Senna

  They were airborne.

  Turbulent wind wrapped around them, ripping the air from Senna’s lungs. Enormous white wings spread out above them, partially blotting out the sun. Leathery, translucent wings, her brain registered through her shock. They were so wide they nearly blocked all of her view of the sky as they flapped relentlessly.

  They were flying. Actually flying, higher and higher above the forest. The river became a thin, sparkling band. Rydan and Grady were nothing more than specks that quickly disappeared.

  Senna tried to scream but no sound came out. Her stomach lurched as they went higher, the flight choppy as they gained altitude. Her eyes watered as her brain scrambled to make sense of what had just happened.

  There was no way to turn her head, to look at the creature who carried her away from everything she’d ever known. To salvation or doom, she didn’t know. Either way, she’d made her choice. She snapped her mouth shut and swallowed as her body shuddered violently. She forced her eyes closed and air into her lungs in stubborn defiance of the fear that consumed her. Her head swam, the world spinning even in the dark of her mind.

  Her hands clung tightly to his scaled arm that held her with an iron grip. Her fingernails tried to dig in but didn’t find purchase on the smooth surface. Yet, she squeezed harder as tears still streamed from her clenched eyelids.

  She had known he wasn’t human. She had known it the moment she spotted him in the ravine. Rydan’s accusation only solidified it for her. He was too fast, too calm. Utterly unafraid. She’d known something was off.

  But this?

  A draconian. She had no doubt about that suspicion now. She’d placed her unwavering fate into a creature known to hate humans. Feared, violent shape-shifters. Capable of tearing villages apart single-handedly. The very creatures who forced the King’s hand into the magic that transformed Carsil forever. They weren’t supposed to be able to come here.

  Her mind spun through the tales. The stories told to children to keep them from wandering too far.

  The jarring stopped and Senna breathed in a deep, shaky breath, chancing a peek.

  She gasped. They were high in the air, far above land and they were soaring, wings spread out flat to catch the air. She gazed around in wonder. This was nothing like the ascent. It was smooth. Out in the distance, she saw the sparkling line of the sea and blinked against the sun’s reflection.

  It was… Stunning.

  Then they turned, gliding into a wide arc as she watched the land turn beneath them. The forest and gentle rolling hills glinting green and lush in the summer rays. It was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen and for a moment, her fears were all but a forgotten knot in her stomach.

  And then he dived.

  Her stomach lurched again, the ground rushing toward them at alarming speed. She tensed, turning her face away as they plunged closer to land. He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound a second before his wings snapped out, stopping their fall.

  She felt him land, feet gently touching down. Still, she clung to him, afraid to open her eyes. She felt him bend and her knees hit the soft grass. Still she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “You can let go now,” He said, voice rough and low in her ear. “You’re safe.”

  A laugh bubbled up her throat at the absurdity of the word. Safe. She did let go, sliding from his arms and into the grass as if her body were made of liquid and not flesh and bone. She curled, another laugh escaping her as she wrapped her arms around her knees. That’s when the tears really began flowing, her body trembling violently.

  A big hand patted her back and she froze for a second, turning her head toward the creature who she’d trusted her life to. Her eyes widened as a normal, human face stared down at her in concern. Bright green eyes, somber with a frown.

  “I’m sorry if I frightened you,” he said. “I didn’t see another option. The beasts had us surrounded and seeing as you didn’t seem to want me to harm them… It was the only way we could escape without a fight.”

  Senna nodded, still unable to find the words as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

  “Come inside,” Vence said, standing and gesturing behind her. “It isn’t much but at least it's some shelter. We’re far enough away that no one will come looking while you rest.”

  “W-why…” she started before her voice failed again, body still trembling in its recovery.

  Vence frowned down at her, eyebrows crinkled in concern. Without a word he bent down and scooped her into his arms, not even bothering to transform. He had no trouble lifting her.

