The ground shook and a roar echoed throughout the forest. Rune maintained his stance at the approach of the large, dark dragon who stomped toward us. A growl escaped his massive snout.
“Desmire. My friend. I need you.” I walked up to him and said to Rune who was behind me with his body positioned to fight, “He won’t hurt me.”
“To break the onyx, I need to rescue Tor from the Dramens in the human realm in the Iron City. I fear going by horseback will result in his death. I need your strength, your heart, and your wings. Fly with me, Desmire. Protect me and my friends. Fight with me and help me save the world from the hands of evil.” I reached out and pressed a hand to the broad scales across his chest, where his heart beat thunderously beneath my touch.
I waited for some sign from him. I knew he would help. He’d chosen me, he protected me, and he exposed himself to the Fae king to do so.
“We’re risking much, but I believe there is much more to gain.” My last line defended my choice of possibly throwing this realm into war with the humans. I heard the crunch of leaves behind me, then a hand gently rested on my shoulder. My head tilted back to look at the general, who held such a vast ocean of emotions in his gaze. It was a rare sight to see him so open, so freeing, and yet I knew he might hate me in the end, even if I still cared deeply.
Rescue Tor, open the onyx, then figure it out.
I repeated the phrase in my head a few times. A huff reverberated from the dragon beneath my fingers, and I dropped my hand before taking a few steps back, giving Desmire space.
“You could have been a general with that speech,” Rune whispered in my ear, and for a few seconds I closed my eyes and basked in the warm breath that passed from his lips to my neck, tickling the curls free of my bun.
The dragon huffed again in a very human-like manner, then brought his big snout to my feet, nudging me gently. I smiled and pet the scales of his head. “Thank you, my friend, my dragon protector. Make sure to stretch those big bones of yours because you will be carrying a few of us, including this brute of a Fae.” I gestured to Rune who only rolled his eyes.
The dragon lifted his head in acceptance. I swore I saw the beast roll his eyes, too.
I had managed to get Desmire on my side to rescue Tor. Now we needed to haul ass before the king stopped me.
Chapter Forty-Eight
“If Verin knows you are going to break the princess out of the tomb, I doubt he’s going to let you leave tonight. Najen was not sent under my orders. The king is watching you. If you show up to get supplies, you will be put under house arrest for some bullshit so you can’t leave.”
Rune had a good point. I wasn’t as stealthy as Emrys, and Rune wasn’t in the shape to run back and forth.
“If you’re suddenly out of ideas, I suggest we take the dragon and pick them up. It has the element of surprise and I know none of my army can fight him off at this time. Not even Verin could fight him without magic.”
I wanted to hug him. “Such a smart troublemaker you are!” I enjoyed this bantering between us . . . not enemies, not friends, but something different.
Desmire must have heard us because he lowered his body as close to the ground as he could beside me, lowering the webbed points along his back so we could climb on without being stabbed.
A little squeal may have bubbled up from my chest eagerly. No fear trembled inside my body as I climbed on top of the dragon and settled against the base of his neck. Rune grunted slightly with the struggling effort it took for him to put one leg over the beast to straddle behind me.
“This is not going to be a comfortable flight,” Rune mumbled, and I laughed. Who knew the cure to carrying the weight of the world was sitting on the back of a dragon?
“Grouchy old man,” I teased. As Desmire rose to his feet, our bodies swayed from side to side. Rune’s strong arms wrapped around my waist, keeping himself rooted to me as I grabbed onto the two webbed points near my hands like reins on a horse.
Tension radiated from Rune, making me squeeze my legs a little tighter against the dragon. He had a retort to my old-man tease, one that would surely bring heat to my cheeks. I knew it was hanging on the tip of his tongue as he fought back saying something that couldn’t be undone.
Wait. Just wait.
I willed him to keep it at bay, to be patient until we got Nyx out of that onyx.
Desmire opened his vast black wings, which had a tiny hint of gold in the membrane, and stretched wide. That was all the warning we got before he shot up into the clouds.
My grip was tight, and Rune was plastered to my back, his strong legs holding him in place behind me. My stomach dropped, and the weight of the wind was heavy, but my smile defied gravity. Once Desmire leveled out, his wings flapped in long strokes through the air. I lifted my hands off his spine and held them out wide, laughing and hollering at the sky.
I was flying.
I was flying on a damned dragon.
“You are incredible,” Rune said against my neck, and I pressed my head against his gently, feeling the connection between us in this moment, feeling his tiger’s eye core giving me the strength to be brave.
It took two minutes to get to the open gardens near the library where guards started shouting and moving with their swords toward us as Desmire opened his mouth wide. Fire shot out at their feet to back them up but not turn them to ash.
Dris and Emrys burst through the door on the other side of the garden with their hands full. Emrys had a large bag with weapons in it, and Dris carried her two books with shimmering arms. They moved with Fae speed toward us.
