Ash Princess

by Eve Langlais

  “Tell me now, then.” He drew close to her, ready to reply to whatever thing she said with a kiss.

  “The big drake might not be gone for the night. Actually, I am fairly certain he’s still inside.”

  He looked down at her, blinking. “Er, what?” Not the expected answer. Should he still kiss her? He really wanted to. “I thought the cold sent them back to the crevices at night.”

  “Most of them go. But not this one. Remember how I told you once we went to see the tower. It was at night, and the lights came on and…” She paused.

  “You saw the dragon.”

  “We saw something moving. Something big.”

  “But you can’t be sure what it was?”

  She shook her head.

  “I could have used the news sooner, but that’s fine. We’ll figure it out once we assess the threat.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “I assumed there’d be some kind of danger, or Zee and the others would have made it through.” He rolled his shoulders.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. We came all this way for nothing.”

  “Oh, Kay.” He rubbed her lower lip with his thumb. “You know I can’t turn back, but it’s okay if you do. Those kids downstairs need you.”

  She grabbed hold of his shirt and dragged him close. “What about me? What about what I need?”

  She kissed him. The surprise of it shocked him to his toes but only for a moment. Then he kissed her back. Not long enough. They were in the open, after all, about to go fight the daddy of all dragons. Or something equally heinous. He really should be thinking about that and not how much he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms.

  “More kisses later,” he said, reluctantly pulling away.

  “Because there will be a later?” she said.

  “Most definitely.” He had the best reason in the world to live. “Let’s do this.”

  They crept toward the tower and its lights. It was farther than it seemed. Each time the lights flickered, as if something moved within, they froze. But they didn’t turn around and run.

  As they drew near, Cam couldn’t help but think there was something odd about the situation. It occurred to him the plateau seemed too clean. If a dragon roosted here, where were the bones? The kills? The other ledges they’d seen were cesspools of carnage.

  Then there was the question of, why would the dragon remain when its brethren all chose warmer spots at night? This high off the ground, there was a distinct chill to the air. Colder than he’d ever imagined the world being.

  Maybe it wasn’t a dragon in the tower. That didn’t mean there wasn’t any danger. He could imagine all kinds of nasty scenarios, from a ruin filled with ghouls to acid-spitting spiders. Those hurt.

  He’d make sure to stand in front of Kayda if there were any kind of projectiles involved. So long as it didn’t punch a giant hole through him, he’d survive. After all, he’d regrown all the toes on his left foot twice. Fucking doctors and their experiments.

  They had made it about two thirds of the way to the tower when there was a sound in the sky. Not wings or a battle cry, but an engine.

  Without thinking, he hit the ground and dragged her with him. Face to the hard stone didn’t give him a view. He rolled to his back, gun across his chest, ready to fire. Overhead a flying vehicle with blinking lights passed, slow and steady, with an angle that would put it either close or inside the tower.

  “It’s a fucking transport,” he said in soft disbelief.

  The Emerald City had a few, meaning he recognized it. Hell, he and his friends had studied them in the hopes of taking one down for the supplies inside, only they never could figure out how to do it without it turning into an exploding ball of fire.

  “A what?” she exclaimed, not masking the sound of her voice. No need with the growl of an engine filling the sky. She turned to look. Gasped. “How is that possible?” Her face brightened. “Are they here to rescue us?”

  He hated to shatter the hope, but he was pragmatic. “Doubtful.”

  “Now you sound like Lila.”

  “Think about it. Why would a rescue ship suddenly arrive at night?”

  “Because in the daytime the dragons would pulverize it.”

  “Why choose this mountain?”

  “Maybe because they know we’re hiding inside.”

  “And how would they know?” He hated doing this, but she needed to realize this ship wasn’t here to rescue them.

  “Why are you assuming they’re not a rescue team? I mean, you’re here. Perhaps it’s people come to rescue you.”

