Dance of Wings, page 17
part #1 of The Dragon Portal Series
Sabine faltered. She’d used this type of magic in the past but never with these results. Something was wrong.
“Uh oh!” Blossom said, her glamour flickering uncontrollably. She dove under Sabine’s hair, quaking against her neck. “Too much magic! Hold on tight!”
“Finish it,” Bane said with a growl, his eyes and horns turning an almost iridescent silver.
Sabine pricked another finger, allowing two more drops of blood to fall. “By blood, by magic, by rights of both, I call upon the memory of the gods who have abandoned this world. May the light shine brightly within those who embrace the darkness.”
The marks on her wrist burned, searing her with power as her skin markings turned a brilliant gold. Light and magic surged within her, slamming into both Bane and Blossom. Bane roared, his skin glowing with a bluish sheen while underneath, Sabine could make out the deep red color she’d only seen in the underworld. Blossom sneezed and tumbled off her shoulder with a giggle. Sabine barely managed to catch the pixie in her glowing hand.
A strange high-pitched call pierced the night. Sabine jerked her head up. Two wyverns soared over the wall and across the field in their direction.
“Run!” Bane shouted, pushing her forward.
Sabine threw glamour over them and raced toward the eye, stuffing Blossom into her pocket as she ran. One of the wyverns swooped downward, causing her to stumble. Bane grabbed her by the waist, hauling her upright.
“This ride is bumpy,” a muffled pixie voice said from inside her pocket. “And full of lint.”
“Vashado!” Sabine screamed in the ancient language of the gods, throwing her hands upward as the second wyvern swooped low enough to almost touch the tips of Bane’s horns. A huge explosion of power burst from Sabine’s fingertips, lighting up the night sky and sending the wyvern barreling away from them. She stared at her hands in shock. She’d never had power like that before.
“Keep the eye in sight and run!” Bane yelled. “Don’t stop for anything!”
Sabine turned and ran for all she was worth. She didn’t know if the wyverns were truly blind or just trying to flush her and Bane out. Her vision narrowed, her focus locked on the pulsing eye that seemed to beckon her closer.
“Faster, Sabine!” Blossom yelled from inside her pocket. “The goddess says more dragons are coming!”
Sabine didn’t know how Lachlina knew that, but she wasn’t about to stop and question the goddess. Sabine and Bane raced over the landscape. The ground seemed to smooth out in front of them, with rocks and pebbles sliding out of their way. As they touched the wall, an ear-shattering roar cut through the night sky.
A dragon.
And it wasn’t Malek.
“Hold on to me,” Bane ordered, picking her up and swinging her onto his back. No sooner had she wrapped her arms and legs around him than he leaped upward, using his claws to find purchase between the stones of the city wall. Sabine kept the glamour over them, camouflaging them against the wall. Iron spokes jutted from the wall at random intervals, but Bane easily leaped over them.
Sabine peered around him to see three more wyverns and a greater dragon flying overhead. Dragonfire lit up the night sky, sending a cascade of embers falling to the ground like burning rain. The creatures soared over the barren field and surrounding forest, searching for any sign of her and Bane.
At the top of the wall, Bane leaped over the side. Two human guards were sitting atop strange wooden contraptions that had dozens of iron arrows pointed toward the field. He silently lowered her to the ground and motioned for her to keep quiet.
Keeping her footsteps light and breathing quiet, she followed Bane past the guards. Instead of climbing down the opposite side of the wall, Bane led her toward a nearby lookout tower. He bypassed the door and stepped onto a small platform on the outside of the tower, which overlooked the city. He leaned against the wall and held out his hand toward her.
Sabine took his outstretched hand, and he pulled her onto the rickety platform and into his arms. They stayed under the roof canopy for several minutes, listening to the sound of the human guards calling out warnings and the flapping of the wings flying overhead. If they moved from their current location, they risked being spotted by either the guards on the wall or the dragon and wyverns flying overhead.
