Page 138 of Fate and Flame
Nadra and I finished and walked together to the stables. Fen was already there with three large fae horses. I helped Nadra onto the smallest of the great animals and then jumped onto my own.
Fen pulled back on the reins, his horse antsy to run. “The Weaver says we should check the temple ruins of the naga and Autus sent those fae to the dunes. There are dunes close to the draconians or there are some closer to the old naga colony. I say we head in that direction and see if they were both right. Objections?”
I rubbed my hands together. “Sounds like a solid plan. Let’s go.”
We ambled through the red desert for hours. I’d eaten more sand than I cared to admit before I followed Fen’s lead and covered my face with a long scarf. His habit of flicking glances to Nadra as she shook her head at him set the tone for the arduous journey across the scorching hot court.
The desert appeared endless upon my beast, so dark he seemed a shadow, apart from the heat his black hair drew from the sun. We crossed hills and great caverns within the ground, flatlands and an endless supply of that crimson sand I was sure would haunt my nightmares. There was never enough water.
“Anything?” Fen called.
“Still nothing,” Nadra answered, defeat lingering on the edge of her words.
I felt a flush of panic from her and caught her eye. “The desert is huge. Don’t get discouraged.”
She nodded, but I knew she was losing confidence.
Fen pointed to the west.“The naga ruins are over there. If you draw a line straight east, you can see the dunes.”
Far in the distance, along the horizon, I could barely make out a landform. The desert sun was hard to trust. Mirages in the distance showed many buildings, when really it could have been only one or two, or possibly none at all. Still, Fen knew exactly where we were, and when he kicked the flank of the horse and he took off flying through the desert, we followed, throwing sand behind us in ripples. I knew it was difficult for him to be out here and not home, with his soldiers or his mate.
The naga’s temple ruins grew larger and larger until they were great, shattered serpentine pillars laying half buried in the ground or still partially erect. Fen kept a wide berth as he began to move south, now more slowly.“The naga who once lived here were very traditional. Those who survived claim this land is sacred. It’s important we do not disturb anything unless we absolutely have to.”
I thought for sure as Nadra continued to shake her head that we were going to have to go digging through an ancient graveyard, and knowing our luck, we would probably resurrect a deadly monster. But Nadra gasped and Fen stopped short.
“There.” She held her hand to her chest. “It’s close. Maybe just over this hill.”
We’d nearly crested the top when my heart raced. If we found the chalice and had Oravan melt it down or found another way to destroy it, the king’s plans would be thwarted and we would just have a battle. Fen and I had equal stakes in finding the chalice, as both of our mates depended on it.
“Fuck,” Fen yelled calling his magic forward.
We topped the hill to find Autus’ damn harpy twins. The moment the sun glinted off the metal in one of their hands, Fen sent waves of fire in their direction.
I moved my beast into a full run, holding my breath as I willed the horse to go as fast as he could down the sandy hillside. But we were too late. They had already bounded into the air and were successfully dodging Fen’s magic. He called forward a breeze so hard it nearly pinned one of the bastards to the ground.
The other swooped low, grabbed his hand, and they flew off. We had lost them. Had lost the chalice.
I followed Nadra’s gaze to Fen, who had come off his horse and fallen to his knees, watching those fae disappear into the distance. Everything he’d worked for was for nothing. And now we knew the king was still trying to bind Ara to him. The only thing he needed was Nadra and Ara. Fortunately, he had no idea Nadra was so special.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ara
“What are you doing up there, little liar?” that yellow dragon asked me from the ground. I lay down, digging my hands into Cal’s soft, furry mane, and wondered what it would be like to have a simple purpose in life. Like a dragon. What could their purpose be, really?
“I’ll try not to take offense to that,” he answered.
Get out of my head.
“I am outside of your mind, just on the doorstep.”
Cal soared through the sky like a boat on a still lake, smooth and steady, providing the escape I’d sought. His great feathered wings made no noise as he slowly lifted one side, turning to make another rotation down the border.
The sky was full of patrolling cetani. Umari called out orders and they dove and roared and climbed back into the sky like dancers. Meanwhile, Cal carried me through as if they weren’t there at all. As if he felt my sorrow as his own. As if he helped me carry my burden of fate.
“What is your burden?”
I don’t want to talk about it.
