Twelve #2
“Alara! So glad you’re here,” Agnis says, placing a waterskin in my hand. “Make sure to drink up now.”
“Thank you,” I murmur as she wanders off, and I watch her go.
“Don’t seem so surprised,” Rohan says, watching me. “They’ve been worried.”
My throat tightens. “They have?”
“Of course,” he says, squeezing Lykke’s shoulder as he passes him, and the boy waves at me. “You’re a part of Blackscale.”
The words settle somewhere behind my ribs, spreading a new kind of warmth through me, wrapping around my heart.
We pass more members, some sparring, some rifling through rations, and then we walk past what seems to be a central area where most are gathered.
I see other colors peeking through the black of our tents, so that must also mean the other clans are close by.
“Come,” Rohan says, and I trail behind him as he guides me to a tent, the flap already open.
Stepping aside, Adora is there in an instant, patting my head.
“Here’s our elf. How are you?”
“I’m okay.”
“Good to see you, Short Stack.”
I smile over at Calian. “It’s good to see you, too.”
“Alara,” Kaldar nods. I nod back.
“Do we have any more information?” Dorkin asks, gesturing for me to come closer as Rohan closes the flap.
“We do. Alara. Tell them what you told me.”
And so I do. Every bit of it.
“That fucker has the dragons he stole beneath the castle?” I nod. “Bastard.” Calian fumes.
“And you mentioned a tunnel of sorts?” Dorkin asks.
“Yes. It was large, and guarded.”
“It has to lead out somewhere,” Kaldar says, arms folded. “Somewhere out of the city, if I were to guess.”
“Do we know why he has the smaller dragons down there?” Adora asks.
“I don’t know,” I tell them honestly. “He asked me to try and make the one that was hanging produce more Nighturn. When I refused, I was dragged out of there and then I woke up here.”
He nods, and Rohan cracks his neck, tension lining his body.
I move my hand and touch his fingers with my own.
He looks down, and then drags his eyes up to mine.
He takes a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing.
“We need to find out more information on the dragons,” Dorkin says.
“I don’t want to go back down there,” I tell him.
“You may have no choice.”
I bite my lip and nod. I know he’s right, I don’t have a say here.
“We’ll find another way,” Rohan says quietly. “For now, we need to know how the fuck he got a Novid dragon.”
“What?! Calian asks, shock filling in his tone.
My brows furrow.
Novid…
My head snaps to Rohan as realization dawns. “They… they aren’t here anymore. You said so when we were in The Graveyard. You said they were all killed.”
“I know, but that isn’t a normal dragon you described.”
“But how?” I wonder.
“I don’t know, but Novid dragons are the only ones that can produce poison.”
“Exactly!” Calian says. “So how does he have an extinct fucking dragon?”
“I don’t know.” Rohan shakes his head, growling. “Does that mean there’s more?”
“I haven’t seen one,” Calian says, and something flashes in Rohan’s eyes at that.
Rohan runs a hand down his face. “Out of everyone, he is the one to have that type of dragon.
“And what about others?” Kaldar asks. “Covak, Immoral? Are they around somewhere, too?”
We’re all silent for a moment before Dorkin speaks. “I’ll ask my spies to see if there have been any murmurs about it.”
“I doubt it as it hasn’t come up before, but it won’t hurt to check,” Rohan sighs. “Any news on Effy?”
My eyes stay on Dorkin, heart hammering in my chest. “She’s still at her master’s house and hasn’t been allowed out.”
A shiver races down my spine, memories of the house flashing through my mind.
The beatings, the kneeling at the door, the fear and oppression. The underground, the collar on my neck…
The barn…
A hand on the back of my neck guides me into familiar warmth, a breath tickling my ear.
“Breathe.”
I grab onto Rohan’s tunic and he holds me to him, his hand grounding me as he massages the back of my neck.
I pull back a little, swallowing over the lump in my throat.
“But she’s okay, safe?”
Dorkin’s eyes land on me, and he pushes his glasses up his nose. “My spies haven’t recounted any injuries or illness.”
I nod, eyes watering. She’s okay.
