by Alice Wilde
“I’m a creature of my word,” he says in a smoky voice.
I smile gratefully at him. “Then we should get going, we still have a long way to go.”
“You’re right,” Li says, “but how do we get him out of here? I doubt he can fit through any of the entrances we’ve found.”
“Leave that to me,” Avalon says walking over us, crushing the stalagmites we’d previously hidden behind in his wake. We hurry to catch up with him, and he leads us back to the crevice we’d used to get inside. “Stand back!”
We press ourselves against a nearby wall, out of the dragon’s way as he swings his tail around to strike the stone wall. It breaks apart immediately, brilliant light flooding the cavern and forcing us to cover our eyes until they can adjust to the change.
“That was disturbingly easy for you,” Roan says.
“The sorcerer caved in this entrance to keep me in the dark, and harder to find,” Avalon says, “it was nothing more than rubble that needed to be cleared.”
“Wait, how are we planning to get there?” Ero asks as we all peer out over the view far below. “There’s no way a dragon can traverse that narrow pathway.”
“I can fly.”
“But you don’t have wings,” I say.
“No, but that doesn’t change the fact,” Avalon replies, and then pauses momentarily, “I’ll carry you on my back, I have little desire to wait extended periods of time for you to catch up.”
“Fly?” Roan says nervously.
The idea of flying strikes a chord in me and my heart sings at the possibility. I’d hoped we’d manage to persuade him to carry us, but I hadn’t expected him to suggest it himself. “That’s a marvelous idea! Just think, we’ll make much faster time flying than we ever would by land or sea.”
“It sounds dangerous,” Roan says.
“Of all the things we’ve been through over the past months,” Ero says, “you’re afraid of flying?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Afraid? No.”
“It’s our best option,” Li says. “Flying should be safe enough, just don’t let go.”
“Hurry up,” Avalon growls, “I’ve wasted enough time in this hellhole, if you don’t climb onto my back right now, I’m leaving you all behind.”
“There you have it,” Ero says, stepping onto one of the dragons bent legs and pulling himself up onto the dragon’s long, winding back. He holds a hand out toward me and Roan sighs, kneeling to give me his knee. Li grabs my waist as I take Ero’s hand and step onto Roan’s knee to clamber up to sit behind Ero.
“Ready?” Avalon says with a grin as soon as we’re all seated on top of him, we barely have enough time to adjust our hold on him let alone answer him before he leaps off of the ledge. We plummet straight down toward the forest far below, my stomach dropping and my breath stolen from me. Roan is screaming behind me and Ero is whooping with excitement. Li is holding onto the dragon’s scales with white-knuckled hands, his lips pressed firmly together.
Avalon raises his head and lifts gracefully into the air only moments before we’re about to collide with the treetops. Now that we’re no longer falling through the air, the ride is unexpectedly smooth. The dragon’s long body weaves back and forth like a snake, but his movements are slow and graceful. He’s not flying by any physical means of his own, but pure magic. The sun glints against his scales and soars higher into the sky, we stay quiet allowing him time to enjoy being able to fly again. Roan has one hand around my waist, holding me tight, while both of Ero’s are raised to either side of him, nothing but his thighs anchoring him to the dragon.
“We need to head west,” Li shouts after several more minutes of aimless soaring, his voice tense.
“Soon.”
Avalon suddenly nosedives into a ravine, the abrupt change in direction startling us all, and I slip from Roan’s grasp even as he tries to pull me to him.
“Annalise!”
I burst into flames and, instead of plunging to my death, I find myself soaring into the sky. My vision has changed once again, and this time I see my wings. I open my mouth to shout and a clear, silvery song escapes my mouth. Folding my wings, I let myself fall through the air and then spread my wings wide to ride the currents higher. Avalon rises to meet me, holding a half-eaten animal in his claw. He finishes off his catch in one bite, his long snake tongue darting out to clean the edges of his mouth.
“Now, we’re ready,” he says, whipping around in the opposite direction as my men struggle to hold on. I wonder how I’m going to keep up with him, but soon find I can do so with relative ease. It’s only when we drift over the camp where Ero and I had spent a night together alone that I realize we’re not moving eastward.
“Where are we going?” I ask, linking with my men, uncertain I actually want to know the answer.
“To take care of some unfinished business,” Ero replies.
“Ero?” He breaks the link with me and my heart starts to beat wildly in my chest. I try to connect with Avalon, but he refuses to speak with me, and it’s becoming clear that he and Ero must have made some pact I’m unaware of. “Li? Roan? What’s going on?”
“I have a pretty good idea, but I think we’re about to find out, lass,” Roan replies.
“You have to stop them before they do something they can’t take back!” I cry, but even I know what I’m asking is impossible. I speed up, flitting back and forth in front of Avalon, but he only snarls at me and swats me aside, his expression determined and his path unwavering. I chase after them, trying to think of some way to convince them not to follow through with whatever it is they’re planning to do.
