The terrible tightness in my chest eased somewhat—the Toppenfeld family had clearly taken precautions. Tavarian had also heavily spelled his own piece of heart, and I imagined all of them were similarly protected. How had Salcombe managed to get the piece he had? Did he have a mage on call who could break through these magical defenses?
It doesn’t matter, I told myself. I had to get the box from Salcombe before he figured out how to open it. I lunged for Salcombe, my skirts in one hand and a knife in the other. My aim was true as I tossed the blade at his chest.
Salcombe moved like lightning, evading the throw easily. But my blade struck the box, and it flew from his grasp. I changed direction, barreling toward it, but Trolbos was there already, snatching it up in his meaty fist. I skidded to a halt, my skirts still in one hand as I drew my dragon blade with the other. The blades automatically extended to full width, and I spun the weapon in my hand as I oscillated between Trolbos and Salcombe as they both advanced on me, weapons drawn.
“I knew you would betray me eventually, Zara, but I’d hoped you’d wait a bit longer,” Salcombe said. I’d expected him to be angry, and the mingled sadness and disappointment on his face took me by surprise. “I had hoped to convince you to remain by my side, to become one of my generals. The dragon god will need an army, and you and your Lessie would have been perfect additions.”
I barked out a laugh. “If Lessie and I have learned anything, it’s that military life doesn’t suit us. Not Elantia’s military, and certainly not the army of a depraved dragon whose sole aim is to bleed our world dry.”
Salcombe’s eyes blazed, and he lifted his weapon. “You have always been a small-minded fool—”
Lessie chose that moment to swoop in on near-silent wings, her teeth flashing in the moonlight as she opened her terrifying maw. I jumped back right before she blasted both men with fire, but the rippling heat was so intense that I was certain every inch of my exposed skin looked like a boiled lobster. Salcombe and Trolbos both dodged the blast, but Lessie remained undeterred—she snatched up the hulking henchman in her jaws and dug her teeth into him with a crunch of bone that was both sickening and satisfying.
“The box!” I cried, arrowing toward it as it fell to the ground. But Salcombe was faster yet again, snatching it up with one hand while he parried my dragon blade with the other. The two of us traded furious blows, but I was no match for Salcombe’s superhuman speed, especially with these stupid skirts tripping me up at every second. He dodged my whirling blades, then slammed the pommel of his blade into the side of my head. Pain exploded through my skull as I fell to the ground, and Lessie’s roar of rage was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
It seemed like I was only unconscious for a few seconds, but when I woke up, I was in the sky. Strong arms cradled my midsection, and I breathed in as cold winds whipped around me. My head throbbed so badly I could hardly form a thought, and I swallowed as a wave of nausea rolled through me. Dragon’s balls, what happened to me?
“Zara.” Jallis’s voice was low in my ear. “How are you feeling?”
Relief rushed through me at the familiar voice, but it was short-lived. I reached up to touch my injury, and the clank of chains chilled me to the bone. Opening my eyes, I turned my head—ignoring the excruciating pain that caused—and noted that we weren’t alone. There were two other riders flanking us—lieutenants like Jallis, but older and more experienced. They briefly glanced my way, and the scorn in their cold gazes made my stomach churn.
“As well as any prisoner with a head injury,” I said in a scathing tone, unsure who I was angrier with. Why did I think that Jallis had come to save me? Had I learned nothing?
Jallis sighed, pulling away. I squinted up at him, trying to see his expression, but my vision was blurry. “You know it has to be this way, Zara.” He sounded genuinely sorry about it, and my anger wavered. Jallis might claim to be my friend, but his loyalty was to the military first, and he’d already told me that his mission was to bring me back. That hadn’t changed just because my situation had shifted. “At least your injury will work in your favor. It’s proof that you weren’t in league with Salcombe.”
“Like Colonel Roche gives a damn about that,” I said, bitterness seeping into my tone. I reached through the bond for Lessie, and some of my anxiety abated as I sensed her flying directly behind us. “How did you find us?”
