Page 51 of Kingdom of Ashes & Bone
Leilani sniffed, wiping her face with her sleeve. “Thanks, Mari. You’re happy with your guy, right? Or I guess it’s guys, isn’t it?”
A dopey smile stretched across my face. “Yeah, you could say that.”
She beamed at me.
“Pretty girls.” Both of us turned our heads as my mother’s eyes cracked open, the smallest trace of a smile on her lips.
Leilani gave my hand a pat and excused herself as I practically flew to my mother’s bedside, gently tucking a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“Why am I so tired?” she asked, a yawn revealing a mostly toothless mouth. When had that happened? Or had I simply never noticed?
I gave her a tight smile and patted her hand. “You’ve worked very hard your whole life. It’s understandable you’d make up for it now.”
She peeked up at me from under her lashes, her eyes sparkling just for a moment before they closed.
“Get some rest,” I whispered into her ear, tucking the covers around her frail body.
* * *
My mother fell into a deep sleep, so I ventured back outside. The black dragon was reluctantly put to work, ferrying refugees and other wounded up to the top of the Seat so that Freesia’s team could get them settled with new quarters. I spied the queen lying in the shade nearby, being tended to by no less than three people. It was likely the black dragon’s price to help. I really needed to find out his name.
Can you take me down on your next trip?I thought at him, causing him to jerk around quickly. A Fireguard carrying a bundle of clothing swore and ducked as the dragon’s spiked tail missed his head by inches. The large dragon either didn’t notice the near miss, or just ignored it.
The drakling mate. You want a ride down?
And some information about your entire life,I added privately, but the black dragon didn’t seem like someone who easily gave away any kind of personal information.
“Yes, please. If it isn’t too much trouble.”
The black dragon huffed, then took a moment to swivel his head over in the direction of the queen. The three women around her—primas, if their tattered purple robes were anything to go by—flinched at the dragon’s murderous gaze and bumped into each other in their haste to fluff her pillows and wave a fan over her face. Even unconscious, the former queen still had people fluttering around her, catering to her every whim.
I was going back down anyway. It is no burden.
The dragon sidled up next to me, but didn’t bend his neck down like Zion and Zariah usually did. His tail whipped out and snagged me around the waist, and dropped me in front of his wing joints before I could even squeak in protest.
Hang onwas the only warning I got before he ran and jumped off the edge of the Seat. He didn’t have neck spikes like Zariah and Zion, but he kept a hold of me with his tail, using it like a giant, muscled bit of rope to keep me on him.
I preferred neck spikes.
My stomach lurched as he sharply dived, then flared his wings as we glided over most of the kingdom. It looked awful, but everywhere I spied devastation, there was also compassion and people helping each other regardless of quarter or class.
Too bad it takes emergencies to bring out the best in people. In the distance, I spotted Zariah, methodically moving large chunks of debris while being directed by a group of a dozen or so people.
How is your … mate?I asked, attempting to be polite.
The dragon huffed.Do not pretend to care.
Well, all right then.I tried again.What’s your name? What can you tell us about curses? Were you cursed? We don’t know anything about dragons. We—
He cut off my tirade as we neared the edge of the city, landing with much more grace on the hard ground than Zariah or Zion ever had. His tail lifted me up and placed me on the ground.
Too many questions. I don’t know how your mates deal with it. Perhaps that is why you have two.
I bit back the snort that threatened to burst from my lips. “Just wait until your mate wakes up,” I informed him wryly, smirking. Boy, was he in for it.
He harrumphed, shifting his massive weight from side to side.
Ask one question, then.