  “You’re in shock,” he stated bluntly. “And you have a head injury. There has been tremendous stress on your body and you need to rest, probably for a while. I’ll watch over you while you recover.”

  She slumped in his arms, equally defeated and relieved. At least he wasn’t planning to outright kill her. Besides, she knew she had no choice. It’s not like she could fight her way out in her condition. Or in any condition, likely. The edges of her vision were blurry, growing more so by the second. It was all she could do to stay conscious until he laid her down inside what appeared to be a crumbling cottage.

  She blinked once. Twice. The face above her disappeared behind her eyelids as she let the darkness consume her.

  –????????–

  Senna woke to silence.

  For a few heartbeats, she didn’t know where she was. She jolted upright, looking around in panic. The world swayed violently. Her heart pounded as she tried to blink away the bleariness of rest.

  An old cottage. A ruined room. Stone walls swallowed by moss and creeping vines. The smell of damp wood and the sickly sweet smell of the forest floor in decay. Pale light streamed in through several holes in the roof, catching sparkling dust as it streamed in.

  Not the river.

  She sucked in a sharp breath. Her memories crashed into her in a brutal, dizzying wave.

  The basement. The darkness. The smell of mold and blood. The pain in her skull. Running. Running. Geo’s voice. His scream…

  She brought her hands up to cover her face, grief fresh once more. Black fire flashed in her mind and she jumped, as if the memory of it burned her. She saw Geo fall and tried to push the image away as bile rose in her throat. She jumped to her feet and swayed.

  The river. The hounds. Green eyes watching her.

  Flying. Fear rose unbidden in her as Vence’s name bubbled into her thoughts.

  She paused, reaching up to feel the back of her head and frowning when she felt nothing. Not even a mild tenderness. There was no trace of the injury. How long had she been asleep?

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside. She tensed just a moment before the door, splintered and fragmented, creaked open.

  The man who’d just consumed her thoughts and filled her with fear stepped inside as if thinking his name had summoned him. He saw her standing and paused, eyebrows raised in surprise.

  He looked the same as before. Tan skin. Tall and impossibly strong. Blond hair tied back loosely. Green eyes that watched with careful attention. Human, if she didn’t know any better.

  “You’re awake,” he said, stepping toward her.

  She took a step back.

  He stopped again, frowning. Senna looked down, noticing for the first time what he carried in his hands.

  Fish, skewered on a long pole, were still dripping from being caught. Noticing her attention shift, he took another tentative step toward her. This time she didn’t retreat.

  “I brought food,” he said, holding out the fish. “You need to eat. I healed you as much as I could, your body had to do the rest. But it can only do so much without sustenance. I was getting worried when you still didn’t wake.”

  “How long was I out?” Senna managed to croak. Her mouth and throat were so dry it was painful to swallow. Vence reached up and unstrapped a waterskin from his back. He hesitated a moment before taking another tentative step forward. She didn’t back away, now eyeing the waterskin sloshing loudly as he moved.

  “Water,” he said, holding out the skin to her.

  She looked into his eyes for only a moment before snatching the waterskin. It was large and filled nearly all the way to full, it’s weight making her sway. With another suspicious look at Vence she sat back on the floor, not trusting her legs to hold her and support the weight of the water. Once settled, she opened the skin and drank greedily, water running over her face and down her chin and throat as she gulped. It was a long minute when she finally stopped, gasping for air.

  Vence stood over her, watching. He didn’t say anything but when she went to take another swig, he turned toward the door once more.

  “Take it easy on the water,” he said. “There’s plenty more just a short walk from here. I’m going to roast the fish over the fire and I’ll be back.” He disappeared outside once again.

  Senna did not, in fact, take it easy on the water. She drank and drank until she felt like she would burst. Then she lay back, setting the waterskin to the side. After a minute, her stomach cramped painfully and she rolled to the side just in time to vomit water and bile all over the floor.

  She coughed, momentarily choking on the water before heaving again.