In a voice barely audible, Bane murmured, “Now we wait and hope your dragon manages a suitable distraction.”
Blossom flew out of Sabine’s pocket.
Instead of her normal pixie form, she was a tiny pink dragon with sparkling scales. Sabine stared at her in shock. Such a form could only have been achieved from the massive power explosion Sabine had generated on the field.
“No need to wait. I’m on the job!” Blossom said and disappeared over the far side of the wall and into the city below them. Bane tensed, but Sabine pressed her hand against Bane’s chest and shook her head.
If Malek ran into trouble, the pixie had proven to be well-suited for creating distractions.
May the gods help them all.
CHAPTER 16
Malek crept through the darkened stables, inhaling the earthy scent of hay and the musky odor of thundertusks. Rika was nearly as silent as she followed him, using the skills Bane had taught her to muffle the sound of her movements.
The stablehand had ensured his charges were resting comfortably for the night before he’d slipped into the inn at the end of the street for a quick bite to eat. It wouldn’t take long until he returned, but Malek didn’t think they’d need much time to accomplish their task.
Malek reached for the heavy wooden latch of the first stall door. With a soft groan, the door swung open, revealing the hulking silhouette of a thundertusk inside. The lantern light reflected in its luminous eyes, but the creature remained calm, accustomed to the presence of humans.
“They’re bigger than I expected,” Rika whispered.
“Merchants use them for transporting their heavy carts to various markets,” Malek said, patting the thundertusk’s thick, leathery skin. “Grab the lanterns for me while I open the rest of the enclosures.”
A loud roar shook the barn, and the thundertusks all raised their heads in alarm. The sound was unmistakable—a greater dragon was on the hunt. Malek knew instinctively Sabine and Bane were in danger. They were out of time.
“Hurry!” Malek ordered, quickly unlatching the other seven stalls while Rika grabbed the lanterns and ran to the back of the stable. She placed the lit lanterns on the ground and unlatched the shutters barring the window before climbing out.
Malek tossed both lanterns into a nearby pile of hay, shattering the glass and spreading their oil. As the first sparks of fire caught, the thundertusks began to stomp and kick at the wooden dividers. The calm that had once filled the stable was shattered by deep, resonant alarm calls that reverberated through the walls. The vibrations of their trumpeting voices shook the ground. Smoke curled up in tendrils, filling the air with acrid bitterness.
Malek dove out the window and rolled onto the cobblestone street as the thundertusks burst free, stampeding out of their stalls. Their glowing tusks cast eerie shadows in the flickering firelight as they sought escape from the growing inferno.
At the sight of him, Rika yelled, “Fire! The thundertusks are loose! Fire in the stables!”
Others picked up her shouts, echoing her cries as the thundertusks barreled down the streets. People dove out of the way as the normally passive beasts turned frantic, knocking over carts and kiosks that lined the path. Malek grabbed Rika’s hand, and they raced in the opposite direction, blending into the crowd of people attempting to escape the chaos.
Malek and Rika ran several blocks, only slowing once he was sure the stampede hadn’t turned in their direction. He kept his eyes trained to the sky, trying to determine which direction the dragon had gone. Only his promise to Bane kept him from yanking off the medallion around his neck. The thought of Sabine in danger, especially from one of his own, was intolerable.
He looked back over his shoulder to see even more people had fled behind them. Fortunately, random fires weren’t an unfamiliar occurrence in a city protected by dragons.
Rika tugged on his cloak and pointed toward the sky. “Look! It’s a wyvern.”
“And there’s a dragon,” Malek said, catching sight of a copper dragon soaring high above the city. At any given time, there might be four or five greater dragons near Imenel. Most of them couldn’t be bothered with human proclivities, except in passing. Such matters were often delegated to the wyverns.
Malek didn’t know if the Copper Clan had directed the wyverns to attack them over the forest, or if they were the ones searching for Sabine and Bane. He intended to find out.