  “It’s not from the Marshes. Roark doesn’t have any flying vehicles, only drones, and those don’t last long in Diamond. As for Sapphire, given they’d have to fly over Marshland, it would have been noticed.”

  “Maybe it’s a maiden voyage?”

  “How about instead of arguing and making assumptions with no facts, we go find out what it’s doing.” Because the vessel had landed without hesitation within the tower. Its presence explained the working lights.

  In silence, they crept closer, the ruins getting larger and larger until they stood at the walls. The occasional sound of something moving within was hinted at in scuffs. The snuffle of a living thing. The clinking of metal. The engine sound had halted, but the lights remained. The mystery deepened.

  “I’m going to look,” he mouthed and mimed before putting his dagger in its sheath so he could have both hands free to grab hold of a ledge. He heaved himself up, relying on pure upper body strength to lift him lest he make a noise scrabbling for a foothold. The effort brought him high enough to land his ass on the ledge. It gave him a view inside the defunct tower.

  What he saw couldn’t be explained. He reached down and offered Kayda a hand. Not because she couldn’t climb, she just didn’t have the height to get to where he was without help. With a heave, he pulled her up beside him.

  Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. He could understand her confusion.

  It seemed the tower was a busier place than expected. For one, there was a giant dragon, though not a very healthy-looking one. Its red and black striated skin was dull in comparison to the ones they’d handled on the way up. Its body showed signs of scarring, injury after injury scoring its hide. It lay down, as if tired, its eyes closed, and only the huffing of its body showed it lived. Perhaps it didn’t leave because it was sick?

  The vessel they’d seen in the air sat parked in what proved to be a cleared inner shell within the tower walls. No debris remained, nor any pesky walls inside. The tower acted as a hangar that hid what he could only assume were nefarious deeds.

  A theory reinforced when he saw soldiers in full protective gear, wearing masks over their heads, every inch of them swathed in crimson. They guarded the ramp into the flying machine.

  “I don’t understand,” Kayda only breathed the words, and yet he would have sworn the dragon shifted.

  “How close is the Ruby Kingdom to here?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

  The dragon didn’t budge.

  “Close. The Necropolis was built alongside the mountain chain separating us. There’s a single pass through them that used to be a trade route, but I remember my father cursing because they’d closed it on us and were refusing to take refugees.”

  “Refusing?” The very thought boggled the mind. “Why?”

  She shrugged. “My father never told me.”

  “We need to find out what they’re doing here.” Left unsaid was the part where he’d already planned to take out those soldiers and steal their ship. One vessel might not be able to take everyone out of Diamond in one trip, but it was a start.

  From a hole in the floor, a pair of men emerged, one on each end of a cargo container. Then another pair. Ten in all, so more than twenty soldiers plus the two by the ship, and who knew how many still inside?

  His plan to take the ship had run into a snag. What was in those containers? They must have been heavy because a few of them too
k a soldier on each corner to carry. Up and down the stairs they went, each time returning with a new load. After one of the trips, the soldiers were followed by a woman in a crimson coat, gesturing wildly to yet another soldier who forwent the protective gear. They appeared to be arguing.

  He wished he could hear what they said. The soldier sneered and was the last to board the transport. In moments the vessel had lifted and was gone.

  So much for flying out of here. But he’d wager it would be back.

  During it all, the dragon never moved. Had they tamed it? He didn’t want to get close enough to those teeth to find out.

  Eyeing the ground below them, Cam checked for any dangers. Seeing nothing, he turned and maneuvered himself over the edge, dangling from his fingertips and dropping with a light thud. He glanced behind to see the dragon still resting its head on the ground. No sign of alarm from anyone either.

  He glanced upward in time to catch a falling cross bow. He’d no sooner stepped aside, than Kayda joined him, her knees bending to absorb the impact as she landed. He handed her the crossbow.

  “Now what?” she whispered.

  “We see where that hole in the ground goes.”

