Page 48 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

Elf

The clans start to arrive two days later, the space now filled with tents and campfires.

The separation is clear to see with the colored ribbons they’ve attached to their off-white tents, and we are all in our respective clans.

Black for Clan Blackscale, Green for Clan Greenclaw, Blue for Clan Rivertail, White for Clan Highwing, and Red for Clan Firehorn.

There seems to be a neutral space in the center where a large bonfire resides.

The clans brought everyone they have apart from the elderly and children, or those who have no interest in the Blessing.

There are some older kids here though, waiting to head into The Glade to see if they’re chosen as a Dragonbond and come out with a dragon.

The thought scares me with how young they are, but Rohan assured me it’s normal and dragons do not harm innocents.

I wanted to ask how they knew that, but he left when Dorkin approached him, heated whispers following. I heard Rohan say something about calling something off, finding something else. I have no idea what he was talking about, but they left and went to a tent that is just for his council members.

I close the flap of Rohan’s tent, nerves rattling through me. We talked about how I can get near the other Dragonbond’s dragons while they’re here, and I have no idea how I’m even going to do that.

It’s night now, and there’s a muted chorus of laughter and ruckus all around me. Barrels of mead were brought for the Blessings of The Glade, and they wasted no time in opening them.

I grab my cloak off the side table and take a deep breath. It’s now or never.

I emerge from the tent into the night, for the first time since their arrival without Rohan near me. I stroll through the tents, hearing others inside, but most are around the smaller campfires.

“Elf, come eat!” Calian calls, and I head that way, taking a seat next to him with Tofa on my other side.

“Here.” Tofa hands me some bread and then a bowl. “Eat while it’s hot.” I do, listening to the conversation around me.

“The Games are said to add more people this year.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Traveling merchant last week. He came from the city.”

“That can’t be good. What’s the king up to?”

“Who knows.” A nudge at my shoulder has me turning my head to Tofa. She smiles, but her eyes are sad.

“We cannot know the outcome of The Games. Best not to dwell on what we can’t change.”

“But why can’t it be changed?” I wonder. “There are dragons.”

Can’t they just threaten to use them?

“We may have dragons, but the king’s army has a concoction we call Nighturn. Once breathed in, it renders dragons useless. They lose consciousness. The same if we’re hit with it.”

The bowl halts halfway to my mouth as I look at Calian in horror. “How is that possible?”

He shrugs. “We don’t know. They put small, glass vials on the end of arrows, and as soon as it makes contact with anything, including a dragon, it shatters and a plume of smoke bursts from it, then the dragon is free-falling to its death.”

“Has that happened?”

He nods grimly. “Seven years ago, we lost five dragons when the Dragonbonds tried to rebel against King Halen, because he wanted to bring the Dragorie under his law. As those five dragons—one from each clan, were about to set the castle on fire, burn him in it, the king’s guards unleashed bolts with Nighturn attached from large crossbows on the castle walls.

The dragons barely got their mouths open to unleash fire before they were hit with those bolts, then they were falling to their death. ”

I look at my stew and put it down, suddenly not hungry.

“It’s why we have The Games,” Tofa says.

“Without the dragons, it would be hard to fight off the king’s army and he would have us all killed if we didn’t bow to him.

So, the Dragonbonds’ made a deal, a truce.

We go to The Games and he doesn’t unleash Nighturn upon the dragons or take us under his law,” she spits, anger in her tone. “Like we would ever bow to him.”

No they wouldn’t, they’re too prideful, have too much honor. They would rather die.

Like the elves who killed themselves instead of being taken to the king.

“Rohan says The Games kill people.”

“They do,” Tofa says softly.

“We are Dragorie,” Calian says, clearing his throat. “We protect the dragons. It’s our way of life. They keep us warm with their fire, safe with their teeth.”

“But who protects you?”

“Rohan.”

And who protects him?

I sigh at the fire roaring before us. How could I have ever thought these people barbaric? Having been with them for so long now, apart from Darcia, they have never once harmed me.

They’re protective of not only their dragons, but their people. I cannot fault them for the way they treated me at the beginning.

I was an unknown, an outsider and an elf.

But they love their life, love their dragons, so much so that they enter The Games every year, knowing they may not come back out.

I have to help them.

I speak a little longer with Tofa and Calian, Beau joining us a little later.

“Can we talk?” Beau asks me, and I shrug, looking away.

