Page 53 of Caress of Fire
Marielle hesitated, looking at the door with a doubtful expression. “Ignio Marula has people in the castle. They will know it’s a trap. Nowhere is safe, for either of us.”
“You are right, my little firebrand.” Fedryc nodded, anger rising at the idea that he was unable to keep his mate safe. “But Ignio Marula also made a fatal mistake in threatening you in the castle.”
“And what was that?” She gave him a puzzled look.
“Whoever sent you this,” Fedryc said, glancing down at the bloody bag with disgust, “has to have been in contact with Ignio Marula not more than a few hours ago. A day at most. That means only one thing.”
“He’s close.” Marielle breathed hard, understanding making her eyes fierce and a cold resolve replacing the hollow despair in her eyes. “He’s in the open.”
“Yes, he is. And it will be his death.”
* * *
Nyra flewhigh over the desert toward the remote point where Ignio Marula had instructed Marielle to meet with him. It was far, much too far for a woman to travel alone, and Fedryc’s blood boiled at the thought of her traveling by herself to meet with the thug. Nor did he have any doubt about what the man intended to do once he got his hands on Marielle.
Fedryc would kill Ignio Marula slowly and painfully for what he’d done to his Draekarra and her brother.
Nyra’s shadow finally covered the small canyon where Ignio Marula was supposed to be hiding with his men. Fedryc leaned on her neck, his hand flat on the scales of her back as he instructed her to land a bit farther away in the open land to make sure they weren’t flying right into an ambush.
Of course, he knew this was one, but he had no idea of the scale of things. Henron had been beside himself with anger when Fedryc told him he intended to meet Ignio Marula alone. Still, Henron conceded that it was the only way to ensure Marielle’s brother wasn’t killed on the spot.
Even then, Ignio Marula could very well have disposed of the boy as soon as he saw Nyra’s flying form, but somehow Fedryc thought he wouldn’t. The thug’s real target wasn’t Marielle, and he wouldn’t be able to resist the chance to get his hands on the High Lord of Aalstad. It was his own stupidity if he thought Fedryc would allow such a thing to happen.
As Nyra touched the ground, a cloud of sand and dust lifted over the desert, wrapping them in precious cover. Wordlessly, he instructed Nyra to dart to the side of the cloud as they neared the entrance to the canyon, making the most of their concealment. Fedryc knew the Knat-Kanassis possessedVenemum Ardereand that the poison could easily be used as a projectile to kill Nyra or him in an instant.
Not much could prove to be fatal to a dragon such as Nyra, or to him, for that matter, but the use ofVenemum Ardereleveled the playing field in a terrifying way. A nick was all it would take.
Fedryc walked, Nyra at his back, until they could make out the outline of the canyon through the cloud of dust. There was a two hundred foot wall on either side of a narrow path in which a brown stream lazily made its way into the dry open desert, and deep shadows blanketed the space in darkness.
Wind blew, clearing the cover of dust away.
As they neared the entrance to the canyon, Fedryc frowned. The path curved about a hundred feet in, and he had no way to see what lay ahead.
This place is perfect for an ambush.
“Wait here.” Fedryc looked behind at Nyra. “Keep a lookout. They could come from above.”
The dragoness hissed, her eyes flaming and her mouth open, releasing forbidding, dark smoke. She was as infuriated as he was and had a thirst for revenge that should leave their enemies running if they only knew the extent of her wrath. He already knew there would be no containing Nyra once she had her claws around Ignio Marula, and he didn’t intend to restrain the savagery of his friend. It would only serve as a warning to anyone who wanted to follow the precepts of the order in his kingdom. The Knat-Kanassis and all those who followed their evil teachings would find no mercy in Aalstad.
Fedryc walked in the shadow of the canyon, staying in the middle of the path, his riding boots making small splashing noises in the stream, his eyes on every crevice of the rock, his hand on the hilt of his dragon blade, ready to strike.
A good seventy feet inside the canyon, just before the sharp turn that hid the rest of the path, Fedryc stopped. Behind him, Nyra’s furious breath came hotter against the searing heat of the desert, and he knew she sensed it as well.
Something is here. Something is waiting.
A scurrying sound came from just behind the bend in the path. Something or someone was crawling on the sand, rubbing against the rocks of the canyon.
Fedryc drew his dragon blade as Nyra stood behind him at the entrance of the canyon, a hiss coming from her mouth and black, angry smoke rising in a thick fog over her head. All his senses were on high alert as he stalked toward the dark bend in the path.
Then the noise stopped and a heavy silence filled the canyon.
“Who is there?” Fedryc called in a loud challenging voice, his blade held high, his body vibrating with the power of thevitalemready to explode and wipe this world clean of his enemies.
He waited, all his years of training rippling down his nerves. Then he waited some more. Not a sound reached his fine hearing and his eyes didn’t detect any movement.
Something was wrong, but he could detect no threat in what lay ahead. No group of thugs could be that silent in the lead up to a battle against a Draekon lord. Not even the Knat-Kanassis could maintain such cold-heartedness in the face of death.
Fedryc lowered his sword but kept it at the ready as he covered the last few feet and stared ahead at the sharp bend in the path between the tall rock walls.
