The two dragons slammed into the ground, their impact making the earth shake as Jack tried to roll away from Aaron’s grip. He shoved his claws into Aaron, drawing blood, but Aaron’s jaws remained clamped on Jack’s neck. Aaron pulled away again, his body blazing brightly as he sunk flaming talons into Jack’s chest. Jack’s snarl was quickly cut short as Aaron ripped his chest open and buried his jaws in the steaming, bloody flesh. He lifted his head a moment later, his teeth dripping red, and throwing his head back, roared as flames rushed from his mouth and filled the air around him. The sound was wild and primal, and Keira shuddered. At the sound, the dragons who had been with Jack launched themselves into the air, seeking escape.
Favian and Owain and the other dragons standing with them transformed, filling the sky with a dazzling light that burned Keira’s eyes, forcing her to look away. They threw themselves into the air, hurtling after the escaping dragons, creating a vast battlefield in the sky as they chased them down, crashing into them with talons extended. Keira, still held in Max’s grasp, could not bear to watch, but as she glanced away she saw another dragon hurtling towards them. It was Uesli, the dragon who had taunted Keira, and his talons were outstretched as he headed straight towards her. She shouted at Max, but he had already seen the danger and his grasp on her tightened as he launched himself into the air – but he was not quick enough to avoid Uesli’s flaming breath. Keira screamed as the blaze seared across her skin, setting her gown alight around her legs. Max twisted himself in the air, and using his tail knocked Uesli off course, but he only gained a few seconds before Uesli was once more chasing them.
The flames around Keira’s legs were growing, reaching her waist, stoked by the wind rushing past them. Through the pain she heard Aaron roar, and then Max was dropping her into the icy water of the stream, where she fell onto her knees against the sharp rocks. She screamed again as the pain intensified, her cries turning to sobs as it was finally eased by the cool water. Above her Uesli plowed into Max, sending him hurtling through the air. She could see Aaron flaming towards her, followed by a red dragon on his tail. She rose to her knees in the water, but Uesli had already turned from Max and was bearing down on her, talons outstretched. She dropped down again, wrapping her arms around her stomach as his talons connected with her side, ripping through her skin and tearing through her belly. Something slammed into Uesli, and Keira was lifted out of the water as his talons continued to rip through her – before he was gone and she fell back into the water and darkness overtook her vision.
Chapter 42
Anna paced around the chamber in frustration. She could not believe she had been left behind while Max went off to fight his battle with Jack. At least if he had taken her, she might have found a way to warn Aaron of Max’s deception.
Max had brought some food and wine to the chamber before leaving, and had given her a key to lock the door from within, removing the outside bar. He had admonished her to remain in the room while he was gone, telling her he would be back when all was over. And then he had gone. Flying away across the ocean, leaving her on her own. She had seen Jack’s dragons from the window as they flew away. There had been seven of them, but Max’s bronze scales caught her eye immediately as he flew within the middle of the pack. There was someone on his back, and as Anna screwed her eyes up against the light glittering on the ocean, she could see that it was Keira. She was holding Max’s neck tightly, her head lowered as she said something to him. He turned to answer her, and his gaze caught Anna standing at the window. Something had clenched in her stomach, but she refused to name it, instead turning away with a huff.
She wondered how many hours had passed since Max left. It was morning when he had gone, and judging by the sun, it was now already late afternoon. She glanced down at the key lying next to the bed. Max had told her to remain in the chamber, but she was tired of being locked away. With Jack and the other dragons gone, what harm could she possibly come to? Picking up the key, she walked over to the door and unlocked it, pausing at the threshold to listen for sounds coming from the building, but all was quiet. She tucked the key into the bodice of her gown and stepped into the cold, dingy passage. She paused when she reached the top of the stairs, listening for sounds of activity, then slowly made her way down the narrow, circling staircase. The first flight of stairs brought her to the place where Max had taken her to see Jack, and she walked towards the door, pausing when she heard the soft murmuring of voices. For a moment she wondered at the wisdom of entering the room, but she pushed the thought aside as she opened the heavy, wooden door.
Everything in the room was exactly as she had seen it before – the table, the chairs, the fireplace with a fire burning low in the grate. However, there were no dragons, and the men who had previously been standing around the room at attention were now gathered in a tight circle in the corner of the room. There were eight of them, one of whom was Francis, and at her approach he looked up.
“Oh, they left you here, too,” he said. “You’ve served your purpose to that dragon, have you? What was his name again? Mark?”
“Max,” Anna said. “What are you all doing here?”
“It would appear we are no longer necessary, either,” he said, his tone bitter.
“What are you talking about?” Anna glanced at the other men, but they looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. “I thought Jack was your Master. Didn’t you choose to serve him?”
“Jack promised us strength and power beyond our wildest dreams if we drank his blood. But he deceived us.”
“But …” Anna looked at them in confusion. “Why are you only realizing this now?”
Francis looked away, his gaze wandering over the other men in the group as they looked at him.