Beating my wings as hard as possible, I dart out in front of them. If I can’t stop them, perhaps I can at least try to warn the village. I can see the village ahead of me, there’s not much time. I dive, swooping low just above the heads of the people in an effort to draw their attention. Someone screams and points as I perch on the curved rooftop awning of a nearby building, the rest of the villagers’ heads snapping up to look at me. There’s a moment of silent shock and then they all begin talking at once. I cry out, trying to warn them, but my melodic birdsong only draws smiles and joyful chatter. I flap my wings, sending gusts of spark-filled wind down on them, but they only grow more excited.
I look around trying to think and see Avalon’s silhouette drawing close. Launching myself into the darkening sky I fly directly toward him, and the people turn to watch me as I go. As I turn back toward them relief washes over me as they see the dragon approaching and their faces slowly change from delight to fear. I cry out again, but the villagers don’t move, as if frozen in terror.
“Run,” I scream, the word nothing more than a beautiful tune drifting through the air. “Run, save yourselves!”
No one moves, and then it’s too late.
Fire reigns down on either side of me, buildings bursting into flame and crackling.
Then the screams start… So many screams. It’s only now that the people are shocked out of their stupor and begin racing away in every direction, but there’s no escape from the dragon’s vengeance. Avalon soars back and forth over the village, breathing fire down on anything and anyone in his path, then he rises high into the sky. I climb after him trying to link with him or Ero and finally managing to do so with the latter.
“Ero, I beg of you, stop this at once! You’re killing innocent people!”
“Who’s to say they’re innocent,” Ero says. “They’ve been harboring… serving this dark sorcerer for years. You can’t honestly think that not one of them knew, can you?”
“What does it matter if they knew or not? Are they to be punished for his crimes?”
There’s a long pause before Ero speaks. “What’s done is done.”
Our connection breaks and Avalon dives once again, but just before he reaches the main village he swerves off toward Longwei’s home. The bridge is still out, but Longwei is standing in front of his door staring out over his burning town, and so
are the pair of Nian, no longer made of stone. Their faces lift toward us just as Avalon unleashes a torrent of fire down on Longwei, the Nian and the isolated building, engulfing them in flames. I turn away, the sound of their screams searing my mind along with all the others, the smell of death and smoke heavy in my lungs.
“Lass,” Roan ventures, connecting with me, “it’s over.”
“Come back,” Li joins, “there’s nothing more to be done.”
“Oh,” I say, my voice cold, “there’s plenty to be done.”
I turn around to fly after them, but all I can think about is the world of explaining Ero owes me…he owes us all.
Fifteen
Roan
“Annalise,” I jump off Avalon’s back as soon as we find a place to stop for the night and walk over to her as she lands, bursting into ash in front of me. My heart falters in my chest at the sight, immediately brought back to the moment we all thought she was gone forever… and I doubt I’ll ever get used to her doing this. A moment later, she’s once again human.
“Here,” Li says, pulling off his own shirt and draping it over Annalise’s shoulders.
“Thank you,” she says absentmindedly, her eyes trained on Ero as she ties the shirt together and walks past us.
“Lass, “ I try again, “don’t be too hard on him.”
“Too hard?” she snaps, taking me by surprise. “He just had a dragon destroy an entire village of people without warning! How am I not supposed to be hard on him?”
“I don’t know,” I answer, “but give him a chance to explain.”
“When did you start being the one to defend him?” she asks, pausing briefly to look at me questioningly.
“I’m not defending what he did,” I say hastily, “but even I can tell something has been bothering him.”
Annalise sighs, glancing over at Ero. “Perhaps you’re right, I’ll try to let him tell his side first.”
I give her a grateful smile before Li and I follow her over to where Ero is setting up camp. Avalon isn’t anywhere to be seen. “Where’s the dragon?”
“Hunting,” Ero says without looking at us.
“Ero,” Annalise starts.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Annalise narrows her eyes, and I can tell she’s losing her patience with him. She opens her mouth to say something, but I quickly place a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “I need your help gathering supplies.”
“Ask Li,” Ero responds.
“I have to help Annalise,” Li says quickly, taking Annalise’s hand to pull her away. I try to give her a reassuring look as she walks away.
“Fine, what do you need help with?”
“This way,” I say, motioning for him to follow me. We walk quietly for a while.
“I know what you’re doing,” Ero says.
“What?”
“You’re trying to get me to talk.”
“Of course I am,” deciding to be honest with him. “Annalise is worried…we’re all worried.”
Ero snorts. “Worried? Why should anyone worry about me?”
I stop short and turn on him, grabbing a fist-full of his shirt and pulling him close.
“Enough,” I growl. “Haven’t you put Annalise through enough as it is? She’s tried so hard to let you in, to be there for you, to show you she cares. You could show a little decency and do the same for her.”
Ero sniffles and I let go, blinking in astonishment as he places a hand over his eyes and begins to weep. My stomach sinks as a wave of guilt washes over me. I watch him cry in front of me for a few seconds and then reach out and pull him into a hug. Unexpectedly, Ero doesn’t pull away, and I stand still, holding him until he finally pushes me away.
“Look,” Ero starts, “I can’t tell Annalise what’s going on.”
“Why not?”
