Page 50 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
Down the corridor we went, taking a right, and then another right. These hallways were long, and it felt like we were going clear to the opposite end of the castle. When we finally reached the end of the third long corridor, Zariah didn’t even pause before the massive grand staircase, he just started taking the steps two at a time.
I yanked my hand out of his grasp, bending over with my hands on my knees. “Give me a second, you beast!” I wheezed, half joking, half serious.
He flashed a mischievous grin that I swore held a hint of a fang. “And here I thought you were in the best shape out of all the contestants.”
I ignored the stitch in my side and stood up straight, crossing my arms over my chest. “I am.”
One dark eyebrow raised. “There’s street fit and then there’s dragon fit. Come.”
I ignored him and sucked it up, taking the stairs as fast as I dared. Up and up and up … I pumped my arms to give me momentum, and didn’t hide how hard I was breathing. It was a challenge to conquer: a task to manage. I didn’t take breaks on the landings and pushed on. When I finally crested the last step and reached the top, Zariah and a massive door that stretched to the ceiling met me.
And the fireguards.
“Are books and scrolls usually guarded so heavily?” I asked dubiously. The guards had no reaction to Zariah, but eyed me with open curiosity.
“Let us through. I’m taking her in. And if she ever wishes to come alone, you’re to grant her entrance.”
I envied the way he gave orders so casually. There was no question in his mind that they would obey him. What a way to live life.
It took six guards working together, with three on each side, to open the massive doors. Once they parted, my jaw dropped.
Books. Shelves. As far as my eye could see, at least five levels spread out in a space bigger than the entire mud quarter.
The door closed behind us with a heavy thunk, but I barely noticed.
And the glass. The walls and ceiling were entirely made of glass, letting in so much light it nearly blinded me. It was much more intense than when I’d been shoved outside the dome for the first time. How could anyone see with so much light?
Then I realized why it was so bright. “Zariah, we can’t be here. The dragon—er, Zion—there’s no dome!”
I only caught a flash of Zariah’s smirk before he led me over to the far side of the room, which was pure glass cut into perfect squares with white paneling in between each sheet.
“It’s safe. Look.”
I pressed my hand up against it, frowning at the odd tingle that raced up my spine when the pads of my fingers met the smooth surface. The view would have been spectacular if I wasn’t terrified. The desert and the mountains stretched out in all directions, even if it was a black wasteland. To our right, the dome’s edge shimmered at us. My eyes squinted shut, the sun so bright off the dome’s reflective surface that it hurt.
“How long did it take to build?” I asked, wondering how many people died before the kingdom was safe.
Zariah sighed. “It took a full generation. But they did not build it to keep the kingdom safe. It was built before we were cursed to turn into dragons.”
My brow furrowed. “What? But why—”
“Hundreds of years ago, we were a rich trade nation. Every kingdom braved the desert to reach us for our precious gems. Gold, diamonds, sapphires, rubies … we had it all in our mines. And the other kingdoms would pay handsomely.”
I still didn’t see what that had to do with the dome, but I waited patiently.
“Then one of my ancestors decided our riches made us vulnerable—that eventually another kingdom would get sick of paying exorbitant sums for our jewels and that they’d try to take them. Diamonds aren’t available anywhere else, as far as I’m aware. He was also paranoid that his own advisors and workers weren’t being honest in the gem count. They accused people of stealing and keeping gems for themselves or smuggling them out of the country on a secret gem market. From what I can put together from the writings of the time, they did not build the dome and its surrounding walls to keep the kingdom safe.” He paused, his face suddenly serious. “They built it to keep everyone in.”
I blinked. “But then the dragon thing—”
“Just the icing on the pastry.” He put one hand above mine on the glass, and his body leaned in behind me, pushing me up against the glass.
I found I didn’t entirely mind. “I hate history. It’s sad and full of mistakes.”
I couldn’t think when he was pressing up against me like that, each of his hands taking one of mine and spreading it up on the glass. His head ducked down to mine, his teeth scraping against the back of my neck. Surely he wouldn’t—
RRRRAAAAWWWWRRRR!
I jerked back in fear as the dragon—no,Zion—landed on the dome only a few feet from us, massive claws digging into old grooves and even creating new ones as he roared his fury at us. His massive head gazed at us in irritation, anger welled in his black and gold eyes. Before Zariah or I could react, a wall of fire erupted straight at us. Someone was screaming, and I realized it was me.
