He is covered head to toe in armor, so I understand his confusion. “You sound all teachery,” I explain.
He positions himself between me and the dragon, creating a barrier with his body. His weapon is pointed at the beast as his horse dances on the ground, no doubt in terror of the monster that is about to flay us alive.Here lies Daphne Stone, a barbecued maiden.No, that isn’t acceptable. “Do as I say,” Nash snaps, proving my point. You could take the teacher out of the library, but not the library out of the teacher. No, wait, that makes no sense. No one holds a library inside them—unless you were Gwyneth, then and only then, did one person contain so much knowledge, your mind is classed as a walking library.
“Okay, boss man, what do I do?”
“Stay still.”
I roll my eyes, because Idols help me. That is literally all I can do. The dragon lands with a thump, and the dirt flies up from where its claws dig into the ground. It’s enormous, the height of the palace, with a slim body, and a huge forked tail that swings back and forth, dragging the grass up into the air. Its gold eye blinks as it spies me. A hot huff erupts from its mouth, making my hair fly back. Did it just laugh? That’s not normal. Laughing dragons don’t seem like the typical thing. Perhaps I’ve got a psycho one with a sense of humor that likes to laugh before it devours me whole. Just my luck.
Nash points his spear at the dragon. “Back off, she isn’t yours to take,” Nash says low.
“That’s good. Tell him, teacher,” I cajole. Maybe Nash will bore the dragon with a history lesson and it will give up and go back to its lair with nothing but a headache from the hundreds of useless facts.
The dragon prowls closer, eyeballing me with a determination that sends a shiver down my spine. I twist my wrists, the rope burning as I try to work myself free. It ignores Nash completely, like he’s not even there waving a sharp spear around. I doubt it would even pierce the scales. They look as hard as metal. What is the point of this exercise? The knights aren’t armed with anything suitable to battle a dragon, that is clear as the new diurnal.
The dragon lifts its wing and flings it out. Nash yells out as he flies to the ground with a thump. I wince. That looks like it hurt. The horse bolts down the hill, and the roaring, cheering crowd breaks through my senses. The asshole Hallowed found this entertaining? I don’t know why I am surprised.
Nash jumps to his feet and struts toward me. The dragon opens its mouth and roars in his face, making Nash freeze. Then it comes even closer and folds its wings around us, caging me inside with the beast.
“She is not yours,” Nash repeats.
My left hand becomes free from the restraint, followed by my right. I rub the burn on my flesh as I stare the dragon down and scramble for a way to survive this encounter.
There was something in the books the Stirlings studied. A girl who tamed a dragon, she touched his heart. I lick my dry lips and hold the terrifying golden gaze of the dragon as I reach out my hand and press it against its chest. The scales are satin smooth and hot. I take a deep breath and try to channel my inner dragon tamer.
Its heart thuds beneath my hand, a heavy beat of power that leaves me a little awestruck that I experienced this. How many maidens could say they had felt a dragon’s heartbeat beneath their fingertips? None, that’s how many—because they got eaten if they tried.
“Come on, come on,” I chant, waiting for the miracle I know isn’t coming. I’m no dragon tamer.
The dragon nudges me back against the post with its nose, making me break contact as it huffs a breath in my face. I wave away the meaty smell. Wait, did the dragon just want a good sausage?
It sniffs my shoulder and runs its nose down my chest, pausing at my belly. Um, no. I smack its nose, making him jerk back and his eyes narrow. “Bad dragon, it’s not polite to sniff a maiden’s floof.”
“Did you just smack his nose?” Nash asks from somewhere outside the cavern the dragon has created with his wings. So the dragon is male? Figures, considering he has just taken an interest in my lady parts. Nash sounds like he’s trying not to laugh. So funny when you aren’t the object of the dragon’s attention.
“He tried getting frisky with my floof,” I explain. “Dragon or not, a maiden needs to be wooed before they offer her floof.” Also, how did that work? It isn’t possible. I don’t know where a dragon’s horn is located, but I imagine it to not be an anatomical fit for a maiden.
I can practically sense Nash’s amusement through the big leathery wings of the dragon. “Now what?” I ask Nash.
“Just stand still, no sudden movements. He doesn’t like it.”
“He doesn’t like it?” I frown at his understanding of a creature he is meant to be slaying, like they are well acquainted. The dragon huffs again, like he’s laughing. He’s definitely laughing. Great, even the scary creatures think my existence is a cosmic joke.
“Let her go,” Nash commands. If it was that easy, I’m sure the Stirlings would have been saving damsels every annus?
The dragon’s wings lift, revealing Nash. I take a step toward him. The dragon’s foot snaps out and his claws curl around my waist.
“No,” Nash shouts just as the dragon lifts his wings and we ascend into the sky. My eyes catch on Gwyneth as she breaks free from Charming’s grip and waves her hands like she’s trying to force the dragon down with the will of her mind alone. I mean, if anyone could, it would be Gwyneth.
The dragon roars and fire streams from his mouth, causing the shiny Hallowed to scatter like ants from their seats. He climbs higher and higher as I grip the sharp claws and hang on for my life. Once high enough, the blessed Hallowed no longer look shiny, just tiny dots running around the palace. He dives forward. My heart thunders so loud in my chest I can feel it in my throat. No one would survive this fall. Why didn’t he just burn me to the post like a normal dragon? I shiver against the cool air, but the dragon doesn’t loosen his grip and allow me to plummet to my death, like I expect. Nope, he tucks his legs up so I’m against his heated body, keeping the chill of the air from freezing me to death.
We fly for several turns, across the various lands. We pass out of The Hallows, through Far, Far, Away, and deeper into the terrifying lands of So Far Away. Oh no, this will not end well.
ChapterEighteen
Flying by dragon has never been on my bucket list, but it should have been. Once I get used to the sensation of the beating wings and the dizzying heights, the freedom is exhilarating. The heat of the dragon’s belly keeps me warm enough that I’m flushed, not shivering. The farther we fly, the less populated the area grows below us, until all I can spy is the odd herd of bunkum and flock of ratgeons. They are nasty little creatures with beady eyes and scaly wings that swoop down and steal the food from your hands. Their squawking is unbearable, a harsh screeching that makes my ears ring.
The dragon circles lower, wrapping around a snow-capped mountain. The air here is crisp and pure, without the heavy overlay of powders and perfumes from the inner lands. I pat the belly of the beast. “Hey big guy, watch it when you land, okay? I’m breakable and won’t be able to clean your lair or whatever it is you’ve kidnapped me for, because we aren’t compatible in other ways, if you catch my drift.”
