Daybreak

by Shae Ford

  The world turned and the molten city disappeared as Kael followed the black dragon into the sky. The Halved Ones were quick in battle, but the span of their wings was far too short. Their human halves weakened and shrank the dragon. It wasn’t long before Kael had out-distanced them.

  His vision swelled with the ice-capped seas; his ears filled with the beating of the black dragon’s wings. The fires of the anger he’d carried suddenly went out. Sorrow waited beneath it.

  “Our nests our empty, our hatching grounds have gone cold. If we cannot stop the Halved Ones, they will destroy the few of us who remain. I fear our time is nearly at its end.”

  “I fear that too, my heart,” the black dragon said from beside her. His great voice hardly rose above the murmur of the wind. “But then I remember that Fate wove our souls from nothing, that she bid our Motherlands rise from the sea. I think she would not have bothered to give us life if she planned to let others steal it away.”

  A heavy sigh filled Kael’s chest. “And yet, they steal it. We could have stopped the Halved Ones. But this human who carries flame … he will never stop. I see it in his eyes.”

  “With enough time, the Halved Ones will fall, My-Dorcha. As for the human …” the yellow of the black dragon’s eyes flared brightly, “I will see to it that he stops.”

  CHAPTER 34

  A Woman’s Sorrow

  The vision fled him with a whoosh, slamming the shutter tightly. Kael did back its bolts before the next vision could throw them open.

  His hands shook as he snapped the lock into place. Something tore at his flesh, pressed down upon his shoulders. It dragged him to his knees. Kael felt as if he wore a cloak made of iron: it hung from his back and turned his skin to ice. But the feeling within him was worse.

  Needles jabbed his innards; daggers cut his bone. His blood bubbled and shrank inside his veins, drying to a thick, blackened crust. Flames gnawed through his every rift and lapped furiously at his marrow. Kael wrapped his arms around his chest and squeezed them together tightly.

  Desperation bent his back and anger ravaged him from within, but behind all that was fear — the fear that he would be crushed, devoured. It was fear that stole his strength and gave him over to the darkness. He had to stop it, had to thaw the spines of ice growing up his back before they reached his head —

  My love!

  “No!”

  Kael threw himself against the wall just as the white dragon lunged for him. He couldn’t let Kyleigh touch him. He couldn’t let her feel these horrible things. If she felt them, she might remember — and the memories would consume her.

  “Don’t touch me,” he pleaded, when the dragon crept forward. “Please, just … just talk to me. Tell me everything’s going to be all right.”

  It was a foolish thing to ask — Kael knew this. But he thought that perhaps if he were to focus on something else, he might not have to think about the fact that he was being eaten from the inside out. He trusted the dragon not to laugh.

  Whatever it is, you can defeat it. There’s not an enemy you’ve faced that you haven’t found some way to overcome, not a battle you’ve started that you haven’t won, the dragon said.

  It was the confidence in her voice that steadied him more than the words. Her belief in him cooled the anger, tore the desperation aside. It melted his fear.

  Kyleigh had seen more of the world than he could ever hope to. If she believed in him, he thought it must be true. “Thank you,” he muttered as the last of the anger went out.

  The dragon’s fiery green eyes swelled in his vision as she bent her face to his. The flames sputtered in uncertain arcs. What did you … see?

  Kael wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to think about the black dragon — the dragon who’d called Kyleigh his heart’s bond … the dragon he was almost entirely certain now lived inside the body of the shapechanger bound to the King. Just the thought of it made him bare his teeth.

  He was afraid to say anything about what he’d seen. Even the smallest detail might undo the window’s lock. One wrong word could release her memory and cause the past to come flooding in. If that happened, she would have to bear that horrible anger and desperation once more. He couldn’t take that chance.

