Chapter 50
Rosomon
The rising sun pinks the sky, and Saxon and I take a quick dip in the pool by the waterfall. Scooping up handfuls of water, Zogar bathes from its edge. Last night, the three of us made love so many times and in so many ways I lost count.
I’m burning and throbbing between my legs, but the cold water is soothing, and I wouldn’t change one moment of what happened between us, or how well I slept tangled up in their limbs.
Saxon dives under the waterfall, then swims back, shaking his thick hair when he resurfaces. “I can’t wait to shave off this beard.”
I smile at him. “You are handsome, with or without it.”
Zogar helps me get out of the pool and gently kisses me. Saxon gets out too. We gather our clothes, and let our skin dry in the air, as the three of us walk together back to the valley where we left Surath and Xendus.
We reach the field and find them embracing. I expect, I hope, that they spent the night making love as well.
“Where have you been?” Surath calls out when she sees us. “There’s much to do.”
“Leave them alone.” Xendus kisses her forehead. “They were separated a long time.”
The dragons all shift, Saxon and I mount, and the group of us fly back toward camp.
As soon as we’re in the air, we see smoke rising in the distance.
“What’s burning?” I ask aloud, so that both Zogar and Saxon can hear me.
“It looks like the dragon handler’s storage shed,” Saxon calls out.
Let’s keep our distance, Zogar says, until I can be more certain what’s happening.
Before we reach the enclaves, Treacher and Ersot fly toward us.
Ersot has freed more dragons, Zogar tells me excitedly. She tells me that most of the human riders are cooperating with her and Treacher. But a few have refused to mount, and the jailers tried to use shadowdust again.
Ersot and Treacher are close now. They swoop around the group of us until the four dragons are flying in a formation with Zogar and I slightly above and ahead of the other three.
What do you suggest? he asks, but I’m not sure who he’s asking.
“We’ve been circling the enclaves,” Treacher says to everyone. “Making sure the riders who agree, can safely mount and fly through the veil.”
Excitement courses through me. It’s really happening. More of Zogar’s people are free.
“I put Alexandre and Stran in charge of taking riders across,” Treacher tells us. “I showed them where to find that plateau. As more return, it will become easier to corral the enemy on the ground.”
I smile to myself at how quickly Treacher has become our ally. How he’s referring to some of the people he used to command as his enemy. Although I know he mostly means the klericks.
The klericks have been captured, Zogar tells me. Ersot and her rider locked most of them in the dungeon. The same one where they held Saxon.
Clearly the dragons have been communicating amongst each other while Treacher was telling Saxon and me what was happening.
“Can we land?” I ask Zogar. “I’d like to make sure that others at camp—the candidates and the servants—are safe.”
That is a worthy endeavor, my queen. Zogar is quiet for a moment. Surath, Saxon and I will accompany you, while Xendus and Ersot protect the dragons who’ve not yet been freed.