“Indeed,” Skaldr muttered.
A lengthy silence fell, broken only by a faint animalistic growl. Ash’s gaze flicked back to the cave’s entrance, but she couldn’t see much as twilight gave way to night.
“Keep her here,” the other man ordered. “No one cares about this dead place anyway. We’ve waited millennia. We can’t fuck up now. Let’s go. The others must be updated.”
Like hell they’ll keep me imprisoned in this bloody place to be used as bloody bait to lure Race.
Footsteps sounded, drawing closer.
Ash sprinted back to the seating area. With nowhere to go, she darted to the entryway, her back against one of the pillars. Her fingertips prickled with power, resonating with the energy in the humid air.
Skaldr appeared and frowned when he saw her so close to the edge. “That’s dangerous?—”
“Come any closer, and-and I’ll jump,” she warned, pressing her tingling fingers against the warm granite behind her and praying he didn’t. She really didn’t want to die.
He stopped, his expression hardening. “You heard.”
“Did you honestly believe I would just sit idly, clutching my hands in despair, while you lot plan to use me for your nefarious scheme?”
He scrubbed his face. “Look, this has nothing to do with you. The moment Eracier arrives, we’ll let you go.”
“My left shoe.”
“What?” Then he shook his head. “We mean you no harm, female. Just stay inside. I have to go out for a while.” He strode back the way he came and threw over his shoulder, “I’ll bring food and water.”
He vanished into the tunnel again.
Bastard! He imprisoned her here in the highest bloody cave, with no way out, and she had to rely on his goodwill.
Mouth tight, Ash glanced back to the terrifying drop below, spying a river that looked like a fiery thread in the grayness of the land.
Christ. She rubbed her burning eyes, the stranger’s ominous words rattling around inside her brain.
Burn the cliffs?
Who the hell is Malcarion?
And she-dragons?
What did they mean by ‘last time’?
Ash didn’t know what those jerks had dragged her into, but whatever they were after, they would realize the truth soon enough.
She was no one and meant nothing to Race.
Then what? She didn’t expect hardened criminals to simply let her go. They’d more likely toss her to those bloodthirsty dragons.
A high-pitched shriek ripped through the air in the distance?—
Her heart pounding like a runaway train, Ash darted back into the cave, tripped, and fell. Pain jarred up her bones as she scrambled backward, her spine finally hitting the warm stone wall. Her powers prickled beneath her skin, but what good was lightning she couldn’t even control? What could rain do for her against dragons?
Another thunderous roar pierced the night. Ash wrapped her arms around her waist, fighting the knot of helplessness twisting her stomach. She was trapped in a mountain-high cave, in a world where dragons ruled the skies, used as bait to trap Race.
How the hell would she ever escape this hellish place?
Chapter
Five
