“How is the forest orb the answer?” Nemreth asked.
“The three of us have the ability to transport to the Drae Lands, leaving the fae behind, but you don’t really want to leave your people behind, do you?”
“I can’t do that. The children are hiding amongst the other fae, too. We can’t leave them for slaughter.”
“I know.”
Neremin said, “The orb is needed to transport all the fae to the drae lands.”
“You’re assuming the drae lands want you,” I said. “I was their ambassador. The fae hate dragon-kind, and yet you want to flood our world?”
“Where else can we go to? Cardell is overrun with teramarth.”
I held back my bitterness. I couldn’t damn an entire race to death, even if they’d only treated me badly.
“Haven’t you used most of the orb’s ability?” Nemreth asked. “You expended it for Alyxe here.”
“Wouldn’t you have done the same for Cendri?”
Nemreth grunted, and his shoulders slumped.
“Anyway,” the fae king continued, “there is still remaining energy in the orb. It’s an old artifact. The travel will be tiresome, and casting the magic to teleport so many people will strain us, but it is doable. At a cost.”
“What cost?” I asked.
Neremin looked at me and shook his head, as if not wanting to share his tragic news. Alyxe whispered something to him. She turned around, and they embraced. Alyxe tiptoed to reach Neremin’s lips. She circled her arms around her neck and kissed him. It was a brief kiss.
He didn’t have to say anything for me to know the cost would be heavy.
“Discussing the consequences of using the orb will be pointless if we can’t get it,” Cendri said. “Lysunth guards it. She has a swarm of teramarth around it, and I’m not sure if she’s monitoring it personally. In our current condition, we’re no match. Not unless something happens to thin the teramarth surrounding the orb.”
“So where does that leave us?” Nemreth asked.
“Helpless,” Cendri said. “We’ve been here for a long time. If the teramarth finds us, we’re pretty much cursed to Aleaham.”
Just as Cendri said that, a clunking noise came from outside. The teramarth were walking across the room, shuffling forward and dragging their feet.
The whole room went quiet when we heard them. Their raspy breaths came through the rotting vine walls. Only when a good five minutes had passed and we’d stopped hearing them did the conversation continue.
The long silence had allowed me to think, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
And I didn’t like what my thoughts had to say.
An idea had formed in my mind. A crazy, scary, reckless idea. I must have been going insane to think of it, but it was worth mentioning.
“Lysunth wants me,” I said, my voice hushed. I daren’t speak louder. I wasn’t sure of this myself. “She told me she saw me joining her cause. Charmingface tried to get me to team up with her at first.”
“Charmingface?” Cendri asked.
“He was the one who started all this. He called it an abomination? I don’t know. I was pretty out of it when I saw him as a teramarth.”
“I’m not following,” Nemreth said.
“Come to think of it,” Cendri added, “I haven’t seen Charmingface anywhere. He didn’t cross my mind.”
I raised my hands in front of me. “Never mind what happened to Charmingface. I just know that Lysunth will give me her attention if I go out in the open, and if I make a ruckus, she’ll leave the forest orb alone.”
“Mmm.” Fauna slunk into the shadows. My suggestion had made her uneasy.
“You’re going out there alone to face the teramarth?” Cendri asked. “I can’t have that.”
“And why not? You sound like you actually care about me.”
“I…” Cendri stiffened. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he slackened against the wall.
“It’s worth a shot,” I said, trailing my eyes over the small group we’d formed. Even as I made my proposal, I tried to understand myself. Why was I risking my life for the fae?
I used to do things so I could win.
Now, I just did them when they felt right.
“So, what do you guys think?” I asked.
“We’re left with few options,” Neremin said. The fae king just loved to put me up as fodder. First at the trials. Now, when I’d volunteered myself to be teramarth food, he didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Okay.” Cendri pulled himself to standing. He was shaking, still, but despite his distressed state, he moved normally, not letting his pain weigh him down. He tugged me to him.
And then he kissed me.
