Page 25

CHAPTER 25

AURIA

C hange probably didn’t need to involve hiking into the woods after the sun had gone down, but I’d already made it to the cave I’d spotted on my walk, so there was no point in going back now.

The protection of the tunnel was a welcome relief from the almost-painful winds outside. I was thankful my hair was tied back in a braid, otherwise it would have been all over the place, and I’d have turned back not even twenty feet in. Hiking in a dress, though, was not the most ideal. I should have opted for the leather pants and shirt Siara had left for me, but it had felt inappropriate to wear to a dinner, no matter how informal it might have been.

It wasn’t just my curiosity that led me into this cave, though. It was the urge to be alone. In Amosite, I had had no company aside from the guards who were always strangers, sometimes a chat with my maid, and a visit with Taylin if I was allowed. Other than them, I was typically by myself, with only my thoughts to keep me company. After so long of that, the social interaction that’d been required on this trip was exhausting, and I needed a moment away.

Did I need to do it at night by exploring a mysterious cave system? Probably not. But in being able to make my own decisions, I wanted to do something risky and not be told, No, you can’t do that . It’s not safe.

I wasn’t a shard of glass, fragile in its imperfect state, yet I was treated like I might break at any moment. It wasn’t for the fear of losing me , though. It was for the services I offered that might be lost. Which led me back to the confusion of my father forcing me into an engagement with Lander. Did he truly plan on us having a wedding or was this all simply for show? To bring the kingdoms back together so trade could be as it once was, but never with the intent for us to get past this stage?

Ahead of me, a drip sounded, echoing throughout the tunnel. I paused, waiting to hear if it continued, but it was only the one. To be sure it didn’t actually come from behind me, I turned around, but as soon as I shone the lantern into the dark space, my heart leapt into my throat.

“Scared of the dark, Princess?”

I sucked in a breath, jumping back at least a foot as my hand came up to cover my heart. The shock was more than enough to cover the pins and needles that worked their way up my leg. “Holy gods.”

“What are you up to?” Bowen asked, not moving from his spot.

“Living with no regrets,” I spit at him, trying to calm the racing beat of my pulse.

He cocked a brow, and I turned back around, heading deeper into the cave. He quickly caught up, matching my stride. “Exploring caves during a storm was not my suggestion.”

“No?” I acted oblivious, like maybe he truly had advised such a thing.

“I told you to have your freedom, Princess, but not to be foolish about it.” His voice didn’t hold the same stern edge the guards’ did when they commanded me to do things. A small vibration rolled through the ground, and he gritted out, “We need to get out of the damn cave.”

I ignored the sudden bite in his tone. “You can leave at any time if you’re so scared. Plus, I don’t think I need to listen to you.” My eyes searched the textured walls around us.

He hummed, our steps echoing off the stone. He was matching my slower pace due to catering to my ankle. “You should.”

My fingers around the handle of the lantern tightened. “Will you lock me away if I don’t?”

In the faint glow of the flame, I could see the firm set of his mouth and the frown that pulled at the corners. “No.”

“Will you punish me for not obeying?”

Another vibration beneath our feet had his hands flexing at his sides. “No.”

“Are these orders to turn around?” With each question, we moved deeper and deeper into the tunnel. The glimmer of the rings in the sky no longer lit up a portion of the cave. It was truly pitch black, save for the fire.

“No.”

“Then I don’t see why I should turn back if it’s not what I want to do.” I was aware of what I was doing, how stubborn I was being, and yet, I pressed on.

“Because it’s not safe to be in the caves during a storm of this severity,” he stated.

“Why’s that?”

He stepped over a stray rock in our path. “The storms can influence the shifting of the earth, and you don’t want to get stuck down here. Believe me.”

“Have you before?”

“No. But I know people who have.”

I dipped my chin, keeping a close eye on the ground to be sure not to trip. “Ah, so they lived to tell the tale. We’ll be okay.”

“I never said they lived, Princess.”

My steps barely faltered, but it was enough for him to reach a hand out to steady me, the ghost of his touch on my waist sending sparks through my limbs.