“We think something has happened,” said a man with thin, lank hair that dragged onto his shoulders in greasy strands. A couple of the men nodded in agreement. “This morning we would have died for that monster, but now, we are wondering what we’re doing here.”
“You drank his blood?” Anna said. Francis and the other men nodded their heads.
“That must be it. I remember Keira saying something about dragon blood binding you to the dragon.”
“Keira? The woman in the dungeon?”
“Yes, she’s my sister.”
“And why exactly did Jack bring you and your sister here?”
“Keira is married to the Dragon Master. And I think Jack wants to kill him.”
“Your sister is married to one of these monsters?” Francis’s tone was horrified.
“Well,” Anna said, “Aaron isn’t a monster.”
“But he’s a dragon? Like the dragon who was using you?”
“Yes, Aaron is a dragon. And actually, Max wasn’t using me.” The men stared at her incredulously.
“You gave yourself willingly to that beast?” said Francis.
“No.” Anna sighed. “Max didn’t touch me. He and I were … we knew each other … before he betrayed Aaron and joined Jack.”
“You were friends with a dragon?” Francis looked at her as though she had lost her mind. “Have you been drinking dragon’s blood?”
“What? No! Of course not!”
Francis gazed at her for a moment, then turned to the others.
“Are we decided?”
“Wait. What are you deciding?” Anna asked. Francis turned back to her.
“We are leaving this place. Tom saw a boat pulled up below the rocks. We can use it to get away from this place and reach the mainland.”
“Take me with you.”
One of the men leaned towards her with a sneer. “Oh, we could take you, if you want, but it won’t be to the boat.” Anna glanced at the other men in the group. They were watching her impassively, and she suddenly realized the precariousness of her situation. She took a step backwards, then turned and ran out the room, the sound of laughter trailing behind her as she quickly headed back the way she had come, up the stairs to her room. No footsteps sounded behind her, but still
she slammed the door shut and fumbled for the key. It dropped from her grasp onto the floor, ringing against the stone, but a moment later she was thrusting it with trembling fingers into the key hold and sending the bolt home. She fell back against the door with a sigh of relief, not moving.
The sound of voices drifting through her window finally had her back on her feet, and she moved over to the window to see the group of men scrambling down the rocky cliff towards the beach. Bulging sacks bumped against their backs as they clambered over the rocks. They made the boat, and throwing the sacks into the bottom, climbed in and pushed themselves out onto the heaving ocean.
Anna watched until she could see them no longer, before leaving the room once more, creeping through the passages in case some of the men had remained. She reached the ground floor without encountering anyone, and pushing open a small wooden door, stepped outside. The only sounds were the cry of birds as they wheeled over the cliffs, and the roar of the ocean, crashing on the rocks below. It was late afternoon, but the heavy clouds allowed no sunlight through, and the landscape was drained of color. She looked out over the gray ocean, and a dark smudge on the horizon caught her eye. It grew larger as she watched and she realized with relief that it was Max, come to rescue her. He landed on the grass at the edge of the cliff.
“Anna,” Max said as she walked towards him, and she could hear the relief in his voice. “Are you all right? I saw Jack’s minions in the boat, attempting to escape.”
“Yes,” Anna said. “It appears they no longer want to serve Jack.”
“That’s because the bond is broken,” Max said. “Jack is dead. Did they hurt you?”
“Jack is dead? Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, but Max responded in all seriousness.
“I don’t know why. I wanted him dead as much as you.”
“Oh! So that is why you pledged your allegiance to him.”
“It was a ruse, Anna. I was serving Aaron all along.”
“Really? How convenient! Now that Jack is dead, you quickly change your allegiance to the victor.”
“That is not what I am doing,” Max replied. “Please Anna, you must listen to me. Aaron and I hatched the plan together.” He took a step closer as she took a step back.
“Don’t come near me,” she shouted. “For all I know, it is Aaron who is dead, and this is just a ploy to get me to come with you.”
“You think I would lie to you?” he demanded. “Aaron was well aware of what I was doing. It was the best way for me to gain information, as well as to watch over you.”
“Watch over me?” Anna shouted. “I was locked in a chamber.”
“For your own safety!”
“If this was a ruse, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t sure if I could trust you, at first, and then when I wanted to tell you, you refused to listen to anything I said!”
“You didn’t know if you could trust me? What does that mean?”
“It means, Anna, that you could have given up the game to Jack, either advertently, in an effort to hurt me, or inadvertently. Either way, I wasn’t prepared to take the risk until I was sure you couldn’t give the plan away.” Anna stared at him, hurt making her shout out her next words.
“I don’t believe you!” She spun around, placing her back to him. “Either way you are a liar. Just leave me alone.”
“Fine!” Max ground out between clenched teeth. “If that is what you want, then that is what you shall have.” She turned as she heard the rustle of his wings, gasping when he launched himself into the air. He headed out over the open water, disappearing into the darkening sky. As he flew further away she watched, waiting for him to turn around and come back, and when the sky grew too dark to see anything, she sat down on the ground against the fortress wall.