Some of the townsfolk stopped to stare upward as the dragon passed overhead. Many of them placed their fists over their heart in obeisance. Malek had never understood the sentiment, unless they were simply grateful they weren’t a dragon’s preferred snack that evening.
“Do you think our distraction was enough?” Rika asked, searching the faces in the crowd.
Malek gripped the medallion at his throat, battling the need to yank it off. He could only sense the faintest trace of Sabine. At least he knew she was still alive. “If they’re not at the meeting place, we might need to find another way to distract the guards. If all else fails, I’ll remove the medallion and track Sabine. I won’t allow anything to happen to them.”
Rika nodded, but she still looked worried.
Malek led Rika through the maze of streets toward one of the central markets. As they walked, the rich scents of spiced meats, fresh bread, and sweet pastries filled the air.
The market was a bustling hub of activity, with stalls and vendors offering a colorful array of goods. Fruits and vegetables were piled high, while other stalls showcased intricate jewelry and handcrafted wares. The sounds of haggling mingled with the clatter of carts and the distant roar of wyverns.
In the center of the market stood a large raised platform. Five huge urns had been placed at its edge, forming a pentagon. In the center, an artisan had crafted a decorative mosaic on the ground depicting one of the greater dragons in flight.
“What is that?” Rika asked, gesturing at the platform.
“A landing pad,” Malek said, scanning the faces around him for anyone who might recognize him. Fortunately, he’d been gone long enough that most people wouldn’t expect to see him. “When a dragon is about to land, they use their dragonfire to light the urns as a warning for the humans to clear the area.”
Rika’s eyes widened. “How do they do that?”
“Magic,” Malek said with a grin.
They approached one of the main temples dedicated to the dragons. Rika stopped in her tracks, staring up at the gleaming polished obsidian and towering bronze doors.
Massive columns lined the front entrance, each carved with detailed reliefs depicting dragons in various poses of flight, combat, and repose. The central figure in the painted frieze above the doors was a colossal obsidian dragon, wings outstretched, with humans kneeling around it.
Rika’s mouth dropped open. “Tell me that’s not you.”
Shit.
“It’s not me.”
Rika jerked her head up. “But you know who it is, don’t you?”
Malek winced.
“Oh, come on,” Rika begged. “You have to tell me.”
Malek coughed. “My grandfather.”
Rika cracked up laughing. “I knew it! I totally knew it! It looks just like you. Blossom and Sabine are going to freak out when they see this.”
“Let’s not tell—” Malek’s voice cut off as a huge flock of pigeons screeched in alarm and rose from the eaves around the temple. He heard a high-pitched squeal before one of the banners affixed to the side of the temple ripped free.
Malek grabbed Rika and leaped back as a tiny pink dragon went whizzing by his head, still attached to the end of the banner. It flew down the street, racing under kiosks and over wagons shouting something that sounded like, “Dragon coming through! Rawr!”
Merchants shouted in alarm as their wares tumbled off counters, crashing to the ground. The commotion set off the other pigeons roosting nearby, and soon the entire market area was full of flying feathers, angry merchants, and befuddled customers.
And the tiny pink dragon was nowhere to be found.
CHAPTER 17
The moment the guards rushed past them, Sabine wrapped her arms around Bane’s neck. He leaped from the platform where they’d been hiding and landed on the ground with a jarring thud. Without even taking time to catch their breath, Bane lowered her to the ground, grabbed her wrist, and led her toward one of the darkened alleys just as another guard patrol rushed by them.
Bane pressed Sabine against the wall of a nearby building, using his body to shield her from view. She pressed her hand against his back, reinforcing the shroud of glamour surrounding them. The iridescence of his horns had started to fade, but she wasn’t sure if the magic within him was dissipating or if the danger had lessened.
She ran her hand up his back to touch his bare skin, the gesture a silent offering of more magic. He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.
