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15

THE HIGH ROAD

I had read that some are able to sleep on dragonback. I had hoped I would be one of those, but alas, Minkin was the only lucky one in our party, and once she rested against my back, she was blissfully unaware of the minutes as they passed.

Combined with the rush of air all around us, the temperature remained warm for only an hour. After that, I was glad of the nightcoat and the pressure from Minkin's body and Nogel’s form shielding my head from the brunt of the wind.

I dared not look down, especially when Grim's large wings pushed below him. Though the full-on night kept me from seeing much, the stars shed enough light to prove we were far higher than the gods ever intended.

I closed my eyes and silently cursed whatever fool first conceived of dragonflight but opened them again when I realized Tearloch was speaking to me. I turned carefully and looked over my shoulder, expecting him to laugh at me. But his frown was all concern.

"Look up, Asper. Watch the stars ahead. The beast has an easy rhythm. Breathe with him. Ignore the wind. We're just skimming the ground. Just skimming the ground. Just keep looking up. I won’t—we won’t let you fall."

I nodded and did what he said, keeping my attention on the smattering of stars, picking out patterns I knew and looking around for those I couldn't see. After a while, I laughed when I realized I was enjoying the ride, the rhythm, even the constant thud of Grim's heartbeat echoing under my backside.

I had never liked heights—but we weren't so high. Just skimming the ground. Just skimming the ground…

Two hours later, Nogel warned we'd be descending. Grim needed to rest, he said, and there was a small lake ahead. I was no longer afraid of the flying, just the possibility of falling. But when this flight was over and I arrived safely in Ristat, I was certain I would never climb onto a dragon’s back again.

The landing wasn’t nearly as violent as I’d expected, and I hid my relief while Nogel helped me to the ground. “A half hour should revive him,” he said.

"Come on. Mind your skirts." Tearloch grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the others. I thought he'd have a harsh word for me, but he just kept walking, kept dragging me along the shoreline until the prick of light from a few glow stones in the distance was the only sign of the rest of the party. But even then, he didn’t stop. Just released my hand and slowed a little. “Better?”

“Better than what?”

“Better than flying? You think you could keep up this pace all the way to Ristat? Or would you prefer to ride.”

I laughed and stopped, put my hands on my hips. “I didn’t take you for one of the Everfolk.”

He noticed and returned to stand in front of me, his breath labored. “Why do you say that?”

“You obviously have the power to read my mind. Or maybe you took that power from one of the Everkind along the way.”

He cocked his head and lowered his chin, and I suspected he knew how charming it made him look. “Anyone can read your mind, Asper. You hide nothing.”

“No one has ever accused me of that.”

“That’s because they didn’t want you to know, so they could keep on reading you.”

I thought of Demius, of Viggo. I could believe it of them both. “Well, then, thank you for the caution. I shall try to do better.”

He bit his lips, obviously realizing what he’d done. Then we both laughed. His attention caught on my mouth and held. His smile disappeared.

“You’re fairly easy to read yourself,” I said, as he closed the short distance between us.

“Oh? You know what I’m thinking now?” Those black gloves reached for my hands and he tugged me forward, until I could go no further.

“You’re thinking…” I plunged ahead, knowing my next words would ruin everything. “You’re thinking of Yora.”

Confusion. “Yora?” Then his brow smoothed, his voice fell to a whisper. “I am definitely not thinking of Yora.”

My heart nearly burst as he leaned toward me.

At the sound of running feet, he froze, then stepped back and let go of my hands. I turned to find the rest of my “servants” hurrying to catch up. Just behind them, the guards and Morrow slowed to a stop, realizing there was nothing amiss. After he and Tearloch exchanged a nod, implying the latter could see to my protection for the time being, he and his men headed back.

While everyone caught their breath, Sweetie looked pointedly around the circle. “While we have a private moment, perhaps Princess Asper might want to make a few confessions.”

“Hah! Confessions? I don’t know what you mean.” If any of them suspected what Tearloch and I had been doing, they showed no signs of it.

“I mean when last we saw you, you sported an apprentice’s robes with naught in your pockets but a sack of bug spice and a handful of leaves.”

