Fuse, page 7
Cora never thought about it that way. “Have you ever been in love?”
His face was blank all over again. You ask a lot of personal questions.
“I’m just curious. You don’t have to answer.”
Perhaps in Vax it’s okay to ask whatever you wish, but outside that village, it’s very rude to ask such things. You should learn that now.
“I didn’t mean to be rude. I thought we were friends.”
Flare fell silent, his eyes scanning the trees in front of them.
“I apologize.” She didn’t want to make her relationship with Flare tense. After all, he was the only friend she had at the moment.
No.
Now things had become worse. “You don’t accept my apology?”
No. I’ve never been in love.
She smiled. “Thanks for sharing.”
What about you?
“Never. The boys in my village aren’t exactly my type.”
What is your type?
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ll know when I see him.”
They rested against the trunks of two tall trees. The forest had grown dark, and every once in a while, an owl would hoot into the night. Flare rested on the dirt, his chin sitting on his claws. Cora leaned against the trunk of a tree, a blanket covering her.
“What was it like before the humans came?”
Flare opened one eye, and the luminescence of the color glowed in the darkness. You ask that like I was there.
“Weren’t you?”
He closed his eye again. Why are you so determined to discover my age?
“Because it’s fascinating. The idea of living for so long, experiencing so many generations, is incredible.”
Perhaps I take it for granted, but it’s not that fascinating.
“So, what was it like?”
He chuckled slightly. The history of the dragons is common knowledge, so I’ll share that with you. That doesn’t mean I was alive at that point.
“I’ll take it.”
The dragons didn’t have rules or laws like the humans do. We simply didn’t infiltrate each other’s minds without explicit permission. While we value treasure, gold, and jewels, there was no such thing as stealing. If a dragon has to resort to such measures, then he’s not a true dragon.
“How so?”
Dragons are hunters. We find our own treasures, not steal them. That is our way.
Cora nodded in interest.
They lived freely among one another, either in the mountains or the forests. When the humans came, everything changed. They had to congregate and decide what to do with the new species.
“Why didn’t they just send them away?”
At that time, dragons weren’t the ferocious beasts they’re considered to be now. They were trusting and ignorant. Since they were peaceful, they assumed other species were the same way. They’d been coexisting with the elves and the dwarves for so long, they didn’t see why it would be different with humans. But they were wrong.
She hugged her knees to her chest.
The king of the elves, Tiberius Riverglade, told the dragons it was a bad idea to allow the humans to infiltrate the land. Unfortunately, the dragons did it anyway. And then their race was completely annihilated. The only dragons that survived were the ones who fused.
“Combined with a human?”
Yes.
“What happened to the other dragons?”
The ones who refused to fuse were killed.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. Pain burned deep inside her. The dragons opened their lands to strangers, and the second they turned their backs, they were stabbed in the dark. It was enough to make anyone sick. “The other dragons voluntarily fused?”
No. King Lux broke in to their minds and gained control. Basically, he forced them to do it. Once the dragon was a prisoner, they were forced to do the same to others, breaking down their own kin to be enslaved by the human race. Death was preferable to the torture, but they weren’t even given that option. It was the worst possible existence anyone could ever imagine.
“Oh…”
Flare opened his eyes and stared into the distant trees. He took a deep breath, his entire body rising with the effort. The sadness in the simple action was paramount to every living thing in the glade.
“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t begin to understand the sorrow in Flare’s heart.
He took another deep breath, combating his emotions.
Cora wished she could say something to cheer him up.
His breathing continued until a gleam formed in his eyes. A glossy haze spread over his irises until it was a heavy drop. The weight of the water became too burdensome then dripped down his scaly cheeks.
The sight broke her heart. “Flare…” She crossed the glade then went to his side. She brushed her hand down the bridge of his nose, comforting him in the only way she knew how. It wasn’t clear if he could feel her ministrations through the hard scales, but she did it anyway. “I’m sorry.” She had already uttered those words, but she wanted to say them again.
Don’t apologize.
“I wish I could fix this.” Seeing an enormous beast give in to his grief was heartbreaking.
Nothing can repair the evil inflicted on the dragons. Even eternity isn’t long enough for the humans to make up for what they did. All we can do is free those that are left and hope that will be enough.
“What do we do first?” They left the forest and ventured down the opposite side of the mountain. They were approaching Polox, the circular city located at the coastline. The local harbor was full of ships with tall, white sails. The second they crested the top of the horizon, they could sense the sea salt in the air.
I need to speak to someone.
“Who?”
I have a friend in the neighboring city.
“A dragon?” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. Now that she knew one dragon, she’d become obsessed with the species.
No.
“Oh.” She didn’t hide her disappointment. “Then why are we at Polox?”
You need a sword.
“I have a short blade.”
