Page 55 of A Hunt Bound in Blood
“Excellent. That’s the way I prefer it.”
She laughed and turned to her pack, the tension between us broken. “Now, where were we on this dinner thing?”
Outside, the storm raged on. The rain had eased and come back, the thunder had shifted farther away, then returned, but both continued with such ferocity I was more than a little relieved my companion had invited me into her inner sanctum. I might have drowned already if I’d stayed outside.
Still, I wasn’t about to take advantage of the situation, more than ready to earn my keep.
I took over transforming our simple, gathered food into a serviceable meal, leaving Glory free to work on the clue from the cave. The space between us was so tight that every time I moved, I brushed against her. After the third time, I expected her to get annoyed, but she didn’t seem to notice, too caught up in what she was reading. Our remaining map, the one that had been tucked into my blanket, lay stretched across her bedroll, and from the glimpses I stole while I readied our feast, I could tell I wasn’t going to like where we were headed.
“Well,” she said after a long while. “That’s not ideal.”
I handed her the dried meat, a handful of dried grapes, and the last hunk of waxy cheese and dropped onto my blanket beside her.
“Please,” I said, “make my day better.”
“We knew this was coming, but I’d hoped for a bit more time to prepare.”
The meat turned to powder in my throat. “Dragon territory?”
She nodded, her expression grave. “Dragon territory.”
A groan slipped out before I could stop it. “Is the landmark up in the mountains?”
Glory read over the clue again, then scanned the map, as though she hadn’t studied both two dozen times since she’d begun. “I don’t think so. He references the coastal valleys, and something about frozen lava. From what I know of my geology, that’s the eastern side of the Doldemy Peaks. So at least that’s something. We can find the quickest route over the mountains and not spend any more time there than necessary.”
I wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince. Having to stop for a signpost or not, there was no way this next leg of our journey would be pleasant. Simple, yes. Get from one side of the mountain to the other without being eaten or burned to crisps. Easy? Not a chance.
“Have you made the trip before?” she asked, and I knew she was seeking reassurance that we weren’t utterly doomed from the start.
I wished I had any reassurance to offer.
“Once. Years back. It… Well, it would have ended badly if Syrus hadn’t intervened.” It was how we’d met. If not for him, I would have been either demonic remains crushed against the rocks or some dragon’s breakfast.
“Syrus is the man who was with you the day we met?” When I nodded, her brow furrowed. “What was he doing out here?”
I chuckled. “He’s a dragon shifter. The mountain peaks are his home.”
Her mouth fell open, and she looked again at her map. “How?”
“There are small shifter villages scattered throughout the mountain range. The dragons leave them alone—one of the only groups in the world they ignore—and the villagers take advantage of the benefits. Secure spaces, constant warmth, great views. They shift and travel when they need to resupply, but they’re a very solitary group.”
Which was why I’d been surprised when Sy had wanted to leave and join me, but I never judged anyone looking for a change.
Glory set down her half-eaten food and rubbed her palms over her knees. I understood her fears. I carried them as well. This was the part of the trek I’d dreaded since we’d set out. Frankly, I’d hoped we could find a way to avoid it, or that the notes had been wrong, but ever since the trap that had split open an entire glade, I’d accepted that those hopes were empty. A mage as twisted as Tersey was would have found great joy in sending people over that mountain. He no doubt had a secret way across—or through—but anyone trying to follow him would have no choice but to face death head on.
“Is this worth it to you?” I asked.
She pursed her lips around a bitter laugh and flicked her eyebrows upwards. “Asking the hard questions, are you?” For a while, she was silent, considering her answer. “I’m tired of wearing a mask every day of my life, hiding who I am and what I can do. I’ve been doing it for twenty-five years, and I’m exhausted. I think…” She cleared her throat. “I think I’ve reached a point where I would rather stare down a dragon and risk being turned to ash than go back to that life.”
Her honesty shook me, and I took a closer look at this woman sitting at my side. Little by little over the past week and a bit, her guard had dropped. I barely recognized the person who’d strode into my office with her proposal. I certainly liked this version of her more, and it pained me that she felt so constrained with the life she’d made for herself.
“You think going home and tucking yourself into a closet office in the library is a better option?” That wasn’t much of a life. Did she not realize there was more to the world if she wanted it?
She winced but looked away so quickly I suspected she didn’t want me to notice. “At least in my closet, I can be myself.”
“You’ll still be answering to the king. You’ll still have to hide.”
“But not all the time,” she argued. “I love my books, and I love my research. I can surround myself with everything that gives me peace without the burden of my secrets weighing me down. So no, it won’t be the best life, but it’ll be far beyond what I have now.”