Page 19 of A War of Embers

I shove open the forbidden doors and enter the dreary light. Gray skies seem to be a regular occurance here in this part of the realm, as if sunshine cannot penetrate completely through the veils so it alters the light.

The outside looks far different than the city dwellings I was brought through. Instead of skyscrapers and tight quarters, the garden opens up to the backside of the Blood City, where the citadel abruptly stops and lush forests and mountains can be seen in the distance.

Suddenly the ground begins to shake like the very foundation of our realm is being pummeled into from above. A roar splits the sky right before a black dragon suddenly appears above the treetops. My feet stop before my body, causing my balance to kilter as I stumble to a halt.

Alyvia gasps softly behind me.

I twist to stare at her, but my eyes don’t leave the beast in the sky. “Is that Zeke?” Dumb question unless there’s more dragons than I know of lurking around the estate. Still, I can’t keep the awe from my voice as I watch the sharp lines of his wings shred the sky.

“Yes.” Alyvia pauses before asking, “Are you sure you want to speak with him? He’s a bit of a brute when in this form.”

As if the man isn’t a brute in his mortal form. Straightening my shoulders, I begin trekking towards him once again. It doesn’t take too long to find the clearing he’s using to hover above. Several people are split into groups, colliding together with swords. I put my hand up to stop Alyvia from getting closer. “Is there war in your lands?”

“No, these are the guards.” Alyvia bats my hand away as she comes to my side. Pointing, she brings my attention towards a group closest to the tree line. “Nox is right there training them.”

I find it hard to believe the dragon is doing much but egging on the ground fighters. “Zeke helps?”

“I’m not sure I would call it that,” she frowns. “More like places the trainees in a stressful situation so they can practice in a ‘real’ environment, as much as one can be created.”

Zeke lets out another roar, making the ground rumble again. His scales shine like onyx as his wings flap in the sky, holding up his entire body that could rival any skyscraper back in the Blood City. Suddenly he drops down, landing hard on his legs causing the trees to shake like twigs.

His obnoxious head full of spikes swerves toward me, his lips curling back until his teeth gleam like daggers. I’m too pissed to heed the warning he’s clearly trying to make.

“Shift back, you bastard!” I yell, causing several of the groups to abruptly halt their fighting.

A moment trickles by, the air still even with the sound coming from the beast’s heaving nostrils. In a blink, a plume of thick, gray magic slithers around the monster before covering him entirely. Then, Zeke walks out of the smoky essence with a huge smirk, his hair a mess and black clothes clinging to his sweaty body. He doesn’t stop until he’s a foot away. “Well, well. Look who finally managed to make it outside without being stopped by the cavalry.”

I rear back and slam my fist into his cheek. A reflex to his cockiness and my absolute indignation of him lying to me. My knuckles feel as though I’ve shattered them against granite, but I refuse to acknowledge the pain.

His head snaps back, a crunch of bone pierces the air and he roars with a shrill laugh. The red mark is clear as he looks back at me, approval and feral malice barely contained in his gaze. “I’ll let that slip, seeing as how I deserve it. Don’t try it again unless you want to be hit back.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I demand.

“A lot of things. Too many to discuss out here in the open. So tell me, little monster, why have you come to disturb my fun?” Zeke glances back towards the guards stiffly waiting by the treeline.

“I want an appointment with Lord Rowan.”

A bland look slips across Zeke’s face as he fake yawns, patting his open mouth with his hand for emphasis. “Is that all? How dull. I thought you’d come to fight.”

The urge to strike out consumes me, but I retain control of my anger. “I want an appointment now.”

“He’s busy,” he dully replies. “Try again after the Haze. He’s busy making preparations for it since I had to pull him away on such short notice. I’m sure he’ll accommodate your needs then.”

Like I’m going to believe that pile of bullshit. Lord Rowan wouldn’t be here in the Blood City if it weren’t for my arrival. “He’s been here for days, he has a few minutes to appease me.”

Zeke slices a glare towards Alyvia, but doesn’t say anything.

I step closer, plowing my finger into his chest. “It’s not that hard for a Lord to kill me.” At least it shouldn’t be.

Slowly his gaze strays from Alyvia’s to mine. A dark eyebrow rises. “Isn’t it, though? Isn’t Lord Rowan’s mother a Lady? Why so quick to believe he can do what the Blood Witch cannot?”

Here we go again. “She said he’s stronger.”

Zeke snorts with a roll of his eyes. He starts a languid pace around my body, running his gaze up and down as if scrutinizing me. “He is. What happens if he can’t deliver on his mother’s word? What happens when you’re stuck in this hellhole rather than your own?”

I try to glare at him, but he continues pacing in a circle. “What does that mean?”

He sighs in exasperation, coming to a halt. “Lord Rowan does not have time to dedicate to you at the moment. If he were able to help, it wouldn’t be right this second and he’d more than likely need to be able to focus on the task of removing your soul seeing as how the Blood Witch could not. Whatever’s got it trapped inside of you needs attention to unravel. Right now his focus is on the Haze. Your appointment will be with him when that is complete.”

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