  Instead, he forced himself to smile and say: “I saw a dragon who loved deeply and battled without fear. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  More of your kindness. The dragon tilted her head, and her fiery eyes narrowed. Sometimes I think you are too kind. But this is merely a strand of thought flowing down the river. My love runs too fiercely to let it sink in.

  That was something Kyleigh never would have said. He couldn’t believe her two halves were so completely different. Slowly, Kael got to his feet. “All right … one more window.”

  You discovered my name? What is it? the dragon said at his nod.

  “I can’t tell you — not here. Not so close to this wall.”

  No sooner had he spoken than the shutters rattled hard.

  Kael took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you the moment I’m … out.”

  The dragon inclined her head. That’s probably for the best. Be careful.

  Kael knew he had to be careful. He was prepared for the shutters’ push, and his warrior half swelled against it. But this time, the metal bolt was strangely hot. He pulled his sleeve over his hand and slid it back quickly. Then he pressed his ear against the worn oak, listening for what lay beyond.

  Instead of wind, he heard screams.

  Kael’s heart was thudding before he even cracked the shutter open and plunged into the scene beyond …

  *******

  Darkness — a damp shroud soaked in orange light.

  Footsteps thudded into the earth all around him. The ghosts of screams crawled down the base of his skull — present, but not entirely full. Blurred shadows darted through the soaked orange edges. The fires were so bright that he couldn’t watch them for long. They hurt him. The pain shut his eyes …

  A woman’s startled gasp dragged him from the darkness: “Fate! Oh, thank Fate.”

  When he opened his eyes, the woman’s face was a hand’s breadth from his. The glow of flame warmed her pale skin, painted shadows across her features. Her raven hair had fallen from its bonds and flowed into the darkness. Her stark blue eyes were fierce and bold — a warrior’s eyes.

  Kyleigh’s voice slid between his lips as he moaned: “Ryane …?”

  “I’m here.”

  The world swam as the woman pulled him up. She dragged him against her chest. The arms that wrapped around his middle were as hard as coils of iron, but they held him gently.

  “Fate,” Ryane whispered again, her voice strangely tight. “How did you survive it? How could you have possibly …?”

  His lips were pressed against her shoulder; he could taste the smoke staining the material of her jerkin. He mumbled when he spoke, hoping she wouldn’t be able hear him: “I was looking out the window —”

  “I told you not to look!”

  “Had I not, I would’ve been blasted away with the others!” he growled, lifting his head to glare at her. “When that bloody spell hit us, it knocked me out the window —”

  “Don’t swear. You know Mother hated your swearing,” Ryane said sharply. Then she hauled him up by his elbows and grabbed his hand. “Can you run?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good. We haven’t got much time.”

  She dragged him into the darkness. A ruined city grew out of the shadows: the pale remains of statues and buildings wrapped in coils of flame. Windows spewed cinders upon his head. Smoke scratched his lungs.

  There were people everywhere. They filled the streets and ran as if Death snapped at their heels. Their skin was as pale as the walls of their city, their hair black as dusk. The fear that ringed their blue eyes sank down to Kael’s knees. The worry that marred their features chilled his blood — and he was almost certain they were heading the wrong way.

  “Where are we going?�
� he gasped as Ryane dragged him forward.

  “The shaman says our time has come. We must flee the city or be destroyed.”

  A horrible, icy something lurched against his lungs. “But I thought the flyers were picking the spellweavers off! You said it was only a matter time before they —”

  “They’ve brought out a new magic, tonight. Spells are flying from every hand, swinging from every fist. They’ve brought down three flyers already. Our shaman says he can’t protect us against the magic this army wields — its power is too great.”

  Ryane turned slightly to avoid the charge of the crowd, and he saw the slender, glinting blade clutched in her hand. “The flyers will guard our escape for as long as they can, but Draegoth is lost. All of the groundlings must flee.”

  “Then why aren’t we running for the gates?” Kael gasped. A cloud of smoke burned his eyes and made them stream. When he wiped the blurriness aside, he saw where they were headed. He tugged hard on Ryane’s hand. “The relic? Is that where you’re taking us?”

