Page 15 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

Elf

“The horses are ready,” Calian informs Rohan, looking at them all saddled up. “We lost one of the cart pullers to the wild dragon, but I hooked up two smaller ones and unloaded a few things to make it lighter.”

“Good. Kaldar?”

He nods. “Ready.”

Rohan whistles, and there’s a neigh before Serah trots over to him. He murmurs to her as he holds her head, and I look at her mane that’s now braided, along with her tail.

Did he do that, or someone else?

“Drogonah!” Rohan bellows suddenly as he steps away, and I tense.

A distant roar is followed by the sound of wings. I look up into the morning sky and see him heading straight toward us. I not so subtly move behind Rohan, not able to get away with the rope attached between us.

Others move out of the way as the dragon lands, but Serah doesn’t even flinch, letting me know this must be a normal occurrence.

Drogonah shakes himself out, his tail swishing back and forth as Rohan moves to him, pulling me along. Drogonah looks over at me, his lips peeling back as I try to shrink behind Rohan.

“I’m with Serah today,” Rohan says to him. The dragon rumbles. “Fly above. Then the others will see we are on our way home.” Another rumble, and not for the first time I wonder if he understands Rohan. Can they talk somehow? “Guide the others well.”

Drogonah nudges Rohan, then he flaps his wings a few times, causing a flurry of snow to drift up from the ground, taking to the skies. I spot the other three dragons that are with the clan flying toward him, ready to head out.

“Come.” Rohan tugs on my rope, then I’m hauled onto Serah who shifts beneath me.

“Grip the pommel.” He places my hands on the part that sticks up on the saddle.

“Do you not know the parts of a saddle?” Rohan looks at where my hands are.

I shake my head and lower my eyes, not wanting to see the anger there.

His sigh is weighted, and I wonder if he regrets taking me.

“You shall be given books when we arrive at the settlement.”

I gulp at that. We weren’t allowed books. A slave shouldn’t dirty such things.

Rohan lifts himself onto Serah with ease, positioning himself at my back, his arms coming around and grabbing the reins.

I know that, at least.

“Ride out!” I jump at his shout, and then he taps his heels on Serah, and we set off at full speed. I squeak at the unexpectedness of it, my back pressing against his chest.

His dark chuckle of amusement can be felt, but I ignore it and lift my head to watch Drogonah flying directly above us, casting us in his shadow as the others fan out around him.

Kaldar rides to Rohan’s left, Adora to his right, and when I look back I see Calian at the edges, making sure we all stick together. Garret and Olaf seem to stay in the middle with the carts, searching the skies.

We ride for a while, which causes an ache on the inside of my thighs and I’m sure my eyebrows are now icicles in the winter wind. My hair is tucked beneath the hood of the cloak I’m wearing, but everyone else has theirs out, braided neatly.

Rohan slows when we come to a frozen lake, holding his hand up to halt the others. Soft hoofbeats can be heard and I turn my head as Kaldar rides up beside us on a brown horse with white spots.

“We may have to go around,” he says, and Rohan grunts as he climbs off Serah. I go to follow, but he unties the rope and wraps it around the pommel, giving me a hard look that says, stay put.

I swallow as Kaldar gets off his horse and follows him to the lake. I hear others stop near me at the front, but I keep my eyes down, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

“Kaldar looks hot when he’s all scowl-y,” Olaf says, and Fiona giggles. “Look at those hands, too. Hmm, those hands can do a lot of things.” Olaf sighs dreamily.

“You act like I don’t know,” Fiona replies in a sultry tone.

“Do you need more of our attention, Fiona?” Olaf’s tone has a harder edge to it now. “It was a long time ago when you warmed his bed.”

“I’m sure there’s room for one more.” Her hopeful tone gets shut down instantly.

“No, there isn’t. Three in a bed is enough… for us all. ”

They’re all in a relationship I realize. Not just some… fling for each other.

How wonderful that must be. To have more than just one for comfort and love.

Fiona sighs as they take their horses further away from me to where Rohan is, but I hear their words anyway.

“I cannot believe he allows her on Serah. No one is allowed to ride her.”

“He probably needs to keep her close, or she will run off again.”

“She’s in her way,” she whisper-hisses, and Serah shuffles.

“No matter your opinion, the Dragonbond wants her, and it shall be so.” Olaf tells her, exasperation in his tone.

