Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
The image of Merrill being dragged from the burning cottage was seared upon Katla’s brain. If only she had been able to stop the entity, she might have prevented the warriors from taking him. Her body tingled from healing magic. She shouldn’t be alive, but she was. And she would find Merrill .
It hurt too much to look at the smoking remains of her home, knowing he was no longer there. She turned away, her eyes landing on the vines that had cocooned her. They’d packed themselves tightly together and were several feet thick, keeping the fire from reaching her. Many had sacrificed themselves to protect her. She placed her hands on the charred vines and felt another wave of tears for what had been lost.
“ How badly is the valley burned?” she asked shakily.
“ Badly .”
Katla turned her head when she recognized the voice and saw Kora approaching. The hellhound’s golden-brown eyes were filled with sorrow.
“ I saved as much as I could,” Kora said.
“ Thank you.” Katla looked at those around her. “ All of you have my gratitude.” They had come for Merrill , but they had helped her.
A man with shoulder-length, blond hair and deep brown eyes caught her gaze. “ I’m just sorry we didna get here sooner.”
Merrill should be there with his friends. So much had occurred that she could barely wrap her head around all of it. She realized everyone was staring at her. Katla did a double take when she spotted the redheaded woman beside Varek . She wore a sleeveless, golden-brown tunic with a plunging neckline, but it was the thick silver armbands, each holding a green stone, that caught her attention. That meant she must be Jeyra . Their eyes met. Dejection furrowed Jeyra’s brow.
Kora touched her arm to get her attention. “ Let me introduce you to everyone.” She pointed to the blond King with black eyes who had healed her. “ That is Con .”
The King of Kings bowed his head to her. Katla returned it, knowing she owed him a considerable debt.
“ This is Varek ,” Kora said as she motioned to the man who had spoken. “ And beside him is?—”
“ Jeyra ,” Katla finished. “ Merrill spoke of both of you. And of Orgate .”
Jeyra’s lips twisted. “ I can’t believe my people are doing this.”
Varek put his arm around her and pulled her close. “ I wouldna consider these warriors your people, or even Orgateans .”
Smoke curled into the sky everywhere she looked. Heartache struck Katla at what she saw, no matter which direction she faced. The attack, Merrill’s abduction, the burning of the vines. She couldn’t stand by and do nothing. “ Can someone point me in the direction of Orgate ?”
“ I can,” Jeyra said with a defeated sigh.
“ We’ll both show you,” Varek stated.
Katla met his gaze and politely replied, “ That isn’t necessary.”
“ You willna be going alone. No ’ after what happened here,” he argued.
“ I think I should.” She held up a hand when Varek started to speak. “ Merrill was right. The entity targeted him. He was attacked twice, but it didn’t try to kill him either time. It wants something from him. Or it’s a trap for more Kings .” She licked her lips. “ Or both.”
“ Fekking hell,” Rhi muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
Con said nothing. The only movement was the flare of his nostrils.
“ Katla has a point,” Kora said.
Varek shook his head and shrugged. “ I doona care. I’m going. End of discussion.”
Jeyra shot him a glare. “ It’s hardly the end of the discussion. You can’t show your face in the city.”
“ And you can?” he retorted.
Con blew out a harsh breath. “ Enough . Neither of you is going.”
Fury contorted Varek’s face. “ They took Merrill .”
“ I’m aware,” the King of Kings replied. “ But the residents know your face, just as they know Jeyra’s . Neither of you will learn anything of importance.”
Rhi wrinkled her nose. “ I hate to say it, but they likely know all of us. And with the entity following Merrill and Katla , who knows how often it has spied on us? We can’t see it.”
“ Fuck !” Varek said, turning away to pace a few steps in anger before halting and returning.
Katla looked at the mountains on either side of her. She could either go over them or around. Because she wouldn’t cross the border again. And she didn’t know how to transport herself to another area when she wasn’t angry. That was too bad. It would have come in handy.