“I… because I feel guilty about what happened. It’s all my own fault.”
“What is?”
Ero hangs his head and starts to turn away, but stops. “I cheated on her.”
“Cheated on her? When? How?”
“With,” Ero groans, “with that sorcerer.”
“Longwei?”
“Who else?”
“Wait, is this what’s been bothering you? You think you cheated on her?” Ero doesn’t say anything, and I try to rationalize what he’s just said. “Do you honestly think Annalise would hold anything that happened between you and him against you?”
“Why shouldn’t she?” Ero snaps. “I willingly went with him…and I let…things happen.”
“You were only doing what you felt needed to be done.”
“Don’t you see? I can never look at her in the same way again.”
“Why not? It’s not as if she’s your first.”
Ero’s eyes flash angrily. “No, but there hasn’t been anyone else since her…at least, not until him.”
“I don’t know what happened between you two, but—”
“He sucked me off.”
I stare at him open-mouthed, completely at a loss for words.
“Oh.”
“See, even you’re disgusted in me.”
“No,” I start, trying to gather my thoughts, “just surprised.”
“Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”
“Not really.”
“Roan, someone other than Annalise…and a man at that, was able to make me feel things only she should be able to.”
“So?”
“So?” Ero scoffs. “So, what if my feelings for her aren’t like yours and Li’s? What if I can’t love her the way she’s meant to be loved?”
My mind reels as I try to process everything he’s saying, but even I don’t know exactly what to say. It only takes me a moment to realize there’s nothing I can say to make him believe me. I swallow hard and, clenching my teeth together, I reach out and grab his hand and press it against my own crotch.
“What the fuck are you doing,” Ero growls, yanking his hand away.
Alright, even I can admit that was a poor decision on my part.
“Sorry,” I answer huskily, “I don’t know why…I just thought, maybe if you realized it’s not that hard to get a guy off, you wouldn’t feel so badly about what happened.”
“Damn it, Roan. You were honestly trying to get me to jerk you off?”
“Come on, I’m the last person in the world interested in sexual intimacy with you of all people. So, that also makes me the best candidate when it comes to proving to you that, well…sometimes we’re just men,” I say, the words tumbling from my mouth. “Although, in hindsight, probably not the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Ero side-eyes me, his brow furrowed and then his expression softens slightly. “You’d be willing to do that for me?”
“Willing might not be the exact word I’d use to describe my feelings,” I say. “But, yes, although I’d say more so for Annalise’s sake.”
“Annalise’s sake?”
“You really can’t see how much she loves you. I hate having to share her with anyone, but deep down I know she needs you and Li…and I could never live with myself if I had a chance to fix things between us and didn’t.”
Ero continues to eye me, and I am starting…no, that’s a lie, I already very much regret ever suggesting this to him.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“You said it yourself,” Ero continues with a shrug, “if anyone can prove to me that it was just a physical reaction, it would be you.”
Neither of us moves, the tension in the air suffocating and my nerves firing off in a chaotic mess inside me. It’s just Ero. What would Annalise think? I shake my head, I can understand why Ero feels so alone…I don’t know if I’d be able to tell her either.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Ero asks.
“I just need a minute,” I say, not wanting to admit I’ve already had second, third, and fourth thoughts about taking it all back. I take a deep
breath in and then exhale slowly. “I guess it’s now or never.”
Again, neither of us moves.
“Maybe this is a bad idea,” Ero says.
“Yeah.” I let out a quiet sigh of relief. “I guess we should head back.”
Ero nods and we both turn to head back to camp, but he suddenly places a palm against my chest to stop me. I jerk my head toward him, his face is turned slightly away from me, brow furrowed and jaw tight.
“Wait,” he says, his voice throaty, “I’ve changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind?”
“I want…no, I have to try.”
“I thought you said this was a bad idea.”
“I did,” Ero continues, “which is why it might actually work.”
I pause for a moment, groaning inwardly. “Fine, do what you must.”
Ero’s hand is still pressed against my chest, but otherwise he doesn’t take any further action. After a few seconds, I’m fed up and swat his hand away to head back to Annalise. The next thing I know Ero has thrown me up against a nearby tree, his forearm pinned to my chest and his eyes flashing angrily.
“I said,” he growls, “I was going to try.”
I glare at him and shove him away from me. “Look, I gave you more than enough time. I’m going back to camp.”
“The hell you are!” Ero lunges at me and hits me hard enough that we’re both knocked to the ground. I’m instantly flooded with adrenaline and I grab at him, trying to get him in a chokehold, but failing.
Ero wraps his arm around my chest, but I manage to roll away as he tries to hold me down. I barely make it to my knees before he’s launched himself at me again and we tumble over the hard ground. Ero hooks an arm under one of me knees and around my neck, before grabbing each of his wrists, one of his knees digs into my lower back, immobilizing me. We’re both breathing heavily. I try to break Ero’s hold on me, but he doesn’t let go and only pulls his arms tighter around me. I grit my teeth, pissed he’s managed to pin me down, but I can feel the rage-induced adrenaline wearing off and my body slowly begins to relax. At least most of my body does.
