Page 60 of Golden Queen (Idrigard #1)

Twenty-One

I looked out across my city as Veles' sharp claws clattered across the roof tiles. My heart broke for what I saw.

So many people—far too many, were still left in the city. Those who refused to leave, whether because of stubbornness or fear, I could never have said, but they were dying beneath the blades of these brutal soldiers.

Smoke rose from the shops on Merchant's Square, and screams echoed across the city. I looked at Io, helpless and angry. "What can we do?"

"There is nothing we can do, Sera. We cannot go against so many thousands of soldiers. And I will not leave you unprotected while I try."

I knew his words were true. The dark mark of the approaching Penjani horde lay across the godsgrass—a stain on the plains that stretched from the city wall all the way to the western horizon.

Aben stepped beside me, glancing back at Io, who hovered close to my side. His hand was raised slightly, as though I might tumble from the edge of the roof, and he needed to be ready to catch me.

"We need to go before the wyverns get here. If there are enough of them, even dragon fire will not do us any good," the big Dragon Mage said.

I nodded and turned to head toward Veles.

As I took a step toward him, I remembered the elderwood seed, still lying in the drawer of my bedside table, now in the Queen's Tower.

"I have to get something," I said, feeling ridiculous as I said it, but unwilling to take the time to try to explain. "I'll be quick."

Before anyone could argue, I turned and raced off down the line of the roof in the direction of where the tall, round Queen's Tower rose like a sentinel above the castle.

The tower balcony was on nearly the same level as my old chambers. It was simply a matter of hopping up a few levels of roof, across a short gap, and then shimmying along the balustrade until I could climb onto the balcony outside my room.

As I made the first hop up, I heard Io behind me. Of course he would come.

I turned to give him a grateful smile—glad that he had not asked me what I was doing.

When I reached the short gap between roofs, I felt his hands at my waist. He was unwilling to allow the almost nonexistent level of danger hopping across a two-foot gap entailed. "You are ridiculous," I said with a wry smile.

"Yes, because coming all this way to see you splattered on the cobbles is not ridiculous at all."

It felt almost normal between us. I appreciated that more than anything that had happened since they’d taken me from the hallway outside the chancellor's office.

We entered my chambers quietly, stepping gingerly across carpets littered with glass and debris. I was horrified to find the entire room had been ransacked.

Forgetting caution and my bare feet, I ran to the bedchamber. The little horse figurine Set carved for me out of a piece of driftwood Arkadian brought him from Lithaway, had been smashed as though someone had done it on purpose, out of spite.

My dresses were gone. My jewelry box was dumped upside down, now empty. The bed covers and the mattress had all been slashed with a knife.

My sword was gone. The beautiful Obeskan steel blade that Arkadian had given me what felt like several lifetimes ago, was missing from where it always hung from the edge of the mirror in the corner.

The drawers of the bedside table were pulled out, their contents dumped on the floor.

I wanted to cry, but I would not allow myself to. I had something important to find—something I now knew was as much an honor as the oath of fealty Io had just sworn to me.

I got on my hands and knees beside the bed.

"What are you looking for, Sera? I'll help you find it."

"A necklace," I said laying on my stomach and sliding under the bed, reaching around in the darkness with shaking hands.

He didn’t question why I was frantically looking for a necklace. He just got down onto the floor with me and used his fire to light the space under the bed. When it glinted off something silver, I nearly squealed in relief.

Io saw it, held out his hand, and within a heartbeat, the elderwood seed was in his palm—dragged from the far side of the bed by his magic.

He placed it into my hand, and we rose.

"Good?" he asked.

I nodded, putting the chain over my head and tucking it under the coat.

I shot a cursory glance over the rest of my belongings, finding little of importance other than breeches and a loose tunic. Whoever ransacked my chambers had apparently not cared about the few items of men's clothing I owned.

Io stood in the doorway with his back turned while I dressed, not even willing to leave me behind a closed door with no other exits.

I appreciated it. I did not want to be alone. I had spent far too much time by myself in that little cell, either standing or hanging, with only my own thoughts for company.

I pulled on a pair of Tatana's slightly too small boots, and we left the chamber. As we reached the roof again, Io took my hand and held it securely in his as we hurried back to Veles.

