Page 7 of A Lick of Flame

Damn that wyvern worm.

I immediately take back the thought because I can’t blame him. Our people used to be protectors of the wild…of all creatures great and small. That is no longer the case. It shames me to my core.

I need to find a way out of my predicament, so I look around me. The vegetation is sparse, with clumps of sick and dying bushes scattered about. There is a dead grove of trees in the distance, but it is not a suitable hiding place.

I look up at the clouded sky, awash with muted light from a sun that hasn’t been seen in years. Not out here on the wastelands. Not outside of the fae kingdoms.

“Delphine…please,” I project with my mind.

Perhaps she has turned her back on me too. There is no time to dwell on it. I need to get going. I pick up a swift pace.

Kakara help me, but there is nowhere to hide. There are no swamps or deep mud pits. No caves, rocks, or hollows. If I can conceal myself sufficiently, the fae should keep tracking the worm instead of me.

I force myself to run faster, but I don’t see a way out of this.

“Delphine!” I whisper-shout. It’s not like my beast will hear me with her ears, anyway. I don’t think that the fae are close enough yet to hear me, but I can’t be too sure. I am shocked at the desperation in my voice.

If the fae catch me, they will lock me up. At best, I will be put to death. At worst… I don’t want to think about that. It causes shivers to race up my spine and my blood to run cold.

Panic sets in as I frantically continue my search for a place to hide. I keep glancing over my shoulder as I do. It isn’t long before, in the distance, a large group of mounted fae comes into view, their dust cloud marking their relentless pursuit of me. Their attire is a mixture of leathers and bright armor. As suspected, there are too many of them; I will be overrun.

I gulp in air, forcing my legs to move quicker, arms pumping. Sweat drips down my brow. I know that if I can see them, then they can see me.

My fears are confirmed when a shout of triumph echoes through the air, followed by hollers from more of my pursuers. And by the uptick in tempo, they have spotted me and are urging their steeds to go faster.

The cold wind whips past me, stinging my skin, but I barely feel it. I can't afford to slow down or falter.

My heart is pounding in my chest, and I feel the sweat pouring down my face. The fae steeds are relentless, closing the distance between us with each passing moment. I skid to a halt, my ragged breaths barely audible against the frigid wind blowing right through me. I turn to face my foe. There is no use running. I need to preserve my strength for the confrontation.

There is a whole horde of them, easily eighty fae, probably sent to recapture the wyvern worm as well. It doesn’t take them long to reach me. Their horses are blowing, nostrils flared, coats covered with slick, foamy sweat.

The leader is in bronze-plated armor with an elaborate design on the front. He is slightly ahead of the rest. They pull up sharply about twenty feet in front of me.

“You lost your beast, I see,” he says.

I shrug. “It wasn’t mine to lose.”

“Who are you?” he asks. I’m sure that this line of questioning was not part of his orders.

“I am Dante the Devil.” I lift my brows, daring him to refute it. My words feel just as wrong as all the other times I have said them. Though, I have never referred to myself as “the devil” before.

He laughs. “We both know that isn’t true.” He shakes his head.

“I knew there was something special about you,” someone further back says. I instantly recognize Florian’s voice. I search the sea of faces, and sure enough, he is among them.

“Are those royal markings on your back, dragon rider?” The leader’s eyes drop to my shoulder. To the dragon etched into my skin.

“Yes, they are.”

“Who are you?” he asks again.

I sigh. “If I told you I was a Lost King, would you let me go?”

“The Beastfae King.” He lifts his brows and shakes his head. “I find that hard to believe.” He snorts.

“And yet it is the truth,” I reply, hoping for a break.

“I think he is a mage, pretending to be a Lost King,” the fae to the right of the leader says.

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