  “I promised Father —”

  “Father is dead, and he wouldn’t want you to join him!”

  “You don’t know what he’d want. You don’t remember our parents like I do,” Ryane said harshly.

  His palm went cold in her grip. “But what about the curse? You’ll be burned to nothing if you try to take it!”

  “I won’t let it fall into the hands of these people. They’ve destroyed all in their path — imagine what they might do with the relic. I swore to guard it in Father’s place, just as his father swore before him. If I burn, then so be it.”

  Ryane’s teeth were bared against the words. She pulled Kael closer behind her as they broke through the last surge of people and into the burning ruins beyond.

  A statue loomed before them — the pale statue of a sword wrapped in intricate coils of flame. The sword stood in the middle of the flame upon its tip, tucked inside a plain leather scabbard. Streaks of black fanned out across its rounded hilt and charred grip, but the orb on its pommel still shone.

  His heart leapt up his throat as Ryane climbed the steps towards the carved wisps of flame. “Please, don’t —”

  “I must,” she said firmly. She slid her sword into its sheath and her fingers coiled about the relic’s charred grip. “If the curse destroys me, you have to carry the relic away from here — as far as you can. You must be its guardian.”

  Before Kael could stop her, Ryane tugged on the blade.

  He heard the clink of the rounded hilt as it struck the stone top of the flames, but it didn’t come free. Ryane pulled again. She crouched and tugged hard, lending every bunched muscle in her arms to the effort. But the blade didn’t move. It was stuck inside the statue.

  Kael’s legs carried him up the steps and he slid his hands beneath Ryane’s. “It’s a puzzle,” he said when she tried to stop him. “You can’t just pull it free. You have to work it out.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I … might’ve heard the shaman talking about it with his mate. It was dark out and I was bored,” he said quickly, when he saw her scolding look. “You can’t expect me to sit around all day and all night —”

  “Search the city! Find the monsters!”

  Ryane’s hair whipped across her neck as she turned. Her blade was out before she’d taken half a step towards the alley. “Work it out, then — but don’t pull it free,” she called as she sprinted away. “I’ll be the one to take the curse.”

  Kael’s hands shook as he stared down at the flames. The coils nearly touched at their tops. From the side, it looked like a tangled mess. But if he stood on his toes and looked straight down, he could see that the gaps between their tops formed a maze.

  Ryane cried out as she met a small company of soldiers in battle. They were men clad in armor that shone like gold — soldiers of the man who called himself King. They hefted swords that shone as brightly as their armor, and carried shields crusted in gold.

  They were strong, but Ryane was quick: she cut inside their ranks and punished them with her speed. Kael’s hands paused as he watched her do battle. His eyes were entranced by the arcs of her blade, the dance of her feet. She was never silent — laughing when they missed her, grunting as she swung. Her voice rose and fell along the fury of her attack, like a song …

  “Hurry!”

  “I’m trying!” Kael said, forcing his eyes back to the relic.

  He dragged the grip quickly through the maze of flame-tops. More than once, he had to turn its edge in order to slide the scabbard between cracks. But it was coming free. There was only one turn left to get through.

  “Have you got it?”

  Ryane was charging towards him. A pile of gold-tinged bodies lay in a scattered mess behind her. Delicate spatters of blood crisscrossed her features, and her hair whipped with her sprint. Her eyes — Fate, her eyes were fiercer than they’d ever been before. And in that moment, Kael realized their people needed Ryane’s strength far more than they needed him.

  He shut his eyes against her scream and pulled the relic free.

  He waited for the pain, for the fires the shaman had spoken of to burst from the relic and consume him, but they didn’t. No sooner had he allowed himself a breath did Ryane tear the sword from his hands.