“I’m not sure, Beau.” I’m still hurt over his betrayal.

He comes and sits next to me on my other side. I notice the bruising on his face, and I know that it’s from sparring with Rohan. Though they haven’t done it for a few days, so he must have really trained before we left for The Glade.

“I’m really sorry.” His eyes are sad, but he hurt me. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was cornered… I...” He sighs, hanging his head a little. “There’s a girl from another clan. Darcia found out and said she would tell Rohan. I panicked.”

“Rohan wouldn’t kick you out for that, Beau,” Tofa chimes in, leaning forward.

“I know, at the time I felt cornered and made a mistake. Darcia was saying I would be a disgrace to the clan, that Rohan would see it as a betrayal.” He looks at me.

“I let her get in my head and I don’t even know how she knew, I was shocked.

I was… weak.” His jaw tics at the admission.

“I hate her, Elf, and I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. ”

He sounds genuine, but I’m not sure. “I… need some time.” He clears his throat, but nods.

I do feel a little better knowing there was a reason, no matter if I agree with it or not, but it’s better than just going along with it.

“I will wait as long as you need,” Beau says, then he gets up and moves to sit next to Tofa who pats his slumped shoulder.

“He really is sorry,” Tofa whispers to me.

I nod but don’t say anything else.

As shouts and cheers become louder in the center of the whole camp, I decide it’s time to try and find a dragon while most Dragonbonds are occupied.

Tofa, Beau, and Calian’s voices drift away, Calian mainly telling Tofa to go to bed. I’m sure she tells him to join her then.

I wish I could be as bold as her, and say what I want.

I trail around the camp, hood pulled over my head to cover my ears. Rohan said no one will speak about me, but I don’t think he realizes how much we’re hated.

I see clan members mingling with others from different clans.

I even see someone greet his brother, and by the sounds of them, they haven’t seen each other in a while.

It’s unexpected as Rohan told me the clans are mostly at odds with each other, but he says here’s like The Graveyard, neutral ground.

Plus if they started fighting, the dragons of The Glade would burn us all.

He said it so nonchalantly while I shook with fear.

A harsh laugh comes from my right and I turn, spotting Karag with Durruk, rolling some dice while others cheer them on.

“Oh,” Karag says, as his eyes clash with mine. “Going for a walk?” The others’ heads snap to me, and I pull the cloak tighter around me.

“Leave her be, Karag,”

“What? It would be a shame for something to happen while wandering around the camp alone.”

Durruk eyes him, then me. “Don’t test him, Karag.”

He huffs, another man taking over rolling the dice. “He will get what’s coming to him.”

Karag looks away, and I walk off, my steps fast as my heart crashes against my chest.

I need to make sure I stay away from him too while I’m here. Rohan said he’s not a good man, and he isn’t wrong.

His eyes show who he really is.

I wander deeper, passing others who nod their head at me. They don’t know whose clan I belong to but they don’t seem to mind.

I don’t see any dragons for a while, at least not on the ground. There are plenty flying overhead and can be heard in the distance, but then, curled up, I see the white one from The Graveyard.

She has beautiful scales, almost taking on a rainbow hue from the flickering campfire nearby.

I look around, checking no one is near before I approach.

Her head lifts instantly, ears forward as she watches me crouch before her, making myself smaller.

“Hello,” I say, and she stretches her neck to her full height, eyes focused on me.

The way she holds herself, it seems so regal, so proper.

“I’m… I’m Elf,” I tell her, looking around once more and lowering my hood. “We met at The Graveyard.” She releases a purred hum, and I smile softly. “You’re very beautiful.” She preens at that, crossing her front leg with another. “Are you happy to be at The Glade?”

Rumble.

I frown. “You don’t like it?”

She looks away, growling softly, and a wave of grief washes over me.

“Oh,” I say gently, sitting down and crossing my legs. “I’m sorry.”

Purr.

“I don’t know grief like that, but I know grief of what once was, what could’ve been.” I look down, picking at the grass. “Was it a long time ago?”

She rumbles in response and I nod.

“I guess something like that will always hurt.” I think of not seeing Rohan again, not feeling his warmth in bed at night, and a heavy sadness fills me. “Yes, I do imagine that hurts very much.”

I lift my head and watch her watching me, her eyes reflecting the same emotion in mine.

“I’ve been asked to do something,” I start, feeling that this is the right thing to say. “And I wonder if you can help me.”