Fuse, page 6
“Cora, I want you to have it.” He handed it back.
Dorian had already done enough for her as it was. On top of that, he’d risked his own safety hiking up the mountain just to speak to her. There was no way she could let him do this as well. “This is your savings, Dorian. You should give it to your sons.”
He stared at the sack resting in his palm then slowly looked up at her. His brown eyes never changed, intense and emotional. He gave her a look she’d never received before, not by any living person. “You’re my daughter. You’re my family.”
Her heart convulsed in painful waves. She was unsure how to hold the emotion inside without breaking down, and it escaped in the form of a tear. Growing up with three boys squashed all emotion out of her body. She wasn’t allowed to cry or show weakness.
But now, she couldn’t hold it back.
“Please take it.” He placed it hard in her palm. “I can always earn more money. But you… You need this.” He closed her fingers around it and forced her to grasp it.
“I don’t know what to say…”
“You don’t need to say anything.” He lowered his hands to his sides. The look of sadness never left his face. Unable to do anything to save her from this fate, he felt helpless. “I wish I could do more.”
“You’ve done enough, Dorian. You raised me…” She had more to say but couldn’t get it out. There were no words to describe everything he’d done for her. He’d taken her in with no strings attached, and not once did he ever expect anything in return.
“You’re the one who’s given so much. You’ve taught my boys to be real men.” He gave her a smile to cheer her up.
She released a chuckle then blinked to combat the wetness. “They struggled there for a moment.”
“The first time I gave Marcus a hammer, he almost nailed his hand to the counter.”
She’d never forget the memory.
“Then you showed him how it’s done.” He smiled with his lips but not his eyes. They were saying farewell without actually saying it, knowing this could be the last time they ever saw each other. The reality was too hard to handle, so they did what they could.
Cora placed the coin purse in the pack then shouldered it. Time was ticking, and she knew Dorian needed to return to the village before nightfall. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but she couldn’t admit that out loud. If she didn’t remain strong, he would worry about her.
Dorian’s eyes showed the same thought. “I don’t want to leave.”
“I know.”
As she stared at the ground, an idea came to her. “Every year, on this day, I will come here. If you’re able to get away from the village, stop by and see me.”
His eyes lit up, the thought delighting him beyond reason. “I’ll be here.”
“And if I don’t come…it’s because I can’t.” She swallowed the lump in her throat because she knew what that would mean.
“I’ll come anyway in the hope we’ll see each other again.” He glanced toward Flare, who was sitting on the bank, staring into the water. “Can I trust him?”
“Yes.”
“Are you absolutely certain?”
There was no doubt. “I think he’s just as lost as I am. I don’t know what he’s running from or where he’s going, but I suspect we’re going to end up in the same place. I’ve always sided with the dragons from the first time I heard their story. The dragons believed in us even when they had no reason to. And now, I will believe in them.”
Dorian nodded at that answer.
“Can I ask something before I go?”
“Anything.” His restraint was crumbling. Emotion spread on his face, knowing the farewell was looming high over his head.
“Do you know where I come from? Who my parents are? Do you know anything?” She was pulling at a thread, but she needed to ask anyway.
Dorian didn’t react at all. It was as if he’d known the question was coming. He bit his bottom lip gently like he was deciding something. He broke eye contact and stared at the ground, keeping his thoughts to himself.
She patiently waited to hear something new.
“No. I’m sorry.”
“Because Flare says I’m half elven.” She hoped that piece of information might change something, jog his memory. The night Dorian found her, it had been dark and rainy. There might have been something there he couldn’t see at the time.
“Why does he think that?”
“He says I look it.”
Dorian returned his gaze to her and closed his eyes longer than a typical blink. “I know the elves are beautiful. Perhaps that’s what he means.” He was dancing around the question, but it wasn’t clear why.
“No. He was very specific.”
“I’m sorry, Cora. All I know is that I found you on the muddy road. You were wrapped in a deep green blanket, and despite the rainfall, you smiled when you looked up at me. And I’ll never forget it.”
The warning in her heart told her he was hiding something. He wasn’t being completely truthful. But she trusted Dorian more than anyone in the world. If there were something to tell, he would speak up. “I just thought I’d ask.”
“It’s natural to want to know where you come from.”
The sky was beginning to grow darker as the sun moved farther down the horizon. The trees swayed in the light breeze, and some of their leaves came loose. “You should get going.”
“I know.” He looked up at the trees before he stared at her again. Then he closed the gap between them and embraced her with a warm hug. He locked his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. “Please take care of yourself, Cora.”
“I will.” She didn’t want to cry again. That wasn’t an option. “Look after the others.”
“You know I will.” He pulled away and looked down at her, the sorrow heavy in his features. “I’ll see you next year.”
She nodded. “Until next year.”
