Page 78 of Court of Secrets and Flames

And then it hits me.

Oh my gods. Dragoncaller.

Dame.

Like a lightning strike, hope slams my chest, even though I’m afraid it’s too late. I hit the ground running and reach for our connection. The moment I do, a tsunami of pure wrath pummels me, wrenching the oxygen from my lungs. The deluge is so overpowering, it temporarily stuns me, almost knocking me to my knees and ripping away my sense of self. Only the sheer strength of my fear and battle to stay alive could have masked it up to this point.

Oblivious, my attackers land on either side of me, arrows nocked and ready to fly. I’m struggling to recover enough to blast them with fire when the loose tendrils of hair dangling down my neck begin to flutter, and around us, the leaves start to shake.

One of the men curses. I watch as their eyes widen, and their faces slacken with fear.

In the next heartbeat, an enraged roar reverberates through the forest. I peer behind me and sure enough, there’s Dame.

And boy, does she ever look pissed.

“Dame, wait?—”

The thought barely has time to form before Dame opens her mouth. Fire shoots out and cuts the attacker to my left off mid-scream. In the blink of an eye, his flesh and bones melt. They burn to a human silhouette of ash before the ashes lose shape and pepper the grass like dirty snow.

Gross, yet effective.

I wince, even as relief floods me, and prop my hands on my hips. “Well. I guess we won’t be asking him any questions.”

Dame snorts. Satisfaction at the thought of punishing the offender penetrates her rage and ripples through me, so I can’t claim to be completely devastated when she cranes her neck toward the second archer only to find him gone. The forest seems to have swallowed him whole.

I sense her determination to hunt him down and raise my palms in the air. “Whoa. One barbecued person is about all I can stomach today. Let’s let him go and hope he learned his lesson.”

The dragon spears me with her glowing amber glare. Now that I’m safe, her rage dwindles and instead, our link floods with a bizarre combo of warm concern and sharp reproach.

“Yes, I realize I’m an idiot for not remembering to summon you sooner, but I’m guessing you felt my panic so it’s all good, right? And I’m fine. All except for the part where I’m so tired, I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

Lending credence to my theory that dragons understand our spoken language better than we think, Dame lands with a bone-rattling tremor and extends a leg toward me. Once I climb onto her back, she launches into the air and retraces our path back to the castle.

The trembling begins after we take to the air. After all the bloodshed and attacks I’ve witnessed lately, I’m surprised I’m not immune. The notion of returning to the castle in this condition holds about as much appeal as eating an eel-based diet for the rest of my days, so the chorus of youthful voices that rise from the village is a welcome distraction. The children below jump and wave, their excitement a stark contrast to the man’s hostility.

“Dragon! Dragon!”

Their gleeful shouts soften something within me.

Understanding my intention, Dame descends with a grace that belies her size, performing a full barrel roll where I manage not to fall from her back by the skin of my teeth.

“A little warning next time would be nice, you big show-off.”

Amusement trickles to me as she lands with a soft thud that sends dust swirling around the exuberant crowd of children.

I slide off her back.

The kids, nearly a dozen of them, lose some of their initial boldness now that we’re in front of them. Jaws gape and innocent eyes gawk in shock and wonder.

Dame shakes her sunny frills at them in a gesture that reminds me of a pet dog rather than a dragon.

“Come on over.” I gesture to the awestruck children. “Her name is Dame. She won’t bite.”

Right?

Dame must sense my hesitation. She swings her head around, fixing her unblinking golden gaze on me. Her mind brushes mine, projecting a tangle of emotions.

Reassurance. Curiosity. More amusement.

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