  She gasped, trying to breathe as the bile stung her nose. She heard footsteps and turned her head enough to see Vence’s boots approach.

  He sighed. “I told you.”

  He kneeled down to pat her back, helping to ease her off of her hands and knees and move away from the watery vomit puddle. He helped her settle against the wall and squatted in front of her, placing a hand to her forehead as she panted.

  “You’re dehydrated,” he said, sighing again. “And you need to eat. But otherwise, you’re healthy. No fever.”

  He handed her the pole with the five fish, now charred and steaming. She turned her face away, the nausea still tightly clenched in her stomach.

  “Eat,” he commanded, grabbing her hands and placing them on the pole. “Take small bites. I know you don’t feel like it but trust me it will help with the ache. Take it very slow.”

  Senna looked into his eyes. Really looked. She studied them intently, looking for any sign of malignity but finding none. Piercing green stared back, nothing but concern etched in Vence’s stern features. She gripped the pole and he nodded slightly, moving back but still within reach.

  She realized he was waiting for her to eat so she took a small, tentative bite. The warmth and flavor filled her mouth and she nearly moaned with how good it was. Vence smirked, standing to his full height. “Take it easy and eat slowly, thoroughly chewing every piece or you’ll end up bringing it back up again. Your body has been through a lot.”

  “How long was I out?” Senna asked again, voice still raspy. She licked the oil from her cracked lips.

  “Three days,” he said calmly, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

  Her eyes widened. “That’s not possible.”

  “You were concussed,” he replied. “And exhausted. Your body needed time.”

  “My head,” she said, touching it again. “It doesn’t hurt. It couldn’t have completely healed in three days.”

  He hesitated. “I told you already. I healed you.”

  “How?” she asked.

  “With magic,” he said, eyes now searching hers.

  That made her stomach tighten. She pushed the fish away, feeling suddenly ill again.

  “Healing is not my strength,” he continued. “I did the best I could but your body still had to finish the job. Though it seems it was enough. If I hadn’t, we would have been here much, much longer while you recovered. There isn’t time.”

  She closed her eyes and took deep steadying breaths. This was all too much to take in at once. “Why are you helping me?”

  “I told you already,” he said with a sigh. “I saw you were in danger. I couldn’t just leave you to die.”

  “Why not?” she asked without thinking. She opened her eyes to watch his reaction. “I thought Dracocians hated humans?”

  He laughed then. A real laugh. Senna’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Are they still telling those tales?” He asked, a dazzling smile breaking across his face. “Surely you don’t believe those bedtime stories?”

  “So… It isn’t true? You don’t destroy human villages for fun?” Senna asked. Despite his smile, she couldn’t bring herself to match it.

  His grin fell away as he studied her face. “You do believe it.”

  It wasn’t a question. They stared at each other for a moment before he sighed again, running a hand back over his hair.

  “I always forget how you humans are,” he said, shaking his head. Senna was surprised to see his expression had turned solemn, almost sad. “I just saw someone in need and helped. That’s all. You could have died if I left you here. I’m not the monster you believe me to be.”

  “I don’t think you’re a monster,” Senna nearly whispered.

  He laughed again, this time bitter. “No, not me, just the rest of my kind.”

  She didn’t deny it but instead said, “thank you for saving me.”

  He nodded but the hardness didn’t leave his eyes.

  “Why are you here?” Senna asked, squirming under her scrutinizing gaze. She diverted her attention back to the fish, pulling the pole up to her mouth for a bite once more.

  “I brought you here for shelter,” he said slowly. “I told you this already.”

  “No, not here, in this house,” she explained. “Why are you in Carsil?” She left out the part about how she thought the Dracocians couldn’t come here.

  She chanced meeting his eyes once more and immediately knew he saw through her.

  “Don’t you mean how did I come here?” he said sarcastically.

  “No,” she protested though she knew her face burned, giving her away. “I mean why did you come here in the first place? It surely wasn’t just to save me.”

