Page 52 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

Elf

I couldn’t tell Rohan about Darcia, and Kaldar hasn’t found out that she’s the one who hurt me.

Looking back, I wish I was brave enough to tell him in the tent. I think he would’ve believed me, helped me… so why am I still so scared?

Because you’re weak.

Because you’re always afraid.

“Sit.” Rohan pulls me from those thoughts as we take a seat around the makeshift sparring ring, and thankfully I see no sign of Darcia anywhere.

I look up at Rohan, and wonder if I can do it. If I just lean up and whisper—

“Dragonbond,” a man with a blue ribbon tied around the top of his arm, says, nodding his head to Rohan in respect, taking a seat on the other side of him. Though he leaves a large gap.

Two women are in the middle, green ribbon on one, white on the other, and there is a rope tied to one of each of their ankles, attaching them while they fight, and I eye it with confusion.

“It stops them from being too far away or the fight would last too long,” Rohan says.

“Fight? I thought it was just practice?”

“That’s what they like to call it, but we know it’s more serious than that. Honor is on the line with your clan if you get bested by another.”

His words are proven right as the taller woman swings a fist into the other’s cheekbone. She cries out, but she swings back and they end up on the ground, hitting and head-butting each other.

So violent.

“I won’t have to do that, will I?”

“No,” Tofa snorts, sitting at my other side. “You will meet Morana sooner than intended if you did.”

The Dragon Mother.

She’s who they go to in death, awaiting her judgment on whether they fly the skies with her, or stay in the lava pits. Elvanan works a little differently, but I think most Gods are the same.

Just like they work now.

Darcia comes over, and I lower my head, shoulders hunching.

“Dragonbond,” she nods respectfully.

“What?” Rohan barks at her.

“Do you need anything? I can help you bath—”

“No.”

“But I’m very good at helping.” I look up as she licks her lips and places her hand on Rohan’s. I want to throw up. “If you come to my tent, I can show you.”

“Darcia…” Rohan’s nostrils flare.

“Yes?” she says, her voice breathy.

“Get your fucking hand off of me before I remove it.”

She flinches back, hurt spreading across her face, but I see the anger too.

“But—”

“Leave!” She frowns, then she walks away, but not without giving me a scathing look.

“Calian, pass me your waterskin.”

“What?” His brows are furrowed.

“Pass me your fucking waterskin.”

He reaches down to grab it, eyeing me before passing it to him. Rohan opens it and pours it over the hand Darcia touched. My eyes widen in surprise, to which he notices.

“The only one I want to touch me is you, Elf.”

“What?”

“Next!” someone calls, and the two women in the ring walk away as Rohan stands, stroking a finger down my cheek before stepping into the center.

My fingers tighten in my cloak, feeling eyes on me.

“He’ll be fine,” Tofa whispers to me, even when the blue Dragonbond, Varan, walks in the center and the rope is tied, this one shorter.

“Why?”

“Because even with a rope, their fights can last hours. This way, it’s a little shorter as they can’t get too far from one another.”

“Hours?” I whisper, and she nods. “That’s…”

“Barbaric?” she smirks, and I huff out a laugh.

“Just the way we like it,” Calian says, shuffling closer to her, and I watch Tofa’s cheeks heat.

“Hey,” she says casually to him, but the look in her eyes says otherwise.

I hide my smile.

“Just in time,” he says, and then shouts as Rohan swings the first punch.

My head snaps to him, and I watch in somewhat horror and amazement as they go blow for blow.

They don’t seem hurt at all, despite the blood already coming from both of them. In fact, Rohan has a smile on his face, and Varan laughs at something as he head-butts him.

The blood and violence should make me want to vomit, but with Rohan, I’m fixated on his strength, on his pure power when he grabs Varan by the back of the head and pulls him down to meet his knee.

“They’re insane.”

“They’re Dragonbonds.” Tofa replies, leaning in and whispering. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I touch my throat. “I’m… better.”

“Beau told me about yesterday, he was really worried.” She nudges me. “Speak to him?”

“I will.” I need to thank him for trying to help me.

“It’s great to see you without that metal around your neck.” She smiles softly and I nod.

I’ve been getting a lot of looks since it came off last night, I even had a few smiles from the clan.

“It’s great to have it off.” We watch the fight until a dragon roars in the distance, and I jolt, looking around, not familiar with who it was.

This is the perfect time to try and speak to a dragon. Rohan told me that I need to stick with someone, but I don’t think a dragon will be comfortable if someone is with me that isn’t a Dragonbond.

No, I have to try my best, for Rohan, despite my fear of Darcia lurking around.

So I get up, making sure my hood is covering my ears and mumble about getting a drink.