He cupped her face then pressed a kiss to her forehead. When he pulled away, his face was contorted in pain. He was struggling to hold on as much as she was. It looked as though he might speak again, but his lips remained closed. He stepped away and walked in the opposite direction, never saying goodbye or farewell. His feet crunched against the fallen leaves and blades of grass. Every step echoed in the clearing, sounding as loud as her own heartbeat. Every second felt like an eternity. Time had slowed down so she could memorize every sight and sound. The farther he went, the duller her heartbeat became. Fear gripped her by the throat, making it difficult to breathe. But she stood there, still and shaking at the same time. She watched him go, hoping he would turn around one last time.
But he never did.
Seven
Cora braided her hair then placed it over one shoulder. The strands had grown long in the past year, and she hadn’t had a chance to cut it. Now she wasn’t sure when she’d be given the opportunity.
Flare sat by the water, but his eye was on her the entire time. Are you ready to talk?
Cora had ignored him the night before. She’d made her own campsite a small distance away and turned her back to him, shutting him out completely. Flare had respected her privacy and didn’t pry.
But now that the sun had risen, things were different.
“No.”
Flare had the unnatural ability not to blink. He could stare for an hour straight without needing to close his eyes. It was something Cora had noticed the moment they met. I’m here to listen if you change your mind.
“Thanks.” She didn’t feel like opening up to anyone, especially a dragon. “Where do we go now?”
We?
“Yes. We.”
I don’t remember agreeing to that.
“We’re both on the run from the same hunters. Doesn’t it make sense to stick together?”
I have a much higher bounty on my head than you do. Honestly, you’re safer without me.
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
There is no maybe. He stood up to his full height then expanded his chest as he took a deep breath.
“Why are they hunting you?”
Flare purposely ignored her.
“Maybe if you told me your cause, it would change things.”
What makes you think I have a cause?
Cora didn’t have all the facts, but she was smart enough to piece things together. “Two of the king’s men are hunting you. You must be a slave on the run. You mentioned there were other dragons, so they must be in the king’s possession. And if that’s the case, we must free them. And then we must overthrow the king and give the land back to the creatures it truly belongs to.”
He regarded her coolly, not giving anything away. You think I want to overthrow the king?
“In a nutshell.”
And you want to help me?
“I have nothing else to do.”
He shook his large head. Boredom isn’t a good reason.
“It’s not the reason. I need to figure out how to kill the fiends that haunt me. If I don’t, they’ll hunt me forever. And since I can’t kill them, the only way I can get rid of them is by getting rid of their master. So, you and I have the same interest.”
And the safety of the dragons means nothing to you?
“Of course it does. Now that I’ve met one in the flesh, I realize just how incredible they are.”
If dragons could smile, Flare would be showing all of his teeth.
“So, what do you say?”
Flare left the riverbank then walked to her place under the tree. What are your skills?
“I’m an archer. I’m a fighter. And I’m a blacksmith.”
You forge weapons?
“I’ve been doing it for years.”
That’s interesting.
“I’m smart and athletic.”
True.
“And contrary to your belief, I’m very intelligent.”
Not so sure about that one.
“I’m a great ally. I think we could work well together.”
Flare shifted his body, his bright scales reflecting every wave of light. Despite his ferocity, he was beautiful in a deadly way. The road will be dangerous.
“I know.”
And I can’t guarantee your safety.
“I know that too.”
Then we have a deal.
“Perfect. But I have one condition.”
Oh really?
“You need to trust me.”
That is something that only comes with time, not demand.
“You need to tell me where you were, how you escaped, and everything else that’s relevant. You can’t expect me to help you and keep me in the dark at the same time.” That should be enough to convince him to open up. They both had their own secrets that they needed to guard, but they couldn’t hide from each other forever.
Flare arched his back like he was stretching. His mass of muscle moved fluidly, like waves in the ocean. He possessed enormous power and strength, but he also carried elegance like a crane in a meadow. The dragon was more than just a formidable beast. He was a living work of art. You’re right.
“That’s a sentence you’ll be saying a lot more often.”
He gave a playful snort. Don’t push it.
They headed east, going the opposite direction of where Vax was located.
Cora walked beside the dragon, moving through the meadow and approaching the first line of trees. “Will you be able to make it through the forest?”
Yes.
“The branches won’t scratch you?”
His heavy feet pounded against the earth with every step. My scales are not only brilliant, but also impervious. He held his head high in pride, keeping his body perfectly rigid as if he were modeling for an unseen painter.
Cora was always taken aback by Flare’s responses. Most of the time, he was cool and collected, but anytime his scales were mentioned, he insisted on their beauty and brilliance. Sometimes it seemed like he was two different people; one was vain and the other humble. “So…you’re going to head into the forest?”
Yes.
