Page 30 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood (Dragons of Tirene #3)

Chapter Thirty

The onslaught of emotion is a raging echo of my own anger and hurt over experiencing a firsthand account of the displaced phoenixes and the Tirenese people’s centuries of sorrow. The knowledge that my kin could have continued leading Tirene into peace and prosperity if not for the actions that stole their throne fuels the downpour of betrayal.

The thieving Bardas claimed countless lives with their greed and jealousy after the Aero family lost their power.

I summon my dampening shield, not so strong it will mute the voices of the dragons, but enough so that I can think for myself without losing myself to their anger. Then I rise to my feet, Bastian’s worried gaze tracking my movements.

A thundering roar shatters the air, shaking leaves from trees.

My eyes snap toward the source even though I can’t spot him.

Cailleach. His patient mind radiates incandescent wrath.

“Come on.” I motion for Bastian to follow as I head up the stream. “We need to get to Cailleach.”

As if answering Cailleach’s call, dragons converge at the valley’s mouth, their scales catching the dying light like a field of gemstones. Their collective emotions crash over me, a tidal wave of hostility and dread.

They smell intruders. Wingless humans. The trespassers creep closer with every heartbeat.

But there’s something else. A foul, disturbing scent that claws at their senses. Every dragon around us is ready to fight, ready to defend their sacred home against this abomination.

These abominations. Several of them.

Cold dread settles in the pit of my stomach.

With our wings propelling us, Bastian and I rush toward the ancient dragon. His massive form is easy to spot on the sandy riverbank, a relic of might now thrashing in frustration.

“Easy.” I land beside him, feeling the tremors of his rage in my bones. Still, I don’t dare dampen because if we’re about to join in the battle, I need to feel the dragons. “We need you whole and hale.”

Cailleach’s milky eyes, filled with a warrior’s fire dulled by blindness, meet mine. He longs to fight, to protect the others from the invaders, but he fears becoming a liability rather than an asset.

I push my confusion and worry toward him and receive his memories of a time when humans dared to challenge the sanctity of this place, hunting for phoenixes.

But these intruders reek of something fouler, and they bring enslaved, sickly dragons with them.

“Enslaved dragons?” I turn to Bastian. “But I thought I saw Tirenese soldiers releasing the dragons and flying them away from Flighthaven the day that Sterling abducted me.”

Bastian grimaces. “You did, but some of the dragons were too sickly to make the flight to Tirene, so they left them all in a patch of wild land in Aclaris. The dragonriders hoped they’d be far enough away to remain free, but it sounds like that’s not the case.”

My mind reaches beyond the valley, grasping for those dragons.

The connection snaps into place, cold and slimy, like touching a serpent covered in oil. A Flighthaven dragon. The creature’s mind is wrapped in chains. Shackled.

My heart sinks. Not just one. There are five of them.

“The five dragons and riders we passed on our way here are outside trying to break in.” I look around, hoping for another way out of this predicament that doesn’t involve taking on an army. Or alerting Aclaris that we know about the phoenix tears. “The dragonriders may be corrupted like Leesa. Our dragons can sense the wrongness.”

“That means they may have been searching for you this whole time.” Bastian’s head jerks back in confusion. “Wait. If that’s true about the dragonriders, then why aren’t the Flighthaven dragons afraid of them?”

“They’re subdued somehow. Many of them are out of their minds and will torch a human without thought.” I swallow hard as I think about my friend Olive Holte, incinerated by a rogue dragon just before Sterling flew me out of Flighthaven. “I’ve seen it happen.”

Bastian’s hand drops to his sword. “Do you think their dragons sensed you and led their riders here?”

“I don’t know. But we’re far outnumbered. We need to escape them and get back to Tirene.”

Cailleach swings his head to the glacier crowning the valley. He nudges his snout toward the ice cap and then down to the trickling water on the mountainside.

I follow the silent gesture. My heart hitches as the bit of dark at the base of the sunlit ice catches my eyes. “Another opening. To the outside?”

