Page 73 of Deadwood
He cocked his massive head to the side.Then they shall roast.
“You can’t kill them,” I instructed, though my word did little against him. There was no controlling a dragon. They’d only feel more inclined to do the opposite.
His gaze moved in the direction of Deadwood, his onyx eyes thankfully not the glowing red they turned when he was mad.I will spare the burned one. You need not worry.
My brows pulled together, but before I could question him further, my gaze caught on something in the distance. With narrowed eyes, I realized it wasn’t something, but rather someone.
Vulcan’s head swerved in an almost snake-like manner to follow my line of sight.Her.
“What about her?”
She is trouble.
“Is that supposed to be your warning to stay away?” I’d have no problem doing that. She was leaving in a few days’ time anyway, and after how I’d left her father’s castle, I highly doubted I’d be visiting again.
It is my advice to stay wise.
“I’m not sure why you believe I’m ever not,” I defended.
If a dragon could give someone the side eye, that’s exactly what he tried to do as he looked down at me.
I focused in on Auria in the distance as I said, “I’ve been smart in every single decision I’ve made.”
Befriending a dragon is where you first went wrong.
“Not like you ever gave me a choice,” I muttered.
His head swung so that his nose was directly in front of me, his eyes narrowed.
I didn’t take my focus off Auria, watching as she climbed up an old rockslide. Following where her current path might lead her, I spotted a cave in the side of the mountain and internally cursed.
Of course the princess was exploring. What else should I have expected her to do? Stay inside during a storm I’d just advised her was dangerous? Rest her injured ankle? No.Of courseshe had to go out in it alone and find an unstable cave, risking hurting herself further.
Vulcan followed my line of sight again, then dramatically sniffed the air.I must be off to find my hiding spot.
“Offended?” I teased.
He flared his wings wide, casting a shadow over me.If you must know, it is due to your stench.
He took off into the air, flying over the forest toward the mountains. Thankfully, he stayed far out of Auria’s path. I wasn’t sure what she’d do if she saw a dragon near Deadwood, given they couldn’t get into Amosite. If she thought bison were extinct and was surprised by that, she’d be a hell of a lot more shocked when she saw these in close proximity to where she was currently staying.
I began walking down the hill, heading in the direction of the cave. She shouldn’t be out in this storm, even if she was wearing a face covering. The caves were unpredictable, and exploring them alone was a disaster waiting to happen. Weather like this triggered other natural disasters like tsunamis or earthquakes, and with the chasm bordering the ocean, if a tidal wave flooded the ravine and entered the caves, she’d drown.
The caves were all connected by a system. Some said if you traveled long enough, they took you to the other side of Serpentine, but I’d never been curious enough to test out the theory. Getting lost underground was not my idea of fun.
As the wind battered against me, I couldn’t get what Vulcan had called Auria out of my head. Why would he think she was burned? Dragons could smell pain in some instances, but her ankle wasn’t scorched—it was sprained. Regardless, she had stayed hidden away in that castle her entire life. No harm could come to her, even if it wanted to. She was too precious a gem, and her father was well aware of that. It was a wonder he’d been able to keep her abilities hidden for so long, given I’d discovered their secret in just days of being in Amosite.
I hadn’t been invited to the masquerade ball, but as Deadwood was directly affected by all trade deals and negotiations, I had a right to have been involved. Though anything the kingdoms typically discussed was boring, Deadwood relied on me to keep us afloat. I wouldn’t let my people down, and that meant crashing King Tenere’s daughter’s surprise engagement party.
I made it to the old landslide and climbed the rocks with ease, the rough surfaces doing nothing to my callused hands. Auria had been much slower, and I guessed it was due to her ankle, which made me all the more curious as to why she felt the need to come out here. She was still clearly injured, and there were beasts in these woods that would tear her limb from limb if given the chance.
As I reached the top of the rocks, I stared into the black depths of the cave. Farther in, a small light flickered, causing a smirk to bloom on my mouth. She’d brought a lantern.
How cute.
But even a flame couldn’t save her from what lurked in the dark.
CHAPTER 25