His tongue snaked into my mouth, and he kissed me like a man possessed. What was this?
His tongue swirled around mine. My mind fogged, and weakly, I rested my hands at his sides. I was so drawn to him that I flattened my torso against his hard body. He hugged me close to him, and an enticing, guttural sound came from his throat. We had an audience, but still it was difficult to let go. He tasted intoxicating. Sweet and minty and so, so desirable that my toes curled.
And then he let me go, just like that.
My first mouth-to-mouth kiss. With the man I hated.
I waited for the anger to come. For it to swallow me. I should smack Cendri’s cheek or strangle him.
But that anger didn’t come.
I blinked, shocked.
“Good luck, princess,” Cendri said after releasing me. His violet eyes glimmered even in this darkness. I saw specks of gold in them. Sparkles of promise.
“Why did you kiss me?” I asked, tone breathy.
“Just in case I wouldn’t have the chance to again. It was a completely selfish decision, mind you. I’ve just wanted to do that for a long time.”
Again, the condescending tone had returned. “Using me before tossing me out to the undead?” I asked.
Cendri responded with a shrug.
He wanted more. I saw it in the tensing of his muscles, and the heated look in his eyes.
“Stay safe,” Fauna said from the shadows as I headed toward the exit.
This was a bad, bad idea.
“I will,” I replied.
I didn’t think I would.
I placed my ear on the door, making sure it was quiet, then slowly dragged it open. With cautious, quiet steps, I made my way out of Neremin’s mansion. I snuck past the teramarth, making sure I stayed out of their sight, then went outside.
It was time to face Lysunth.
Thirty-Five
Was it too late to back out?
Was this the biggest mistake of my life? It might very well be my last one. What if Lysunth changed her mind and decided she didn’t want me? She’d have me killed. Ripped apart. It’d be a horrible death.
The teramarth didn’t look at me as I walked past them and out into the open. Their beady eyes stared in varying directions. They lumbered about, dragging their feet on the cracking ground. It seemed like whatever had poisoned the lands close to the Wall of Thorns was doing the same here. The magic had corrupted the lands, and the soil had dried up.
Those things… I had to attract their attention.
I shed my clothes and left them next to a fence. If I were lucky, I’d be able to shift back into human form later and wear my clothes again. If not, then I supposed that would be my last time in human form. With that, I called to my dragon. I let my beast rip through my body, morphing my bones and changing the texture of my skin.
My clawed feet sank into the cracked dirt. My shifting had made enough noise to draw the teramarth’s attention. Their decomposing eyes turned in my direction.
It was safer this way, with me in my dragon. This form was stronger and faster. Beastlier. I stood a better chance against the teramarth when more powerful.
I spread my wings out and flapped them, taking to the air, which seemed stuffier than usual. I already felt like backing out the mom
ent I exposed myself to the teramarth. They followed me, drawn by my form. There were swarms of them. Dragon teramarth took to the air, circling me like a flock of vultures. A rumble sounded from my throat.
“Lysunth!” I roared. “I seek your audience!”
Smoke flared from my nostrils. My wings drooped, feeling heavy. The teramarth began following me. They came after me in messily arranged teams, their feet dragging against the ground. They didn’t move quickly at all, instead seeming to take their time, as if catching me wasn’t an urgent matter.
I looked across the distance. So many teramarth. I didn’t know if I could face the dragon teramarth on my own. Those monstrous forms of corrupted magic seemed impossible to kill.
A mistake.
This was all a mistake.
“Lysunth!” I shouted again.
Could this work? She was a goddess, after all. I knew that Aereala, the goddess of dragon-kind, could see everything. What if Lysunth saw through my plan and decided to punish me for it? I obviously hadn’t thought this through. Lysunth didn’t seem as powerful as Aereala, however, not with her having to use Charmingface as a vessel.
I was reaching the edge of Cardell’s city. It was too far away from Neremin’s mansion, and so I banked right, turning around.