A flicker of caution passes through his emotions, a warning mingled with concern. This alternate way out is not without its perils. Conditions cold enough to freeze the marrow in our bones and form ice along our wings wait on the other side of the passage. Only the younger dragons, with their youthful arrogance, even attempt to pass through.

I relay the information to Bastian. “We can do this. With our fire, we can help keep Nailah and Kaida, not to mention ourselves, warm enough to travel through the passage.”

Despite his obvious stress, a small smile tugs at Bastian’s lips. He ruffles my hair in an uncharacteristic show of affection. “Good thinking, sis.”

Though my eyes sting, I return his smile. “I have my moments.”

Cailleach’s ancient eyes fixate on me. More than anything, he wants to protect his family. But his diseased eyes restrain him. He knows that instead of having their largest and strongest with them, the younger, smaller dragons will have to fight to protect him. Sadness rolls off him like fog over water, and I can’t stop the tears from gathering in my own eyes.

“Hey.” I approach him with careful footsteps. “It’s okay.”

I swipe the wetness from my cheeks and pause, staring at the drops on my fingertips. My mind whirls.

“What’s wrong?” Bastian draws closer, eyes darting between Cailleach and me.

Both the ancient, powerful dragon and I are crying.

Again, I stare at the glistening liquid on my fingers. According to the history the feather revealed, these may not be just any tears, but phoenix tears. Because as a descendant of Queen Aero’s who demonstrates dragoncaller abilities, the blood running in my veins carries the magic from that first miraculous exchange between that phoenix mother and empathetic princess who saved those chicks.

Theoretically, anyway.

Once the ridiculous idea hits me, I can’t push it aside.

“May I?” I tap the scaly skin beside one of Cailleach’s cloudy eyes.

His confusion is palpable, yet I can also sense his trust.

He inclines his majestic head.

Gently, oh so gently, I press my tear-soaked fingers to the milky film covering one eye. For a heartbeat, I fear I’ve imagined the possibility.

But then the haze begins to recede, unveiling an unobstructed golden eye.

A sense of awe spreads through me. “By Zeru’s foot.”

The vision…it was true.

A myriad of emotions tangles me into knots, and I’m not sure how to react.

Bastian simply stares at me, his jaw hanging low. “What the fucking fuck just happened?”

I almost giggle. I think this is the most I’ve ever heard Bastian curse.

“The power of the phoenix resides in my blood.” I give him a very condensed version of my visions, and when he starts to pepper me with questions, I hold up a hand. “There’s no time now. I’ll fill you in on the flight home.”

Cailleach blinks, shock giving way to a joy so profound it buoys my spirit.

My own vision blurs again—tears of happiness now—and I dab them, eager to restore his other eye. “Here, let’s get you fully back in the fight.” My voice cracks with emotion.

With another careful touch, the second eye clears, and the ancient dragon roars a battle cry that shakes the leaves and the trees of the valley.

His gratitude is like nothing I’ve ever felt. He is no longer a burden to his kin, but a source of safety and…

And I feel it myself.

Not from Cailleach. Not as an echo. But bubbling up from my own heart.

I spent the first part of my life protected by others. Now I know my true nature, and it’s my turn to heal and protect my loved ones.

This changes everything.

Cailleach nuzzles my neck in a very un-dragonlike gesture.

I rub the silvery scales of the dragon’s cheek. “Go ahead, Cailleach. Show them what it means to mess with our families.”

With bloodthirsty amusement, he transmits the same feelings back.

He ascends with a powerful leap, abandoning the patch of dead grass where’s he’s lain for so long.

“Whoa,” Bastian utters beside me, his tone a mix of disbelief and admiration. “That was incredible.”

“Right?” I can’t help the grin as I project a wave of need through the bond I share with the dragons. Within moments, the loyal beasts swoop down, landing with heavy thuds that kick up dust around us. “We need to leave while the troops outside are distracted. We’ll be going out the back door while they try to kick down the front.”

