Page 21 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

He shrugs. “At some point, if you uphold your part.”

It almost seems too good to be true, but…

“Effy.”

He blinks. “What?”

“Effy. She’s my… friend. I would like for you to get her away from Master for me, if I were to do this for you.”

He raises a brow. “I could easily make you do this for me, you know that, right? I’m offering you something in return because I’m honorable.”

“I realize you can make me,” I say slowly. “But this way you know I won’t lie because this is something I want.”

He looks me over, contemplating my words. “Where is this… Effy?”

“With Master,” I mumble.

He growls. “You have no Master anymore, Elf.” My eyes rise to his and he looks at the collar around my throat, lip curling. “What is his name?”

His name… I think of the times people came over, of what they called him in the underground.

“Em…” I swallow, nausea rising. “Emerish. That’s what some would call him, I think.”

He looks away, jaw clenching. “Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

He eyes me. “Be sure, Elf.”

“I’m sure. Others would call him that in the underground.”

“And how long have you been with him?”

“I was sold to him when I was young, and I’ve been with him since.”

His eyes sharpen. “And how old are you?”

My brows furrow. “I can’t be sure, but I think around twenty-three.”

He curses before he takes a deep breath, then nods.

“I will get you your friend, after you have learned to speak with the dragons.” Learned, not tried. “The timeline is on my terms and it needs to be quick. I will not be fooled so do not pretend you can if you cannot.” I nod, understanding.

“And if I can’t do it?”

“Then I will find someone else who can, and take you back to your Master.” A pause. “Or you die.”

Nausea rises once more.

I don’t want to go back to Master. He sent me away, and if I go back he’ll kill me in a very painful way.

But then he just said he will kill me anyway, and I want to die, don’t I?

But Effy…

“Do we have a deal?” he asks, palm out and waiting.

I look at his much larger hand, and after hesitating, I slowly place my smaller one in it, sealing my fate.

“Yes, we have a deal,” I whisper, and he nods.

“What’s your name?” He throws the stone up in the air, catching it again.

“I don’t have one.”

His head whips to me. “What?”

I look away. “I don’t have one. Just… Elf.”

Exactly what they have all been calling me.

He stares at me, then shakes his head, muttering under his breath.

“And family?”

I look down at my feet, shaking my head.

His sigh is full of irritation.

“Most of the dragons are in here, but a few are out.” He points to a red dragon, the one I saw in The Pit.

“Blaise.” He points to two blue ones. “Agnar and Solia.” Solia is the one with her wings curled around herself.

“Hakon and Hedoric.” Those are green ones.

“Alter, Vex, Doren and Escor are out at the moment.”

I nod, looking at them. They raise their heads at their names, watching Rohan for some sort of instruction, but when none comes, they go back to sleep.

“You can practice learning on Drogonah first while you gather heat stones, placing them in buckets around the den. Bring a bucket to my cabin,” he says, handing me the large stone. “You will spend a lot of time here while you learn.”

I blink at him and he gestures to the pile of stones next to Drogonah. In fact, as I look around, all of them have stones next to them.

“I don’t understand.”

Rohan walks in front of Drogonah, and places a stone in front of him then backs up a little. Drogonah opens his mouth and a small flame emerges, making me take my own step back.

He aims it at the stone for around seven seconds, stopping when it glows slightly, showing orange veins.

“The stones have ore in them that sustains heat.”

Rohan rubs Drogonah’s nose and picks up the stone, holding it out to me. Warily, I hold both my hands out, and he drops it into my awaiting palms.

I scream.

Dropping the stone, I blow on my hands. “That’s hot!”

Rohan smiles. “You will get used to it, Elf. There are buckets everywhere in here, fill one and then bring it to my cabin, I’ll show you where to put them. You’ll need to make a few trips here I suspect.”

He begins to walk off.

“Wait, you’re leaving me here? With… them?” I look at the sleeping dragons, some now watching curiously.

“With my dragons?” He asks, I nod. “They won’t eat you, I told them not to this morning.”

He turns away and I grip his forearm, my pinky rubbing against the black ribbon wrapped around it.

He stills, looking down at where we touch, and I snatch my hand back when his nostrils flare.

“And they will listen to you?”

“Well, Little Dragon Whisperer, we shall see, won’t we?”

Then he leaves me with a growling dragon at my back as he disappears from sight.

I turn slowly, my palms raised. “Hey… um, Drogonah.” I coo at him. A little fireball appears as he huffs, and I think he actually rolls his eyes at me before closing them, resting his head on the end of his tail.

I look at the stones.

Come on, three seconds of courage. I can do this.

I can get Effy and maybe I can go to the Elven lands, find my family, if I have one. I can be with people like me, learn how to be an elf, not be a slave anymore.

Is that even possible?

Steeling myself, I count to three and pick up a new stone, placing it in front of Drogonah.

“Can you… can you please heat the stone for me?”

Not a twitch.

“Please, Drogonah?”

A snore.

“The longer this takes, the longer I will be here. I’m sure you don’t want that.”

Nothing.

My hands fist at my sides as I eye the other dragons, even the one on its back is peeking at me, wrapping its wings around itself like some sort of cocoon.

They’re like giant house cats or something.

“Drogonah,” I try to say it more sternly, but he just huffs.

Not surprising, I’m probably as big of a threat as a mouse.

“Okay then.” I sit down and fold my arms. “I guess I’ll stay here and annoy you then.”

Or get eaten.

I don’t think the odds are in my favor.