I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as a low rumble vibrated the ground, stronger than before, sending dust falling from the ceiling. All around us, chunks of rock began to rain down, barely missing us where we stood. Bowen grabbed my arm, and I had not a moment to breathe before he was pulling me to the ground and covering me with his body. My back hit the floor hard, knocking the air from my lugs, but his hand cradled my head, protecting it from the impact.

The sound of rocks crashing to the ground was the only thing filling my ears. Panic surged through me, and with each rock that hit Bowen, his stiff body flinched.

This was all my fault.

If we died—if he got injured—it was on me.

Maybe this was why I wasn’t allowed freedom. Why I wasn’t allowed to make my own decisions. Why I was kept locked away from everyone—so as not to bring them harm, too. I was reckless. Coming into this cave was injudicious.

“Auria.” Bowen’s voice filtered through my thoughts, and I realized my ears were ringing.

“Auria,” he said again.

I blinked away the dust coating my eyes, my vision blurry as I tried to focus on him hovering above me.

His hands roamed my body, but I barely felt it through the adrenaline coursing through me. “Are you hurt?” His face was in mine again, his hands now placed on the ground on either side of my head.

My head lolled to the side to find rocks everywhere. Close. Too close.

“Hey,” he murmured, setting a hand on my cheek and bringing my gaze back to him. “Eyes on me. Are you hurt?”

Had he always been this breathtaking? Or was it the panic that had closed my lungs?

“I think I’m okay,” I croaked. My nose and throat felt dry, like they were coated in chalk. At some point, he’d lowered my bandana. Or it had fallen in the chaos. I didn’t know. But he’d lowered his as well, and our noses were almost touching, our breaths mingling through the dust trying to settle.

“We need to be careful moving,” he said, examining the destruction around us. “The rocks could still shift.” His eyes landed on me again. “I’m going to get up now, okay?”

I nodded, and he shifted, pushing away from me. As soon as his body was off mine, I quickly missed his weight. Being vulnerable in an unstable cave wasn’t comforting in the least.

He held a hand out, and I took it. As he pulled me up, a rock slid down the wall, dust following in its wake. My grip on him tightened as I realized the lantern had been crushed, and the magic from the vial that had been tucked in the holder seeped out onto the cave floor. It was the only source of light we now had, but it wouldn’t last for long.

I reluctantly let his hand go as he surveyed the space. Rocks had fallen in a heap, covering the way we’d come, which meant our exit was blocked.

“Did you tell anyone where you were going?” I asked, my voice higher than normal.

He walked the few feet to the wall of rubble, searching for any weak points. “No.”

“Great,” I mumbled, though it wasn’t his fault. It was mine.

I crouched by the fire magic, watching it flicker and shimmer along the stone. A part of me hurt for the waste it had become in the destruction I’d brought upon it. It had had a task, and I had been trusted to use it, and yet it would die here. Because of me.

“Auria,” Bowen said, and I looked up to find him watching me. “We’re going to be okay.”

“A few feet back and we would’ve been crushed,” I pointed out quietly, my voice breaking.

He crossed the distance, kneeling beside me to study the magic. “We’re alive, and I’m going to make sure we stay that way.”

The magic flowed in a stream, coming closer to my boot. My fingers ached with the urge to reach for it. To build it back up again and give it the life it so needed. “You can’t be sure of that,” I whispered.

“They’ll figure out we’re stuck eventually. Raiden or one of the others will come looking. They can never seem to leave me alone for long.”

The ache built, running up my arm and pulsing at my muscles. “What if the light runs out before then?”

“It won’t,” he said confidently, standing.

“It will.” With the amount left, it’d survive maybe an hour.

“You won’t let it.”

My gaze jumped to him. “What?”

“You keep it flowing, and I’ll find us a way out.”

“I’m not sure what you?—”

He pinned me with his eyes, stopping me. “Let’s pretend we both know each other’s secrets right now.”

My brows pulled together. What were his secrets?

“You know what I can do?” I asked as he went back to the wall and set his hands on it.

“Very aware,” he grumbled.

“What is yours, then?”

From the open end of the cave, an echo sounded, much like the same drip I’d heard before. Bowen’s head turned in that direction.