Her valley had been destroyed once more. A fire had ripped apart her world again. Her rage was there, but the necessity to locate Merrill diminished it a bit. Was he in Orgate’s prison? Or had he been taken elsewhere? She wouldn’t learn anything by staying and debating the issue. If no one would tell her how to find Orgate , she would do it herself. Katla walked away from the group without saying a word.
“ What are you doing?” Kora asked, falling into step with her.
A black dragon silently glided over them. The moonlight hit upon it just right, letting Katla see the silver along the edges of its scales, but Kora’s smile told Katla who it was. Derek .
“ What I must,” Katla answered.
“ All right.”
Katla waited for her to peel off and return to the others, but Kora stayed with her. Katla shouldered her way through the burned vines, her heart heavy at their deaths. Derek stayed low, swinging around to fly over them again.
“ This isn’t your fight,” Katla said as she glanced at the hellhound.
Kora’s smile dropped. “ You and Merrill were attacked. That makes it my fight.”
“ You don’t understand this foe. The entity is…” Katla couldn’t even find the words to accurately describe its malevolence.
Kora nodded as she looked forward. “ It attacked Derek . He explained the assault to me. So , he understands. And he can see it.”
“ That didn’t help me. I never saw it this time.”
“ You were inside.”
“ I should’ve been paying attention. Letting my guard down was a mistake.”
Kora picked her way around a fallen vine. “ I doubt it would’ve mattered. It didn’t get Merrill the first time. It wasn’t going to miss a second chance.”
“ I can’t stop thinking about what they might do to him.”
“ I saw him go up against two of Villette’s dragons. Trust me, he can hold his own.”
At that moment, Derek flew over them again. Katla watched him as she thought about riding atop Merrill . “ I’m happy to see you and Derek triumphed over Miena .”
“ It wasn’t easy. I heard you went up against her, too. I have to admit, I was happy to see the tower destroyed,” Kora said with a grin.
Katla tried to smile in return. “ It wasn’t on purpose. I was only keeping her away from the children.”
“ She wasn’t planning to kill them. She wanted to take their magic.”
“ What ?” Katla was so shocked that she stopped in her tracks.
Kora twisted her lips and stopped, as well. “ Miena took people’s magic. It was easier to take children’s because they couldn’t fight back. Apparently , she was even able to do it while locked up. So , Villette had the priests kill the kids before Miena could collect enough power to break free of her prison.”
“ And none of the other Star People stopped her?”
Kora shrugged as they began walking again. “ From what we could gather, Villette was the only one who knew.”
“ I’m surprised she didn’t try to do the same.”
“ Me , too, actually. I’m just thankful she didn’t.”
Katla glanced over her shoulder.
“ What is it?” Kora asked.
“ I guess I thought someone might try to stop me, but I’ve only just realized they can get to Orgate much quicker than I can.”
Kora ducked under a burned branch. “ Why would you think they would want to stop you?”
“ I understand why Con healed me. They needed information about Merrill . I would’ve done the same. I’m also keenly aware of my part in Villette’s grand plan.”
“ You were duped.”
Katla shook her head. “ Merrill said the same thing, but I saw for myself what the dragons think of me. If he hadn’t been there, I’d be dead.”
“ But he was there.”
“ The dragons want justice, and they deserve it. It’s only a matter of time before the Kings demand it.”
Kora made a tsking sound and said, “ You’ve got it wrong.”
“ How so?”
“ If the Kings wanted you to pay, you would have already. It’s that simple. Besides , Merrill wouldn’t have traveled with you if he believed you were at fault.”
Katla carefully walked around one of the fallen vines. She didn’t want to debate her guilt or innocence anymore. Not when so much more was at stake. “ Do you know how to get to Orgate ?”
Kora shook her head. “ Derek likely will, though.”
“ Will he share that information with me?”
“ Of course. He wants to find Merrill just as badly as you do. If it weren’t for Merrill , Derek might never know about the Kings .”
Katla finally began to see some vines that only had minimal burns. She gently touched the ones she walked past. At least they weren’t all damaged. “ Kora ,” she began.
“ I know what you want to say. If I were in your shoes, I’d probably say the same thing. But we’re not going anywhere. Derek might be new to the Dragon Kings and trust and respect them, but he isn’t obligated to Con or the twins as the others are.” Kora grinned as she looked at Katla . “ As for me, I stand by my friends.”