“Lessie, of course,” Jallis said. “Bas and Jensen have been tracking her from a safe distance.”
They must have been the danger Lessie had sensed. Another wave of fury hit me—if the dragons hadn’t interfered, hadn’t delayed Lessie’s arrival, I might have been able to wrest the box from Salcombe. What happened to him, anyway? Had Lessie managed to injure or kill him? I didn’t sense the piece of heart anywhere nearby, so clearly the riders hadn’t captured him or taken it off him.
“Lessie, what happened while I was out?” The bond told me that she was flying directly behind the rider on Jallis’s left.
“I attacked Salcombe and managed to injure his left arm,” Lessie said. “If not for the dragon god elixir, I would have taken him down, but even with the injury he was fast, and he made a run for it. I would have given chase, but Jallis and the others landed in the clearing and boxed you in. I had no choice but to come to your side.”
“You should have pursued him anyway,” I argued, fury heating my blood. I hated that Salcombe was in the wind again, and that these dragon riders, the very people who were at risk if Salcombe succeeded in his quest to resurrect the dragon god, had foiled my attempt to subdue him. With Salcombe’s resources, it was only a matter of time until he figured out how to open that second box.
“Don’t ask that of me,” she snapped, on edge. “We’ve only just been reunited, and you were unconscious and in danger on top of it all. Salcombe could have killed you with that strike, and I was worried that if I pursued him, I might come back to find you on death’s door.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” I swallowed against the sudden lump in my throat and stroked the jagged edges of Lessie’s mind through the bond. “Thank you for saving me,” I said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Lessie sniffed. “You’d better heal quickly,” was all she said. “I’ve never had a headache before today, and I don’t like it one bit.”
I swallowed down an unexpected urge to laugh. “You three took quite a risk, pursuing me into neutral territory,” I said to Jallis. “Now that Zallabar has officially declared war, don’t you think this is a waste of resources? What if Dardil’s military had seen you and started shooting?”
“Luck was on our side, and we felt fairly comfortable taking the risk in the middle of the night.” But Jallis’s body tensed against mine. “Colonel Roche has a more…cavalier attitude than other officers when it comes to the use of dragon riders. It’s something I’ve been meaning to write to General Sarte about.”
I clenched my jaw. “And yet you have no problem following her orders anyway, despite her blatant disregard for dragon safety.”
Jallis sighed. “She’s one of those officers who has a chip on her shoulder because she was born a ground-dweller and had to fight for her position against dragon riders that have gotten promotions simply because of their pedigree,” he said. “I don’t entirely blame her for being frustrated, and though you’re right that she shouldn’t allow her prejudices to cloud her judgment, she’s still our commanding officer. And she wouldn’t have been promoted to her current position if she wasn’t a good leader.”
I had some choice words to say about our good leader but decided to refrain. The other dragon riders might not be able to hear me over the winds, but their mounts could, and I didn’t need my comments getting back to Roche when my fate was still uncertain.
Tears of grief and frustration pricked at my eyes, and I closed them, not wanting Jallis to see my weakness. Once, I would have turned my face into that solid, warm chest and found comfort in his strength, but I was no long
er certain if I could trust him with my feelings.
“It will be all right, Zara,” Lessie said, trying to soothe me through the bond. “As long as we’re together, we’re whole. We’ll figure a way out of this.”
I nodded, trying to put on a brave face. But I was no longer so sure that was true.
11
I expected to find the camp silent when we returned, but it was as busy as an anthill, soldiers swarming everywhere. Hardly anybody turned to look as we landed outside the stables—they were all busy clearing out buildings, loading up wagons, and doing other activities that looked suspiciously like we were moving.
“What’s going on?” I asked Jallis.
“I’m not sure.” Jallis frowned. “It’s been nearly a week since I left camp.”