“Conserve your strength,” Bane said quietly, still watching the main thoroughfare. “We need to wait here until things settle down a bit more. Your bug has her uses, but we’re not completely out of danger yet.”
Sabine leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Shall I tell her how much you value her efforts?”
Bane spun around, his eyes narrowing. “Didn’t I just save your life?”
Sabine grinned and kissed his cheek. “You did, and it’s one of the many things I love about you.”
“The dragon is turning you soft,” Bane muttered with disgust. “I should have taken you away while I had the chance.”
Sabine studied him for a moment. “You mean that, don’t you?”
Bane was quiet for so long, she wasn’t sure he was going to respond.
“Yes, but not for the reasons you might believe,” Bane said, glancing toward the alley again before turning back to her. “Sabine, you will be in a great deal more danger once you enter the Sky Cities. I do not believe Malek intends you harm, but he cannot protect you from all dragonkind.”
“His step-grandmother lived for a number of years among his people.”
Bane rubbed a lock of her hair between his fingers. “She was not an Unseelie queen, nor touched by the gods. Yours is no small power, little one. If you are captured or killed, what becomes of the Unseelie? Who will rule in your stead? Or will the Unseelie might that has maintained the balance for centuries become firmly under the heel of the Seelie?”
Sabine averted her gaze. These questions had given her many sleepless nights, but none of it changed her purpose. “If I can’t locate the last artifact, none of this matters anyway. I told you what the Huntsman said. We’re dying, Bane. All of us. The fae, the demons, the dwarves, the merfolk, the dragons, and countless others. Anyone with a drop of magic in their blood, whether they’re native to this world or not, will succumb to the poison leaching into our world. I will not allow that to happen. I must go to the Sky Cities and retrieve the last artifact.”
Bane grasped her chin, tilting her head toward him. “If the dragon had no claim on your heart, would you still do this?”
Sabine wrapped her hand around his wrist. “I would do this and more to save the lives of my people. This is my duty, and I will protect the land at all costs—even at the risk of restarting the war.”
The marks on her wrist burned, scorching her from within. Unmistakable fury ripped through her as Lachlina made her displeasure known. Sabine gasped, jerking away from Bane and clamping her hand over her wrist.
With a low growl, Bane lowered his head and kissed her. This was no simple kiss, nor even a demand for magic. It was utterly consuming, as though he were surrendering something within himself. He yanked her wrists over her head, imprisoning her in his grip as he continued to plunder her mouth. At least Bane had found a way to temporarily quiet Lachlina’s hold on her.
Bane became even more forceful, a silent demand that required a response. Cognizant of their surroundings, she resisted the urge to use her magic against him. Instead, she bit his lip hard, drawing blood. As the bitter, metallic taste of it touched her tongue and bound them together, his power flowed through her. It was more than just his magic, something far greater.
For a moment, it was almost as though Dax were with her. She could feel the blistering heat from a nearby lava pool and the sweat on his body as he led his captains through practice drills. He halted abruptly and lifted his horned head. She could feel his awareness of her and the soul shard that pulsed within him, connecting him to the thousands of demons under his command. She could feel all of them, as though Bane had shared their essence with her.
Heat poured into her, and with it came the knowledge of what Bane had done.
It had been millennia since a fae ruler had set aside personal gain or politics to safeguard all their people—not just the fae. Her declaration to defy Lachlina’s wishes was simply the catalyst. Bane was the instrument binding the demons to Sabine in a blood oath more powerful than anything she’d known. That these proud demons who had lived lifetimes beyond hers would make such a vow humbled her beyond words.
She softened against Bane, returning his kiss and accepting the promise behind it and making one of her own. She would not squander their belief in her. No matter what happened, she would hold to her vow and do everything possible to ensure their survival.
Bane released her hands, cupped her face and kissed her forehead. She swallowed, pressing her hands against his chest, not willing to break contact with him yet. As long as she was touching him, the goddess was quiet within her.