They reached the line of trees then migrated through the trunks under the canopy. The trees were tall, but Flare still had to keep his head down as he traversed the brush. “So, how did you come here? Did you escape from High Castle?” Flare had agreed to answer her questions, but she was still unsure if he actually would.
Yes. I escaped from High Castle. He remained behind her, following her lead.
“How did you escape?”
I waited until the watchmen were asleep. Then I walked out.
Could a dragon just walk out of a castle? “And then what?”
King Lux sent the Shamans to retrieve me. I flew to the mountains, but they remained close on my tail. When they unleashed that fireball, it damaged my wing and forced me to crash. That’s when we crossed paths.
“How did the Shamans keep up with you to begin with?” She’d never seen a dragon fly, but she could only assume they were incredibly quick.
They flew as well.
“What? They rode their own dragons?”
No. They have flying steeds of their own. They’re like horses but…sinister.
That disgusted her more than the creatures themselves. “Gross…”
Unnatural.
“That was why they came to my village. They wanted to know if anyone had seen you nearby.”
Probably.
“What’s High Castle like?”
Exactly how you would imagine. It’s guarded by high walls, the guards all look the same in their armor and weapons, and the inside is drab like a winter afternoon. Slaves wait on the higher officials, and prostitutes are passed around like a communal bottle of wine. It’s depressing, to say the least.
One thing caught her attention specifically. “They have slaves?”
Yes.
“A lot of slaves?”
The biggest commodity of Anastille is free labor. They’re shuttled around between King Lux and the two stewards.
“Are the prostitutes slaves as well?” That disturbed her most of all.
Yes.
She looked at the forest floor and watched her boots crunch against the dirt.
Flare glanced at her in his peripheral vision. I’m sorry if that disturbs you, but you’ll have to get over it.
“I’m not disturbed.”
You’re clearly affected by it.
“Are you saying my compassion and empathy make me weak?”
No. I’m saying your fear does.
“Fear doesn’t make someone weak. Without fear, there’s no such thing as bravery. What you do when you’re scared defines you. It gives your actions meaning. So, don’t sit there and judge me with your dragon eyes.”
I don’t judge anyone.
“It sure seems like it.”
When Flare fell silent, she knew she’d bested him. She didn’t gloat, but it gave her satisfaction. “Did you leave a lover behind?”
Flare faced her while he continued to walk forward. I don’t understand your question.
“It’s pretty simple. Did you leave someone you love behind? Another dragon?”
He faced the trail once more. No. I don’t have a lover.
“Are you close to the other dragons?”
No, not necessarily. But that doesn’t make a difference. They shouldn’t be used for King Lux’s gain. Did you leave a lover behind?
Cora struggled to follow his sudden change in subject. “No. In fact, I was trying to get rid of them most of the time. I didn’t participate in any of the marriage lotteries, and now that I’m one of the last women to remain unmarried in the village, the pressure has increased tenfold. Dorian even pressured me into it.”
Marriage lottery?
“It’s a stupid tradition. Women place a number on their chest, and the men draw numbers from a hat. Whatever number they pull, they dance with that woman. At the end of the lottery, the men choose a wife from the selection of women they danced with. It’s the most barbaric thing I’ve ever heard of.”
Flare didn’t have facial reactions like a human, but his eyes shifted and moved, depending on what he was thinking. It’s strange, indeed.
“It’s idiotic. Why can’t two people just fall in love and decide to get married? They force women into the lottery at such a young age that they have no idea what they’re doing.”
How young?
“Sixteen.”
Then you managed to avoid the lottery for a long time.
“I refused to participate, but the town gossip started to increase. People called me manly because I was an unmarried blacksmith. It’s just not natural to them. I almost considered it because Dorian wanted me to. A part of me is glad the Shamans are after me. It’s better than being forced into a marriage.”
What’s so bad about it?
“What’s so bad about it? Are you kidding—”
The question wasn’t meant as a challenge. I’m only curious.
She held her tongue and calmed down before she spoke. “I would be tied to this man forever, and he would boss me around like a dog. He would make all decisions for me and force me to stay home all day and have ten of his children. And I would be married to a man I didn’t love. That would be the worst part.”
And that’s important to you?
“Absolutely. Isn’t that the point of marriage?”
Yes and no.
“Okay, you need to stop saying that. That’s not a real answer.”
Actually, it’s a very accurate answer. Marriage is a tool to unite two families together, combining their assets and titles. Marrying someone you actually like is simply a bonus.
“You don’t really believe that, right?”
Do I believe in it? No. But I don’t deny how the world really works.
“How do the dragons do it?”
Marriage doesn’t exist. Dragons stay together as long as they wish, sometimes having hatchlings, and when the love runs its course, they go their separate ways.
“Dragons don’t stay together forever?”
Sometimes. But it’s extremely rare.
“Why?”
Remember, dragons are immortal. To spend eternity with someone is an enormous commitment.
