Chapter 32 #2
I turned, raising my rapier again as another shadow shifted between the trees. My heart hammered in my chest. Whoever this was—they weren’t running. They were closing in.
The two Blood Fae emerged from the trees like shadows bleeding from the forest itself. Their crimson eyes gleamed in the dim light, fixed solely on me.
One of them, the taller, leaner of the two, raised his hand. The air shifted, warping around us in a shimmering veil that seemed to hum in my bones.
What is that? I asked Kaelith.
It’s a sound shield, she growled in my mind. I cannot connect with the horde telepathically, and they will not hear me if I roar.
Panic flickered through me, but I held firm. The second fae, broader in build with jagged scars marking his face, remained just outside the shimmering barrier. The leaner one—his sharp features twisted into a smug smile—stepped forward, crossing into the bubble with me.
His fingers twitched, and a pulse of violet energy shot toward Kaelith. She let out a sharp exhale, her wings shuddering before her limbs locked in place. Her talons, halfway through curling, froze mid-motion. Her chest barely rose and fell.
Immobility power, Kaelith gritted out in my mind. Her voice was tight, strained. You must kill him, or I can’t help you.
The fae grinned wider, flashing sharp teeth. “This will be easy,” he said in a voice like poisoned silk.
“You have no idea how stubborn I am,” I shot back, pulling my rapier into position.
He smirked, taking lazy steps toward me. “I’ll kill her,” he taunted, jerking his chin toward Kaelith’s frozen form. “And then I’ll drag you back to your true master . You can still be of use.”
“I don’t have a master,” I spat, circling him carefully.
His smile widened, cruel and cold. “You don’t even know what you are, do you?”
“Why don’t you enlighten me?” I hissed, slashing out with my rapier. He flicked his wrist, forming a tendril of dark energy that deflected my blade with a sharp crack .
“You’re something special,” he sneered. “Your power—your blood—it’s old . My master is very interested in you. Once I finish off that oversized lizard, I’ll take you back where you belong.”
I lashed out again, but he was quick, twisting away. His palm shot out, hurling another pulse of magic. I barely dodged it, feeling the air crackle as it missed my ribs by inches.
“You’re not taking me anywhere,” I growled.
He laughed. “No? Then fight harder, little girl. Because when I’m done with you, your dragon will be nothing more than a dripping carcass. The king’s creatures will feast on her like a day-old fawn. She will be unable to fight back.”
I lunged, feinting left, and slashed wide to the right. The tip of my rapier sliced through his sleeve, drawing a thin line of blood.
His smile faltered.
“Not so easy after all, is it?” I taunted.
His eyes flashed, and another pulse of magic shot toward Kaelith. Her body jerked as if something was tugging her spine. Her eyes were wide and unblinking—helpless. Rage flared hot in my chest.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said lowly.
I charged before he could react, swinging my rapier with all the fury boiling inside me. He tried to deflect again, but this time I twisted my blade mid-swing, sliding past his shield and driving the tip deep into his side.
He staggered back, gasping in shock. “You?—”
“You talk too much,” I spat, jerking my blade free.
He crumpled to the ground, clutching his side as his magic flickered and died. Kaelith’s body shook, then she exhaled in a great rush, her muscles trembling before she slowly lifted her head.
Well done, she said, her voice rough but proud. Next time, try not to let them get the first hit.
I snorted and wiped the blood from my blade. “You’re welcome.”
Kaelith’s neck expanded, her throat glowing like molten iron just before fire erupted from her mouth.
The flames engulfed the fallen Blood Fae, turning his body to ash in seconds.
But as Kaelith swung her head toward the second fae—the one who had created the sound barrier—he bolted, vanishing into the dense forest.
Kaelith let out a deep growl, low and guttural, but made no attempt to pursue him.
Instead, she moved back to the creature she’d already killed.
Her talons curled into the body as her powerful jaws tore through sinew and muscle.
The sickening sound of tendons snapping and bones crunching filled the air.
I turned away, swallowing hard.
Dragons do not waste meat, Kaelith said between mouthfuls. Unlike humans, we eat what we kill.
I sat down a few feet away, my legs shaky from the fight. “Most humans don’t poach,” I muttered. “Even though we struggle to get enough to eat... well, commoners anyway.”
I tried to ignore the sounds behind me—the wet tearing of flesh, the splintering crack of bones breaking between her teeth—but it wasn’t easy. My mind kept replaying the fae’s words, the smug way he’d taunted me.
You don’t even know what you are...