  She offered him a grim smile that faded as she glanced at the big dragon. “Uh-oh.”

  His breath caught. The dragon had opened one eye and stared right at them.

  They froze.

  It sat up, and there was a jingling of metal as the leash it had been lying on dangled from the collar around its neck. It must have been wearing it a long time given it was dug into the flesh and in places the skin had partially grown over it.

  A prisoner.

  No wonder it didn’t fly off. Obviously it had been set here as a guard by the Ruby soldiers. Guarding what?

  Which begged the question, when did they start coming and how long had freedom lain within reach?

  He knew he’d be wondering about that. He’d also be angry. Not only had Ruby rejected refugees, they could have provided the means to escape.

  What was interesting to him was the fact they could travel unmolested, unlike the drones sent in by the Marshlands. Could be more than just dragons were at play. Was it possible Ruby was somehow to blame?

  All those same thoughts must have run through Kayda’s mind because she went from shock, to anguish, to anger.

  Anger was better than apathy. If channeled properly.

  He wanted to see what was down those stairs, so he walked toward them, choosing a longer route that kept his back to the ruin walls. The dragon still sat, and he wondered how long the chain that held it extended.

  Out of reach of the stairs? Most likely given the soldiers hadn’t shown any sign of worry. Or was the leash clipped in place only when the soldiers brought the ship around?

  He was about to find out because the dragon rose to all fours and stalked toward them, huffing its nostrils. Figures it would ignore the soldiers. Maybe their red uniforms made them sour, but two tasty humans? Cam needed a plan that didn’t involve them getting crunched.

  “If you distract it, I’ll move in close,” he muttered.

  “To do what? Your knife will be like a toothpick to it,” she grumbled, and yet she moved counter to him.

  Cam eyed the size of the dragon and didn’t disagree with her assessment. How thick would its hide be? Could he penetrate it with his knife? He could have used a sword.

  He must have made a noise, because the head suddenly swung to him and snarled. A roar of fetid proportions, washing hot stinking breath over him. It was enough to make a man lose his stomach or his nerve.

  Cam stood straighter. “Dude, you need to floss. I think you’ve got some human stuck between your teeth.”

  The dragon hissed.

  “Should you really be insulting it?” Kayda snapped.

  “Apparently, it finds me and my mouth fascinating.” The overgrown lizard with wings slinked in his direction. “Guess I’m distracting and you’re taking it out.”

  “With what?”

  “Get it in the eye like you did with the other one.”

  “Because that’s so easy.” She might complain, but she did act, bringing up her crossbow to sight. The problem being the dragon wasn’t looking at her.

  A second later, it wasn’t eyeballing him either. Something else drew its attention.

  A much, much smaller dragon came waddling into view, its tiny wings spread, warbling a cry.

  “Gellie! No!” Kayda screamed. She predictably darted to save her pet.

  Dammit. Cam began to run and yell, waving his arms. But he was too far. Only Kayda was close enough to the big drake. It opened its mouth wide, ready to snap the little one, only to find Kayda between them.

  Standing straight and tall, her chin lifted high as she said in a voice low that carried, “No!”

  Chapter 12

  Kayda had never been so fucking scared in her life.

  Ever.

  Yet when she saw her baby wandering out to protect her, brave despite the fear making his little body shake, she couldn’t let Gellie get hurt. Without even thinking twice, she threw herself in front of Gellie and yelled, “No! You can’t have him.” Not Gellie, not Cam, or the others. She was tired of losing people.

  She should have been eaten. The dragon certainly had a maw large enough, and yet it paused.

  The drake lowered its head and lasered her with a dull gaze, its eyes lacking the vibrant glow she’d seen in the ones she’d killed over the years. How long had it been kept prisoner? She’d never seen or imagined one so big. Or how much it would remind her of the ones she grew up with.

