Page 9 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)
Rohan
Drogonah bites into the wild dragon’s neck, growling in displeasure that he dared encroach on what he considers his. Which is me, and by extension, my clan.
The wild dragon fights back, claws cutting into Drogonah and I growl, twirling the axe in my hand. I step up next to the fire, the flames barely heating my skin.
“Calm!” I shout to the dragon, but it’s too far gone, thrashing and trying to bite, fire spewing from its mouth. Drogonah bites down harder to cut it off. “You need to calm down, now!”
It doesn’t, its anger too great, its tail bangs against the trees.
Fuck.
Drogonah looks to me, and I sigh before shaking my head, tension lining my body. He makes a lower sound, one that others would think is out of anger, but I know better.
He doesn’t want to do this, but for the safety of me and the clan, it has to happen.
I walk up to them as Drogonah pins him down on his belly, then he stretches the dragon’s neck high with his teeth, which gives me an opportunity to end it.
I run, holding my axe out to the side and when I’m close enough, I swing, hitting the dragon in the throat and slicing through its scales, thanks to the ones I’ve embedded within the metal of the axe.
The dragon cries out, its claws scraping the floor as I back up and watch it slowly bleed out.
“I’m here,” I say to it.
It isn’t long until its struggles cease, and Drogonah lets go of the dragon, who’s head crashes down next to me.
My chest heaves as Drogonah licks his lips.
“May Morana guide you.”
Drogonah growls, moving off to the side, stamping out flames.
“Fuck,” Kaldar says, as he comes up next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I grunt, my eyes still on the dragon. “Anyone injured?”
“Lost a horse and a few have scrapes from trying to get away. One dead.” Fuck. “I’ll ask them to get set up for the night before we start collecting wood.”
“Make sure those who need to be tended to are looked after first.”
“You know I will.” I do. “Why did it attack?”
I look over the dragon and notice its skinny frame. “Hunger.”
Kaldar sighs. “It’s getting worse every year.”
Our game is dwindling in the Wilds. Others are coming in and taking the animals while murdering their babies so there isn’t enough food to go around—for both our clan and the wild dragons.
“May this one be the last.”
“From what you picked up, it just may be.” I grunt in acknowledgement, and Kaldar leaves me to go back to the others.
“Come,” I say to Drogonah after a while, and a single purple eye whips to mine, teeth bared, still angry.
When I hold his gaze, never once shying away, he huffs, smoke coming from his mouth before he walks over to me.
I hold my hand out, palm waiting, and when his nose touches my hand, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“You did well.” He makes a deep purring sound. “Let me take a look at you.” I move between his front legs as he lifts his head, and I run my hand over his scales.
Blood seeps from three deep scratches on his upper belly, and I make a mental note to find a river so I can clean it.
I’m the only one who can.
No one touches my Dragon, and not because I demand it. Drogonah will simply set them alight.
“Okay,” I say as I come back out and turn to look up at him. “Let’s find a river.”
He makes a low, throated growl, and I lift my axe up and over my head, placing it in the holder on my back. I grab the rope then, still attached to me and pull. “Do not touch—”
The rope is slack, and I bring it up to my face, remembering cutting the elf loose so I could go to my dragon.
Eyes narrowing, I turn and look back to where I left her, and to my surprise, she isn’t there.
She must have gone to the others.
I walk to where the camp is setting up, Drogonah waiting where the other dragon lays and I call out to Calian.
“Yes?” he asks, jogging over.
“Where’s the elf?”
His brows furrow. “What?” He looks at the rope. “She was with you.”
My eye twitches. “I told her to follow everyone.”
He shakes his head. “I haven’t seen her.”
“Go look.” He runs off to do so, and I turn and go back to the last place I saw her.
Looking down, I follow her small footprints. The indents are so light I can barely make them out, but I see them nonetheless, and then I halt at a tree.
Tracking them around the back, I see she stayed here for a little bit, the snow more disturbed, like she shuffled in place, but what is more interesting… is that they don’t move toward the clearing.
No.
They move away from it and lead into the forest and the darkened night.
I told her not to run, she will regret this.
I bring my fingers to my lips and then whistle, two sharp sounds.
A moment later, my horse is at my side as I pat her in greeting. “Let’s ride, girl.” I climb upon her and with a look at Kaldar who nods at me, he knows to keep an eye on everyone while I set off on my hunt.
The elf doesn’t know what she’s just done, and when I find her, I will make sure she never defies my orders again.