Hmm? A sleepy dragon lid lifted slowly, the pale orb beneath glowing slightly. Huh.
We gotta go. It’s time. I patted him again, hard as a rock. Way prettier, though. Hurry!
His eyes snapped open now and his head came up, quickly alert. He snaked his long neck out and twisted through one of the trunks, spying what lay beyond.
Go tell Saphira that we are ready.
Who?
Saphira. The white dragon.
Oh. I turned to hurry away. I turned back. What?
She is my best mate. Our eggs hatched close together. I trust her with my life, and I told her about our journey. She wants to come. She will help carry your friends. The bond requirements will be withheld while we are running for our lives. Because if you get caught, we will all be trapped here forever, or killed. We wish to leave. With you.
I didn’t have time to argue. Or say thank you. Or ask if this was a good idea. I just listened, running toward Saphira’s hangout, using the roundabout back way so none of the other dragons would see me. This close to Tatsu, Lucifer’s dragon, we need to take the utmost care, especially since the big dragons would be getting up to hunt pretty soon.
Reaching the dragon with the lovely snow-powder scales, outlined in dusty gray, I patted her shoulder.
No reaction.
Hey!
Still nothing. Oh, right—I could only think thoughts between a dragon that accepted me as a bond mate.
“Hey.” I kicked her this time. She was a dragon. She would barely feel it.
Her eyes snapped open, and her head jerked up, smoke pouring out of her nostrils.
“No, no.” I held out my hands. “It’s me. Archion’s rider. Remember? I guess he broke my trust, blabbed to you, and you consented to be a fifth wheel?”
Those luminous eyes, the “whites” a soft blue, blinked slowly. The black slit within enlarged, and she looked in the direction of Archion.
I put my finger to my lips. “Shh. Hopefully he also told you that we can’t let Tatsu know we’re leaving…”
Her body rocked back and forth until she was pushed up into a crouch, very graceful for a dragon.
“Get out of here without people—dragons—noticing.” I took a few steps away. “Then meet us in the air. We’ll be flying high. We have no time to lose.”
Back at Archion, I belatedly remembered that I should’ve probably put up some sort of illusion to show her sleeping in her spot. Then again, if Lucifer noticed the magic, he’d know I’d deliberately set out to hide her. If he noticed she was missing, on the other hand, he might just think she was out for a fly.
Okay, let’s go. I hovered up onto his back. Cahal is probably wondering where we are.
I thought your friend chose a dragon under his power level. Archion lifted into the air and flew forward a ways, staying low to the tree line. But his magic is able to cover Coppelia perfectly. With a larger dragon, that would likely not be the case. They will be stronger as a pair with that magic able to hide them.
I nodded, because I’d wondered too, but his insight made sense. We kept moving, and a little farther out, hopefully past the notice of Tatsu, he zoomed into the sky, meeting Cahal and Coppelia. Saphira joined us a moment later.
I tapped his neck on the side to adjust our direction. I had Darius’s bond to guide me now. His location was a glowing spot in my mind, and I could barely keep from pushing Archion to hurry faster.
We’ll be going into battle, I told him. I think it is a violence sect, so they’ll be able to defend themselves. We’ll need to clear the outside of the sect so a group of untrustworthy vampires can rush in.
I have not been in battle before.
I know. Trust me, it’ll be fun. You can do a sweep and then drop me off so I can fight on foot. I’m better off if I’m participating.
I’d hate to lose you.
Then help out when the time comes. If you feel fear, just—
I am a dragon among peasants. Why should I feel fear?
He wasn’t too old in dragon terms—a hundred and fifty or so—and male. He was basically a teen boy. He probably wouldn’t feel fear, stupidly so. But in this situation, that would help instead of hurt, so I let it go.
Cahal pulled up alongside us, high above the ground. He looked over, hard to see within the darkness and his swirling shadow.
We’ll need to give it all we have, Cahal thought. This is your only chance at escape. You fooled Lucifer once. It will never happen again.
Nineteen
“I’ve got nothing.” Penny wiped her face of sweat. Or maybe they were tears.
She sat back on her haunches with her hands braced against her thighs, staring at the iron bars locking them in a windowless ten-by-fifteen-foot cell. Stone blocks surrounded them on all sides but one. Only a sparse glow filtered in from the barred opening, which faced another stone wall. They couldn’t see anyone coming and going—hadn’t seen anyone since they’d woken up, as a matter of fact.