Page 38 of The Book of Legends
Villagers move among the fields; their faces shrouded beneath deep hoods. Their silhouettes bend over baskets of pale root vegetables and stalks of crimson grain. They seem ethereal, drifting through the worlds of
smoke.“They can’t see him, can they?” I ask, glancing back at Malachi. The dragon’s scales shimmer like molten metal, his eyes half-lidded but vigilant. “How come I can?”
He leans close, the heat of him a contrast to the cool ash of the village, the broad span of muscles across his chest. “Because I want you to see.” His breath brushes my skin, and I fight the urge to shiver. “If anything happens, run to Malachi.”
“What about you?”
His lips curl into a smile. “I’m not the one who needs saving.”
His words hang in the air, a warning and a promise. I follow him, my steps swallowed by the soft earth. Creatures with pale skin and eyes like dying embers turn to watch, their gazes heavywith curiosity. I keep close, not knowing what they are, but their whispers curl around me like smoke, hoping Kainen doesn’t abandon me here to die.
Easier said than done. Kainen walks inside a cottage, leaving me outside, making my palms sweat, wondering how I lost him so quickly.
I’m almost to the door when a voice calls, “You must be the human.”
I turn to find a woman, her skin pearlescent beneath the hood of her robe. Her basket brims with dark vegetables, twisted roots, and pale leaves, her sharp teeth glistening as she speaks.
“I suppose I am.” My voice is steady, though my fingers tighten into fists; something is off with the way she looks at me.
Her crimson eyes sweep over me, a look that makes me feel more insect than human. “Isee why he keeps you close. More out of curiosity, like an insect in a jar.”
I force a smile, though it feels more like baring my teeth. “I imagine it’s my winning personality.”
She doesn’t laugh, and I didn’t expect her to. Nothing about this encounter is a joke. She sees me as a threat, but I don’t know why or how that’s possible. I have a feeling this world is more about what kind you are than anything.
She draws closer, a serpentine grace to her movement. “Your kind is not welcome here. Not after the massacre. Not after the royal blood ran black on Nythia’s soil.”
Her words were arrows, each one lodging deep, but she doesn’t understand I’m not from here. “And yet, you serve one of my kind. Or does Kainen not count?”
Her lips twist. “He is not like you.”
“No, I suppose not,” I say softly. “He’s worse.”
Her eyes narrow, and for a moment, I think she might hit me. She leans in, her voice a razor’s whisper. “Touch him, and I will drink your blood.”
I hold my ground, though every instinct screams at me to run. “You think I want him?” I let out a brittle laugh. “I’d sooner run into the river of blood.”
Her nostrils flare, sharp teeth glinting. “You’ll wish you had when I’m done with you.”
“Is that so?” I don’t know why I’m entertaining her. I could care less what she thinks.
“He cares about the people of Nythia. He would do anything for us, and we would do anything for him.” She looks at me from head to toe like I’m mud on her shoe she wants to flick off. “I’m surprised he’s allowed you to live this long.”
“Oh, that’s right. You all overlook the fact that he kills people because they are doing the same thing you are—trying to survive.” Annoyance drips from my tone, not caring if she looks like she wants to kill me.
“The last thing you humans from Elariya do is survive. You all are a bunch of traitors to the true king.”
Correcting her is futile. Pointless, because it’s obvious he’s had time to tell her his version of how I got here—his reason for not locking me in the dungeon becoming clear.
Like he said, he’s waiting for his brother to come find me. To Kainen, I’m just bait. A worthless worm on a hook. I’ll drown before his brother comes looking for me. I might as well be trapped in my own hell.
She gets closer, her voice menacing. “Touch him, and I’ll kill you.”
“Trust me, the last thing I want is to touch your precious dark prince. Since you’re so interested in what he does with me, why don’t you tell him to let me go, and we’ll get what we both want?”
She bares her teeth, her sharp canines growing longer. “He’ll kill you before he lets you go.”
“Then I guess until that day comes, I’ll be sticking around.”
