Page 131 of Crown of Chaos

“Because you’re not my best friend,” I returned with a smile on my lips. “Which means I won’t feel bad about doing this.” I laughed, pitching myself forward and yanking her with me.

Esme howled, but she sucked in a lungful of air before we hit the water and were sucked under. She clung to me just as fiercely as I held on to her, and no matter how badly the water tossed and spun us, there was no way I was giving up my grip. Far too soon, my lungs burned and stars exploded in my vision, but not once did my fingers loosen.

Our bodies slammed against the hard tunnel that the whirlpool sent us spiraling through. The farther the water carried us, the more lethargic I felt. I held on because it was the only thing I could do anymore. I wouldn’t lose her or allow us to be separated because I’d been the one to force us into the water cyclone.

Esme was limp in my arms, but before I could panic—or even tell myself that panicking was pointless since there was literally nothing I could do but die right alongside her—the whirlpool spit us out onto dry ground.

I threw up water, coughing and gasping as I tried to get precious air into my lungs. Beside me, Esme didn’t seem to be much better off, but she was alive, so I’d take it. We struggled to sit upright and ended up collapsing back to the ground.

“You could have killed us both!”

“We didn’t die, though.”

“But we could have died, Aria! You did not know where that blasted whirlpool went, and you forced me to get sucked into the thing.”

“I did, and we are alive, Esme.” I was fighting so hard against the need for sleep. “We’re heading back into the water because it’s easier than climbing over the shit on the side,” I announced, and her head dropped back before she looked at the rushing river that cut a path through the cavern.

“Fine.”

This time, I didn’t have to pull her with me. We jumped, and while we still clung to each other because we were unwilling to be separated, neither of us fought the water when it swept us away. I prayed silently that there wouldn’t be any more waterfalls or whirlpools or whiny women. Pretty much anything that started with aW.

The river carried our bodies endlessly, but it wasn’t so deep that Esme couldn’t bounce her feet off the bottom. It wasn’t until what felt like an eternity later that I bounced off the bottom and discovered that I could stand, so we began walking instead of floating.

Something brushed against my leg again, and I glanced down and discovered a male watching me. He exploded from the water, and I slammed my fist into his face, grabbing for the daggers still strapped to my thighs. Esme did the same, slamming her back against mine. We peered around the waist-deep water, watching for him to reappear.

I felt him before I saw him, anticipating the moment he would break the surface. I slashed my dagger forward and tore the blade through his throat. Esme growled, fighting against another one behind me. We danced, spinning and slicing as one after another fought to drag us to a watery grave.

When there was finally a lull between attacks, we rushed toward the side of the cave, trading the water for the large swath of stone. Several more of the males popped up to the surface, and I stepped forward, ready to fight them, but Esme grabbed my arm. She forced my attention to a staircase that led up, away from the creepy mermen who had rows of sharp needle-like teeth snapping together.

On tired legs, we ascended the stairs swiftly, watching the walls growing narrower the higher we climbed. The moment we hit the top step, we rushed toward an opening that would see us freed of the cave.

I sucked in air, fighting to control my breathing until voices sounded in front of where we stood. The scent of food hit me first. Freshly baked bread and meat caused my stomach to growl loudly and drew my focus to the bustling village we’d entered. Blinking, I fought to pull whatever reserve strength I had left up, preparing to fight our way out of whatever the hell was coming for us next. Leaving the darkened cave, I gaped around at the magnitude of what was revealed.

A crowd had gathered and was watching us with curiosity. Large firebirds flew in the air over the city. A dragon jumped from a perch to sail through the sky. Even more people were flooding from strange, dome-like buildings, trying to figure out what was creating the frenzy.

The large, elegant castle that sat in the distance almost stole the breath from my lungs. It was the same one from the dream I’d had. Wide cobblestone pathways connected to bridges, which led to houses on the other side of a river. Beneath them, slow serene water moved toward a loud waterfall that dropped beyond sight. Birds flew over the crest, ravenously snatching fish as they went over the edge.

At the winding trail that led up to the palace, a large archway lit with glowing stones that seemed to pulse with welcome. The pathway to the palace was awash with runes and pulsing wards. Huge perches sat on the cliffs that the castle sat on, and caves filled with musical sounds that echoed their way to my ears.

Swallowing the excitement of making it here alive, I turned to Esme, who was still busy gawking. Her violet stare swung to me, and a brilliant smile lifted her lips.

“We made it, Aria,” she whispered. “We fucking made it. Holy shit, look at this place.”

“So we did,” I said as I turned, catching sight of Aden approaching us with a smile on his lips. He was walking behind another man, who made my heart thump with anticipation and unease to slither down my spine. He was the same man who had been watching us from the woods in the picture of Amara and me in front of the House of Magic.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, a loud rattle started above, and then the ground shook as an enormous dragon hovered before me. My hair shot up, and wind battered my face. Another thunderous rumble vibrated over my skin before my view of Aden was blocked by a large white dragon. My heart raced, beating wildly against my rib cage as it snarled, revealing sharp, elongated teeth. The scent of smoke and something enticing filled the space, and a soft rumble of purring started from me. The beast’s eyes, which were larger than my entire skull, blinked to reveal emerald and vermilion that slid together, shattering into fiery embers while they examined me. Huge beautiful scales covered his body in alabaster and a soft silverish-blue color, which glistened and shimmered in the light.

It paced before us, lowering its head and then moving its snout forward into my stomach. I grunted, lifting my hands to cradle his nose. A whispered purr slipped from my lips, and its eyes closed as if he found comfort in the sound. The dragon jerked away, throwing back its head before it opened its mouth, releasing a loud, blusterous rattle of sound.

A phoenix landed beside it, snarling and spreading its wide, beautiful azure-and-midnight wings. The dragon turned, purring as the phoenix kept pushing it back from us. The moment the dragon made a chuffing noise and took off into the air in an effortless move, the phoenix turned on me. Rattling loudly and, putting both Ember and me on edge. I purred, and it made a soft keening sound. A smaller dragon landed beside it, butting its head into the large, gorgeous birdlike creature’s side.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, slowly extending my hand to touch it, but before I could, the birdlike creature turned and hissed. I folded my fingers against my palm, stepping back, but something bumped my rear. Peering over my shoulder, I found a smaller cyan-blue dragon rubbing against my thigh. Ancient eyes viewed me from the smaller dragon, who I wasn’t certain was as young as I assumed it to be.

“Dragons and phoenixes,” Esme whispered softly. “This shit is almost worth dying a million freaking times to see with my own eyes.”

The phoenix moved closer, rubbing its head against my still-closed hand. My fingers unfurled, and I stepped closer, smiling as tears swam in my vision. Its wings expanded, revealing a dark, rich hue of claret coloring underneath. The feathers glittered with soft cyan and claret sparkles beneath my touch.

The smaller dragon behind me keened and then purred in a deep, soothing tone that had Ember echoing him. A thunderous rattle released, and the phoenix turned and pushed from the ground, soaring into the air. The smaller dragon didn’t go, deciding to hide behind me and peering out from between Esme and me to see where the rattling had originated from.

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