Dragon Heat (Dragons of Perralt Book 2) (12 page)

A dragon stood where moments before Flint had stood.

How was … No, it couldn’t … Impossible. Laila’s mind reeled as she fought to understand.

Flint had disappeared into thin air and been replaced by a large, Golden Dragon.

The giant dragon was armored in golden scales. The same color as Flint’s hair. His large leathery wings unfolded as the beast looked back over his shoulder.

He was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

In the distance, the horsemen bent over their horse’s necks as they brought their swords forward for a charge.

This was a dragon. Were these men idiots? she wondered.

Several of the knights stood in their stirrups and let loose a barrage of arrows. Laila watched them arch up into the sky, then turn over and start to fall toward her.

As the arrows fell, she could see them growing larger and larger, headed directly towards her. She could easily imagine them piercing her chest.

But, she could not move. She couldn’t begin to move. Her mind refused to work. Her world had lost its foundation.

A dragon?

The arrows grew closer. Surely, one would hit her, Laila thought. At least then, she would know what was real and what wasn’t.

The flight of arrows continued to approach. The Golden Dragon eyed her again, then the arrows raining down on them. Shaking his head, he reared back and shot a bolt of fire into the sky.

Laila back jumped in shock.

The flame left the dragon’s throat with a deep roar, meeting the arrows fifty feet from their destination.

As Laila watched, the wooden shaft of each arrow disintegrated, burned to black ash, allowing only the small iron heads to fall helplessly to the ground. Raising small pillows of dust as they hit the road around them.

Run, she thought. While the dragon is busy with the men. Run, it might be your only chance.

But, Flint?

Another set of arrows were already in the air.

“Flint?” she said to the dragon. Was it possible?

The dragon looked back at her, its’ large hazel eyes almost pleading with her. Yes, it was possible, she realized. Flint was a dragon. The dragon was Flint.

Her heart broke. He had lied to her. He had deceived her. All for the damn coin around her neck.

Flint was a dragon.

The Golden Beast twisted and shot another bolt of flames into the sky towards the arrows. The stream of yellow flame wasn’t as big, or as powerful this time.

How long could he keep this up? she wondered.

He might be a dragon, but he couldn’t fight twenty men and keep the arrows away.

Two feathered bolts made it through and began to fall towards her. The dragon, Flint, shifted and raised a wing to protect her. She ducked as the arrows struck his wing like pins in a cushion.

He turned to look at her once more, then to his back. The message was obvious. Get on and let’s get out of here.

Laila swallowed hard. He couldn’t be serious. Was this Flint? Was this real? Maybe the warm sun had baked her brains?

Another flight of arrows was launched. She could hear the knights screaming as they charged.

She didn’t have time to doubt. Didn’t have time to think. She could only act.

With her heart pounding in her chest she raced to his side and used his wings to climb up on the mighty monster. What choice did she have? she told herself.

The animal was covered in large golden scales. Each one the size of dinner plates. Two long rows of pointy spikes ran down his back from the tip of his head to the end of his long tail. Each spike looked like it could pierce a Smith’s anvil.

He smells like Flint, she thought, as she pulled herself up using one of the spikes. A comforting smell that reassured her. Her eyes searched his back as she frantically tried to understand. She hesitated a moment, trying to figure out how and where to sit.

Flint solved her problem by lowering a section of spikes on his upper shoulders. A shiver ran down her spine. If he released them once she was in place they would impale her like a spitted goat. They’d have to cut her off with a knife.

Taking a deep breath, she scrunched into place and leaned forward. Wrapping her arms around the dragon’s throat and locking her knees in place.

The Mighty Beast immediately began to run towards the charging knights as its giant wings began to beat the air.

Screaming at the top of her lungs, she felt the ground fall away from beneath them, and they were airborne. Each push of those mighty wings lifting them higher and higher.

Laila scrunched her eyes shut, afraid to look. All she could do was hold on and pray. Surely, it would be over soon.

