18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Flight to Peris
“Ithought we were taking a ferry.” Lucia frowned as she dragged her oversized luggage deeper into the racing house.
Ana tempered a smile that wanted to engulf her face.
The thought of Lucia soaring atop the back of a dragon while she screamed tickled Ana’s insides.
She knew it was unfair to her sister, but how else would they make the best use of their time?
There was a lot to learn before the Santolaria competition.
“Ana,” Lucia barked. “Why is your dragon even here? Is this not the stables for the beasts who race?”
“I’ll bring Celestia out here.” Ana dropped her small suitcase at her sister’s feet and sped off before Lucia brought up more objections.
The large atrium was empty and still contained an elegant appeal with its polished marble floors and pillars.
Ana flashed the doorman her racer ticket at the far stairwell and glanced backward to find Lucia cross-armed and shrinking into herself.
Her poor sister had been used as a pawn in her scheming, but what else could Ana do?
If Padre hadn’t been so insistent on her marrying Julian, she would have had other choices.
His selection of Julian had everything to do with her family’s dwindling coffers and not so much on any other quality.
Ana took the stairs two at a time, at least attempting to make Lucia’s discomfort as short-lived as possible.
The moment she hit the darkened corridor, Ana’s pulse quickened with her own trepidation.
When she turned the corner into her stable lane, she half expected the aisle to be empty of riders, but Emilio stood against the post outside his stable in a simple black dragon rider outfit.
He had gotten her letter. She’d never even seen his face, which was not unusual for dragon racers.
She clipped her own face covering just beneath her eyes, though he’d already seen who lay beneath the veil.
“You’re here.” Ana didn’t mean to sound so relieved, but her tone betrayed her all the same.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” A chuckle resonated in the back of his throat. “I promised to teach you the tricks of the trade so you won’t be thrown off again.”
“I’m your competitor.” Ana marched in front of him to get a better read on his eyes. “What do you have to gain from all this?” A beat passed between them when hot air blew across her backside.
A giant black head snuck into her peripheral and sniffed loudly, stealing some of her tough veneer.
Ana crossed her arms. “You’ve known me for approximately an hour. There’s no way you are helping me out of the goodness of your heart.”
Warmth snaked along the side of her arm, and the end of a forked tongue flicked in her peripheral. Celestia wasn’t going to let Ana visit without a proper greeting.
Emilio laughed, one that lit up his eyes even in the darkness of the stable. “Let’s just say I hope ladies are allowed to continue racing in future events, and I see something special in you. Now go tend to your dragon before she makes a fuss.”
She spun on her heel and threw her arms around Celestia’s neck. The hug calmed Celestia’s twitching energy while Ana sunk deeper into the dragon’s embrace.
Why was he helping her so much? She pondered.
Perhaps Emilio needed the funds, and Federico felt some lingering responsibility toward her.
The words Federico had whispered into her ear at the Quenepas restaurant lingered in her mind: I miss you.
She flushed at the thought but brushed it away.
He’d also ignored her and flirted with poor Natalia—may she be already healed, Lord.
Walking the dragons out of the stables and to the course was the easy part. It proved quite the expedition for Ana to convince Lucia to follow her to the racecourse.
“Imagine the dress you will wear to the next ball.” Ana tugged on her wrist as if her sister were a mule. “Didn’t Juan give you extra funds?”
Lucia stomped behind Ana, lugging her suitcase. “He did, but I don’t see how we are going to make it all the way to Peris. I should really be heading back home to check on Natalia.”
“But you’ve never been to Peris, and you go on day and night about when you finally get to visit.” Ana swiped Luicia’s suitcase from her arm, taking the burden from her sister.
“Ugh … do you suppose I’m that vain?” Lucia still followed behind Ana down the stairs and through the corridors.
“We’ll bring Natalia a souvenir.” Ana stepped into the arena in front of Emilio, Celestia, and the yellow dragon—who she could not remember his name. “Believe me, Natalia would chastise you for missing out on an opportunity like this one.”
Lucia’s shoulders caved in on herself beneath the attention of the two dragons. “I’ve never ridden atop,” she dropped her voice low, “a beast.”
Emilio said, “You can ride with me atop Chispas.”
“Oh no! I could never.” Lucia giggled and whipped out a fan from her wrist. “I’m sure you would keep me safe, but I could never ride with anyone but my husband.”
“He’s a dragon rider too?” Emilio cocked his head to the side.
Lucia’s giggles turned into a cackle and snort.
“He always says he’s not crazy enough to trust his life to a sky demon.
” As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she bit on her bottom lip and glanced over at Ana.
Everyone who lived near the Montenegro Estate had seen Ana gliding through the air atop Celestia.
Ana placed the suitcases into a rough bag and handed the rope to Emilio. “You and I are going to ride Celestia and Emilio will take our luggage. Does that sound more appropriate to you?”
Lucia fanned herself all the more. “Does this mean we’ll get more time shopping?”
As Ana had imagined, Lucia screamed the entirety of the trip over the outskirts of Lourdes, over the straight, and above the towns on the Isle of Peris until Emilio’s dragon landed in a field outside a sleepy town.
Afternoon sun coated the lush grasses and verdant trees with its peace.
The cobblestone streets wound through the solid structures, all clustered together into a well-established village.
Though many eyes drifted toward the visitors with moderate curiosity from their vending and errands, they quickly turned to other tasks as soon as the riders slid off their dragons’ backs.
“Go on ahead.” Emilio pointed up the main thoroughfare path. “There’s a pink inn at the end of the road with a white gate. Give them my benefactor’s name, and they will treat you well.” He collected the luggage and set them on the road.
Lucia clung to Ana’s elbow, still trembling from the whole ordeal. “Who’s his benefactor?”
Ana whispered, “Senor Federico Vega Perez.”
“The stable boy?” Lucia asked loudly.
Though Ana could have crawled in a hole in that very moment, Emilio laughed through his racer mask. “The very one. I’ll be back.” He mounted Chispas and whistled to Celestia.
The dragon cocked her head and eyed Ana and Emilio again; Celestia’s face pinched in confusion.
Emilio’s dragon leaped into the air, taking off before Ana comprehended that he was gone. Celestia followed.
“Was this part of the plan?” Lucia asked.
Ana bit her bottom lip, not wanting to admit that she hadn’t a clue if they were stranded or if Emilio would return soon with their luggage. “I suppose we should find the inn.”
“You didn’t answer the question.” Panic stirred in Lucia’s shrieking tone.
“Of course he will return.”
Lucia crossed in front of Ana’s path with flailing arms and a beseeching tone.
“Federico may have come into money, but that doesn’t mean he hadn’t been bitter toward you since your rejection at your birthday.
This could be his form of revenge on you for his heartbreak.
Why do you suppose he ignored you for most of our trip?
Why would you trust him?” Lucia clasped each side of Ana’s face, forcing her sister to stare at her crazed expression, exaggerated by bulging eyes, high eyebrows, and a severe frown. “We’ve been duped.”