“Water might mean there’s a way out,” he said, ignoring my question.

I’d make it a goal of mine to figure out what his answer was before I left for Amosite.

“Or another way to die,” I snipped.

He crossed to me again. “Only one way to find out. Grab some of that.” He gestured to the amber liquid.

“Just…grab it?”

He nodded. “In your palm. It won’t hurt you unless you will it to.”

I lowered my hand to it, but rather than it allowing me to scoop it up, it flowed to me like I was a magnet. As it pooled in my palm, it tickled my skin, then warmed as it settled. I’d never seen it react like this outside of the vials, so I wasn’t sure exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.

“It likes you,” Bowen observed quietly.

I straightened, gently cupping the magic in my hand. It glowed through the cracks of my fingers, lighting our way. “I don’t think it knows what it’s doing.”

He began walking deeper into the cave. “Oh, it does.”

Again, the drip sounded, louder this time, which meant we were getting closer to whatever it was.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, not looking back at me as I followed.

“Are you?”

“What makes you think I’m not?”

“You’re being nice.”

We followed the tunnel, and the farther we got, the more persistent the drip became.

“I’ve been nothing but welcoming since you arrived in Deadwood,” he defended.

“You barged into my tent without warning,” I reminded him.

“If it makes you happy, Princess, I’ll knock from now on.”

Our boots echoed along with the drip, centuries of dust shuffling under our feet.

“Why do you have a right-hand man?” I asked, interrupting the silence.

“Not sure what you mean.”

“Flynt. Siara said that’s what he is to you.” He was playing dumb, unless Siara and Flynt had lied?

He was quiet, and during his silence, I decided to pull at the magic with my body, seeing if it would duplicate in order to keep itself alive. To my surprise, it did. Amber liquid squeezed through the cracks in my fingers, and I pulled my power back a bit as it threatened to drip to the floor.

“He’s an advisor of sorts,” Bowen finally admitted.

“But you aren’t a king.”

“No,” he agreed. “I’m not.”

“Then why do you have an advisor?”

He looked back at me. “Why do you have a friend when your father keeps you locked away?”

He waited for a response, but I had none. What was he trying to say?

“Are you telling me you keep him close because you’re lonely?” I asked as I stepped over a hole in the ground.

He stopped, and I almost slammed into his back. “Lonely isn’t what I would call it.”

“What would you call it, then?”

He turned, and I was far too close to his chest. “An entire town relies on me to keep them alive and fed. While you may not know what that’s like, Princess , it is anything but an easy job.” He hissed the nickname at me like an insult.

I lifted my chin. “I never said it seemed easy.”

“Then don’t chalk my desire for others’ opinions on important matters up to me being lonely. I am far from that.”

He faced forward again, continuing on his way.

I followed suit. “Right. The brothel.” Lander had told me what the green building was, and I had to admit, it didn’t shock me to know what they did in there. People had desires. There was nothing wrong with giving in to them.

He chuckled, the sound low as it bounced off the walls. “I don’t need to find company there.”

“Are you insulting them?”

“Far from it. Not many can handle the tasks of what those men and women do every day. If anything, I commend them.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Really?”

He must’ve heard my footsteps cease, as he stopped and turned to face me once more. “Yes. Is that so shocking?”

“It is,” I admitted. My father didn’t allow prostitutes of any kind in Amosite, as far as I was aware. I’d eavesdropped on many meetings where he’d yelled about the disgust of it. Yet, it was no secret that his guards hired the few who worked under the table in the city. There were many secrets to be heard when you had nothing to do but listen.

“Well, it’s true. Now may we keep moving?”

I went to take a step forward, but as soon as I did, a massive, ivory face appeared from the wall of black directly behind Bowen.

“Bowen!” I screamed, and he turned just in time to avoid the beast’s teeth tearing his head from his body.

It had no scales like the dragon that had found me in the snow. Instead, it was all bone with hollow black holes where its eyes should have been. Its teeth were a mangey yellow, and its jaw snapped as Bowen dodged the attack.

