Page 7 of Wynter and the Stone Dragon

The girl picked the bowl up and sniffed at it, then turned her face away with an expression of distaste. She brought the bowl over to her and Khalid, looking at them with surprisingly angry eyes.

She placed the bowl on the nightstand and wiggled her fingers over it. A noxious green gas rose from the bowl. The little girl scowled and said something in an unfamiliar language.

Faiza stared at the bowl of soup with growing horror, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. This was why she had grown weaker and weaker for months. She slid her hand over her stomach as nausea churned.

“Go now, Khalid,” she whispered, looking at her son with haunted eyes. “Keep her safe.”

* * *

Khalid urged his mare into a face pace across the sands. After leaving his mother’s bedroom, he had snuck the little girl back to his rooms, collected some supplies, and pulled one of his long-sleeve tunics over the girl’s head to help keep her warm on their journey. His shirt was a dress on her, and she had giggled again.

Keeping her quiet as they crept to the kitchen had proved difficult, but soon he was gathering crackers, cheese, fruits, and a dozen bottles of water. The sacks were heavy by the time he was done.

Within fifteen minutes, he had saddled his beautiful Arabian mare, tied their supplies to the back of the saddle, and was lifting the little girl up.

“Thank you,” he had said, staring up at her. “Thank you for saving my mama.”

She had leaned over and touched his head. That was all it took for him to know that she understood him well enough in that moment and she was responding with her version of ‘you’re welcome’. He mounted behind her, and they set off through the palace gates that bordered the desert.

After an hour of riding, he slowed the mare to a trot. Killing his horse would not save the little girl. She yawned again. He was tired, too, but they had a long way to go.

She mumbled in a sleepy voice.

“What?” he asked, leaning forward, forgetting for a moment that he wouldn’t understand her even if she spoke clearly.

She pulled on the reins, and the mare slowed to a stop. He frowned when she pointed to the ground. Shaking his head, he pointed ahead of them.

“We go that way,” he said.

She repeated what she’d said, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Khalid shook his head. “I don’t understand. We have to keep going. I’ll protect you. I swear on my life.”

Her bottom lip trembled, and she rubbed her nose. She looked like she was about to cry before she finally relaxed and leaned back against him. Khalid breathed a sigh of relief. He clucked his tongue and the mare began walking again.

It was nearly dawn when he crested the last dune and stared down at Deion. Exhaustion nearly pulled him out of the saddle.

A group of riders approached as he descended the dune. His mare stumbled and slid on a patch of loose sand near the bottom. He regretted the exhausting pace he had forced the gentle beast to maintain.

“Soon,siddiqui,” he promised, leaning forward enough to rub the mare’s neck.

“Prince el Amid,” one of the riders greeted.

Khalid looked at the woman and spoke with the same commanding tone he had heard his father use a million times. “Ayesha, I must speak with Dhat-Badan. I have an urgent message from the Queen.”

“I will let her know at once, Your Highness.”

With a whoop, she turned and kicked her mare into a gallop. Another rider fell into step with Khalid.

“The child is very unusual. I have never seen hair that color before,” the middle-aged man commented.

“She is under my protection,” Khalid said. His thin arms tightened around her.

Zaki bowed his head and smiled reassuringly.

The little girl woke as they neared the outer walls of the city. Her emerald eyes widened as she looked around. She lifted her arms above her head as she stretched, and then grinned excitedly at Wahida, a rider in her twenties. The woman laughed.

They passed through the arched stone entrance. The city was surrounded by a tall, thick stone wall. Built over a thousand years ago, the city had withstood sandstorms, invasions, drought, and famine.

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