Page 47 of Ties of Bargains

Dark green spruce trees blurred past, their branches laden with sparkling snow. The craggy mountains grew on either side of the stream, and the shadows of their peaks spread colder patches across the ice.

A valley opened before them, surrounded by the looming peaks all around. The stream ended in a large lake, the ice perfectly smooth and crystalline, bordered by thick stands of evergreens.

Harm and Val raced onto the lake, their skates swishing over the ice. As they neared the far end, Harm tightened his grip on Val’s hand, dug in his skates, and tugged Val toward him.

She spun into his arms and the two of them skidded to a halt, ice shaving in a sparkling wave from their skates.

Harm held her for a moment, her mittened hands on his chest, his on her waist. With all their layers of clothing, he couldn’t feel her warmth. But he savored holding her anyway, especially with the way her eyes were dancing, just the hint of a grin playing along her mouth as if she might just give in to joy.

Harm couldn’t help the way his gaze dropped to her lips. His hands tightened on her, tugging her closer. “Val, I…”

Her head tipped up, her gaze meeting his.

Then her eyes widened, and she shoved away fromhim with such force that he nearly fell, his heart thunking into his toes. What was…

Val reached for the dagger at her waist. “Dragon!”

Harm whirled, reaching for his sword. As he caught sight of the massive creature landing at the edge of the lake behind him, he froze without drawing his weapon. A sword would do little good.

The yellow-green creature was massive with glinting scales covering its whole body from the tip of its fanged muzzle to the end of its tree-trunk-sized tail. Spikes ran down the center of its back while all four of its legs featured deadly-looking talons. Huge batlike wings beat with such force that trees bent and the wind pushed Harm backward several feet on his skates.

With a crunch of breaking trees and athumpthat reverberated into the ice beneath Harm’s skates, the dragon settled onto the ground.

Whining, Daisy shuffled from the bank onto the ice, her belly low to the ground and her tail tucked beneath her butt. She pressed into the back of Val’s legs, still whining.

Harm swallowed and eased closer to Val, though he barely resisted the urge to hide behind her along with Daisy. “That’s…”

“A dragon. Yes.” Val lifted her hand away from her dagger. Her smile had disappeared into a hard, tight look once again.

A dragon. Harm swallowed, his stomach sinking even farther into his toes.

There was no way he was escaping a dragon.

Chapter Sixteen

Val forced her hand away from her dagger as she faced the dragon before them. If the dragon wanted to cause trouble, there was little she could do.

The dragon swung his head, and his slitted, green-gold eyes fastened on them. “Are you the human bargained to me and the mercenary escorting him?”

“Are you Golbet of Flight Talonstorm?” Val worked hard to keep her voice from shaking. She didn’t fear much, but she didn’t know anyone, no matter how brave, who could keep their knees from knocking when facing a dragon in this form.

“Yes, I am.” The dragon’s deep voice held a growl.

“Then, yes, we are.” Val couldn’t relax, even though they’d found the dragon they’d been looking for.

“Finally.” Golbet shook out his neck, then raised his wings, as if preparing to take off once again. “Took you long enough. I’ve been flying these mountains for the past few days, waiting for your arrival. TheDragon Moot will be nearly over by the time we arrive.”

“If you could just—” Val lifted her wrist with the magical cord.

Golbet pumped his wings and heaved his huge body off the ground. This time, the blast of air pummeled her so hard that she stumbled backward. With Daisy pressed tightly to the back of her legs, Val fell, landing on her tailbone on the ice.

Harm, too, tottered, though he stayed on his skates by crouching and bracing himself with a hand on the ice.

As Golbet rose into the sky, Daisy all but crawled into Val’s lap, whining and shaking.

“Val, what is—” Harm started to scramble toward her across the ice, all his gracefulness disappearing.

The dragon swooped out of the sky. His front talons opened and reached toward them.

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