She had drifted off to sleep, her shoulder against the cold stone, when the sound of her voice being called brought her to attention. She rose to her feet, unsteady at first, and peered into the darkness to see a dragon walking towards her. As he drew closer, she could see his red coloring.
“Favian? What are you doing here? Where’s Max?”
“Max asked me to get you,” Favian said gently. “Come, I’ll lift you onto my back.” He swept his tail around her and lifted her up.
“Did Max tell you what happened?” Favian asked as he launched himself into the air.
“He said Jack was dead,” Anna replied.
“Yes. Jack is dead. But Keira was badly injured.”
“Injured? How?”
“One of Jack’s dragons was trying to kill her. She’s alive, but her injuries are extensive.”
“No,” whispered Anna with a sudden rush of guilt. She had barely spared Keira a thought. “Will she live?” she asked softly.
“It is too soon to tell. Aaron took her to Drake Manor, and my mother is tending her. Fortunately, Aaron had made Keira drink his blood when he was here a few days ago. If not for that, she would not even have survived this long.”
“Aaron was here? When?”
“He managed to sneak in a few days ago and rendezvous with Max. Max told him what Jack was planning, which gave Aaron quite an advantage.”
“So Max wasn’t working for Jack? He really didn’t betray Aaron?”
“No, of course not. Max would no more betray Aaron than I would.” Favian turned to look at Anna. “Surely you knew that?”
Anna turned her face away as shame wound its way through her belly. She could feel the tears collecting in her eyes, and she turned into the wind, allowing the wind to whip at her face, burning the tears away.
Chapter 43
Keira lay on a bed, tossing and turning as she mumbled in her sleep. Dragons chased her through her dreams, and she cried out as talons reached for her, then gasped as she was overcome with cold. Someone called to her, his voice desperate, and the monsters fled as she was pulled back to the light, wrapped in warmth.
Days passed, and troubling memories haunted Keira’s unconscious mind. She screamed when flames licked at her legs, burning through the fabric of the gown. She tried to run, but her feet could find no purchase against the soft ground that was slowly pulling her under. She could feel the cold hand of death, and she let it wash over her, before she was snatched away once again, back into the land of the living.
A spark of light penetrated Keira’s eyelids, and she opened them to see glowing tawny eyes staring down at her. Someone squeezed her hand as she closed her eyes once more. The soft shh, shh of voices flowed around her, the sounds carrying no meaning as darkness rushed over her again.
Keira awoke to the light streaming through the window. The room was empty, but a fire was burning in the grate. She watched the dancing flames for a moment, as the memories slowly returned. The last thing she recalled was being ripped apart by a dragon. She pushed back the sheet, and lifting her chemise, looked at her stomach. There was a thin line of red scarring, but the skin had already knit together. Moving slowly, she slid her hands over her belly, probing cautiously. There was a slight twinge of pain, but nothing more, and she allowed her hands to drop back onto the mattress. She felt hollow and empty, and she stared at the ceiling, looking at the cracks with unseeing eyes. A sound outside the door had her pushing down her chemise and yanking up the quilt as the door opened. Margaret walked into the room, a bowl of water in her hands and a pile of fresh linens over her arm. She glanced at her patient, smiling when she saw Keira watching her. Carefully placing the water on the table, she went to the side of the bed, gently taking Keira’s hand in her own.
“How are you feeling, my dear?” She touched a cool hand to Keira’s forehead and nodded. “You sustained a very serious injury, and if Aaron had not given you his blood just days before, you would not have survived. As it is, you have been unwell for nigh on a week.”
“A week?” Keira whispered. Margaret nodded, gently restraining Keira when she struggled to rise.
“You need to lie still, my dear. Your body is stil
l healing. I will go and let Aaron know you are awake. He has been pacing the halls, unwilling to stray too far from your side. He will be very relieved to know that the worst is behind us.” She patted the younger woman’s hand and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. It opened a few moments later as Aaron walked into the room.
He stopped at the threshold, gazing at Keira as she stared back at him. Although he smiled, Keira could see the worry creased into his brow, and the shadows under his eyes.
“Keira,” he said softly, his voice reverent. He went to the bed and dropped down on his knees at her side, gently taking her hand between her own. Lifting it to his mouth, he brushed his lips over her skin. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “This should not have happened. You nearly lost your life because of me, and I was unable to save you.”
“You did save me,” Keira said, her tone just as low. “You gave me your blood.”
At her words, Aaron dropped her hand and pushing himself up, gathered her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair as tears spilled unheeded down his cheeks. Keira wrapped her hands around his neck, and they clung to each other in silence until Aaron finally pulled away. He trailed his fingers down her cheeks as he gazed into her eyes.
“I thought I had lost you,” he whispered. “I heard you scream, and turned to see Uesli chasing you down.” Aaron’s voice cracked as he continued. “I couldn’t get to you in time. He ripped his claws through your stomach, and I couldn’t stop him until it was too late. You lost so much blood. I pulled you from the water and let my blood cover you. I forced it down your throat, and poured it over your wounds. You were just barely alive, but I knew if I could get enough into you, you would live. But I couldn’t save the baby.”
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