We dismounted, and I had to clutch at Jallis’s arm to stay upright, the pain and nausea making my legs shaky and weak. I wanted to give Lessie a hug, or at least touch her, but the two older dragons immediately herded her back to the stables before I could gather enough strength to walk over to her. To my relief, I didn’t feel any anger or pain through the bond, which meant they weren’t shackling or sedating her. They didn’t have to anymore, now that they had me as a hostage to ensure her good behavior.
I, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly so lucky.
“Lieutenant.” Two large, burly soldiers stepped up, so close in features that I knew they had to be brothers, if not twins. “We’ve been ordered to escort Private Kenrook to the colonel’s tent.”
“I appreciate the assistance, but that won’t be necessary,” Jallis said, tightening his grip on my upper arm. “I can handle it myself.”
“That’s not your choice,” the one on the left said. “The colonel said you wouldn’t be needed.”
A scowl briefly darkened Jallis’s features before he smoothed it away. “Of course,” he said tightly, handing me over to them. “I’m sorry, Zara,” he said, quietly enough that only I would hear.
I gave him the barest of nods, then raised my chin and squared my shoulders as the soldiers marched me toward Colonel Roche’s office. A few soldiers cast looks of disdain my way as we passed, but I didn’t acknowledge them—I had nothing to be ashamed of. Lessie and I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“You are a hero.” Tavarian’s voice echoed in my head. “No matter what anyone else might say to you, I will always remember what you have done.”
The memory of that conversation—the last we’d had—both warmed my heart and chilled my blood. I hoped those words wouldn’t be the last I’d heard from him. That he’d made it out alive.
“Colonel,” the soldier gripping my left arm said as I was dragged before her desk. “The prisoner.”
The prisoner. I barely managed to stop myself from snarling as Roche lifted her head. Her eyes briefly glinted with what I could only call smugness, but she barely acknowledged me before turning back to the papers on her desk. “Throw her in a cage.”
“Wait!” I struggled against the soldiers’ grips, but it was useless. The motion only increased the throbbing in my head, and my gorge surged into my throat as black spots flickered in my vision. “You’re not even going to ask me for my side of the story? I spent nearly three weeks in Traggar! I have important information for you.”
Roche looked up from her papers again and pinned me with a frigid stare. “Whatever information you may or may not have on Traggar is irrelevant,” she said. “Now that Traggar has officially pulled out of the pending alliance with Zallabar, we have no need to worry about them. Zallabar, on the other hand, has launched an attack at the border, so we are deploying our troops to assist.”
Terror spiked through me—Rhia and Ykos were at that border, likely fighting for their lives. “Let me go with them,” I said desperately. “I can help.”
Colonel Roche barked a laugh. “You will be—in a cage, where you will be held until your court-martial. Since we are at war, I have no idea when that will be. It could be in a week, or it could be a few months.” This time she allowed the smugness to reach her mouth, her lips curving in a smile that made my chest grow tight. “The general will deal with you when he sees fit, and trust me when I say that he is a very busy man.”
“This is insa—”
“Dismissed.” She cut me off with the flick of a hand. “Take her away.”
The soldiers hauled me out of the room and locked me in an open-air iron cage in the middle of the camp, leaving two lower-ranked soldiers behind to guard me. Despair filled me as I sank to the ground, resting my back on the cold bars as I sank my head into my hands. There was nowhere to go from here—my lockpicks and weapons had been taken from me while I was unconscious, and Lessie couldn’t help me. Lifting my head, I scanned the camp for any sign of my fellow dragon riders from the academy, but there was none. It was likely they’d already been deployed.
“Lessie?”
“I’m here,” she said, and I felt a surge of anger from her. “I listened to the conversation between you and Roche. What a despicable woman.”
I sighed. “Can you tell Kadryn I want to talk to Jallis?”
A pang of sadness. “He is gone,” she said. “Almost immediately after you were taken away, Jallis was given orders to deploy. Only eight dragons remain, not including me.”
I started to ask if Lessie had gleaned any more information from her fellow riders, but the pain in my head suddenly intensified, and my vision began to blur again. “Shit,” I groaned aloud, cradling my head in my hands.
