AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He spreads his arms wide against the brilliant cerulean of the pre-dawn sky, and my mind very helpfully shows me exactly what it would look like if he fell off.
“Rowan, for the void’s sake—” I hiss.
“Fine, fine,” he replies, stepping away from the edge. “So much for climbing down.”
Together, we turn toward the right side of the ridge. The eastern horizon glows pink and orange, gilding the jagged edges of the Iron Mountains. Below us, the ridge falls away into a boulder-strewn cirque wrapped around a tiny alpine meadow that shelters a small, dark lake. It’s a natural amphitheater, with one hell of a view down the valley and toward the rolling hills we spent all night climbing.
It would be a nice place, if it weren’t for the dragons.
Two dragons stretch out on the grass beside the lake, apparently having some sort of murmuring conversation. Another dragon paces the meadow’s edge, weaving in and out of a few massive boulders. And, on a little rise just past the meadow, there’s a massive black metal structure that looks like some sort of torture device. Shivering, I turn away from it.
“Well,” Rowan whispers, as if there was some sort of decision to make. “I guess we’ll have to follow Dad’s advice.”
The silver wire we’ve been following drapes across the top of the ridge, then traces the side of the cliff far too closely. It vanishes in a knot of pine trees huddling together at the far end of the meadow, like sentinels standing guard over the cliff’s face. That must be the grove where we’re supposed to wait for him. I clench my hand into a fist, then force my fingers to relax. We’ll wait.
I’m the last to reach the little grove of pine trees. By the time I slide down the rocks and into the shade of the pines, the sun has crested the mountains and begun its slow journey through the sky, and my jaw is clenched so tightly it throbs with every step. Alindra and Rowan stare at me as I stumble through the trees, and then Rowan smiles, waves his hand, and oh voids, is that food?
I stumble over to the square of canvas that had been tied to Alindra’s pack board, my stomach groaning at the sight of a few squares of hard cheese, some small, puckered apples, a bundle of salted fish, and three loaves of half-burned brown bread. Rowan hands me a water skin.
“Eat slowly,” he says. “Or you’re gonna make yourself sick.”
I scowl at him, because I’m supposed to be the responsible one, and then I follow his advice. I eat slowly as the sun climbs higher and the pine grove fills with birdsong. When Rowan leans back, his head against the folded square of canvas, I offer to take the first watch. His eyes close before I even finish my sentence.
Alindra stands, then paces along the edge of the little grove. Another dragon flies overhead, making the pines rustle and the birds fall silent. Alindra walks back to me, wiping her hands on her pants.
“Invisibility,” she whispers. “Over the whole grove. Somehow, he’s got enough magic in that wire to sustain it.”
There’s a twist in her voice that makes me think she’s trying very hard not to be impressed by this. I grunt; I’m long past the point of being impressed with my father’s magic, which always seemed infinite in both its capabilities and its sadism. Alindra shifts on the grass, then crosses her arms over her chest.
“You could have warned me about your brother,” she whispers.
“What, that he’s a giant asshole?” I reply.
Alindra’s lip twists with the effort of not smiling.
“I mean, his magic,” she whispers. “Do you really think he can—”
Her voice fades as she turns to stare at the ridge and the hidden human army just beyond. Rowan must have told her, then. Alindra knows our father’s impossible plan, or at least Rowan’s role in it. Another pair of dragons stirs the air above us, then glides onto the grass beside the lake.
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “But it’s not going to come to that. All you need is a distraction, right?”
She nods. “I can knock Varitan out,” she says, running her fingers along her waistband. “I put his own sleep magic into the coin you gave me. As soon as it touches him, he’ll go under.”
I sigh. A little white and gray bird with a black head hops along the tree branch above Alindra, looking for all the world like it’s in the middle of some very important business. I hate myself for what I have to say next, but damn it, someone has to be the responsible one.
“Then what?” I ask. “We’ve got dragons on one side and humans on the other. What do we do once Varitan’s knocked out?”
Alindra turns to face me. Something burns through the air between us, like the spark that lights a wildfire. My throat squeezes tight around the breath I was about to take. Alindra turns away.
“A portal,” she whispers. “Rowan can open one. I can help.”
My missing arm throbs with that strange ache. I bring my hand up to rub the scars on my shoulder. The little bird with the black head startles, then flies away with an indignant cheep. My eyes trace the ridge where a human army waits to attack a bunch of dragons. Where a hell of a lot of people are about to die, all thanks to the man who sired me.
“Great,” I reply.
Chapter37
Alindra
