“Maybe. Maybe not. Shit happens for a reason, Maks. You should know that by now, living on this side of the wall.”
Lila tightened her hold on the back of my neck and pressed her head against me. “You should have just let them kill me.”
“Not going to happen,” I said. No way was I letting someone die just because they were smaller.
Funny how that struck a chord with me.
The snap of wings and a snarl wet with fluid—acid most likely—told me our time was up. I slowed Balder to a walk and Maks did the same with Batman. The horses shivered as though they were covered in flies. They knew we were being hunted by a predator large enough to snap them in half. I knew the feeling. Just walking along while a massive dragon flew toward us was not a natural inclination. I wanted to bolt as much as they did.
“Steady.” I breathed the word and let myself sink into the saddle, a sense of calm flowing over me. Whatever happened would happen and we would either survive or we wouldn’t. Darcy would understand . . . it was a cat thing. Or maybe a woman thing. Maybe both.
There was no point in worrying about having to face the dragons now. We were facing them whether we wanted to or not.
“Stop!” The word reverberated around us and the two horses reared up as the world seemed to shake with the thunder. My hood trembled as if it would fall off and I grabbed the edge with one hand. I couldn’t let Lila be exposed. But that meant I dropped my reins, because I still held the black jewel in my other hand.
Mistake number one.
Dropping my reins was to Balder a sign to run flat out. Which was not really the plan I had in mind.
He leapt forward and Maks cursed me as Batman followed his lead.
The dragon behind us roared again and I knew it wouldn’t matter if we slowed now. The chase was on. We’d either outrun him or we wouldn’t.
“Lean into it, Maks!” I shouted.
“You said we were going to negotiate!” he shouted.
“My mistake!” I glanced at him racing beside me. His brows were knitted but he didn’t look behind us. I did.
The dragon was coming fast, far faster than the giants, which meant outrunning him was no good. His wing span would swallow us both and liquid that sparkled in the sun dripped from his chin. I assumed it was acid. His neck rippled, the muscles contracting.
Like a camel right before he spit . . .
“He’s going to spit at us!” I yelled. Maks twisted around then and shook his head.
“Damn it, this is not how things are supposed to happen!” he said, and lifted a hand. Like he was going to do what, shake a fist at the dragon and make him run away?
“Throw the jewel in the air!” Lila yelled. “It will distract him!”
I didn’t hesitate. I threw the black stone up with all my strength, the light catching it as it tumbled over and over, glittering in the weak winter light.
I couldn’t help myself. I watched as the dragon’s eyes shot to the jewel, mesmerized. Treasure, he wanted the treasure for himself and he was willing to let us go if it meant he got it.
He went for it, his front clawed hands outstretched, reaching for the tumbling jewel. It slid through his fingers and fell to the ground behind us. He dropped, scrambled around like a cat diving after a mouse, the skiff of snow bursting into the air.
“Faster!” I said. I leaned into Balder and Maks did the same with Batman. What surprised me was that for the first time Batman kept up, matching Balder stride for stride. I guess the long, slow trek we’d made had built up good muscle and stamina in him.
We raced along the tree-lined ground that should have taken us all day in the biting cold and snow, in a matter of a little over an hour. The horses began to show signs of initial fatigue after the adrenaline burst, but I didn’t dare suggest slowing. Not yet. Near the end of their energy, they gave a surge like they’d gotten a second wind somehow, turning on the speed again, surprising me. I wasn’t questioning it, not with a dragon on our asses.
I put a hand to my hood. “Lila, can you look and tell us if we’re clear?”
Her head edged out and she looked at the forest to my right as it whipped by. “I think you can slow, we’re into new dragon territory. For now, at least.” She tucked into my hood once more as though she’d been doing it for years. As if she belonged there.
I give Balder a gentle pull on the reins and he broke his gallop into a trot and then a side-heaving walk. I slid from his back and walked beside him. Maks once more followed my lead, dismounting and giving Batman a break.
“What the hell was that shit back there?” He strode around the front of the horses to face me. “Seriously, is that how you always do things?”
I shrugged, doing my best not to get defensive because to be fair, it was not what I’d planned at all. I wasn’t going to show him weakness, though. “Depends on the situation, to be honest.”
“So, all the stories Steve told us about you fucking up, of making bad choices because you couldn’t make a decision, those were true then?”
Anger snapped through me, anger and shame and horror that Steve had been talking smack about me. “You don’t understand anything, human. So, why don’t you shut your mouth before I shut it for you.” So much for getting warm and fuzzy with him. For almost liking him, or enjoying his company.
“Human, what, wait? Are you serious?” Lila stuck her head all the way out, her tail and tiny claws hanging onto me for balance as I walked. “I’ve never seen a real human. He’s not as ugly as I thought he’d be. I thought they all looked like giants, just in miniature. I mean . . . well, you know what I mean.” She tipped her head and I caught a flash of her blue eyes again, assessing Maks.
Maks glanced at her and his lips tightened. “What are you going to do with a dragon, Zam?”
I shrugged. “Saved her.”
“You . . . aren’t serious, are you?” He stared at me. “Dragons can’t be trusted, you know that. Hell, even I know that.”
I fought the grimace that wanted to take over my face because there was some truth to that. Dragons were actors to the nth degree, able to make you believe anything they wanted. Then again. “Humans can’t be trusted, either, according to Ish and my father. Which means I can’t trust you. Which is fine by me.” I looked past him, my ears straining for any sign of pursuit.
“Who is Ish? Is that your mother?” Lila came out a little farther so her front half was visible, her tail and butt still inside my hood.
“We can’t take a dragon with us,” Maks said. “It’s going to be hard enough getting through the cold, never mind with a lizard that can’t stand the frigid temperatures. It’s cold here, but it’s going to get far colder, and in case you’ve forgotten, we’re here to save Darcy, not a runt of a dragon.”
I whipped around and slammed a hand into his chest, shoving him back a few steps, I think shocking us both. “I have not forgotten. If anything, we’re farther ahead now than we would have been otherwise. The horses covered a day’s worth of ground in an hour.”
“Yeah, but the dragons will come looking for us because we’ve pissed them off and given them something to chase along with taking someone that I assume they wanted to kill?” He shoved my hand away and glanced at Lila at the edge of my hood.
He wanted to throw her away because she was small and weak like me. She was trouble, like me.
“Then that means we have to go faster. Which means we get to Darcy sooner. Which means we go home sooner. All good things, Maks.” I gave him a tight smile, fighting not to growl at him.
He shook his head. “I can see why Steve doesn’t like to work with you. Not only are you impetuous, you’re a damn house cat. I thought I was going with something truly bad-ass, not . . . that.” His words were hard and disbelief filled them. Disbelief and condescension.
I flinched as if he’d slapped me. I turned to Balder and mounted up. “Fuck you, Maks.” I gave Balder my heels and he broke into a trot that had us ahead of Maks and Batman. Batman whinnied after us as if he could hold us back.
Balder kept moving. He was used to leaving Batman behind.
“That was very unkind of him,” Lila said. “I get picked on for being a runt. I thought you were very brave back there with my cousins.” She tipped her head against my cheek. I swallowed hard.