That’s not good enough.
“Well, I’m not trained in the sword, so it’ll be pretty useless to give me one.”
I assumed you were intelligent enough to figure it out. He gave her a pointed stare.
“I am. I just don’t think it’s necessary to risk getting caught for a sword.”
It won’t be any normal sword. In fact, the sword will be unlike any other.
That caught her attention. Blacksmithing was her biggest passion in life. She was always working on the next big weapon to sell. The more creative she got, the higher the price. “Go on.”
I will give you three of my scales to forge your weapon. Mixed with platinum ore, your sword will be sharper than anything known to man. It’ll also be lighter than air and easy to wield. Enemies before you will flee, and the ones who stay won’t have a chance against your power.
Her jaw immediately hung loose. “Whoa…what?”
Flare stared at her without blinking.
“You’re going to give me your scales?”
There’s no other element in the world as strong.
“But…I can’t take your scales.” That was absurd. Dragons prized their scales, claws, and teeth more than anything else according to the stories she’d heard. To let them be mutilated from their hide was unthinkable. “Absolutely not.”
You aren’t taking them. I’m giving them to you.
“Even then…I can’t do it.”
You don’t want a powerful weapon?
“Of course, but not at that cost. I’ll have to cut them from your hide and injure you. It would be a crime.”
Not when I’m allowing you to do it.
The gesture wasn’t lost on her. The fact that he was even considering this indicated he trusted her to a certain degree. Dragons prized their vanity above everything else, and the fact that he was willing to damage his was extraordinary. “Why?”
If we’re going to continue this journey together, you need some real protection. Your flimsy arrows and dagger aren’t going to accomplish anything. I would give you enough scales to make armor, but I can’t spare that much at the moment.
“Dragon armor?” She couldn’t wrap her head around that one.
Yes.
She took a step back and rubbed her temple. She was getting too much information at once. “Your wing isn’t even healed yet.”
So?
“And then you’re going to walk around with more wounds? Am I the only one who thinks this is preposterous?”
Don’t forget how powerful dragons are. Pain doesn’t affect me the way it affects you.
“Even then…”
He released an irritated snort. We’re losing time. Do as I command, and let’s move on.
He’d just said the wrong thing. “Back up, buddy. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you get it. I get that you’re a powerful dragon and everything, but that doesn’t mean you are allowed to boss me around.”
Irritation burned in his eyes. You’re the most peculiar human I’ve come across. If I made this offer to anyone else, they would take it without thinking twice about it.
“Because they’re assholes.”
He cocked his head slightly.
“I don’t want to mutilate you and strip you for parts. I actually care about you.”
His eyes softened in a way they never had before.
“Can we do this some other way? Will your scales naturally fall off when new ones grow?”
Yes, but that could take a hundred years.
“Oh…”
If you remove my scales, you can heal the wounds with the plant you harvested and eliminate the scars. The pain is irrelevant to me. I only care about the appearance.
Of course that’s all he cares about. “I’m still unsure…”
I insist. The better weapon you have, the more likely you are to stay alive. And I need you to stay alive.
“Wait…are you actually admitting you need me?”
His ears folded in hostility. Are we going to do this or not?
Over the course of a few weeks, the number of insults directed at her had decreased substantially. Instead of putting her down or making derisive comments, he complimented her. Perhaps she’d proved herself a worthy companion to a magical dragon, and if so, it was an astounding accomplishment. “Let’s do it.”
Eight
She pulled her hood over her face and walked through the gate alongside a wagon. The guards didn’t give her a second glance despite the late hour. Torches glowed along the wooden fence and illuminated the entryway.
The dragon scales were wrapped in cloth in her pack. Cutting them from the dragon’s hide took hours. She had to use all the force she could muster to saw through the armored scales. By the time she got them off, blood had started to ooze everywhere.
And she felt like shit.
She did what she could to stop the bleeding, but there was only so much she could do. Flare didn’t seem bothered by the cut. He didn’t react at all, like she was giving him a massage rather than cutting him open.
Then she had to saw off the other two.
She focused her thoughts in her head just the way Flare taught her. I’m inside. The words echoed loudly in her mind, like she screamed them rather than whispered.
Head to the left, near the coast. The blacksmith is next to a potions shop.
It was strange to communicate this way. She wobbled on her feet slightly as she listened to him, wondering if he could read her mind and feel her emotions. Or were they not connected in that way? His explanation was very confusing.
She walked down the cobbled streets and past the dark buildings. Candlelight flickered in most of them, glowing gently against the black sky. She tightened her jacket around her body and kept walking, keeping her face hidden as much as possible.
She’d been there once before, but she had been just a child. Dorian took her along with his three boys. They traded their weapons in exchange for hay since the harvest had been bad that year. They had nothing to feed their livestock. At the time, Polox didn’t seem so scary. But now that she was alone, it had a different feel to it.
