Page 56 of Monsters of Air

“What the fuck?” Landers asked from up ahead, his eyes wide as he stared around a bend in the tunnel.

I didn’t want to take another step, but Zilon pulled me forward, Philit dragging the Fae who turned to me and grinned. As if he knew, as if he was excited to see.

In an alcove off from the tunnel was a massive cage, the bars pristine and white… No, not bars at all. It wasn’t a cage.

“These are skeletal remains,” Zilon said softly, just as I realized what I was seeing.

A massive rib cage. A long spine that went on forever. Bone wings that were easily three times my length.

A dragon. It was the skeleton of the dragon.

Sorrow slammed into me as though I had fallen down an abyss and into a pool of sadness. The emotion was everywhere, seeping through me and making it hard to think. Hard to breathe. I didn’t expect it and cried out, gripping my chest.

“We need to get her away from here,” Philit said from somewhere to my left, I couldn’t see him enough to know. All I could focus on was the sorrow that was quickly turning to rage.

“Just breathe Rayna!” Zilon said, I could have sworn he was crying. Did he feel it too? The loss? The sorrow? Why? It was like my Da’s death was fresh all over again. I didn’t want to deal with it for a second time, but seeing those remains felt too much like that. I squeezed my eyes shut as Zilon picked me up.

“I got you,” he whispered softly into my ear, a tightness in his voice. We all felt it. The loss of a dragon. As we passed, I couldn’t help but look again, and this time I saw it. Between its two front legs were the remains of a human—of a rider.

We raced around the corner, Zilon putting me down only when we were far enough away from the remains that we could breathe again, even though every inhale ached.

“What was that?” I asked, still holding onto Zilon, needing his support while my legs relearned how to work. “Why do I feel like my heart is exploding? I didn’t know that dragon. I didn’t–”

I forced myself to stop, even just thinking about it again was bringing it all back.

“The connection between a rider and dragons is strong, I’ve seen riders react like that when their dragon dies in battle,” Philit said

“So why did I react like that over a pile of bones?” I pressed my palm over my chest, like it would soothe away the last of the pain.

“I don’t know.” Philit shook his head in disbelief. “I have fought along dragons and their riders, but it isn’t like they’re forthcoming with information.” He glanced at the Fae. “Most likely so that information doesn’t get out to the Fae to be used against us.”

“Oh, you foolish dragon, do you really not realize just how little you know?” The Fae leaned against the wall as he held his bound hands before him, the end of the rope twisted on the stone floor. No one was holding it. We had run, and he had followed.

He really was enjoying the show.

“This is like watching cats chase their tails. They think they’ve caught a mouse, but they are just bringing your prize–”

“Shut up you fucking Fae monster,” Landers cut him off with a snarl. “You think you know everything. You probably liked what you saw.” He knocked his head back toward the skeletal remains. The Fae’s smile faltered.

“What I saw was only proof that dragons are inadept at taking care of the riders. That divine lost their life, and for what? Why? We could have kept them safe.”

“By raping us? Or eating us?” Both made my stomach twist. “I shouldn’t have been training to fight against dragons, I should have been fighting you.”

I raced forward, no one stopping me as I landed a punch right on his jaw. He didn’t even move. He didn’t flinch. He just stared at me.

“Divine. Perfection.”

I would have punched him again, but my hand was throbbing. That and Philit was pulling me back.

“Shut the fuck up!” Philit finally snapped, yanking hard on the Fae’s rope until he was forced on his knees. “You all are leeches. That’s all you are. The riders are not yours to take and never will be. Say what you want, but we won’t let you do shit to our riders. Not to Rayna, not to any one of them.”

“Can we just kill him now?” I asked, rubbing my hand as I tried to figure out how to punch him again.

“No.” Philit’s tone said he’d rather do just that as he stared at the Fae, who was still only smiling.

“Why not?” Landers grabbed his rope, tugging him forward. “He’s not going to give us any information.”

“No us. But he will tell the king, whether he wants to or not.” Philit was using his ‘and that’s final’ voice. “Let’s keep moving.”

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