Page 45 of Kingdom of Ashes & Bone
Distress call? Across the desert?
The black dragon pounced and Zariah snarled, leaping to put himself in front of me. But the newcomer hadn’t put one claw in my direction—he’d leaped to the side, and let out a roar of despair, nudging an ash-covered lump on the ground.
The queen.
The dragon shifted into a man, albeit one that wasn’t … as man like as Zion and Zariah. He humanoid in shape, but covered in black scales from the waist down … his naked waist. I blushed and kept my eyes up, and boy, was there plenty to see up.
From the waist up, his skin looked more like human skin, but with an odd shimmer that revealed iridescent scales just underneath the surface. White fangs hung from his top lip, and he had black wings in this form! His hair was black and straight, falling to the small of his back.
“What did you do to my mate?” he growled, picking up the former queen in his arms and carrying her like she weighed no more than a flower.
Zariah growled back.Mymotherwent and attacked the kingdom and its people. We are in crisis. Your strength would be welcome to help any survivors.
The dragon man frowned, looking down at the limp, ashen figure of the queen in his arms. “My mate is more important than your problems. And if she did all of this, it was not her fault.”
The indignant guffaw left my mouth before I could help it.
The dragon man glared at me, tightening his grip on the queen. “Dragons who do not find their mate go mad.” He shot a look at Zariah and me. “You are fortunate to have found yours. I will take mine now. Goodbye.”
He turned to leave and I raced forward. “Wait! No! Please, my other mate is trapped below the rubble. Zariah in his dragon form isn’t strong enough to lift it. And … and your … mate is not strong enough to survive the journey. Stay here awhile and let her rest.”
The dragon man’s heavy brow furrowed, studying Zariah and I. “You are draklings. Where is your elder?”
I didn’t understand either or those words, and a quick glance at Zariah revealed he didn’t either. “She had command over her sons,” I tried out, pointing to her in his arms. “Is that what you mean?”
The dragon man bent down and sniffed his mate “First generation. A curse then? You know nothing, I wager.”
Reluctantly, and gently, he laid her down and propped her up against a chunk of marble that had to have come from the palace or the bathing chambers. How had it gotten all the way here? We were a far cry away from the pristine, clean hallways of the castle.
“I will help you because you are stupid and weak, and my mate needs rest.”
Zariah chuffed at this, the scales on his ears flaring up as he growled at the insult. I pressed my palm against his side, imploring him to stay silent. We needed this dragon’s help. He had knowledge of the curse and about dragons!
Giving the gawking people a dark look, he backed up and shifted back into his massive dragon form. He approached the huge slab of the dome that kept Zion trapped, growling as he sniffed the stuck prince over. With a jerk of his head to Zariah, both dragons took their places while I gestured for everyone else to back up.
On three then,the black dragon commanded.One. Two. THREE!
Both dragons heaved and groaned, their combined strength enough to push the slab up away, flipping it over so it landed ten feet away. Both dragons huffed and puffed in great steamy heaves of breath, but I rushed forward toward Zion, who was still in his odd, crouched position. I put a hand to my mouth at the crumpled, twisted remains of his wings.
Ruined.
Someone was crying. Was it me? No, that wasn’t accurate. Many people were crying. No, not people … children.
Zion carefully and laboriously got his legs under him, and finally lifted his front and back legs. The black dragon rushed to support him, sticking his snout and then his entire body underneath Zion’s to support his weight. When I saw what Zion had been protecting so ardently, I started crying.
Kids.
So many kids.
People around me cried out and rushed forward as at least three dozen children swarmed out from underneath Zion’s massive frame, finding their parents and loved ones. Zariah helped the black dragon support Zion’s weight as they settled him back down again, a whine leaving Zariah’s throat as he sniffed the ruin of Zion’s wings.
The black dragon turned his head toward the three of us.You are mates, the three of you. You can heal him, but I don’t know if it will be enough to allow him to fly again.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. If my mouth opened, I’d start openly sobbing.
I wish to rest with my mate now.
Zariah’s ears flicked up.Take any room you want in the castle up there.He pointed one claw above us, up toward the Seat.