  “Why can’t you just be happy that I helped you?” he asked.

  “I said thank you,” Senna replied, biting off a piece of fish. She looked at him expectantly.

  “I owe you no explanation,” he said, arm muscles tensing as he looked her over. “But if you insist, I am here on a mission for my king.”

  “The Dragonking?” Senna asked, eyes going wide.

  “Yes.”

  Her pulse quickened. “What kind of mission?”

  “Eat,” he said instead, motioning to the fish. “It grows cold.”

  She hesitated, considering pushing the issue. Then she took a bite. He’d obviously already told her more than he’d planned to. Just because he hadn’t harmed her yet, that didn’t mean he couldn’t change his mind.

  “The king’s daughter is missing,” Vence said quietly. Senna nearly dropped the fish in surprise. “We searched extensively. Found nothing.”

  “His daughter?” she asked, eyebrows nearly to her forehead.

  “Yes,” Vence said, nodding. His eyes were faraway now, gazing across the room. “He won’t give up until he finds her. It’s already been many moon cycles since her disappearance. Still we search.”

  “Why does he think she would be here?” Senna asked.

  “The only lead we have is where she was supposed to be heading when she left,” he said. “The princess is strong willed and flies impulsively. Once she gets an idea in her head, there’s no stopping her. What makes it worse is that she is the king’s true heir. There is no one to stop her besides him.”

  “His true heir,” Senna whispered, frowning. “How awful.”

  “Yes,” Vence agreed and she couldn’t help but notice the utter sadness of the word. “She is loved beyond measure. Her father and our people are devastated.”

  This struck Senna hard. Loved. The stories she had grown up with painted the Dragonking as a monster. A creature of endless hunger and cruelty.

  “That isn’t how the Dragonking is spoken of here,” she said carefully.

  “How is he spoken of then?” Vence asked, eyebrows raised. “That he commands his people to destroy and take the lives of innocents all in the name of power and glory? Funny. That sounds like our stories of the human king.”

  She fell silent.

  “Our history is violent,” he went on. “On both sides. Do not believe everything you hear. Stories change over time. They evolve. Details are lost. Others are removed deliberately. Especially when prejudice and power are involved.”

  He paused. “Humans live short lives. Their stories pass quickly through generations. They shift faster. Each telling bends the truth a little more until the original tale is nearly unrecognizable.”

  Senna didn’t know what to say.

  “A little word of advice. Form your own opinions. Don’t let the prejudice of others sway you. You never know what doors will remain closed if you don’t have an open mind.”

  “I trusted you,” she said, raising her chin a little.

  “So you did,” Vence said thoughtfully. “I must leave soon.”

  She looked at him, panic rising in her chest. What was she supposed to do now? Although he was a mystery to her, he still saved her.

  “What was your plan?” He asked, studying her.

  She looked down at her hands. She hadn’t had one. There had only been the need to escape. To run. To survive.

  “I didn’t have one,” she said. “Only to get away.”

  Vence was quiet for a long moment.

  “You will not survive in Carsil,” he said. “They are not kind to stray women here.” She nodded. She knew this.

  “This goes against everything I should do,” he said. “But I will take you with me. That is, if you want to come.”

  She looked up sharply. “Where?”

  “There is a place,” he explained. “Where all kinds of people are welcome. Malubog. In the Southern Isles. The settlements and towns there are self-governing. Anyone can come and go.”

  Hope flickered, fragile and dangerous.

  “But I must return home first,” he added. “You would have to come with me. I don’t have time to make any more detours. Staying with you has already put me at risk of being searched for myself. I ran out of communication scrolls a week ago when I was supposed to be returning home. They are going to think something happened to me.”

  “Go with you?” She asked, head spinning. “To Dracocia?”

  “Yes.”

  Fear curled in her stomach. Carsil was cruel to women alone, that was true. But Dracocia… But she could think of no other option.

  She nodded, mustering every bit of courage she had. “I will go.”

  –????????–