Page 70 of Of Blood and Banes
“What is it?”
“Apparently, dragons usually stay out here. A’nala is commanding us all to settle here for the night.”
“You’re…you’re nervous about something?”
She shakes her neck like a horse shooing away a fly, avoiding my question. As I scan the bare land, dusted with grass and blocked in by the city against the hillside, with trees far out in the distance…“You don’t like sleeping out in the open, do you?”
She blinks at me, confirming what I already suspect. She’s spent almost her whole life under the cover of the trees. And I understand it on a personal level—because I feel the same way. The Northern Forest was always a sanctuary for me. The smell of sap, the whisper of the wind through the trees.
I run my gloved hands over her muzzle, looking her in the eyes as I say,“You can always admit to me when you’re nervous. Or scared. I’ll do a better job of telling you, too.”
She snorts, silently challenging my statement before closing her eyes as I rub underneath her chin.
“I sent notice to the council of our travel plans, so Driftmond has already been made aware of our needs for accommodations,” Sethan says as he sweeps up beside me. He turns his head over his shoulder. “Corvin, please take a few soldiers and check in with the Driftmond council to confirm when the rider sector will be ready. Then take a pass through town for any rebels.”
Corvin dips his head and gathers several other soldiers before heading off back into town.
“In the meantime…” Sethan murmurs and opens his hand. “Let me see your blade.”
Giving Daeja one last pat on her nose, I unsheathe my sword and hand it to him. He takes it, inspecting not the intertwined circles embedded in the hilt but the blade itself. Holding it near his ear, he flicks the blade a few times and then draws the tipacross his palm, watching the blood seep from the fresh wound with careful fascination.
He shakes his head and hands it back to me. “It’s what I thought…dragonblade.”
The dragons all around us shift uncomfortably, one of them grumbling until A’nala snaps at them to quiet.
“Dragonblade?” I murmur.
He withdraws his own sword, then slices his opposite palm, before sheathing the blade and showing me both hands. The one he sliced with my sword has speckles of light glimmering in his blood. The other palm has a coin-sized collection of blood without shimmering light refractions. “A few of the King’s Close Circle members have dragonblades. They’re forged with dragonblood and bone. Have you ever seen this one glow blue?”
“Erm…no?”
“Well…I suppose that’s a good thing. It’ll only glow blue once in contact with dragonblood. That blade contains a magical energy just like the ley lines. It won’t necessarily siphon the magic, but it can either paralyze or kill a dragon.”
I freeze, staring down at the blade in my hand. My grip loosens until I drop it to the ground. I swear as it lands and the sunlight gleams off its edge I see a shimmer of brilliant blue. All this time I’ve been carrying a weapon that could potentially harm or kill Daeja?
Sethan grabs it off the ground and holds it out to me. “Don’t worry. It’s not immediate death to a dragon with a dragonblade. A lot of factors determine how many stabs it will take to bring down a dragon: age, strength, and overall health. Think of it as…an enhanced blade.”
“I don’t want it.”
“But you might need it. Dragonblades are our best defense against other dragonblades. And you never know when we might run into a wild dragon. Just…try not to stab your dragon with it.”
Daeja snaps her head into my direction with a ‘hmm?’
Hesitantly, I take the blade back and sheathe it at my side. Archie jogs up to us and claps me on the shoulder with a goofy grin. I don’t miss Sethan’s narrowed glance of irritation.
“Hey! How was the flight? Heard you fell out of the sky, that was super badass!” Archie laughs, then tosses a wink at Daeja.
Melaina follows close behind, exchanging a look with Sethan that borders on the line of discontentment before she looks back at me and her expression softens.
“Marge make it here okay?” I peek over the other soldiers’ heads toward where people are hopping out of the wagons.
“She was a little ornery with all the bumps and sitting for so long on a wooden bench. I tried to give her my jacket to cushion her seat, but she refused.” Archie shrugs. “Anyway, she went off into town.”
I raise an eyebrow. “By herself?”
Archie holds up his hands. “Well, I wasn’t going to stop her.”
“Should we be worried? Can you send someone after her?” I ask Sethan. I can’t imagine what Marge is doing wandering a town she’s never been in on her own. And as a Spoiled.
