My stomach constricts with apprehension.
His long stout legs almost touch mine, his large frame managing to crowd me even from the other side of the car. I get the distinct impression he’s purposely trying to prod at my limits to see how I’ll react. It doesn’t feel antagonistic or like a display of dominance one might expect from a large, virile, male dragon. It feels…calculated…measured. He’s testing me, but I don’t know why.
My eyes once again land on the bands on his arms and the symbols etched there. There’s something about them or him that’s pecking at my intuition. I can’t pinpoint what though. He’s obviously in charge and respected based on the way the others respond to his authority. The relaxed banter and easygoing exchanges happening back and forth speak to a deeper connection and admiration between him and the others.
It reminds me, surprisingly, of me and my Flight. And while that should be something that offers a little comfort in this nightmare of a situation, I find the exact opposite is true. It’s unsettling.
“See something of interest?” Aeson asks, the resonant gravel in his tone yanking me from my thoughts.
I look up and find the commander watching me. He dips his chin toward his arm, at exactly where I was staring, and lifts a single eyebrow in inquiry.
I glare at him in answer.
Instead of being bothered by enmity, amusement flickers in his vivid blue eyes.
“Who’s buying the first round when we get back?” Chastain solicits, a carefree grin once again stretched across his pretty-boy face.
“Mission’s not over yet,” Ogdan rebukes. “You know better than to jinx it, airhead.”
“I’m just glad there’s actually a female to retrieve and this wasn’t the elaborate trap we thought it might be,” Jori observes, kicking his legs out and making himself comfortable.
“It could still be a trap,” the female Horde member grumbles as she climbs into the car. She kicks Jori’s legs until he retracts them, and the commander swivels to the side so she can pass between us, claiming a seat at the front. “In the wild, the prettiest things are often the deadliest,” she adds, staring right at me.
“Spoken like a true Seeder,” Ogdan taunts, and the female flips him off.
I make note of her designation and the vine-like dragon marks she has winding around her fingers and crawling up both hands before disappearing under the scale armor covering her arms. They’ve got a plant whisperer and an air tamer, I observe, looking back at Chastain, the brick wall I first ran into.
There’s at least one more Channeler in this group, and Jori’s carob armor tells me he’s a Render. My guess is he’s the Flight Healer, with the way he rushed to check on Aeson after the bastard rescued me against my will. Both Ogdan and the commander across from me are Burners, but I don’t see a Thrasher piling in with us.
The lack kindles the smallest ember of possibility that I might be able to get away if I just bide my time. Then again, I can’t see the driver or front passenger beyond the privacy glass, so I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.
“Tove doesn’t mean anything by the deadly thing,” a male I haven’t encountered yet informs me as he climbs into the airboat. “That’s just her winning personality shining through,” he teases, reaching toward me like he’s going to pat my shoulder.
Reflexively, I smack his hand away. “Don’t touch me,” I warn, danger dripping off my tone.
Wide-eyed, the male lifts his hands in a gesture of surrender. “My apologies,” he offers, moving quickly away from me toward the back.
Everyone in the vehicle is quiet, like my reaction set them all on edge.
Good. They can join the club.
Six of them have piled into the fancy airboat now, and I can feel them watching me as closely as I’m watching them. It makes me antsy, prickly. I want to scrub the stares from my skin.
The airboat doors suddenly hiss closed, and the lirocar starts to rise off the ground. The gradual lift is accompanied by a magical hum that grows louder as the vehicle spins until it’s facing the direction it wants. With zero warning, it shoots forward and I gasp at the shock of speed achieved in no time flat. I grab onto the seat beneath me to keep from tumbling sideways into Chastain’s lap.
We cut through the flyway like a perfectly honed arrow that’s been let loose by an expert archer. Buildings blink by in a flash, and the ride is smooth, speedy, and annoyingly…fun. Ren would have gotten a kick out of this, even ifdeath by dragonwas at the end of the excursion.
An ache starts in my chest, and I try to ignore it, focusing on the city of Lairwood as it disappears behind us. The sun finally decides to set, blues and purples blooming across the sky and chasing away the other pretty colors. I try to lose myself in the scenery out there instead of concentrating on all of the brooding dragons in here, but the windows around the lirocar suddenly shift from translucent to opaque, robbing me of the welcome distraction.
I guess I’ll just have to imagine what it looks like out there—a skill I’ve gotten quite good at over the last few months. It will probably be dark the next time I set foot outside, and I wonder if I’ll get a chance to see the stars before they rip my head from my body.
Enslee’s voice rings in my mind.“You can do this, Ever. If anyone can, it’s you.”I try to let her faith buoy me, but everything is crashing in, and I feel like it’s only a matter of time before I’m pulled under and drowning.
I run my thumb down my inner forearm, an unfortunate habit I’ve picked up in the past month or so. But something about counting the scars there helps to calm my mind. It definitely helped to anchor me to reality in that cell when I felt the tethers of my sanity on the verge of snapping.
Unfortunately, thanks to the charm still sitting on my ankle, I don’t feel the scars.
All I feel is lost.