“Thank Elvanan,” I breathe, closing my eyes.
“That’s enough for today,” Rohan says, and then he’s guiding me out as I fight to get myself under control. But it’s futile when I hear the rumble of dragons in the distance.
My head snaps up, and then before I even think about it, I’m running.
“Alara,” Rohan calls, but he doesn’t tell me to stop, doesn’t tell me to slow down, he just runs behind me.
I stop at a gate, my hands curling around the bars as I look through it, seeing nothing. But I can still hear them.
Rohan knocks on a door, murmurs something and then the gate is rising.
My breathing quickens, and I run to the crest of the hill, out of breath.
“Gods,” I whimper, seeing cage after cage.
“They’re okay,” Rohan murmurs, stroking the top of my head.
I walk down the hill, Rohan at my side.
Dragons from all clans are here—angry, sad, mad.
My chest aches as we press on, and then we reach Agnar’s cage.
He grumbles, but I feel his reassurance mixed with sadness.
“I’m sorry.”
He huffs and closes his eyes.
I go to Alter next, who’s curled up in the center of his cage and I reach a hand through the bar and stoke his snout.
“I know you’re tired, I just need to make sure you’re okay,” I tell him when his eyes open. He purrs, some smoke coming out of his nostrils. “Shh, rest now.”
He breathes deeply, and I look to Rohan.
His jaw ticks, and he nods.
I bow my head in grief.
“Let him rest,” he says, and we move to Vex and Blaise next.
Rohan greets them on a rumble and they echo him.
Hakkon is on his back in the next cage, little cuts all over him and my eyes go to Rohan.
“The Games.”
I nod and move on.
Magnas, and Hedoric are sound asleep. Doren behind them watches us as we pass, chuffing.
And then the largest cage is at the back, with a smaller one next to it.
I head for it as a whine comes from within.
“Escor,” I say, my arms instantly through the bars as his head presses against them. “Hi.”
He rumbles and whines, and tears sting my eyes.
“I missed you too.”
He licks me through the bars, and I push his snout away with a laugh.
“Ew,”
I’m still giggling when I look over at Rohan. He leans against Drogonah’s cage, the big dragon watching me.
I stroke Escor, my eyes locked on his purple one.
“Hi, Drogonah.”
I expect him to huff and turn away, chin high in the air, but surprisingly, he rumbles. That large chest of his expanding, and I smile softly at him.
“I also missed you.”
He huffs, and Rohan shakes his head as he turns and lays down, facing the other way.
“Don’t act like you haven’t been wondering where she is, Drogonah,” Rohan drawls. “Every time someone came through this way you would be disappointed it wasn’t Alara.”
He growls, his tail smacking the cage floor and I grin.
Escor purrs, and I smile as his tail bounces, his ears twitching. He chuffs in Drogonah’s direction, making him growl.
“It’s so, so good to see you all.”
And feel them all, even if it’s sad, scared, worried, tired, angry.
That reassurance is still there, letting me know they’re alright, but…
“I… Sparks. He…” I shake my head. “He…”
A chorus of purrs sounds, and it’s like I’m being wrapped up in a warm hug by them all, even if it is full of grief.
“I t-tried,” I tell them.
Hands grab me, and then I’m hauled into a large, warm chest.
Rohan sits us down, our back to Escor’s cage. I tremble in his arms, my face in his neck.
“They know, Little Whisperer. They know you tried hard.”
“It wasn’t enough.”
Growls come from the dragons, even one from Rohan.
He pulls me back, hand on my chin.
“You are always enough,” he says fiercely, brows furrowing. “Always. Don’t ever think you aren’t.”
“But—”
“What do my eyes say?” he asks.
I sniffle, looking into his dark depths, the purple ring prominent.
“That I’m enough. I did enough.”
“And they don’t lie.”
The rebuttal is on the tip of my tongue, but with the dragons agreeing, with Rohan’s stern tone… I can’t release the negative words that I want to.
“Good girl,” he praises. “Now, come,” he says, standing with me in his arms. “There are others that have been waiting to see you.”