  Pikka and Annsu. A mated pair. Silver and blue. Majestic creatures that mostly kept to themselves. They had a tower roost in the main castle at Cloudring, and because of her dad and his bond with them, she’d gotten to see them on so many occasions. As old as they were, they didn’t come close to matching the size of this beast.

  The hot huff of breath from the drake proved rancid, and her stomach rebelled, but she managed to keep her lips pressed tight. What was it doing? It eyed her and dipped its head to take a sniff, rattling the chain at its neck.

  It surprised her to note she felt sorry for it. She knew how it felt. Trapped, unable to escape a prison.

  “Don’t move,” Cam murmured. “I’m coming.”

  To do what?

  She stared at the dragon and, for a moment, thought she could see through its eyes. See the puny human with the hatchling at its side. A human protecting it.

  The concept so foreign. Humans were bad things. Always hurting. Keeping it—

  The dragon swung its head and hissed, having noticed Cam sneaking up. It lunged, and he dove out of the way, rolling hard until he could regain his feet.

  Before he could dash back in, she held up a hand. “Stay where you are.”

  The dragon once more swung its gaze on her, and she felt its contempt. Its hatred. Its confusion as it encountered her pity.

  “Chaining you is wrong,” she whispered. Dragons were meant to be free.

  She took a step back. Then another.

  The drake did nothing but watch. It let her retreat until she was by Cam’s side. He hugged her with one arm, the other dangling by his side with the gun.

  Gellie waddled more slowly and kept glancing back at the big dragon. She had to wonder how he’d gotten into the tower. With his stunted wings, he couldn’t fly.

  “Where did you come from?” she murmured aloud, never once removing her gaze from the drake.

  Trill. Gellie waddled the length of the wall until it hit a spot where two pieces leaning formed a triangular opening. He hopped up and down.

  Cam glanced at the exit and then the stairs on the opposite side, within reach of the dragon. “We need to find a way down.”

  “I doubt the dragon will allow it.”

  “It let those Ruby soldiers pass.”

  “We’re not Ruby soldiers. I think it’s been trained. Tortured, actually, to recognize them.”

  Ca
m’s lips flattened. “That’s wrong.”

  She agreed. “Perhaps there’s another entrance.”

  Squawk. Gellie suddenly bolted. Running straight for the dragon.

  “Gellie, no!” She went to run after him, only the drake stood and roared, stopping her dead in her tracks.

  The little dragon ducked behind the bulk of the beast as if it sought shelter.

  A moment later she understood why as someone yelled, “Drop your weapons!”

  “Like fuck,” she heard Cam mutter and then the bang as he fired his weapon and his cursing as they fired back.

  Out in the open, she had nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

  The drake roared again, and the soldiers yelled, “Are you sure its chain is locked?” Indicating they controlled the length of the leash.

  It gave her an idea. Actually, Gellie had. She ran for the dragon.

  Get eaten or shot. Not really much of a choice.

  There was more shouting, and a different kind of bellow, that of a man going to battle. Whirling, she almost stumbled, but she wanted to see what happened.

  Cam, bleeding in two spots, the red blossoming from his shoulder and his leg, grappled with someone in red. Another soldier took aim at his vulnerable back.

  “Cam! Behind you.” She sprinted away from the drake and pulled her crossbow, the jostle of her run making it hard to aim. Not to mention, she’d never used it against another person before.

  The shot didn’t kill, but the bolt did hit, and the person bellowed as he forgot about shooting to clutch the shaft jutting from his body.

  Cam handled the first soldier and whirled on the second one. She had one more bolt in the quiver, and she pulled free to notch it. Only to freeze as the barrel of a gun poked her in the head and a voice said, “Drop it.”

  The crossbow hit the ground.

  “Hands up where I can see them.”

  She raised them just as Cam finished the fight with the soldier.

  The one with the gun aimed at her yelled, “On your knees, fingers laced behind your head, or she dies!”

  Cam turned, panting with exertion. His body adrenalized. A man ready to fight.