The horde below me grew. I counted the dragon teramarth surrounding me. Fiery, dark forms circled me. They left behind soot as they flew, leaving ash wherever they went. There were seven… no, ten of them. Aereala bless me. If they decided to attack me, I wouldn’t know what to do. I missed Kaji. At least with him, I wouldn’t feel this alone when flying.
“I’m ready for you!” I roared, lying to both myself and the goddess.
Due to my efforts, most of the teramarth should be away from Neremin’s mansion. There was an army of them beneath me, walking through the empty streets of Cardell. They weren’t attacking me. I felt few violent intentions from them. They were just… following. In a slow, creepy fashion.
And then she came.
The goddess.
She formed a portal in front of me and floated out of it, still with her crown of bones and faceless features. She hovered in the air, over the teramarth and up toward me. She had no wings, and yet she flew. Her figure seemed so much smaller than my dragon one, yet the energy she exuded felt vast, like the sky itself. The power pulsing from her looked like a vicious black when contrasted with the red sky above.
The moment I laid my eyes on her, I wanted to run away. She closed the distance between us. She stopped two arm’s lengths away from me. I couldn’t read her expression, for she had none.
But there was something different about her. The crown of bones seemed to be falling off, and her figure pulsed, as if dissipating.
She paused before me, her hands at her sides. “Hello, Lyra. Have you changed your mind about my proposal?”
I had no idea what would happen if I agreed. I wasn’t inclined to find out. More smoke flared from my nostrils. She looked vulnerable before me. She was in human form. I saw no shields. No form of protection. My fire heated my lungs, ready to be blown, but I willed it to calm.
Somehow, I knew that attacking her would be the wrong choice.
I needed to buy more time for the others. “Remind me what your proposal was?” Most of the teramarth had left the fae king’s mansion. Neremin and the rest of the gang would have to take care of a few stray undead themselves, but with Nemreth on their side, they shouldn’t have a problem. Nemreth was an overpowered member of the triad, after all.
The magic around Lysunth swirled. “I wanted you to join me. It’s a straightforward request. Yes or no, princess. There is no need to dally.”
“Will I turn out like the general? You destroyed him.” I recalled how terrified he’d been.
“It was an unfortunate necessity. I could only invade Cardell by using him. He should have known the risks from the very beginning.”
“So, you’re saying there’s a possibility that I might end up dead.”
“Everything in life is a gamble. You just need to make sure you end up on the winning side.”
What did winning even mean anymore?
Lysunth sounded pleased by her observation. The confidence she exuded on sent shivers through my scales.
“You think you’ll win,” I stated matter-of-factly.
“In time. You’ll have a better chance of surviving this if you say yes.”
“And if I refuse?”
Lysunth chuckled. It was a rattling sound, like broken glass bottles hitting each other. “Then you join the rest of my children. As a mindless creature. Without thought. With no volition. Just a vessel for my will, doing my bidding as I please. You’ll still be mine, but wouldn’t that be such a waste?”
I looked beyond Lysunth and held my breath. I watched four human figures escape Neremin’s mansion. It had to be the king and the others. I was certain of it even though I couldn’t see them properly when so far away.
I had to keep Lysunth’s attention on me. “There won’t be any point to survival—”
“Hmm. You’re taking advantage of my patience. I want you, princess. You should be pleased by that. A smart person would agree at once.”
After what I’d seen happen to Charmingface? No thank you.
“I suggest,” Lysunth continued, “that you agree to my request right now. Otherwise, I’ll take your delay as a no.”
“I…” Gods, the dragon teramarth were closing in on me. My lungs tightened. I searched for courage. Maybe with enough confidence, I’d survive this. Their stench pressured me, telling me just how horrible they were.
They’d gotten the orb, right? I might die here, but if I perished, at least I’d know I saved the fae of Cardell. Why did I feel so alone?
“Hurry up, princess,” Lysunth said. Her form flickered, as if she might disappear into thin air. “Give me what I want. There’s little time left for me to listen.”