“I just can’t get over the fact that you just healed a dragon’s eyesight.” He reaches out, fingers brushing my cheek. “It’s…wild.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. We can talk more once we get the hells out of here.”

That snaps Bastian into action. “What’s the plan?”

“Up there.” I point toward the gleaming ice cap. “We’ve got ourselves an escape route through the glacier. But it’s going to be colder than the three hells freezing over, so we’ll have to create a heat barrier for protection.”

Bastian clenches his jaw, determination etched onto his features. “If we’re trying to be sneaky, that may be tough. I think we should both ride on Kaida together. That way Nailah can fly tucked in beneath him if necessary without us worrying about me getting crushed. We can combine our heat that way too.”

“Let’s do it.” I hug Bastian. “I may be a dragoncaller, but I still have so much to learn about dragonriding. I’ve never flown in a storm, and from what I’ve gathered from Cailleach and Kaida, there’s some terrifying weather going on. You’re taking the reins on this one.”

“Deal. Layer your wings over mine. We’ll need to lessen our drag on Kaida as much as possible.” Bastian climbs up the dragon’s extended foreleg like a spider, and I’m right behind him.

Bastian and I jostle for space, but eventually, we settle with him in front and me pressed tight against his back before alerting Kaida that we’re ready.

Kaida shifts his weight, signaling his intent to Bastian.

My brother tightens his grip on the dragon’s scaly neck. “Let’s do this.”

With powerful strokes of their wings, Nailah and Kaida lift into the sky, steadily ascending toward the icy opening above.

The higher we go, the colder it becomes, each gust of wind a biting claw against exposed skin. I reach deep within, calling forth my fire magic, and cast a warm aura around Bastian and myself. It’s like I’m wrapping us in an invisible blanket, the heat radiating from my core to his, fighting back the chill.

Kaida grunts in warning as we near the opening. He tucks his wings and dives, his mighty claws scraping against the ice, finding purchase where none seems to exist. Nailah follows suit. Together, they haul us up and into the maw of the glacier.

While the ice still reflects light from the sun, shadows already darken the far end of the tunnel. It’s probably just my nerves talking, but I swear more light fades with every breath.

My arms clutch Bastian while I attempt to hold back a shiver that has nothing to do with the cold. I have no idea what awaits us on the other side of the mountain.

Ice crunches beneath Kaida’s weight, the sound sharp and loud in the confines of our frosty path. As we emerge from the icy tunnel, the world transforms into a blur of white. A relentless snowstorm greets us, its howling winds a stark contrast to the silent sanctuary we’ve left behind.

The cold bites at any exposed skin like a carnivorous beast, and our breaths form misty clouds. We both funnel more heat into our little bubble while I cling tighter to Bastian.

“Can’t see much in this mess!”

The wind swallows my shout.

Kaida growls beneath us, a deep vibration that resonates in my bones. He doesn’t like this grating cold—none of us do—but he pushes forward.

And we instantly fall like a rock.

Screams immediately assault my ears.

Not from us or the dragons. The wind here is a relentless chorus of shrieks as it blasts snow and ice around the high peaks of the mountains, battering against us with the fury of the unleashed elements.

Behind us, I feel Nailah’s smaller body catching up and I realize we’re not actually free.

Kaida is doing this on purpose to allow Nailah the chance to get under his belly, where she will be warm and safe before he opens his wings.

Once she’s situated, we take a steep dive down the mountain, heading north even as we lose altitude. Each muscle, each shift of weight, every slight tilt of the wing Kaida makes is mirrored by Nailah.

Even with our combined magic for warmth, it’s a struggle to keep the chill at bay. The ice we pass through melts only to freeze again when our bubble of heat passes on. I’m not sure if the crackling I hear is the ice melting, refreezing, and cracking, or if it’s my ears fighting to adjust to the sudden changes in altitude.

After a while of fighting the elements, I can tell that Bastian’s power is beginning to fade.