“ You hardly know me.”
Kora held her gaze. “ I know enough. Besides , you’ll need our help. You can’t get into the city alone.”
“ You may think differently when you go up against the entity. If it’s only the one. There may be more.”
“ You’ve done things on your own for a long time. I was the same. I know better than most how difficult it is to ask for help. You don’t have to ask. We’re offering. Let us.”
“ You can speak to Derek mentally as the dragons can?”
Kora chuckled. “ I’m afraid not. But I know my mate. He would say exactly as I am if he were standing here. Speaking of…”
Katla looked where Kora stared to find a tall man walking toward them. The darkness kept him in shadow until they stood before each other. Derek’s straight, black hair was cut to just above his shoulders. He was tall and muscular, carrying himself with a confidence that warned others to keep their distance. But it was the marks covering every inch of exposed skin from his neck down that caught her attention.
He gave Kora a soft smile before turning pale olive eyes to her. “ Katla ,” he said in greeting.
“ Derek ,” she replied.
The three continued onward. The farther they went, the healthier the vines were. It gave Katla hope that they would cover the valley again one day. That knowledge eased her misery a little.
Alone with her thoughts, Katla tried to discern how the entity had gotten the warriors from Stonemore to the valley. Could it teleport like Rhi ? Even if it could, it should’ve taken it longer to locate her and Merrill . Something more was at work here. Dread soured her stomach as she wondered if the entity, Orgate , and Villette were working together.
Katla wanted to free Merrill , but there was no telling how many opponents stood between them. To attempt something like that alone was foolish. Merrill needed to be freed. If she had to get on her knees and beg for help, she would do it. Kora had already offered, but Katla needed to hear it from Derek , too.
She swallowed past the nervousness and said, “ I’ve been thinking. It doesn’t seem feasible for the entity to find Merrill and me so quickly while also bringing the warriors.”
“ Aye . I’m thinking the same,” Derek replied.
He didn’t have the same accent as Merrill and the other Kings because he was from Zora , not Earth . But he had the same bearing. It must go hand-in-hand with being a Dragon King . “ I think the entity has help,” Katla said.
Kora’s brow furrowed. “ Who ?”
“ Villette ,” Derek answered.
Katla nodded. “ It makes sense.”
“ Does she have her hand in everything?” Kora muttered angrily.
Derek grunted in response.
“ I can’t do this alone,” Katla said.
Kora’s brown gaze slid to her. “ I’ve already offered.”
“ I know, but I need to ask. Will you help me find and free Merrill ?”
This time, Kora didn’t immediately reply. She swiveled her head to Derek .
“ This won’t be easy,” Derek said.
Katla felt her stomach clench in dread. “ I’ll do whatever it takes.”
The couple exchanged a look. She wanted to ask what that was about, but before she could, a roar sounded through the valley, bringing them to a halt. The three of them turned around and looked toward her cottage.
“ What’s happening?” Kora asked Derek .
Katla watched a gold dragon jump into the sky and fly upward before soaring over the valley, coming straight for them.
“ It’s Con ,” Kora told her.
Katla stared in awe at the size of Con as he got closer. He flew past them in a burst. She twisted to watch him dip a wing and swing around to zoom past them once more. Merrill was enormous, but Con was even bigger.
More dragons leapt into the air. The snap of their wings was so forceful she could hear it across the distance. Derek grunted and resumed walking. Kora and Katla observed Con and the others until they flew out of sight.
Kora turned to catch up with Derek . Katla remained a few moments longer, wondering if she might ever see the valley again. Merrill had allowed her to confront the past. And because of him, she had been able to release some of her guilt. She would never have been able to do that without returning. He had given her something else, too.
He had given her hope for a future she still wasn’t sure she deserved. But she wanted it more than anything else. Even the revenge she’d once sought.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she thought about their kiss.
“ You wouldn’t leave me,” Katla whispered into the night. “ I’m not leaving you.”
She turned and followed Derek and Kora .