Page 37 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

Rohan

“Who in the Gods are trying to take dragons from The Glade?!” Adora asks, hands on her hips.

We’re all gathered around the table in the war tent, trying to figure out our next move.

“They must be wanting Morana’s wrath.” Calian’s arms are crossed, anger radiating off of him as he looks down at the map.

“Are you certain it was from The Glade, Rohan?” Asseya asks, worry lining her face.

I place my hands on the table, looking at the large patch of trees that make up The Glade.

“The closest thing to us is either Derraztfur with The Pit, or The Glade to the west.” I shake my head.

“No one would try and catch a dragon near The Pit, we’re the only clan that can traverse that land, others who try usually die.

The net on the dragon means someone tried to capture it, so it must have come from The Glade. ”

“Fuck,” Kaldar curses. “It is getting worse, Rohan. What are we supposed to do?”

I grit my teeth as my mind tries to focus on a plan.

“I went to The Graveyard, then after I announced I would be going to The Glade sooner, a dragon turns up, in pain and trying to escape whoever tried to capture it. It’s not a coincidence.”

“I don’t understand,” Adora says, shaking her head. “The dragons won’t hurt anyone unless provoked, this needs to stop.”

“It does,” Calian growls.

“It will if we stick to the plan,” I say, and feel all eyes on me at that.

“Can we trust his word though?” Rhett asks. “This may be more trouble than it’s worth.”

“We have no choice.”

“She’s innocent,” Calian says, frowning.

I nod. “I know she is. We’ll find another.”

Kaldar throws his hands up. “How are we supposed to do that when we haven’t found one in nearly a year? And you just saw what she did?”

“The underground,” I say, and they all pause at that, until Asseya speaks.

“At The Games?” I nod, and she sighs. “That’s risky, and we aren’t even sure where it is.”

“I know, but … not her.”

“But—” Kaldar says.

“Not. Her ,” I growl, pinning him in place with my glare.

I refuse. I’ll tear them all apart if I have to.

I still at my own thoughts.

Fuck.

Kaldar and I look at each other for a moment, until he reluctantly nods.

“I trust you,” he says, “I do, but what if we can’t find another? What then?”

I don’t know.

“We will.” My tone is more confident than I feel. “Set off for The Glade as soon as the ice thaws.” I change the topic of conversation. “We will bless Morana there and come back with a day or two to spare before The Games begin. I will go on ahead, first.”

“Because those on dragon-back are the only ones who can get there in winter,” Dorkin mutters, the first time he’s spoken here, holding papers close to his chest, glasses perched on his nose.

“They are.” There’s a large river surrounding The Glade, and every winter it freezes. Many have tried and failed to cross it, falling into its freezing depths and dying when it cracks.

So we wait until it thaws and we travel with horses on small rafts attached to a pulley system.

“Any letters?” I ask Dorkin, and he looks down for a moment before grabbing a letter with the seal of a single crow and a sword beneath it.

“He’s getting impatient.” He places it down on the table and I scowl at it, nodding.

“Any reports from our scouts?” I ask Rhett.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, but since the dragon came here I have sent a few others out.” He moves to the table and leans his palms on it, his hands dangerously close to my roses.

Yes, they’re mine, my Little Whisperer gave them to me. There are two now, and if he touches them…

“Morana would be turning in her grave at this,” Kaldar says, and all nod in agreement.

“I’ll take Elf to The Glade with me.”

“Are you sure?” Asseya looks skeptical, but no one really saw what she did with that dragon.

She calmed it, soothed it somehow. Not just anyone can do that, even Dragonbonds can only go so far.

No. She managed to do something, and she will use that in The Glade while no one else is around.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I answer Asseya. “She can try and speak with the dragons there, somehow. Especially after what has just happened.”

“And you trust her?” Dorkin asks.

“No,” I say, but it isn’t in the way he thinks. “You know she wants her friend from the city, from her old… Master. So she will do her task for that reason alone.”

“We should get her friend anyway,” Adora chimes in. “We should get all of them.”

“Right now, protecting our people and dragons is what is important. That comes after.”

Asseya runs a hand over her braids. “She is gentle, Rohan.” I know. “She’s not made of the Dragorie. She has been hurt for a long, long time. She won’t survive this if you don’t succeed.”

She has to.

“And if she is a spy and lying to us all this time?” Rhett comments.

Is his pinky touching one of my roses?

“This could be all a ruse. The slave story, the collar on her throat. She needs to go.”

Adora frowns at Rhett. “She’s weak, skin and bones. She couldn’t hurt anyone if she tried.”

“But she needs to,” Kaldar says. “The Games will be here soon enough.”

And so will my bargain.

Rhett moves his hand over the roses and hisses when a thorn scratches him. He goes to grab them and I reach across the table, snagging his wrist, far too tightly with the wince on his face.

“Do not touch them.”

“The roses?”

“Yes, they’re mine. Leave them.”

He frowns, looking down at them. “They’re just flowers, they will die anyway.”

“And it will be on my terms.”

He holds his hands up. “Okay.”

I stare at him for a moment before looking at Dorkin. “Anything else?”

“Other than that,” he points down at the letter. “Nothing. We just need to focus on our objective.”

I nod. It’s all I’ve been focusing on since the last Games.

“We leave a few days into spring. I’ll go on ahead with Elf, see if I can find anything and then I will meet you all upon Crest Hill from there.”

My tone leaves no room for arguments, and they nod, but the mood is somber.

“We just need to stick to the plan,” Rhett says.

“We are.”

“I’m not saying you’re not, but you seem distracted… blinded.”

“Blinded?” I growl, folding my arms.

“You’re spending a lot of time with the elf.”

I stiffen. “I’m keeping an eye on her.”

He raises a brow. “To do chores?”

“To do her tasks. Are you questioning me?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Of course not, I’m just on edge with The Games looming,” he sighs. “We can’t mess up.”

“I know that!” I’ve done everything for this clan, I’m not going to mess this up now.

“I just want reassurance that nothing will stand in the way.” He stares hard at me, and my jaw tics.

“It will be done, one way or another.”

Silence follows, then Calian claps Rhett on the back. “Come on, let’s grab a drink.”

Rhett smirks at him, but my eyes don’t leave him as he exits the tent with everyone else, until it’s just Asseya and I.

“We cannot fail, Rohan. There’s much riding on this. Even if what we do seems unfair.”

“I know,” I grit out, anger rising. “I’ve bled for this clan and I will continue to do so.”

“I’m not saying you won’t, but I think Rhett is correct in a sense, you’re being blinded right now.” I look away, body tense.

Asseya thinks that too?

I’m keeping an eye on the elf, making sure she’s taking this seriously and upholding her end of the deal.

She doesn’t know I’m watching her most of the time, but I wouldn’t be a good Dragonbond if I didn’t make sure she was doing as she’s told. Everyone thinks she has some control over me? That she’s more important?

I’m not blinded.

I’m not.

My clan is before everything.

“I sense a lot of hurt coming,” Asseya continues. “I just hope you know what you’re doing, Rohan. For all of our sakes, and hers.”

I haven’t known what I’ve been doing since Karag touched her, and I wanted to turn him into ashes for it.

And I fear it’s only the beginning.

Fuck.