of his bloody scales still haunted her. He seemed tired, but miles ahead from his battered self a few weeks ago.
“I am a dragon, love. My wounds heal quickly. You are fragile.”
“I still care about your health.”
His eyes, like midnight, searched her. “I’d rather you care about yo
urself more. I doubt your running about with half-broken bones helped much with your situation.”
“I survived.”
As he leaned in, her lips puckered in anticipation. He took them in his. It was wet, warm, and loving. She didn’t want the kiss to end. She only realized after they parted that the nurses and other patients in the infirmary were staring. She didn’t mind or care. She wanted to float in their temporary fantasy, but other urgent matters bothered her.
“How’s the situation in the village?” she asked. “Looking at the way you defeated those other dragons, we should be out of fighting males.”
He snorted. “I didn’t kill them. If I killed every male dragon who challenged me, we’d be out of warriors by now. I don’t condone their cowardly behavior, however.”
“Me neither. The rules need to change.”
“They are changing. Your rally seemed to have convinced most of the clan members. We’re not a very democratic race, but they’ve managed to get themselves to vote on something, for once. Most seem to agree that ganging up on the weakened clan leader isn’t very conducive or appropriate for a strong clan, and not to mention, rather cowardly. They’ve decided they don’t want a new clan leader who got his position by striking down an unconscious predecessor. And the new clan leader, should there be one, shouldn’t be able to benefit from another challenger’s loss. It’s an unfair advantage. So there can be only one challenge a day .”
“That’s new. You’d assume such rules were common sense.” She grinned. At least Rayse didn’t have to worry as much, though he still had to accept random challenges. Anything that made life easier for her mate made her happy. “They were pretty stubborn about it.”
“Greta played a part in the convincing. She’s quite traditional, but she mentioned being appalled at seeing over twenty bodies in front of me and them still not giving up. She admitted there needed to be a limit to things.”
“And the village? The casualties?” Constance spotted a man walking around with a crutch—the same person she almost took the soul of. Things might have turned out very differently if Greta arrived a second later, and she’d have ended up a very different person, if alive at all. She couldn’t face the dragon-man knowing she almost took his life for nothing.
“Five casualties. The houses are under construction again. It helps that dragons are strong and can fly to get materials.”
Her brows shot up. “Only five?” Rayse didn’t seem pleased giving the news, but she was pleasantly surprised with the loss of so little lives. She was sure she’d seen a ton of bodies. Not that she didn’t ache for the five lives that were lost, but at least there weren’t as many wasted futures as she thought there were.
“Dragons aren’t savages. We aren’t so keen to kill our own kind.”
She shot him an incredulous glance. “They were quite keen to kill you. I’d say that’s quite savage.”
“Fine. We are monsters at times.”
“As the lore suggests.”
“But most of the community here actually like each other. They were trying to show dominance, mostly. Many of the bodies were those of unconscious or injured dragons. A few who were too frail died in the crossfire, unfortunately.” His gaze met the floor. Rayse sighed. “One of them was a dragon wife. She got crushed accidentally by her own mate. I don’t think that dragon is going to last long. We might as well make the official number six. You know, I don’t like it when my men die.”
“They died honorably, protecting their leader.” She kept to herself that some were probably on the opposite side, committing the cowardly and unbecoming assault on Rayse.
“They shouldn’t have to. It should be the other way around.”
She couldn’t find more words to comfort him. Mere words weren’t enough to ease the loss of lives. She ran her thumb over Rayse’s hands, as if trying to tell him everything would be okay.
Greta sauntered past them. The old lady didn’t seem to want to bother them. There were so many other patients Greta had to pay mind to.
“Greta, aren’t you going to greet me?” she said. “I’ve been knocked out for weeks. You don’t even want to check up on your poor disciple?”
Greta rolled her eyes. Muttering something under her breath, the old woman walked over. “Yes, yes, what is it?”
“I’m hurt by your seeming lack of concern.”
“Sensitive child.” Greta smiled. “I just thought you’d like some alone time with Rayse, seeing how the both of you are kissing in public and all that.”
Constance blushed, but the redness quickly subsided. “I wanted to thank you.”
“Just a day’s work.”
“How did you get back so soon? You said the trip was three hours.”
“It was.”
She frowned. “But you came back in less than two. That’s how you woke Rayse up, right?”
Greta shook her head. “No, I thought that was you. I saw some of the grass at his bedside when cleaning up. Where did you get that idea from?”
