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I blinked at him for several heartbeats. Arabella? When his scowl deepened, my spine stiffened. “Don’t boss me around.”
“Fine.” He turned up his chin. “We’ll leave you in this forest.”
I knew he wouldn’t, yet fear propelled my feet forward. I stood at Radnor’s side, ignoring the monster’s growls while craning my neck to glare at the rider. “Do you expect me to just fly up there?”
His mouth hitched up in a cocky smirk. “You are a witch, aren’t you?”
When he held a hand down to me, I refused to take it. I flashed a cocky grin of my own while waving a hand toward the ground, drops of magic falling from my fingertips like rain dripping from a thatched roof’s eaves. A root sprung up beneath me, the vines growing thicker while pushing me up, up, until my feet were level with the dragon’s back. I grabbed a few leaves off the plant and stuffed them into my bag so Demon would have a fresh meal.
Trying not to notice his widened eyes, I faced forward in front of Helian, wishing I could ignore the press of his firm thighs against my buttocks. “You’re ruder than Radnor.”
He wrapped his arms around me, whispering in my ear. “I’ve been called worse.”
I repressed a shiver as his breath skittered across my skin, causing my gooseflesh to rise. “And you’re certainly no ten,” I lied.
His low, deep chuckle did something to my insides, and an unsettling warmth curled in my belly. “And I was being generous when I called you a seven.”
Bastard. I would’ve given him a spell of flatulence if we hadn’t been sitting in such close proximity. Burning magic tickled my palms. Maybe a spell of hairy warts.
“Don’t do it, witch,” he rumbled, his breath hotter and heavier, and yet a chill snaked down my spine and raised my flesh. “We can’t afford any more delays.” He pulled my backside flush against his hard chest.
“Brute.” Seething, I spoke from between clenched teeth. “What are you doing?” I fought the urge to elbow him in the ribs.
“Making sure you don’t fall off,” he hissed in return.
And before I could answer with a sarcastic retort, Radnor leapt into the air without warning. My heart fell to my stomach, and then the contents of my stomach lurched into my chest. I was too terrified to scream, much less speak, as the world stretched far beneath me, and we ascended right into the clouds. I held tightly to my sack with one hand, and I grabbed Helian’s hands on the saddle horn with the other, digging my nails into his wrist.
“Easy,” he chuckled against my neck, the heat from his breath warming my skin. “I won’t let him drop you.”
But then we broke from the clouds, the dragon’s mighty flapping wings blowing my hair in a tangle behind me. I caught glimpses of thick vegetation beneath us and cragged peaks in the distance, and I couldn’t help but gape in awe at the wide world before me. If I hadn’t been so terrified, I would’ve howled with joy. I was finally free of the man who’d been pretending to be my father after escaping the invisible chains binding me to a mundane life. And now I had a wide world to explore, if it didn’t kill me first.
* * *
BY THE TIME WE LANDED, it was nearly sunset, and the muscles in my thighs were practically screaming from hugging the saddle for so many hours. I’d no idea how Radnor had been able to fly so far for so long, but Helian had wanted to get as far away from the crash site as possible, lest the fire mage decide to come back, not that I suspected he would. How could the attacker have known that Helian would be lucky enough to have landed in the proximity of a green witch? Not that I was a particularly good one, but Helian was no longer barbeque, so I guess my skills were better than nothing.
Radnor had landed in a mountain crater high up in the clouds alongside a pebbled beach. No sooner had we landed than the fog cleared, revealing a deep blue lake with a surface as smooth as glass. It was so stunningly beautiful and quiet that I heard not the tweet of a bird or the chirp of a cricket. The air was thinner here, each breath like inhaling pure ice. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. Though it was cold, the fresh air was so delicious, I didn’t mind.
Demon poked his head above the top of my bag, his ears laid flat while he scanned our surroundings. Helian jumped from Radnor’s back and took the bag from me, gently setting it on the ground as if he was carrying an unhatched egg. Well, at least he wasn’t a brute when it came to animals, just with witches who saved him from an agonizing death.
“Where are we?” I asked after reluctantly letting Helian help me out of the saddle. I walked like an old crone, my thighs and back still aching.
“About a day south of Caldaria in the Periculian Mountains,” he said while leading me toward the water.
I’d heard about the Periculian Mountains from enough tradesmen. The monoliths were what divided the magical and the human worlds and impossible to pass during winter. Even during the warmer months, the journey was treacherous through troll territory. The peaks were unreachable except by winged beast, which explained the peacefulness of the place. I supposed it also gave us advantage should a certain fire mage try to ambush us.
I brought you to a lake, witch,Radnor grumbled behind me,so you could fish for your own dinner.
“Thanks,” I said breathlessly, ignoring his tone as I stared across the pristine lake, hardly believing fish dwelled beneath.
I gave Helian a questioning look when he draped a heavy fur across my back.
He gave me an apologetic grin. “It’s cold here.”
I tucked the cape around my arms while resisting the urge to thank him. It was the least he could do considering I’d saved his life.
I felt the beating of Radnor’s wings behind my back as he lifted off and took to the sky. Where he was going, I had no idea and didn’t care, so long as he came back in the morning to fly us out of here. I set my bag on the pebbled beach, the water gently lapping at black sand. I dared to lean over and scoop up a handful of water. It chilled my hand but was so crisp and delicious that I had to take several more drinks. Helian filled up a few flasks and put water in a shallow bowl, setting it on the beach beside me.
“In case your rodent is thirsty,” he said with a shrug.