She went to the place Flare had instructed. Once she spotted the potions shop, she noticed the blacksmith shop right next to it. The lights were out in both shops, and they seemed to be vacated.
Her mission was to break in to the blacksmith store to forge a powerful weapon made of dragon scales, but the potions shop caught her attention as well. More than likely, there was a healing potion she could use on Flare. It would speed up the process and alleviate the guilt in her heart. I’m here.
Stay in the alleyway for a few hours. When the street clears, make your move.
Won’t that look suspicious?
Not if you stay hidden.
The hours passed with a dreadful slowness. People gradually left the street and returned to their homes. The guards that patrolled the area changed positions and moved to the outer wall once the city was asleep. There were no movements in either of the shops. The lights remained off, and they were empty. It’s clear.
Go around to the side of the shop. There’s a wooden door there. It’s usually unlocked.
How do you know that? How could an enormous dragon ever visit any city without getting caught? And even if he didn’t travel there, had someone else gone and given him the information later? That seemed even more unlikely.
Stop asking questions. You waste so much time.
Just answer them. That would save time. The words reverberated loud in her own ears.
Stop yelling.
I’m not trying to.
Just talk normally.
Sorry, I’ve never done this before. Her voice became even louder with the sarcasm.
We’ll work on it later. Now, go to the side of the shop.
Ugh. She did as he instructed and located the flimsy wooden door. The owner didn’t seem to care about protecting his shop very much. She turned the knob then gave a gentle push. Immediately, the door swung inward. I’m in.
Close the curtains so no one can see the light from the flames.
Okay. She migrated to the windows and shut all the drapes. Once the outside world was completely hidden from view, she got to work. Where does the smoke go?
There should be a skylight in the ceiling.
She looked up and didn’t see anything in the wood. But when she got closer to the fire pit, she noticed the detachable door. She undid the hinge then pulled it open. Found it.
Get to work. Be quick about it.
What about the smoke? Someone will see it.
That’s a risk you’re going to have to take.
She set down her supplies then got to work. First, she had to get the fire going until it reached the right temperature. Once that was in place, she located the blacksmith’s tools. They were a little different from hers back in Vax, but they would do.
What’s going on? Flare’s voice came into her ear.
Just got the fire going. Now I’m going to start.
I said be quick.
I’d be much quicker if you’d shut up.
Somehow, he released a growl into her ear. Fine. Tell me when you’re finished.
She washed the blood from the red scales then patted them dry. Once they were ready to go, she began her work over the fire. She’d never used dragon scales before. Until a few weeks ago, she’d never even seen them. Now she had to figure out how to manipulate them into what she needed.
After thinking for several minutes, she figured out exactly what she had to do. Rolling up her sleeves and placing a mask over her head, she bent over the stone brick and began her work.
With a shaky hand, she pulled the sword out of the fire. The platinum hilt reflected the light from the fire like a perfect mirror. The flames danced in the metal, and she could see her own awed expression staring back at her.
Her thumbs moved along the metal, feeling every single groove and design she’d embedded in it. The image of a powerful dragon was carved into the platinum, strikingly similar to Flare’s features. She thought it was fitting to honor the dragon that voluntarily handed over his most prized possession.
Her eyes moved to the blade, examining the deep red color. When she gently moved it in the air, the scales somehow released a distant hum, as if they were slicing through the air and making it scream.
She rotated her wrist, showing both sides of the blade. It was the distinct color of blood, exactly the same as Flare’s original scales. Toward the very tip, the color turned a light orange. Despite its density, it was light. Cora moved the blade around her wrist and didn’t feel the sting of the weight.
She’d never wielded a sword, but there was no doubt how strong this one was. Its power radiated up her arm and made her feel alive. It gave her strength, even though it possessed no magical ability.
She was in awe.
Is it done? Flare’s impatient voice broke in to her mind.
Just finished.
Get the hell out of there. The guards are still on the tower, but the sun will be rising soon.
Okay. She rose to her feet and held the sword at her side. It was difficult to put it away when she loved touching it so much. Now I just need to learn how to use it.
I’ll teach you.
How would that work? How do you plan to do that?
You’ll see.
She returned everything exactly where she found it and closed the skylight vent. She pulled open the drapes before she stepped out of the shop. She didn’t need to worry about locking the door behind her because it hadn’t been locked to begin with.
She knew she should hide out until the gate opened, but she kept thinking about the potions shop. There was bound to be something useful in there. She had enough coin to pay for it rather than stealing it.
Since she had a few hours until morning, she decided to do it. Flare didn’t need to know until she was done. He would probably give her hell for it, but that was a small price to pay if she healed his scales much quicker than it would normally take.