“It wasn’t me…”
“Then who?”
The mystery lingered in the air.
“I should ask one of the other doctors or nurses,” Greta said after the pause. “But it’s not a very well-known herb, so I don’t think one of the common folks would’ve known about it.”
“You do that.”
“Goddess bless Rayse. Seems like someone helped the both of you out, regardless.”
Constance shook her head. “It was the goddess who revealed Rayse’s affliction to the rest of the clan. She isn’t on our side.”
“I’m sure she has her reasons. Good has come out of this.”
She grimaced. “Five deaths?”
“And the start of a change for a tradition which has plagued our kind for far too long. That might have been her plan.” Greta turned her head to the skies, as if the goddess were flying overhead.
“Her magic touched me. It didn’t feel… normal. My body wanted to reject it.” She wanted to note how disgusting and vile it felt, but worried it would offend Greta.
“Perhaps her power was too much for you.”
She agreed with a nod, but didn’t believe that possibility. “Where had she gone?”
Greta shrugged. “She had left when I returned. Must have departed amidst the chaos. Shame, really. I wanted to see her for me own eyes. The dragon mother only awakens once every dragon’s lifetime, and she doesn’t visit most clans.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “For your sacrifice.”
“I care for Rayse more than some spectacle. Even if that spectacle were an omnipotent goddess. Don’t worry about it, child. The dragon mother will live on whether I’ve glanced at her or not.” Greta sighed. “And I care for you, too. Get well soon.”
Hardly did Greta seem so motherly to Constance. She smiled at her mentor. “Thank you again. And I’m sorry.”
“Psh. Nothing to be sorry about.” The female dragon waved a dismissive hand.
A sickly patient called for Greta. The old woman grumbled a response and left.
Rayse looked at Constance with loving eyes. She didn’t really care who had given him the herb. Her mate was alive and could still gaze at her like that. She would thank the person profusely if she ever found out who he or she was.
***
Constance couldn’t stop hearing Rew’s voice. It plagued her every night, even with Rayse right next to her.
She wanted to visit home one more time. Eduard would console her and encourage her to ignore the voice. When she was younger, Eduard would allow her on his lap and sing songs about strength while her will faltered. Her father used to be there when she couldn’t shake the negative thoughts from her head. Eduard had distracted her with herbs and books in the dead of the night. Faithfully trying to understand the knowledge had kept her thoughts away from Rew.
“Don’t run, Constance,” Eduard had said. “Who is going to take care of the sick if you just run from problems?”
But the guilt,
knowing that she was part of the destruction in Rayse’s clan, was starting to weaken the resolve she had built over the years. She found herself beginning to crack. Her bad dreams of Rew started again the moment she arrived in the clan. They worsened after Rayse’s collapse, and the traumatizing sight of the seemingly dead dragon bodies reminded her of the violence of her childhood. The violence happened because of her incompetence in being a good dragon wife. Maybe if she’d just accepted her fate and not let her inner self fight against Rayse’s mating, things would have turned out different.
Eduard would have an answer for that. Her father always had the answers to her insecurities.
She walked down the path with her mate, returning to his house. He held her hand firmly in his.
“You made it sound better than it looks,” she said, examining the destruction amongst the dragon clan.
“It’s really not as bad as it appears.”
She didn’t believe him. Most of the dragons were now homeless. Many dragon wives and children were left out in the cold winds. The women sat around fires as houses were constructed in the backdrop. Some women were lucky enough to have their husbands back from the fighting or work. They crouched next to their lovers with blanket-wrapped frames, relying on their mates to shield themselves from the cold mountain winds. “If I’d just mated with you sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Well, it’s never too late.”
She should have been excited by his comment. She waited for the lust to take over. It usually did in moments like this. But the grimness surrounding her didn’t let it.
It was Rew’s voice chanting his words at the back of her mind. The doubt. The pain. The fear of facing her problems. Run, hide, run. If she’d been a bit more timid and didn’t sign herself up for the Offering so brazenly, Rayse would have been strong enough to face the dragon mother.
Life isn’t worth living if you hide from its troubles, Eduard’s voice interjected her thoughts. How would you appreciate the good times if you can’t tell them from the bad?
But you’re worthless, Rew said in her head. Why did Rew still continue to warp her mind like this, even after his death? His advice hadn’t worked well for him either, anyway. The guards eventually caught the team and strung them all up. She was the only one to survive.