“Zara?” Lessie’s urgent voice was like a hot spike driven straight through my skull. “Zara, are you all right?”
“It hurts,” I moaned, tears trickling out of the corners of my eyes. The back of my head throbbed so badly it felt like someone was repeatedly smashing a hammer into my skull. “Private,” I croaked aloud, trying to get the attention of my guard. “I need medical attention.”
The private turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You’re just trying to get me to let you out of your cage.”
Another crippling wave of pain seized me, so intense I flopped sideways onto the metal floor. Nausea cramped my gut, and I closed my eyes, trying to escape the pain.
An ear-splitting roar shook the air, worsening my headache. Shouts filled the air, and then the ground rumbled as Lessie raced into the camp, knocking aside soldiers in her haste to reach me. I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight of deep gouges on her shoulder, large enough that they could only have come from a dragon’s claw. Indeed, there was a larger dragon on her heels, but Lessie evaded him. She skidded to a halt in front of my cage and turned her blazing eyes on my guard, roaring at him so loudly that the very earth shook. The guard looked like he was going to piss himself, racing around the other side of the cage to put distance between him and Lessie.
“What does she want?” he wailed, brandishing his sword. “Why is she attacking me?”
“She’s not,” a man, one of the dragon riders who had escorted me back to camp with Jallis, said. He locked gazes with me, and I was surprised to see a flicker of sympathy in his deep blue eyes. “She’s just angry because her rider isn’t receiving medical attention. Kenrook took a nasty blow to the head before we retrieved her.”
“I thought she was lying about the injury,” the guard grumbled.
“What is the meaning of this?” Colonel Roche shouted, striding into the clearing. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull at the sight of Lessie, bleeding and angry as she crouched outside my cage. The dragon who’d chased after her waited at a safe distance, as if he were ready to pounce on Lessie if she made a wrong move. Despite my addled brain, I wondered if the scratches on Lessie’s shoulder were just for show—the other dragon was much larger and, along with the others, could have easily subdued her. It was almost as if they sympathized with Lessie and were trying to help her defend me.
“Kenrook’s dragon escaped the enclosure to come to the aid of her rider,” the other rider said. “She has a concussion and requires urg
ent medical attention.”
“She’s a prisoner,” Roche started to say, but was cut off by another roar from Lessie. Her face went white when tendrils of smoke curled from my dragon’s nostrils. I’d never seen Lessie quite so angry before. I had a feeling that if Colonel Roche had been anyone else, my dragon would have already severed her thick head from her stubborn shoulders.
“Ma’am,” the other rider began, hesitant.
“Get the healer,” she snapped. “If she’s still on the base. Can’t have her dying before the court-martial date, can we?” She gave me an ugly smile. “The moment she’s patched up, load up the cage. We’re moving out.”
Lessie stayed by my side while we waited for the healer—a female mage who looked to be older than time itself—to arrive. She stayed by my side while the healer cradled my head through the bars, using her magic to repair the head wound and undo whatever damage my brain had suffered. The pain gradually receded, and the moment she lifted her hands from my head, I sat up.
“I’ve managed to repair the damage,” the healer said stiffly. “Though I should have been called sooner. A few minutes more and you would have suffered permanent brain damage.”
“Thank you for healing me,” I said fervently, and looked around for that other dragon rider so I could thank him, too. But he was already gone, though his dragon had been left behind to guard Lessie. Briefly, I wondered if he’d helped me because of Roche’s dismissive treatment—she hadn’t even wanted to see Jallis or the other riders who’d brought me back, who should have been commended for executing a swift, painless retrieval. Somehow, the thought that at least she was equally prejudiced against all riders made me feel somewhat better about the whole situation.
But those feelings were short-lived when the rider returned, and two other dragons landed in the clearing. “Colonel Roche has ordered us to escort your dragon to the border,” he said, striding over to his own dragon. He dumped an armful of tack on the ground and began to saddle him up. “You’ll be transported by wagon.”
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