Little time? Did that have anything to do with her form dissipating?
“I…” I hated all of this. Why had I put myself in this position?
Lysunth nodded. Her crown of bones seemed to pulse. “Hm. A no, then.”
Together, the dragon teramarth shrieked, merging in a chorus that spanned the whole of Cardell. As if for emphasis, the cloudless red sky thundered. Lightning zipped through it, and the promise of my death shook the lands.
I muttered a useless prayer to Aereala as teramarth eyes were trained on me. My muscles strained as I prepared to flee. But I knew there was no outrunning this.
The dragon teramarth opened their jaws. One of them blew fire at me, black and vile. Inside, I screamed. I remained hovering in the air, accepting my fate and forgetting how to fight back. I thought about my parents and my fathers. My fathers always had my back. Kaji was right. I was just a spoiled princess.
I faltered and said to Lysunth. “I could jo—”
A violet dragon flashed in front of me. “Don’t just flap there!” Cendri shouted in his dragon form. He grabbed my wings with his talons and lifted me. The teramarth’s fire skimmed my leg. It stung like acid. Shouldn’t it not hurt? I thought that dragon-kind were immune to fire, or was the magic of the dragon teramarth different? I blinked, awakening from my stupor.
I glanced up at Cendri.
“I’m getting us out of here,” he said.
His body flashed, together with mine. I felt my form disintegrating, intermingling with the winds. The lands shook once more, displaying Lysunth’s frustration. Right after Cendri teleported, we crashed into a row of trees, our huge dragon forms uprooting them from the soil. The trees groaned, toppling over and crashing to the ground. In the distance, I saw the dragon teramarth coming for us through the skies. I looked around. We’d teleported to one of the few pockets of forests in Cardell.
Cendri groaned. His dragon form receded, the magic dissipating to reveal his blond figure beneath. He lay flat on the ground. Rolling over, he turned to me, his eyes still closed. He was so pale that I mig
ht’ve mistaken him for a teramarth. “Damn you and your fucking iron,” he said. “I still can’t think straight. Nemreth better come for us soon. He promised me to meet me here.” He looked up at the trees and blinked.
“Is your vision blurry?” I asked, shifting back. It seemed right to be in the same form as him. My dragon receded into my body, my bones shrank, and a moment later, I stood next to Cendri as the human version of Lyra Everborne.
“No thanks to you. I’m wondering why I even risked my life like that.” Cendri stood and stumbled two steps forward. “Gods, those dragon teramarth scare even me. Nothing usually fazes Nemreth or me.” He placed his hand on a tree trunk—one of the only standing trees—and bent over. I rested my hands on his elbows, intending to help him stand. Cendri pushed me aside. “No need. I just pulled off that crazy stunt. I think I can stand by myself.” He craned his neck up, looking at the swarm of dragon teramarth coming after us. “Where’s Nemreth? Rakarth’s breath, they’re so nearby. I’m out of soul essence. I can’t save your ass another time, and I really don’t want to end up as a teramarth’s snack.”
I looked over my shoulder. “Maybe we should shift back and—”
Cendri retched. Vomit poured from his mouth, falling to the ground beside the tree he’d been leaning on. “Yeah, my energy’s spent too. That… that was straining. I wouldn’t be this worse for wear if not for the iron. Damn you and your fucking dagger.”
“You didn’t have to come save me.”
“I had to.”
“Why?”
“Have to do the right thing. You were going to give yourself up for the fae. You might be dragon-kind, but you don’t deserve to be left behind and abandoned. Nobody does.”
My view of Cendri shifted, but only slightly. I held a grudge perhaps too well.
“If Nemreth does get here on time,” Cendri said, “you can shift back into a dragon and leave without me. In fact, I’m suggesting you do that right now. The more time you buy yourself, the better.”
“What about you?”
Cendri lifted a hand. “I’ll manage.”
In the state he was in? He wouldn’t survive a minute. “The world’s against us,” I said.
Rakarthen Academy Page 26
