A Fifth Daughter [Book 2: The Dragon Warrior]

Chapter ~ 1

~ Chapter 1: Never Trust a Bandit, Especially the One that Saved Your Life ~

The low cave tunnel grabs at my back, scrapping through my winter coat and cutting the skin, but my nerves have been numb for too long and my flesh has lost all feeling. There's barely any light in these dark corridors. Barely any breathing space past my backpack and the long sword and recurve bow sticking out above my shoulder. Sometimes I wish I could open my power just a little bit and give myself Cai's night vision. But no, "It's too dangerous..." "...too risky..." too "Smoke you don't know how to control yourself." And my own sarcastic summary: "Smoke, because you've totally lost control before, we have to lock down your powers and allow you to go out alone and run into cave walls." (Well, they don't know about that last little bit.) If Rayn hadn't been standing there agreeing I would have really lost control and showed the Council what I thought of their great strategy plan.

"For the love of Flame," Cai moans. "Smoke you are very grumpy."

"I'm glad you've noticed, Cai." I quip back.

He huffs, "Sometimes I like you moody, because then it's entertaining to make fun of you, but right now I'm too tired to deal with your lazy thoughts. Could you please just focus on what's going on?"

"No."

Cai's presence drifts away with one last thought; "Child."

Yes, I am being a child. I don't really care. He can continue to tell me like he has for the past week. There are things that I need done, and if I act like a child because of a few hours of sleepless turning, then so be it.

My head hits the cave's roof and I fall to a knee. I really wish I had that night vision, right now.

You know what? They can all go spend an eternity in Grimm prison; I'm not dying in here without a fight. And if that fight is with the queen – no even better: If that fight is with old, stubborn men who think they can control someone because they've been her "guardians" her entire life – they've all got another thing coming.

I close my eyes against the darkness, against the mild dizziness from whacking the ceiling, and focus on the black dragon scale around my neck. It flares to life, a mind within my mind opening a lazy eye and asking what it can do to offer assistance. It judges my condition; sending cool warmth to my aching skull and giving me what I've asked for. Before I even allow myself the pleasure of seeing the tunnel I'm crouched in, I shut down the scale. Forcing the electrifying strength back into its containment. Like every time I open up to the Jade, my body jumps with energy and feels weightless with its absence.

"Thank you so much for warning me before you pumped me full of power and then took it away."

"Sarcasm is my job, Cai." I pause, smirking. "You're welcome."