“Do you know what he was talking about?” I asked aloud. “Or who that guy’s master is?”
Kaelith lifted her head, blood streaking her scales, dark and slick. I do not know why they want you, she said carefully. But it is likely because of me.
My heart stuttered. “Because of you?”
Yes. Her sharp teeth gleamed as her tongue flicked out, licking the blood from her snout. As to his master… that is easy. There is only one.
The coldness in her voice sent a chill racing down my spine. “The Blood King?” I whispered.
Yes, Kaelith confirmed. And with that, she dipped her head once more, her teeth crunching down on the ribcage of her fallen prey.
Kaelith licked the last traces of blood from her snout before turning her attention back to me. Hein ordered us to meet them a half-hour ago, she said casually.
I froze halfway through tying my rope off. “Then why are you only telling me now?”
Because Hein needs to learn that he cannot give me orders.
“But Zander outranks me,” I countered, swinging myself onto her back and gripping the rope tightly as her wings spread wide.
Only our leader outranks me. The Unifier.
The way she said it gave me pause. The Unifier—the legendary dragon said to have helped forge the treaty between dragons and humans—hadn’t been seen in six hundred years. It was said he disappeared not long after the treaty was made.
“I don’t understand,” I said as we rose into the sky. The wind lashed my face, Kaelith’s scales cold against my legs. “Why doesn’t he involve himself in human affairs anymore? Why did he leave?”
He didn’t leave, Kaelith replied. He just doesn’t fight for the humans anymore. After his rider died... he mated. But our wards were still new then, much weaker than they are now. There were fewer riders and warders. His mate was killed.
I sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s horrible. Can’t he... can’t he find a new mate?”
It has happened before, Kaelith said softly. But it is rare. Most dragons only find one true mate... chosen for life.
The finality in her tone made my chest ache. A bond that deep—to love that hard and lose it all—I couldn’t imagine the pain.
We rode in silence after that, the steady beat of Kaelith’s wings filling the void where conversation should have been. Her flight was smooth, the air carrying us like a whisper as we crossed over the darkened forest. The scent of smoke reached me first—faint but unmistakable. Campfire smoke.
Kaelith banked left, descending into a small clearing where the others had gathered. Their dragons rested near the tree line, some stretched out while others stood like sentinels. A few of my squadmates were already sitting around the fire, eating what looked like freshly cooked meat.
Jax caught sight of me first, raising an arm in greeting. “About time!” he called with a grin.
I climbed down from Kaelith’s back, gripping the rope tightly as my legs wobbled beneath me.
Zander strode toward me the moment I stepped into the clearing, his eyes narrowed with frustration.
“Why the hell did Kaelith shroud you?” His voice was sharp, laced with tension.
I blinked. “She didn’t,” I said carefully. “The Blood Fae put up a sound shield. We couldn’t reach the horde. No one could hear Kaelith roar.”
His expression darkened further. “And you didn’t think to say something once the shield was down?”
I shrugged, fatigue settling deep in my bones. “Kaelith says dragons don’t waste meat. She had those creatures to eat.”
Zander raked a hand through his hair. “Gods, Rebec…”
He paused, as if biting back whatever he really wanted to say. Instead, his tone shifted, lower and more controlled. “Anything else you want to share?”
“Before the Blood Fae attacked, I had an altercation with an assassin.”
“Was it one of your father’s?”
I shook my head. “No. He wasn’t Order. Whoever it was... he was untrained. Too sloppy to be one of Cyran’s assassins. He bolted the second I cut him.”
Zander’s brow furrowed. “Then who the hell was he?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” I sighed and moved closer to the fire where my squad had gathered. Jax was leaning against a fallen log, sharpening a dagger. Cordelle was flipping through one of his endless books, and Naia kept glancing at me with concern.
“There’s more,” I admitted. “The Blood Fae... one of them said they were taking me to my ‘true master.’” I swallowed hard. “Kaelith thinks it has something to do with her.”
The air around the fire thickened. Cordelle lowered his book. Riven sat forward, her face grim.
“What does that mean?” Riven asked.
“Kaelith isn’t sure,” I replied. “But she said if the Blood Fae are involved, then whatever they want—it’s tied to the Blood King.”
“Shit,” Jax muttered, setting his dagger aside. “The Blood King doesn’t move without purpose. If he’s targeting you, there’s a reason.”
“Could he want Kaelith?” Naia suggested.
I shook my head. “He wouldn’t need to use assassins to get to Kaelith—dragons can’t be compelled by Blood Fae magic.”