Despite the pain in my sinuses and constantly trying to get my ears to pop, I can’t shake the sensation of being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and just as I twist around to scan the skies, a dark shape bursts from the tempest.

Below us, a black dragon, scales glistening like oil on water, swoops around the side of the mountain.

“Dragonrider!” I hiss, my heart pounding against my ribs.

I’m so caught off guard and worried about warning the others, I forget to dampen my emotions.

The black dragon’s head whips up, and he stares directly at me. He opens his mouth to bugle out a challenge.

Kaida reacts immediately, veering to the side as a blast of dragonfire bellows up at us. With a flex of magic, I push it away. The flames melt the snow, but we’re getting closer.

Nailah gives no warning at all as she returns the blast of fire, aiming not for the dragon but the rider.

The black dragon dodges the fire as his rider fixes us with a gaze that chills deeper than the storm.

His eyes, pools of darkness void of light, mirror Leesa’s when she was under the drachen’s vile control.

The sight ignites scorching fury within me.

“Careful, Lark!” Bastian shouts as the rider raises his hand, conjuring gusts of wind that violently buffet us.

There’s a harsh tug against my body.

The threat of being torn from Kaida’s back looms large as we dodge and weave.

The wind continues with its relentless gusts, each one a malicious whisper that promises the rider a fall.

Flames burst from my hands as I push against the bitter wind. Their bright, orange-red glow serves as a stark contrast to the dark magic wielded by the Aclarian rider.

The black dragon veers away, his massive wings cutting through the snow-laden air.

Nailah’s and Kaida’s snarls of disgust get lost in the howling storm.

I catch the black dragon’s eye, a gleam of intelligence within the abyss, and my heart stutters with recognition. I know him. He’s the very same dragon I inadvertently connected with and freed at Flighthaven. Later that night, he escaped.

Which only means one thing.

He was recaptured and drugged again.

“What has happened to you, friend?” I reach out with my mind, tendrils of thought snaking toward the creature.

Nailah joins me, spewing fire at the rider so he has to duck and take meager shelter along the dragon’s back.

I leave her to the attack and focus on a different tactic.

There’s a dance of flame and shadow in my head as I tap into the power I’ve used before.

A memory of freedom.

An echo of battles past.

The agony of confinement.

Confusion.

As the connection snaps into place, I am immersed in the dragon’s agony and the chains around his will.

We can break those chains. We’ve done it before.

I pour every ounce of determination into my mental grip.

With a surge of my magic, I wrest control from the rider, the dark influence crumbling like burnt parchment. The dragon bucks in a wild, desperate twist that flings the rider into the void.

His scream pierces the storm before an eerie silence swallows the sound whole.

The black dragon pauses midair, shivering off the last remnants of control.

Gratitude washes over me, so pure and profound it tightens my chest. Fly free! Fly far! Escape!

He does, swooping down in one smooth arc to snatch at the falling figure of his tormentor. The dragon crunches the rider between his sharp teeth before spitting him out to continue his fall to the snow-covered mountainside.

“What just happened?” Bastian doesn’t turn his head, keeping his gaze fixed ahead of us just in case of further attack.

Kaida and Nailah bugle with happiness as the black dragon veers away and flees.

“The black dragon was drugged and enslaved. For the second time, actually. I freed his mind like I’ve done before, back at Flighthaven. He’s going to find somewhere to gain strength and recover, somewhere far from Aclaris. I couldn’t have left him like that. Not when we could help.”

The black dragon disappears into the flurry, and pride flares in my chest.

Bastian exhales a loud breath. “Then let’s get out of here and hope no one else heard the bugling. Even with you on our side, I don’t want to try and take on four other riders. And I’m afraid my fire is just about drained, so I won’t be much help for defending or keeping us warm.”

A wave of fear ripples over us, prompting Nailah to fly after the fleeing black dragon and Kaida to thrash around while searching the sky.

I know something terrible is coming when the black dragon’s icy panic starts coursing through me.