It let out a roar as its head thrashed to the side, hitting the wall of the cave to knock more rocks from the ceiling. The sounds clashed together, reverberating through me. Bowen was on the other side of the cluster of rocks that fell, pressed up against the wall.

“Auria! Are you okay?” he shouted over the chaos.

“Fine!” I yelled back, but it was followed up by my breath getting caught in my lungs as the dragon pinned its hollow eye sockets on me. A rumble poured from its throat, echoing through the cave.

Bowen attempted to distract it, throwing a rock at its skull before unsheathing a dagger from his belt.

“What are you doing?” I shrieked.

“Getting its attention off you,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the beast. “You want to eat someone? Eat me.”

Its head swiveled in his direction, and though it was fully made up of bones, I could tell it was annoyed just in the way it moved. And probably hungry. Very hungry.

Its teeth snapped again, and out of nowhere, its tail whipped out, crashing into the rocks. They shattered into hundreds of pieces, flying every which way. I covered my face, pressing the front of my body up against the wall while trying to keep the fire magic tight in my grip. We were going to die, most certainly so if I let the light die out.

“ Darkness has no place for mercy ,” the dragon growled, its voice deep and grainy.

I looked back at it, finding its head facing me again. From my peripheral, Bowen moved toward it as the dragon took a step. The force of its talons hitting the ground shook the cave floor.

“We don’t want to harm you,” I told it, my voice trembling. I’d never seen a dragon before that day on the mountain pass, and now here I was, face to face with one that bore no scales, no skin—only bones. It was a sight to behold, watching a skeleton of a dragon prowl toward me.

Maybe my father had hidden me away for good reason. The real world was no place for someone as weak as me.

“ You are in my home ,” it rumbled, coming closer with each step.

“Auria, back up,” Bowen warned from the other side of the rocks. He tried to make his way over them, but loose ones prevented him from getting very far.

I stood my ground, staring the dragon in its face. Its wings were tucked close to its body to avoid hitting the ceiling, cobwebs spread wide between its limbs. Was it stuck underground?

“We got lost, and our way out is blocked,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.

Its head cocked to the side, but it continued its prowl. It filled the entirety of the cave, its body barely fitting in the tunnel. By the way the bones of its chest contracted before widening, it looked like it took a deep breath, and then Bowen was yelling, “Auria! Cover your mouth!”

A burst of green gas released from its mouth, and I ducked down, dropping the magic in my hand in order to cover my mouth and nose. Bowen lunged, making it over the rocks. He stuck his dagger directly in the center of its ribs, but it was no use. The dragon let out a roar, the gas cutting off and lingering in the air like a fog. It swiped its tail at Bowen, catching him in the leg, but he somehow stayed standing and ran for me.

The dragon snapped its teeth as Bowen sprinted by, and then he was scooping me up into his arms, running back the way we came. The beast thundered behind us, gaining momentum quickly. We turned corner after corner, but it only got closer with each passing second.

“Bowen,” I started.

“I know, Princess. Don’t look back,” he panted as he sprinted faster, harder, speeding through the tunnels. Magic was stuck to my hands after I’d dropped the majority of it, but I was thankful, as it was our only source of light to see where we were going, my hands glowing as I held on to him.

Despite his command, I kept my eyes on the dragon, my heart racing in my chest. If I was to die, I wanted to look it in the face, not hide. I was weak, not a coward.

We were close to where the rocks had fallen, and we both knew what would come once we reached them. We couldn’t fight it off, and the exit was blocked. It’d corner us.

Almost as if an invisible wall had sprouted up out of nowhere, the dragon slammed into it. Its bones clinked together as it impacted whatever was there, its body curling in on itself. It let out a frustrated roar, growling as it shook its head.

“Bowen. Look.”

He glanced over his shoulder, stopping in his tracks. He kept me cradled close to his chest as he turned, looking at the dragon, where it stood trapped in the cave. It tried to ram its head into whatever it had run into, but it had no luck getting past whatever was there. It was surely stuck.

Bowen slowly lowered me to my feet, steadying me with a hand on my back as my arm slipped off his shoulder. After another try, the dragon roared in our direction, its head outstretched from its neck, jaw wide. If it hadn’t been stopped, we’d be dead right now.