I block out their words and look across the lake. Snowflakes fall, a little lighter today. It really is a large lake, wider than any water I’ve ever seen, though I suppose I’ve only seen a river before.

Hushed whispers reach me, then members point to something across from us to the far right.

They’re tall beings, bulky and rugged. I thought it may be another clan, but I hear trolls whispered amongst the clan.

The trolls Rohan was speaking about in The Pit?

“I wonder what they’re doing all the way out here,” someone says. “They should be in Vrohkaria, right?”

Vrohkaria? I’ve never heard of that place.

I’m so focused on the trolls that I don’t hear someone come up behind me before Serah lets out a high-pitched neigh , and bolts forward.

“Ahh!” I scream, scrambling for the reins, trying not to fall off.

Rohan snaps his head toward us at the sound, and shouts come from behind me. I start to slip sideways, but I clamp my thighs the best I can. Rohan pushes Kaldar out of the way as we head for them… and the frozen lake.

Fear in my throat, I try to untie myself from the pommel, but it’s too tight.

I whimper, hands shaking. The lake is coming closer and closer, and Rohan runs to us.

When he’s close, he grabs hold of Serah’s mane and jumps off the ground, hauling himself behind me and grabbing the reins, pulling tight.

“Stop, Serah! Calm,” Rohan shouts over the buzzing in my ears as we hit the ice.

It cracks beneath us, spiderwebs spanning out with each panicked step. We’re going to fall in.

Rohan pulls the reins to the left. “Slow, Serah, easy, girl, easy. ”

Serah neighs, but her steps eventually slow, and I breathe heavily as an arm comes around my waist.

“Rohan!” Kaldar shouts, alarm in his voice as Drogonah roars above.

“Wait!” Rohan orders him, and Kaldar takes his foot back off the ice.

Kaldar was coming for him, willing to risk his life. They must be close.

Rohan slowly guides Serah off the ice, those cracking sounds following us, but we don’t fall in. When we reach the edge, Kaldar grabs the reins, bringing us onto solid ground.

“Fucking Gods,” he says, chest heaving as Rohan dismounts. “You could have fallen in, are you okay?”

“Fine,” Rohan growls, and then he’s untying me with rough movements and dragging me off the horse. Harshly. “What did you do?” He shouts at me as I try not to let my legs buckle. “You did something to her! She wouldn’t just do that.”

“I—”

“She doesn’t just bolt!”

“I—I.” I can’t get the words out, my heart still in my throat at the thought of us going under the ice.

I’m not a great swimmer.

Rohan gets in my face. “You ever put her in danger again, I will give you to Drogonah.” I didn’t do anything, I want to scream, but it’s trapped in my throat.

“Do you understand me!” I feel everyone’s eyes on me as I nod, trying to appease him.

He grabs my chin roughly, forcing my eyes up to his. “Do. You. Understand. Me?!”

“Yes,” I reply, lips trembling from the menace in his voice.

He stares at me for a moment, then he snatches up the end of the rope, tying it to the saddle. “You will walk.”

“I didn’t…” The fury in his eyes stops any more words from forming, and his nostrils flare.

Ignoring me, he pats Serah, speaking calming words. A knot forms in my gut, and I sniffle as quietly as I can.

They’re angry. Always so… angry.

Rohan eventually mounts Serah as Drogonah roars from somewhere above us. “We will go around the edges, slowly.” He sets off at a slow walk, the rope straining as I try to keep up with him. We step onto the ice along the edge of the lake.

I look down in fear of cracks appearing, but none do.

A horse comes up beside me, and I turn and raise my eyes to Darcia’s hateful ones. She moves her horse a little too close, and it steps on my boot, causing me to trip a little. I catch myself just in time, pain shooting through my foot.

Gods, that hurts.

“Shame the lake didn’t take you.” She spits down at me, before she rides up beside Rohan, faking her concern.

“Don’t anger him, girl,” Calian says, but I don’t reply.

I didn’t do anything… did I?

I don’t know how I spooked Serah, but I didn’t mean to. Why would I want her to go on the lake and possibly have the ice give way beneath her?

She would’ve died.

I didn’t want her to die.

When I continue to say nothing, Cailan sighs. “Just keep up before you get into more trouble.”

So I do.

Even as the pain worsens in my foot, even when it travels up my leg, even as it begins to feel numb.

I don’t say a word, I don’t make a sound.

I just follow.

Like a silent sheep.