Opening one eye just a little, she saw the mounted knights staring up at them. Their faces in shock, their eyes as big as oyster shells.

The ground, it was too far. Her stomach lurched. She closed her eyes once again and held on tighter.

The dragon continued to rise, then banked slowly. Laila screamed again, but refused to open her eyes.

He leveled out and continued to beat his wings. She could feel his mighty muscles under her legs. Could feel the raw strength and power with each beat of his wings.

This is Flint, she reminded herself. He won’t hurt you.

A deep doubt began to creep into her. How did she know what he would or wouldn’t do? He was a dragon. No wonder he didn’t want her. Oh, her body was acceptable to be used. But, he didn’t want her. He was a dragon. A powerful beast who could fly. She was nothing more than a girl from Fifth Point. As far from being as mighty and powerful as a person could be.

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and gulped when she saw how high they were.

This is what the birds see, she thought. I am flying. The girl from Fifth Point is flying. She thought of Lady Emily, of that fat toad, Jeffery. Of every merchant who had eyed her with suspicion. Every woman who had looked at her as if she were less than the dirt beneath their feet.

She, Laila Mason, was flying. Something they would never do.

Gritting her teeth, she poked her head up to see where they were going. Leaning over, she glanced down and squealed as she griped his neck once again.

So far down. The ground was so far away. The farms were laid out in square patches. The trees looked like twigs and the animals in the fields were hardly identifiable.

Her heart soared with the wonder of it all.

Flint, the dragon, she was still having problems believing, dipped a wing and then slowly banked into a puffy white cloud. Her world became nothing but cool, white mist.

Laila gasped with wonder. So, this was what clouds looked like from the inside.

They broke free to the other side. Back into the blue sky. Where were they going? she wondered. Why didn’t he stop? Surely, they were far enough away from the soldiers.

The realization of how little control of the situation she had, hit her like a hammer to the gut. He could take her anywhere. He could turn over and spill her off his back. There was nothing she could do.

Hell, even if she had her dagger, it’d be useless against him. Oh, how the man must have laughed at her from behind her back. How silly she must have seemed.

Her insides turned over with shame. Using a shoulder, so she didn’t have to let go, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

It was over. Whatever chance she might have had to find a future with Flint. It was over, he had lied to her, but worse, he was a dragon. She would never be enough for him. The thought sent a bolt of pure pain to her heart as she once again buried her head behind his. Closing her eyes, she tried to forget the world, tried to forget that she was flying. All she wanted at that moment was to be on the ground and as far away from him as possible.

They continued on. His mighty wings setting up a constant beat as they flew through the air.

Laila tried to wrestle her emotions into some kind of box. When they landed, she promised herself, he will not see that I am hurt. He will not see that I am upset.

His steady rhythm began to rock her to sleep. She had to fight to stay awake. She might very well have succumbed, but a flicker of movement to her right drew her attention.

Before she could scream, a shaft of yellow fire shot past Flint’s head. The heat was close enough to melt the hairs on the back of her arm.

“Flint!” Laila screamed, as he swerved to avoid the torrent of fire. He immediately dropped a wing, then dove towards the ground, folding his wings back like a falcon.

Laila glanced over her shoulder. A gray dragon swooshed down after them. Laila’s heart raced as she clenched her arms around Flint’s scaly neck. Another dragon. Why? Had it attacked them, or was this some kind of friendly welcome, dragon style?

The look of pure hate in the eyes of the gray dragon told her the truth. Their death was its only goal.

Laila swallowed hard as the ground rushed closer and closer. Flint threw his wings out and banked. Laila felt herself slipping to the side. It took every bit of her strength to hold on as Flint once again twisted and turned.

The Gray was above them now, she saw. Following, but falling behind. Flint’s mighty wings and amazing speed were putting distance between them.

The muscles in his chest quivered with each beat of his wings. She could feel his heart pounding, like a massive drum. How long could he do this? she wondered. How long could he maintain this killing rate?

“Let me down,” she screamed. “you can’t …”

The golden dragon looked back over his shoulder at her. Laila could have sworn he was smirking at her as he gently shook his head, ‘no.’