With a defeated huff, it pivoted its giant body around, swishing its tail back and forth as it disappeared into the darkness. With the sight of it, my eyes shot to Bowen’s leg—the one that had been hit. “Your leg.”

He glanced down at it, all that was left in its wake a small tear in his pants. His skin was untouched. “It’s okay. It barely got me.”

On the other side of us, a noise that sounded like a rock being moved echoed through the cave, followed by the wind whistling into the tunnel. We both turned in the direction the sound had come from.

“Someone’s moving the rocks,” I said, seeing a thin strip of dim, orange light shining on the wall beside us.

I hurried toward where the light was coming from, Bowen close on my heels. My ankle screamed with every step, but I ignored it. We had to get out.

As we rounded the last corner, we found the top half of the wall had been taken down already, flickering lantern light illuminating the men at work removing rocks from the other side.

“Ah, Vulcan was telling the truth,” Flynt announced over the sound of the wind as he hefted a rock off to the side. It landed with a crash, blistering into multiple pieces, and I flinched.

Bowen stepped to the side of me, his arm brushing mine. “I wouldn’t let him know you thought he was lying if I was you.”

Flynt snorted. “As if I’d ever do that.”

“He’s dumb enough that he would,” Raiden piped in. I hadn’t noticed him there until he moved the rock blocking his view from us. He was taller than Flynt by a few inches. His arms had to be bigger than my thigh, and he moved the rocks like they were little more than a piece of parchment.

From somewhere behind the two of them, a low thud sounded, and the ground shook again. I grabbed Bowen’s arm, fearing the cave would collapse.

He looked down at me, concern in his gaze, until he realized why I was scared. He turned to face me completely, blocking me from Flynt and Raiden’s view. His hands moved to my neck, and I realized he was readjusting my bandana before fixing it back over my mouth and nose.

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore. And don’t be fooled by them,” Bowen muttered to me. “They’re using strength magic.” He did the same to his own mask after he spoke.

“He’s just trying to make up for the fact that he couldn’t move a few pebbles,” Flynt teased, clearly having heard Bowen speak. He and Raiden both had their masks in place, and it seemed the storm was only growing stronger, if that was even possible. It was foolish of me to come out in this, and now they were all dealing with the fallout.

Bowen stood by my side again, keeping us a safe distance back in case any rocks rolled.

“ They have been complaining about the task for over an hour, ” a deep, rough voice said, but it sounded far away. My body tensed with the knowledge that I now recognized it being a dragon that spoke.

Bowen’s finger grazed my wrist, but he didn’t look my way.

Flynt wiped sweat from his brow, turning toward where the voice came from. “Don’t you have anything better to do, like find some poor sheep to eat?”

“ I’m hungry for a different flavor tonight ,” he said casually, as if he was insinuating that one of us was on his menu.

“He won’t hurt you,” Bowen murmured to me.

“ Don’t be so sure, ” the dragon purred back.

“Why don’t you go relax until the storm passes? The winds will only get stronger, making it harder to fly,” Bowen said, having to raise his voice so the dragon could hear him over the howl.

Something like a chuckle echoed through the cave. “ A small breeze has never been a problem for me. ” Then the sound of wings beating flowed through the tunnel, and I assumed the dragon had taken Bowen’s advice.

Bowen left me where I stood to help with the rocks, moving them one by one until we could step over the mound safely. All the while, I watched his back flex under his shirt, his arms straining with each boulder he moved after using the strength vial on himself. He was already strong on his own, but the magic only emphasized it.

Though it seemed as if he disliked me, he’d protected me tonight—covered me with his own body so that I wouldn’t be injured by the earthquake, and distracted a dragon dozens of times his size from eating me alive. All of that combined, I wondered why he would do such things. As far as I could tell, making sure I was unharmed wasn’t on the top of his to-do list, and yet, he’d shown up here himself, asking me to return to the town. In addition to all of that, he hadn’t commanded it. He’d simply recommended it.

I had had a choice in the matter. And sure, I’d chosen wrong, but Bowen had given to me what no one ever had before.

A say in what I did.

And I couldn’t help but wonder why.