Amos had to give it to Paul; he knew how to put on a show. Rebels policed the crowd awaiting Amos’ death in their shiny new armor that was too hot for the Desert heat. Paul even built a stand for Amos’ cage so he could see the faces of everyone as he died.
Paul ascended the stairs to the podium, wearing the crown Amos’ father once wore, and raised a hand to quiet the crowd. He gave a grand introduction that Amos couldn’t be bothered to listen to. What did it matter? Paul was going to kill him, locked in a cage covered in his own shit. His only solace was that Clover would paint the streets with Paul’s blood and decorate the gates with his head.
“He doesn’t even bear the mark of the dragon,” Paul bellowed, catching Amos’ attention. Paul gestured to Amos. The fennec foxfamiliarmark could be seen clearly, even through the iron bars.
Could they get this over with already? Amos’ knees wanted to buckle, but they didn’t have room.
At this point, the only thing unappealing about death was leaving Clover.
Two men grabbed his cage, rattling him back into existence. They fiddled with something near his neck until the top released, pulling it off like a hat. His body stayed bound, but he could now move his head.
“Amos Stratton, you are sentenced to death for treason, by order of the king,” Paul declared. He turned to Amos, and their eyes met one last time.
Amos looked away, refusing to let Paul be the last thing he saw.
He focused on a mountain in the distance and thought,at least I’ll get to see my mother.
An enormous shadow descended upon them, blocking out the unforgiving sun. One look skyward had the crowd running with ear-piercing screams. Amos watched the pandemonium unfold from his iron perch.
“Hold!” Paul screamed at his men. A few tried to valiantly serve their king, but they decided to save themselves when a massive body covered in dark red scales slammed into the ground with a deafening roar. The ground shook and dust swirled in the air, blinding anyone with their eyes open.
Sasha whipped her head toward the stage. Paul’s men ran, leaving only Amos and Paul to face her down. Paul stood tall until she blew a stream of fire at him. He jumped out of the way in time and disappeared with the others.
“Sasha?” Amos didn’t know if she remembered him or not. Ember must have sent her, though he’d never heard of a wild dragon leaving the den.
Sasha didn’t react to his words, but she studied his cage. “I know. They could have at least painted it a pretty color, huh?”
She continued to ignore him. “Thank you.” Sasha sniffed at his cage and recoiled, huffing out smoke. He chuckled. “That kind of hurt my feelings, Sash.”
Amos worried Paul would assemble archers and attack Sasha. If that happened, he’d glamour her so they couldn’t see her until she could leave, but what if an arrow got in her eye first?
“If Paul finds men stupid enough to attack you, you need to leave.”
Sasha poked at the cage stand with her nose. “Are you listening to me? You could get hurt.” She poked it harder, and he teetered a little. “Easy, girl. I don’t have a cage protecting my head anymore.”
Turning her head sideways, Sasha opened her jaw and picked up Amos’ cage with her mouth. He yelped when the world went sideways. The cage slid out of its stand, and Sasha set Amos on the ground, facing the sky.
The pressure off his back and legs felt like a slice of the heavens. He sighed and rolled his head to look at the dragon. “Thank you, again.”
She positioned her body around his and covered him with her wing to block out the sun. He still worried she’d get hurt, but he trusted her to keep them both safe.
Hours later, a crowd had formed around them—far enough away that Sasha wouldn’t burn them to a crisp, but close enough that they could watch Amos lose his dignity.
“We’re in the capital,”Roland said, and Amos had never been happier to hear from hisfamiliarthan he was then.
“I’m with Sasha in front of the palace.”
“Sasha?”
“My father’sfamiliar. I thought Ember sent her?”It was the only explanation as to why a wild dragon was out in the open.
“Ember didn’t send her.”Roland replied.“No one did.”
Amos opened his eyes and looked at the dragon protecting him. Heat built in his chest. “I love you, Sasha.”
The dragon ignored him. Typical.
The Hydra wove themselves into the chaos of the spectacle Paul created. The closer they got to the palace, the more difficult it was to push their way through.