I looked at the faces around me to see if anyone else understood the significance of those two things. To a man, they all seemed equally ignorant.

I sighed. “No. Not spice and leaves. Ingredients.” Still, nothing registered. “Dragonspice and the leaves of memory trees are both components of the most popular hallucinogens in Hestia. In the right part of the city—or rather, the wrong part of the city—they are considered quite valuable.”

Tearloch snorted. “Someone turned you into a princess and gave you an escort in exchange for that small bag of sand and a few handfuls?—”

Minkin interrupted with a laugh. “Not just handfuls. I saw her stuff her satchel and her pockets full of them.”

Sweetie scoffed. “We didn’t see that.”

She just smiled. “My eyes are closer to pocket-level, aren’t they?”

Tearloch was still doubtful. “Still, I can’t imagine any of that was worth a fortune.”

“But the location of an unlimited supply of dragonspice was.”

Now they were starting to believe.

“So,” Tearloch folded his arms. “I’ll ask again. Just what sort of industry were you apprentice to?”

I bit my lips together for just a moment. I’d sworn not to disclose the existence of Demius’ library to anyone. It had been an easy promise to make back when Demius was the only one with whom I interacted regularly. And I had trusted no one except for the one demanding that promise.

But now there were actual people in my life whom I was beginning to trust, however slightly. And I’d already confessed to having read a number of books. More importantly, Demius was gone. If others were to find out about his library, he could hardly be punished for it.

Finally, I decided to trust myself and the only people in Hestia who stood between me and complete solitude.

“My master was not a dealer of hallucinogens. He kept a library.”

Tearloch blinked at me. “A library?” His eyes widened slightly. “You’re telling me we burned books?”

Even though reading was strongly discouraged, the regard in which books were held was equal to holy relics and destroying them was nothing less than a tragedy. But laws change. Every century has its quirks. For a while, eating meat was discouraged, but no one suggested eliminating Hestia’s bovines. And one day, Demius was certain that reading would be encouraged again. So, until that day, the histories were to be protected.

“We did not burn any books,” I said. “The library is safe. It’s sealed. Even if someone found the entrance, they couldn’t access it.” My hand lifted unconsciously to my chest where the dragon key lay beneath my purple gown. Sweetie noticed, and when I dropped my hand again, his eyes searched mine. I only smiled.

“So,” Tearloch said, “you gave this Lady Edeen everything you had of value for a dragon ride to Ristat.”

“Yes.”

Sweetie lifted his heavy head. “You’re hoping to see the blue dragon before you die? Or are we after something else?”

“We?”

“Yes, well, our quarry got away.” He glanced at Tearloch, who gave tacit permission to go on. “Traded that steed for a dragon. We have no idea where he’s gone now. So we may as well help you, if you need us.”

They valued Huxor too much to give up the chase just to find out what I was up to. It had to be true that they had lost his trail.

“I’m going to find a way to stop the prophecy.”

“I don’t like the idea of seeking out the blue dragon,” Sweetie said. “No doubt many others are attempting to find it and kill it before it can do much damage. You don’t want to stand in the way of such people.”

“I’m not looking for the dragon. I have been promised an audience with Moire.”

Minkin gasped. “Moire! You were serious? You really intended to go to the palace, not just to Ristat?”

I sighed. “If there is a way to save us, Moire will know what it is.”

Dower rolled his eyes. “You don’t think she would fix it herself, if she could?”

“I don’t know. From what I’ve read, I’ve gotten the impression she’s quite mad.”

The entire gang exchanged glances, but I couldn’t guess their meaning.

Bain laughed. “So you’re going to the palace to question a madwoman? The king’s own daughter-in-law? In the middle of this chaos?”

Tearloch smirked. “Well, she’s certainly dressed for it.” He brushed past me and headed back to the shoreline. “See the bright side. Maybe we’ll find Huxor in Ristat while we’re playing entourage.”

Sweetie watched him go, his brows high. “Is he whistling?” He scratched his wide, bull-like forehead. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

Minkin rolled her eyes. “I do.” She turned to follow Sweetie and sent a smirk in my direction.