Chapter 30
I BLINKED AWAKE TO A brilliant golden sky, the shimmer of the iridescent color reminiscent of the glint of coins or how firelight cast a soft glow along the gilded curves of Aven’s earrings.
It was like a painting, completely and utterly beautiful, moving in a sinuous, calming undulation.
I’d never seen a sky so stunning. I was in awe as I peered upward, my body resting on the wet ground.
Wait. Skies didn’t move like that.
I blinked again, the wash of color coming into focus as interlocking scales, almost like dragon scales.
Huh.
Wait.
Dragon scales.
Dave!
I was under Dave’s belly!
Turning my head, I saw my arm lying awkwardly next to me, the bracelet broken, the links snapped into pieces, now scattered across several leaves of grass. Oh. I’d called him. It might have been an accident, but I chose to celebrate the small wins at this point. Go me.
Okay. I needed to get my bearings.
Moving hurt. Not just my head, but my legs, my arms, my back, everything.
Bones were definitely broken in places. My armor was beyond repair, the leather blasted apart by the power of the Hydra’s stream.
I hoped I’d managed to push Lord Ethan far enough away.
Though no one could accuse me of not trying to save that winged-horse jerk.
As I took stock of my surroundings, things didn’t seem good. Not the loud roars, nor the occasional burst of heat near my feet, which meant Dave was breathing fire at someone or something. He was fighting. The Hydra? Lord Ethan? Aven?
Only one way to find out. Bracing myself, I rolled from beneath Dave and, with great difficulty, made it to my hands and knees.
I shrugged off the remnants of my armor, my tunic fortunately intact.
Luckily, my sword hadn’t flown far, and I grabbed it, using the blade to help leverage myself to my feet.
Dave’s wings were fully spread. He looked even more menacing than when I first met him, when I was sent to kill him all those years ago.
He was indeed breathing flames at the Hydra, driving it beneath the falls.
And… what were those black clouds flying around several of the heads? Were those pixies?
The Hydra had backed mostly behind the waterfall, the few heads that dared to poke out from the whitewater curtain surrounded by pixie swarms. I didn’t want to startle Dave, but I also wanted him to know that I was awake.
I pressed my hand on a scale under his spread wing, knowing he’d be able to feel it there.
He didn’t look at me, but he took off into the sky, using the wind from the flapping of his magnificent wings to drive the Hydra back farther.
Okay. That nightmare appeared to be under control.
Where were the—
“Ellinore!” Zig ran toward me and caught me in a bone-jarring hug that made me bite down on a cry of pain. “Oh my ancients, are you okay?”
“No,” I said through gritted teeth. “Please let go.”
Zig immediately released me, but his hands hovered over my shoulders.
He was pale and soaked to the bone, and I couldn’t tell if those were tears on his lashes or droplets from the Hydra fight.
I chose to assume the latter despite his reddened cheeks, because I didn’t know if I could handle Zig crying over me.
The others gathered a few steps behind. Aven and Rylan had their hands on a very disgruntled Lord Ethan.
Rylan dripped Hydra snot—there was the mysterious goo Farrah had wanted so badly.
Aven was drenched, their clothes sodden.
For the first time on the quest, Farrah looked like she wanted to go home, wearily leaning on her quarterstaff.
“We thought you were dead,” Zig continued.
“And we couldn’t get near you because this fool,” he said, gesturing to Lord Ethan, “kept antagonizing the monster. But out of nowhere the Golden Dragon”—he swept his hand to where Dave and the pixies continued to corral the Hydra—“flew in and protected you.”
I glanced at Aven. Their expression was that horrible blank mask they wore at court. My stomach swirled; vomit bubbled in my gullet. And it wasn’t only from the head injury.
“I can explain,” I said softly to Aven, to everyone.
Aven’s jaw clenched.
A gust of hot wind blew over the group, knotting my damp hair even worse, and I didn’t need to turn around to know that Dave had landed behind me, the heat from his breath and the thump of his legs and tail alerting me to his presence.
As did the wide eyes, and the way the group skittered back. All except Zig.
“Is that the Golden Dragon?” Rylan breathed. “The one from the tale of Ellinore and the Golden Dragon?”
“His name is Dave,” I said. “And yes.”
“The Golden Dragon you supposedly killed,” Aven bit out. “The one that you took a scale from and brought back to the castle.”
I gulped. “Yes.”
Lord Ethan burst into mocking laughter. He wrenched his arms away from Aven and Rylan, which didn’t take much effort with how shocked they both were.
“You’re a fraud,” he said, stumbling and laughing like a fool.
I flinched.