“Wait,” Tofa grabs my arm.

“No, no, it’s just over there.” I point to a table of drinks and the long line waiting to get to it. “I’ll be fine.”

She hesitates, but then she nods, turning back to the fight.

I make my way to the line at the table, and then with another glance at Tofa, I slip through them and head beyond the tents where it’s quieter. Nerves creep up my spine, but I press on.

I have to help Rohan. After everything he’s done for me, it’s the least I can do.

Slipping between tents, I make my way around the outside of the blue clan’s camp and into the yellow clan’s.

I don’t see anyone, but stick to the edges, listening carefully, looking over my shoulder.

Come on. I take a deep breath. I can do this. I’m okay.

Another growl.

I look to the skies, but as night’s falling, I see no wings or claws.

Following the sound of the rumble, I end up back at the white clan, and once again, I come face-to-face with Celeste.

“Hello.” I bow my head slightly. I’m not sure why, but I feel the need to show my respect for the last time I was with her.

I feel amusement flow back to me and I smile.

“What are you doing here? Do you not want to go to The Glade?”

Anger.

“Oh.” I frown. “Did something happen?”

Sadness.

I hold my hand out. “Can I help?”

“Trying to steal my dragon again?”

My hand flies to my chest. “Sigrid, no, of course not.” She eyes me and stands beside her dragon, laying a hand upon her scales.

“For some reason, Elf, she likes you.”

“She does?”

A rumble.

I smile.

“Yes,” she huffs, crossing her arms. “It’s annoying.”

“Sorry.” I mumble. “Why isn’t she in The Glade?”

She looks away for a moment. “Her mate died last year in The Games. The Blessing reminds her of what she lost.”

“Oh Gods, I’m so sorry,” I say to Celeste.

“Well, I say died , but it was more like murdered, wasn’t it?”

“What?”

She steps closer to me.

“You’re here to help find who is stealing eggs?”

“I told you that.” I try to take a step back, but she grabs my arm.

“I don’t have allies, but in this, I’ll try to help.” She looks back at her dragon. “The king has to be involved, I’m certain, and if I help, I want revenge for her mate. It’s the least I can do, understand?”

“The king?”

“That son of a bitch has been after us Dragorie for years, he wants to eliminate us and take our dragons. Who else would dare to try and get dragon eggs?”

What she’s saying makes sense.

“How could we ever go against the king if he’s behind it?”

“I don’t know, but we have to try. Our dragons are dying.”

She’s right, and somehow along the way, they’ve begun to feel like my dragons too.

“Okay.”

She nods and lets go of my arm. “What now?”

“I need to tell Rohan, and hope he doesn’t kill me for it.”

“Kill you?” She raises a brow. “With the way he looks at you, I wouldn’t worry about him killing you unless it’s with his dick,” she mutters.

My mouth drops open, cheeks heating. “It… we haven’t… it isn’t like that!”

“Mhmm.”

We part ways, agreeing to meet up again. I watch the night sky on the way back, the stars blink out every now and then, and I wonder if it’s Drogonah causing that or something else I don’t know about.

Would they save me after I tell Rohan that Sigrid knows? Will they help—?

“You better not have told on me, bitch!”

My blood runs cold as I turn and find Darcia making her way over to me, eyes like fire.

I take a step back, heart beating painfully.

I will kill you.

Gods, I shouldn’t have come on my own.

“I didn’t, I promise, ahh,” I cry out as she grabs my hair in the hood with both hands, swinging me.

“You dumb bitch.”

“Get off of me!” I scream, my scalp burning.

She throws me to the side and I roll, coming to a stop. Then she’s on me again, my hood now fallen down.

She slaps me and goes for my neck. I scratch at her arms, trying to get her to release my throat as she shouts down at me. I can’t even make out her words properly.

“Darcia, we can’t be here,” Rhett hisses, coming over to us.

“Everything is getting all fucked up because of you! You just had to be in The Pit, didn’t you. You just had to come with us! Didn’t you?!” she shouts, eyes ablaze with fury, her blonde hair a mess.

“I’ve done nothing wrong!” I croak out, legs kicking.

She’s much stronger than me.

“Darcia!” Rhett calls. “They’ll hear you!”

“She dies now, Rhett. She shouldn’t exist, everything was working. All my hard work will be for nothing. She should have fallen in the lake with Serah after I smacked her.”

My ears ring.

She hit Serah? She nearly caused her to fall in the lake?

Anger swells inside of me, and then my hands are on her face, a shocked scream coming from me as I claw at her with all my might, trying to get my legs under me to bolt her off.

“Ouch, you cunt—” her head swings to the side, and she falls off me.

I gasp for breath in the dirt, grasping my throat, coughing.