Page 86 of Of Scale and Blood

Kele and Hannity were waiting near the gate, both carrying a number of packs.

“Treats for our drakkons,” Kele said when she saw my raised eyebrow. “I got some for Kaia, too.”

Kele thoughtful,Kaia commented.Perhaps should have chosen her.

I snorted.Still time to change.

Not change. You stronger.

No, I’m not.

Not talking flame.

Huh. I returned my attention to Kele. “And what might the treat be? Because the closer I get, the more odious the scent coming from those packs becomes.”

Hannity grinned. “Smoked white fin. Gave some to Rua, and she appeared to love it. Figured if she did, the others would.”

“I do hope you’ve brought enough to share with Gria, otherwise she will be cross.”

“We have one entire pack for her,” Kele said dryly.

I laughed and followed Damon up the path. It was night by the time we reached the crooked entrance into the mountain, and the moon sat like a fat croaker on the horizon, lending the few stars currently visible a bloody hue.

One that seemed to echo in Damon’s eyes.

The power was rising in him, a cloak so visible that it felt like I could reach out and touch it. Neither Kele nor Hannity commented, which suggested they weren’t seeing it. Maybe the fact I could was a natural result of our deepening connection. Or maybe it was due to my connection to Kaia, allowing her ability to see magic seep through to me even if we weren’t as deeply linked as we had been in the past. Either way, it was a somewhat eerie sight.

We continued on, the ache in my leg increasing as we made our way through the various tunnels until we reached the barrier into the aerie. I really had done some serious damage if healed muscles continued to complain this far out.

Four witches—all women, ranging in age from early twenties to late sixties, if I was any judge—rose as we approached, their gazes unerringly coming to me.

I guess that was natural, given my marriage to Damon, but it was nevertheless unnerving, if only because it felt like they were looking past my outer shell—past all physical attributes like clothes and body shape—and instead searching the “inner” me, weighing my thoughts, my heart, and my soul. Which was ridiculous, because these were blood witches, not readers or seeresses, but I couldn’t help but wonder what their judgement was, and whether I’d been found wanting.

If I had, then their expressions certainly didn’t give it away.

The oldest of the four—a somewhat grizzled-looking woman with short silvery hair and green eyes that glimmered with bloody starlight—stepped forward and held out her hand. “You’d be Bryn Silva, then. Heard a lot about you.”

Her grip was as fierce as the power radiating from her skin, but there was something in its feel that reminded me of Damon.

“And I,” I replied, resisting the urge to flex my fingers once she released them, “have heard nothing about you.”

“That is as it should be.” Her gaze went past me. “This’ll be Kele and Hannity, then?”

“Pretty easy guess, given we’re the only other women here,” Kele said dryly.

The old woman’s gaze narrowed dangerously. While Kele simply raised an eyebrow in response, Hannity took a half step back, her eyes wide and fire flicking faintly around her fingertips. I couldn’t say I blamed her—the old woman’s gaze wasfierce. She obviously wasn’t someone who suffered fools—or indeed backchat—lightly.

“I would suggest politeness when dealing with your elders, young woman, especially when they’ll soon be magically messing about with your being.” She paused, and the fierceness faded a little. “Now, you’ve all been informed about the risks, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” we echoed.

“And you understand them?”

Another “yes” echoed in unison.

“And what of the drakkons?”

“The drakkons want fire, above all else,” I replied.

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