He waved his arms. “Ellinore the Liar! Ellinore the Imposter!”
“Hey!” Zig shoved Lord Ethan hard in the chest. “Watch it, prick. She saved your life.”
“And she’s going to wish she hadn’t when I tell the king and queen that Ellinore the Brave defrauded the Crown of gold. She seduced young Aven, the Pointless Princet, and even led the queen’s niece astray on a dangerous quest when she didn’t even have the credentials to protect either of them!”
Farrah protested with a “Hey!” at the same time I ground out “Do not call them that!” through clenched teeth.
“I joined of my own accord, thank you,” Farrah said, lips pursed in anger.
Lord Ethan ignored her, laughing again, his features twisted into an ugly smile completely focused on me. “Or what? You’ll skewer me with your sword? Do you even know how to use that?”
“Want to find out?”
“No, thank you. I’ll take my chances at court, and after I tell everyone the real story of Ellinore, maybe Princet Aven will come visit you in the dungeon.”
“I would think twice,” Dave rumbled, causing them all to jump, his breath a warm gust, “about threatening a person who is friends with a dragon.”
Lord Ethan’s face drained of all color. “It speaks.”
“Of course he does.” I crossed my arms. “All the ancients and folklores speak if you listen.”
Aven’s gaze cut like a knife. “You speak to ancients and folklores often, then?”
I gulped. “Aven, please. If you just allow me to explain.”
“What’s there to explain?” Lord Ethan continued. “How many other quests have you lied about?”
“The quest,” Dave rumbled, “was to stop the Golden Dragon from eating the sheep and terrorizing the villagers. If you’ve noticed, after Ellinore and I became friends, the dragon disappeared, and the village’s sheep prospered, and the humans were terrorized no more with harmless pranks.”
“Semantics!” Lord Ethan yelled.
A buzzing sounded nearby, growing louder by the second, until a massive swarm of pixies hovered over us.
They flew in a synchronous wave, like a flock of birds in flight, blocking out the sun.
The pixie queen dropped in front of me; her crown sat atop her silver hair, and her purple body twirled like a dandelion on the wind.
“Thank you,” I said with a nod. “We appreciate the assistance.”
She fluttered close to my face and gently touched my cheek, her grin wide and happy. Then, as quick as a hummingbird, she darted away, taking her subjects with her.
“Friends of yours?” Lord Ethan taunted.
“As a matter of fact, yes. We helped them after you rode through their grove and destroyed half of their kingdom.”
He huffed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Zig shoved him again.
“Okay. We’ve heard enough from you. Why don’t you scurry along like the rat you are and try to explain to your followers how you read a map wrong and almost got all of them killed?
And how they are only alive because of us and our magical friends.
” Zig went to push him once again, tripped on a broken branch, and stumbled into Lord Ethan.
“Get off of me, you peasant!” Lord Ethan howled.
“Sorry. Sorry. I’m just so clumsy.” Zig staggered and grasped Rylan’s arm to steady himself.
Lord Ethan tugged on his surcoat, lifted his chin, and turned on his heel, then stomped away.
“Wait!” I yelled. “Where is the Elder Beast? You have to know. You had the map!”
Lord Ethan paused. “The map burned,” he called over his shoulder. “Thanks to you.”
“But you must know,” I cried out, hobbling after him. “You have to know!”
He scoffed. “Even if I did, which I don’t, I wouldn’t want to awaken any more of these monsters. Not for all the gold in the kingdom.” He turned then and smiled, oily and smug. “I have stronger morals than others when it comes to monetary gain.”
The dig would’ve stung two weeks ago, but now it only came across as petty.
“Oh, are you still talking?” Zig said, crossing his arms. “I thought I heard a donkey braying.”
Lord Ethan glared, then walked off with a huff.
“Do you want me to crisp him?” Dave asked.
“No. It’s okay.” I patted Dave’s nose. “Thanks for offering, though.”
Farrah peered over Zig’s shoulder. “What did you get?”
“You remembered!”
“Of course. First rule of preventing pickpockets: Never allow anyone to get too close.”
Zig beamed. “You’re a quick study.” He tugged at his sleeves.
“Let’s see. Oh, a purse of gold. He’s not going far without that.
Um… this noble sigil thingy.” Zig held up a thin circle of silver about as large as his palm that had a winged-horse cast on the surface.
“Oh, an embroidered handkerchief. Fancy. A comb, probably for his mustache. A…”
Zig’s voice faded away as Aven left the huddle, moving toward the river and the stepping stones. I followed, body aching, vision swimming, but I couldn’t let them leave. Not without an explanation. I had to get them to understand.
“Aven, wait!”