Her father grimaced and motioned to a soldat to his left. “Get him out of here.”
But Dax kept walking, heading straight for the king, his chin tilted high, his brown eyes the clearest they had been in days.
When the soldat arrived at his side, Dax lifted his knife.
Scrublander made,Asha realized.
“Touch me,” said Dax, “and I’ll open your throat.”
The soldat paused, looking to Jarek. Jarek looked to the king, waiting for the order.
Dax didn’t wait.
“Five days ago”—his voice echoed through the empty arena as he moved toward their father—“I begged my sister to save the life of a slave.”
The king narrowed his eyes.
“Naturally, Asha refused. So I blackmailed her.” Arriving at Asha’s side, Dax stepped in front of his sister, cutting her off from sight. “Just like I blackmailed her into stealing your precious flame and intercepting the fight down in the pit.”
What?
Confused, Asha looked to Safire. But Safire’s eyes were cast down at her hands, planted in the sand. Her body trembled from the beating she’d taken.
Her father studied Dax with caution. “And why, my son, would you do that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Dax’s eyes gleamed. “I hate you. And what better way to strike at the one you hate than use his own pet monster against him?”
Pet monster.Those words stung worse than if Dax had cut Asha with his knife.
But he’d lied about blackmailing her. Maybe he was still lying.
“Take mysonout of my sight.” The king’s voice was measured and calm, but beneath it, Asha heard a fault line. “Puthim in the dungeon and wait for me. I want to interrogate him myself.”
As the soldats moved in, Dax crouched down before Asha, his gaze softening on her scarred face.
“When darkness falls, little sister, the Old One lights a flame.”
As they grabbed his arms and pulled him away, Dax winked at her. There was no fear in him as they hauled him off. As if this was just a small part in a much bigger game he was playing.
They heaved Safire out of the pit after him. She glanced back at Asha, her face full of worry.
Worry forAsha. Not herself.
Asha frowned, remembering something Torwin had told her.
The day I found you in the sickroom, I knew things were about to change.
What things?she wondered now, thinking of the bow and arrows.What is my brother up to?
“Now that we’ve swept out the riffraff...” Jarek handed something to the dragon king. It was Asha’s leather arm piece. The one she’d unbuckled to escape him. “Her arm was unprotected when the dragon breathed its fire.” He stepped toward Asha, grabbing her bare arm and holding it up. “So why isn’t she scorched?”
Her father held up the armor, asking her a silent question.
“I can’t be burned,” she whispered to the sand.
“Speak up.”
Raising her chin, Asha said it louder: “I can’t be burned by dragonfire. Or any fire. It’s a... gift. From the Old One.” Shecouldn’t meet his eyes. “I wasn’t allowed to refuse it.”
