Page 113 of Wild Flame

So he had used his dragon’s blood to get past the wards.

My mind was racing. I had to do something to counteract this potion they had all been given. I had to snap them out of it. But how? I doubted I could keep Amir talking much longer.

Then suddenly, something Amir had said sparked in my mind. Why wasn’t the potion working on Sura? Did taking the drug multiple times cause some kind of imperviousness? No, that couldn’t be right. Addicts took it all the time and always felt its effects.Natural immunity, he had said.Or some other kind . . .I glanced over at Sura. Then inadvertently, or maybe it was fate, my eyes drifted to her ear and focused in on the earring there. The obsidian earring. The one she had shown me that day in the pools, so long ago now. Her binding gift.

I stared down at the obsidian ring on my own hand. Could it be that simple? Why Sura wasn’t in a trance like all the other dragon riders, and why it hadn’t worked on her in that alley . . . because she was wearing obsidian.

Everything has its opposite.The line the fortune teller had spoken during my reading all those months ago popped into my mind. At the time, I thought the fortune teller was hinting at Malik and me, but she had also been discussing balance and how the Nine always offer checks. Maybe she had also meant this.

Obsidian was Moonstone’s opposite.

It counteracted the effects of the Moonstone. Amir had admitted it himself. The potion didn’t work fully with obsidian as an ingredient. So it followed that maybe if I could slip my ring onto Malik’s finger, it could possibly free him from the effects. It was worth trying, at least. I knew—even with my training—I couldn’t bet on beating Amir. He was a rider. My best hope was to put the ring on Malik. Of course, there was no guarantee hewouldn’t be just as out of it as Sura once I did get the ring on his finger, but I would worry about that later.

The talisman in my dress pocket warmed against my skin as if in encouragement, and I took that as confirmation enough.

Eyeing Malik where he stood several feet away at the end of the table, I subtly shifted my feet in his direction.Please let this work.I tried not to let my worry for Helene and the others paralyze me as I took a small step closer to Malik. As I did so, I asked Amir, “But why? Why do all this?”

“I thought that would be obvious,” he said. When I just stared at him, he replied, “Because I should be king.”

It was a battle not to snort in derision at the cliché answer. I took another sidestep. “Is that why you tried to have Zara killed?” I demanded. “Because you saw her as a threat?” I was acting on a hunch, but knew I was right when he didn’t even bother denying it.

“That was premature on my part,” he admitted. “Excessive. I am next in the line of succession. It was not necessary to kill her.” The sheer indifference with which he made the statement was chilling.

“You intend to kill Malik, then? You won’t get away with it,” I spat, mostly to distract him from the fact that I was now mere feet from the man in question.

He laughed, pricking the edge of the dagger he held into the center of his palm. “I will. No one will suspect me. When they wake, none of them will remember what happened here. They will only know that they were drugged. Salim and Nilfren will be blamed for everything. All the documentation leads back to them.” He flicked the dagger to Nilfren. “I will say he murdered Malik and tried to murder me. But I came to and killed him before he could hurt anyone else. Then I will be king, as I always should have been. And I will have my own personal secretweapon that I can use to manipulate my enemies and anyone else I feel like.”

Up until now, I had always seen Amir as Malik’s misguided, jealous younger brother. A womanizer and a drug addict, but certainly not someone to be feared. He was still all those things, but as he talked about his plans, I saw that maniacal gleam in his eye. That hint of someone not altogether sane. Someone driven by a fanatical purpose, no matter the cost. I had seen that same look in Silvanus’ eyes many times over the years, and each time it had given me a chill.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I asked. But I already knew.

He chuckled. “Because I can. You won’t be telling anyone. Since you have seen all this, I’m afraid there is no other choice but to have you join my brother in death.” He shrugged and sighed. “So unfortunate, really.” His heated gaze looked me up and down. “Such a waste.”

I was right next to Malik now and had just begun to slide the obsidian ring from my finger when Amir shifted. I barely had time to register the movement before he hurled the dagger at me. I dropped behind the table. My ear stung, and I knew the blade had nicked it.

I dove for Malik’s sword, forgetting all about the ring as I pulled the weapon free—just as Amir leapt up onto the table, his own sword drawn. Malik’s sword felt heavy in my hands, but I didn’t let that stop me as Amir leapt off the table and brought his blade downward. I blocked his strike, but only just. The blow sent shockwaves down my arm. He looked surprised, and I used that to my advantage, rolling away and scrambling to my feet. I backed up, trying to move away from those frozen around the table and edge toward the entrance door behind me. If I could just alert my guards. His next blow was just as ferocious. His sword came down like a crashing wave, but I slipped to the side, feeling the air stir as his strike missed by inches. I counteredimmediately, my blade flicking out as fast and precise as I could make it with the heavy weapon.

His eyes flashed with fury, and with a growl, he blocked and came at me again, faster this time. Strike after strike, each one stronger than the last, the sound of steel against steel reverberating through the hall. My arm burned and my hand stung. I was outmatched, and I knew it. He was stronger. Every time I parried, I was a heartbeat away from being overwhelmed, but I was quick and light on my feet, constantly moving and making him come after me. Still, it took every ounce of my training and concentration to stay one step ahead.

His strikes became a flurry of power and rage. I couldn’t keep dodging forever. I had to end this. Wound him. Distract him.

My breath came in quick, controlled gasps as suddenly, the opening I’d been waiting for appeared. His sword came down, a mighty arc aimed directly at my head. I saw it, felt it, and I knew I had to move now or die. I lunged forward.

Amir twisted just in time and my blade merely sliced down his arm. He cursed and reared back, tripping over Sura where she still sat on the ground.

I knew it was my only chance.

I turned and bolted towards the entrance, flinging the large door open to the shocked gazes of my two guards and stumbling out into the open. Selasi and Yesh drew their weapons as they took me in—Malik’s sword and my disheveled appearance, the trickle of blood I could feel dripping down the side of my face from my ear.

“My lady, what—” Selasi began.

“Amir!” I panted. “He’s the one—"

An almighty crash sounded above us, and we stared, watching in disbelief as a dragon shattered through part of the dome. Glass rained down, though luckily not over where we stood.Seconds later, a large dragon landed before us, blocking any escape. I nearly lost my footing as the ground shook.

It wasn’t until I looked up again that I saw which dragon it was.

Virath.

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