Soar

Chapter 29

There was only cold and darkness. I screamed, or tried to, though no sound carried.

Then there was pain. Out of the blackness, a monster laughed at my anguish. I tried to run, but the darkness had no substance, no place to put my feet. I was falling.

A dragon screamed, boasting triumph. Red dragon fire tore through the emptiness and consumed me.

Firelight danced beyond my eyelids, soft and golden. Around me I could hear quiet conversation and footsteps. A rock stabbed into my back.

Carefully opening one eye, I tried to discover where I was. A fire burned low in front of me and gave little definition to the surrounding shadows.

Something shifted across the fire. Red light flashed on bits of gold and purple. Then I noticed the breathing.

I sat up. My heart pounded as the dragon turned shining silver eyes toward me.

"Easy, girl." Her voice was rough, but not harsh. But the sight of her made my mouth dry.

"Azadryn?" A hand touched my shoulder, making me jump.

Hedyr pulled back as I turned toward him. His eyes were red and there were circles underneath them, but he managed a weary smile.

"Where are we?" I croaked.

"Safe." He knelt beside me. "You slept all day."

I remembered the nightmares – the cold, the silence. I was not refreshed by that sleep. My eyes felt heavy and my throat was raw.

Hedyr's hand slowly rubbed my arm. "Do you remember what happened?"

The dragon was watching me. Her gaze made my skin crawl. I turned away.

"Azadryn?"

"No. I..." In the back of my memory, fires raged and dragons screamed. Erizar shouted for me to run. "I don't remember." I pulled away from Hedyr, drawing my knees to my chest and staring at the fire.

"The village was attacked."

In spite of myself, I nodded.

"Was it Umreo?"

"They came back."

Hedyr was silent for so long I thought he had slipped away. I was staring fixedly at the fire, trying to make it push out the screams echoing in my head.

"Azadryn?"

I glanced up to see Hedyr studying me. I thought he had said something before, but I had missed it.

"Darriad found him."

Maybe none of it was real. Darriad was in Hasarmon, breathing fire in Bennu's shows.

"Did you hear me?"

I closed my eyes. "Go away."

"What?"

"I won't forgive you."

I heard him shift beside me. His voice was close, almost a whisper. "Forgive me? Azadryn, what-"

"You let them take him." Had I not cried enough? Was there no end to tears? I dug the heels of my hands into my eyes.

"Azadryn, I don't-"

"Runedan!" I dropped my hands to glare at him. "You let them take him. I trusted you."

Again he was silent. I wanted him to leave. This was all his fault. He convinced the king to send me north, and it was because of me that Erizar went to Ebenric, where Kataj asked him to look in on that village.