Page 38 of Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice

“No, I’m afraid not.” Evander’s chuckle washed over me in a brief breath of warmth before it was snatched away by the breeze. He tipped his head toward the right. “There’s the village.”

Hints of the dirt path wound down the mountain and through the valley until it reached a cluster of gray stone houses with thatched roofs. They sprawled along wiggling paths, following the pattern of the valley. Snow lay thick on the roofs while smoke puffed from the chimneys.

Evander swooped down, then landed lightly just outside of the village. Setting me down, he shifted, returning to his fae form as if it was the most natural thing in the realms to blur between forms.

Perhaps for him it was. Fae, half-dragon, and full dragon…it didn’t matter what form he took. In all of them, he was himself, even if I struggled to wrap my mind around the concept.

As we strode into the village, fae of all kinds bustled between the houses and a market formed of shops. Many of the fae were like Evander, looking human except for their pointed ears. Unlike Evander, they were bundled up in layers upon layers of clothing much as I was.

But others were far stranger. Men and women with goat legs trundled about, wearing coats and carrying brown-wrapped parcels. Other creatures with white fur towered above the village, their feet the size of some of the houses.

“This way.” Evander led me around the edge of the village, steering well clear of the huge creatures. As we passed, the fae stopped and bowed to Evander, though he quickly waved the gestures away.

A woman with gray hair and black clothing stepped around a corner, holding a small brazier on a chain, the smell of burning incense wafting from it. Her very human ears showed through the tangle of her gray hair.

As soon as she saw Evander, she gave a shriek and hid her face behind a hand. “Doom! Doom! Don’t light the candle! Don’t look on his face!”

I froze, gaping at the woman, my hand in front of me in the indecision of whether I should reach out to her. To comfort her or stop her from coming closer, I didn’t know.

A fae woman hurried around the corner and gripped the woman by her shoulders. The fae gave a small bob to Evander, even as she began to steer the woman away. “I’m sorry, sire. I lost track of her.”

“It’s all right.” Evander nodded, his chin dipping, shoulders hunching, as pain filled his eyes. “She was one of the first. I revealed myself as the dragon to her too soon.”

He’d told me that had been the result. But it had been hard to picture until I saw her with my own eyes.

She was a shattered, lost version of what I could have been. All I could do was stand there, watching, heart aching, as the shuddering, hunched woman was led away by her fae caretaker.

Even if we managed to end the sacrifices—and right now I had no idea as to how to accomplish that—there was no fixing what the sacrifices had broken. Even healing what could be healed wouldn’t be quick or easy.

After the woman was out of sight, we set out through the village once again until Evander halted before a stone house that looked nearly identical to the others. It was especially neat and tidy, with boxes below the windows overflowing with evergreen branches. The step out front had a woven mat in a bright red that popped against all the gray stone and white snow.

With a final glance at me, Evander knocked on the door.

Only moments later, the door swung open. Clarissa stood there, wearing a red wool dress that set off her glossy dark brown hair. She hadn’t aged since I’d last seen her, though there was a change to the set of her jaw, the look in her eyes, that spoke of the experiences she’d faced. Most surprising of all was the tiny, newborn baby she cradled in her arms.

For a moment, she just blinked at me, as if uncomprehending. Then her eyes widened, and she rushed forward with a shriek. “Nessa!”

I hurried up the step and wrapped her in a tight hug, though I was careful not to squeeze the baby she held. “You’re alive! He said you were alive, but I hardly dared believe it!”

Clarissa made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“You have a baby!” I stepped back so I could see the little one. “I’m assuming the baby is yours. You aren’t just babysitting, are you?”

“No, she’s mine.” Clarissa smiled and turned to better show off the baby. “This is little Nessa.”

Named after me. I blinked as I traced the back of one finger over the baby’s tiny clenched fist. “She’s beautiful. And those ears.”

Tiny, pointed ears.

“Yes.” Clarissa’s smile turned soft. She glanced over her shoulder as a dark-haired fae man halted behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. “This is Dorrian, my husband.”

“And my real steward.” Evander’s voice held a trace of a chuckle.

“Then my holiday is at an end?” Dorrian gave an exaggerated sigh. “And here I was just getting used to kicking up my heels and bothering my wife all day.”

“You were hardly on holiday, busy as you’ve been in the village.” Evander grinned back, then clapped Dorrian on the shoulder. “If you have a moment, I’d like to get caught up.”

Dorrian nodded, then pressed a kiss to Clarissa’s temple. “We’ll leave the two of you to talk.”

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