Instead, he increased his pace.

The ground beneath them rushed past, then suddenly began to change. Where before there had been farms and brown fields along with the occasional cow, now, there was nothing, but dense forests.

A shiver traveled down her spine. This was the true wilderness. As different from Fifth Point as a girl could get.

They skimmed over the massive trees, scaring the birds and animals of the forest into a chaotic panic. Screams of warning and screeches of fear rose up to greet them.

Laila glanced once more at the Gray dragon behind them. Flint had added even more distance. The beast beneath her was unbelievable. Was there nothing it couldn’t do? she wondered.

‘Yes,’ she thought, ‘he can’t love a girl from Fifth Point.’

The thought sent another bolt of pain to her insides.

Dipping her head, she held on, and let Flint fly.

They continued on for quite a while. Each time Laila looked behind her the Gray had fallen farther behind.

At last, the giant monster fell from view. She searched the sky for it. Her heart racing with hope. Yes, it was gone. Flint had done it. He had escaped.

Relaxing, she began to look to what lay before them.

Mountains were approaching. Tall black mountains, with snow covered tops. Her mind wondered if this was why Flint smelled the way he did. Exotic and distant.

Flint turned a little, twisting towards a white cliff. As they approached, Laila squinted to get a better view. Yes, it was. Two long columns had been carved into the cliff face. They reminded her of the columns outside the councils building. Only bigger, taller, more majestic.

A set of steps carved into the cliff face wound their way up from the forest floor. High on the cliff, between the two columns, a black opening like a cave.

“Your lair?” she asked, as her heart jumped. Was he going to imprison her in some deep dark cave? Suddenly she was sure of it. All of the old stories talked of dragons taking young maidens to their cave.

The dragon ignored her as he swooped down to land just before the opening. The sudden return to the ground, even if it was five hundred feet in the air, made her stomach lurch.

What now?

A large flat area, perfect for dragon landings, was carved out of the cliff face. Two huge oaken doors blocked the cave entrance. Her shoulders shivered as she looked at them. What was behind them? What hidden horrors awaited her?

Flint, the dragon, shifted away from the cliff edge as he lowered his wing. The large dragon’s head twisted to look back at her. Laila could tell he wanted her to get off. He almost seemed to be in a hurry.

What? He couldn’t get away from her fast enough?

Well, to hell with him. She swung her leg over his neck and dropped to the ground without using his wing to dismount.

Backing away, she studied him. There really hadn’t been time before. Every scale glistened in the sun. Every muscle rippled with strength. The beast’s long, spiked tail twitched like an impatient cat, and his eyes studied her as if were bothered.

Laila’s heart pounded in her chest. He was pure power, pure strength. Hard and scary, but inside, it was Flint.

A creak behind her made her jump. She twisted to face a new danger. Would it be another dragon? Was she to be a meal? The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she frantically wished for her dagger. Why had she ever left it behind?

One of the large doors slowly swung open. This wasn’t a cave, she realized. But a castle built into the mountain itself.

An older woman stepped out. Dressed in a fine burgundy gown, the woman looked as if she owned the world. Tall, stately, Laila knew instantly that this woman had never lived in a place like Fifth Point. You can’t look that imperious if you’ve ever lived in Fifth Point.

The woman’s dark hair was beginning to gray. Her blue eyes examined Laila with cold, calculating evaluation, then softened just a little when she looked at the mighty dragon.

The lack of shock on the woman’s face told Laila a lot. It seemed that dragons on her front doorstep were not that unusual.

As Laila watched the woman approach, a pop sounded behind her. She twisted to see a pillar of gold fire and smoke shrink to a vanishing point.

Her heart fell to her knees when Flint, the man Flint, stepped out of the fire. He looked as calm and comfortable as yesterday’s meal. Fully dressed. Not a hair out of place, not a sign of exertion. Nothing to indicate he had just flown across the sky pursued by a fire-breathing dragon.