  There was a loud thunk as she gripped his face. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Fairly.” His eyes slid from hers to where the relic lay upon the ground. “I can’t believe you just tossed it like that. You’ll be lucky if its ghost doesn’t rise up and set fire to your arse —”

  “That mouth!” Ryane growled. She kissed him swiftly, then pulled him onto his feet. No sooner had she slung the relic’s belt across her shoulders than another company of soldiers burst in from the blazing streets.

  Their helmets swung from the pile of their slain companions to where Ryane and Kael stood beside the statue. Their leader raised his sword. “Monsters — over there!”

  Ryane ripped Kael towards a narrow passageway, one nearly gutted by the flames. A yelp escaped his throat when they turned a corner and nearly ran flat into a man sprinting towards them. He ground his heels and his eyes widened in recognition.

  “Ryane! They’ve swarmed the gates. We have to get to the northern w — gah!”

  He lurched forward as if he’d been shoved. Three golden barbs ripped through his chest, their tips soaked in red. He dug his sword into the ground to keep his feet. The skin on his face went taut.

  “Archers … go!” he spat through the dark wet that coated his lips. Then he swung around and broke into a stumbling run towards the men crouched at the end of the street.

  They drew back on their bows at the rise of their leader’s sword.

  Ryane tore him away, but Kael still heard the sickening thud of their volley striking true.

  They sprinted through a maze of burning houses towards the northern walls. The heat singed the flesh on Kael’s face; he shut his eyes against the stinging of the smoke and forced his legs to pound on through the ache. Still, he wasn’t strong enough.

  He fell hard on his knees and Ryane jerked him back to his feet. “Just a little further, we’re almost to the walls —”

  “Pick it up, you louts! The monsters can’t be far ahead.”

  Ryane bared her teeth in the direction of the shouts and scooped Kael up around his waist. She carried him the last length of the street and stopped at the foot of the city’s wall. It stood at three times the height of a man. Its pale sides looked smooth from a distance, but there were plenty of cracks. Kael had climbed to its top many times before.

  “Go, I’ll follow,” Ryane gasped.

  Kael scrambled into the nearest foothold and pulled himself up — his limbs charged by fear as the soldiers’ shouting grew close. Ryane climbed behind him, urging him on. But as he neared the top, his arms began to hurt. The run had exhausted him. His arms shook, sweat slickened his grip. The ground spun be
neath him and he feared he might fall.

  “Keep going, we’re nearly there!”

  “I can’t!”

  “You can.” Ryane shoved him hard in the rump, hoisting him into the next foothold. “Go! Keep — ah!”

  The world stopped. The thud of an arrow piercing flesh was the only sound he heard. Kael felt the scream in his chest when he looked down and saw the barb hanging from Ryane’s leg.

  “No, don’t kill them! The King’s offered a price for the women.” One of the soldiers knocked an archer forward with a thrust of his boot. “Now get up there and bring them down.”

  “Riona … Riona …”

  Kael tore his eyes away from the archer who climbed up after them and onto Ryane.

  Pain filmed her eyes, but they burned through it furiously. “You’ve got to run,” she whispered. “Protect the relic.”

  Time seemed to turn back on itself as she lifted the relic’s belt from her shoulder and hung it across his neck. Ryane’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl when the archer grabbed her ankle, but she thrust forward.

  She pushed as far as her arm could reach, more forcefully than Kael could bear … and he tipped over the edge.

  He was still screaming when he struck the water below and its cold, dark flesh devoured him …

  *******

  Kael gasped when the vision left him. His arms ached badly. He was barely able to make his fingers work long enough to bolt the window shut before he melted onto the stone floor.

  Tears rolled down his face unchecked. They burst from the depths and poured out in frozen streams — horrible, heavy things that struck the floor like lead when they dripped from his chin. They weighed him down, dragged his face to the cold stone beneath him. He sobbed until the mortar ran thick with his tears.

  “My sister,” he gasped to a new flood of anguish. “No … my sister …”