"Did you get it?" Aben asked.

I nodded.

"I hope it was worth it," he said, speaking low. "We need to get the fuck out of here before the wyverns catch sight of the dragons and give chase all the way back to the people on the Godsway.

"It’s worth it," I assured him as I climbed onto Veles, the big dragon giving me a rumbled greeting. "I'll tell you why soon," I shouted across to him.

Britaxia was already in the sky as Veles leapt up from the roof. Aben followed quickly, and we joined my white dragon, who was circling above the city.

We raced north—toward Io's men who were flying sentry for the final caravan of refugees from Albiyn, somewhere along the northern Godsway.

I watched my burning city fall away behind me until I could no longer see anything around Io's broad shoulders, and then I sank gratefully back into him, closed my eyes, and slept.

Somewhere east of Gold Harbor, we left Aben and Britaxia in the sky as Io angled Veles down to the glittering reflection of a stream winding through the godsgrass.

I had begged him to find some water so that I could bathe the feeling of the dungeon from my skin. I was already relatively clean. The necromancers had seen to that. And my dragon's silver flames had somehow burned away the remainder of the blood and piss and filth of my trial.

I still felt dirty, though, as if some part of their touches had been left behind on my skin.

I undressed at the edge of the stream while Io looked away. Before I could set my foot into the cold water, he turned, kneeling beside the stream with his eyes downcast. He let one finger trail into the water and in moments, steam wafted from the surface.

"Thank you," I said.

I watched his profile as his lips curved up in a small smile, but he would not turn to look at me.

I did not want him to look at me. I felt...utterly and horribly disgusting. I did not want him to see that.

There was nothing outwardly changed about my body, but I felt the insides were all rotten, like a teeming mass of worms crawling just beneath my skin.

I stepped into the water and waded out as far as I could before I sank under the surface of the river.

I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut, holding myself under. I let the sound of the water rushing past my ears drown out the world beyond. I hoped somehow it would all disappear if I stayed under long enough—all but me and him and this water. Let it all fall away to nothing.

Hands slid under my arms, and I was hauled up roughly.

I sucked in a breath, feeling the air rush into my straining lungs. I didn't think I had been under very long, but I coughed and sputtered as water poured up hot and burning from my mouth

"What the fuck, Sera?" Io demanded angrily, spinning me around to face him in the waist deep water.

"I—I didn't mean..." I tried, my voice hoarse.

"You didn't mean to what, Sera? To drown yourself?" He was incredulous, his eyes wide and angry. His hands were on my arms, fingers digging in as I began to shake. It took me a moment to realize the shaking was sobbing. I looked down, trying to hide my face.

He pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me as he loosed a ragged breath. "Sera," he said. "Gods, Sera. I'm sorry."

I didn’t speak, fighting the instinct to assure him that I was okay, even as my body continued to shudder with the force of my tears. I wrapped my arms around him and held on, feeling the strain of my tired, aching limbs.

“You are safe now, Sera,” he said, tightening the arms that surrounded me. “I have you. There is nothing to be afraid of.” He was speaking as though to a small child. Some part of me wanted to bristle at that, but I couldn’t. I was terrified. I needed reassurance. I needed his arms around me.

I didn't know how long we stood that way, soaking wet in the middle of the icy river, but I never got cold. The water stayed warm as he held me until the crying subsided and the shaking ended.

"We have to go," he said, after a while. "We are not yet far enough away from the city for my liking."

I nodded against his chest, still reluctant to let go.

Only when I heard the rustling of Veles' big body sliding through the godsgrass did I let him go and move to the riverbank.

He followed, no longer trying to avoid looking at me as he helped me get dressed. Thanks to his fire, even our clothes were dry when we climbed back onto the big black dragon and once again took to the skies.

We met up with the caravan of refugees at sunset, finding them camped beside the Godsway.

We made our way to one of the groups, where Io's general, Malach, was regaling a crowd made up of Albiyn nobles and common people alike, gathered around a small fire.

He was telling them a story about the time a dragon's egg had gone missing from the nursery at the Reach, and the entire city had joined forces to find the thief.

Malach didn't miss a beat as we joined the group, sinking down beside the fire gratefully.