Page 115 of Wild Flame

“My queen, what—"

“Amir—Amir has betrayed the . . . king . . .” I explained. “He and my sister and his men are being influenced by a potion and are . . . not themselves. They are trying to kill me.”

The warrior looked stunned, as did her companions. She glanced behind me, and I knew what she saw when her expression first registered shock, then it hardened.

Malik and the others were almost upon us.

The Talonar stepped in front of me, spreading out. “We won’t let that happen, Your Majesty,” Brunara vowed. “You are injured. Stay behind us,” she ordered.

Reluctantly, I nodded, gritting my teeth against the pain in my side.

“Try not to kill them,” I told them all. Though, truthfully, I was more worried that one of the warriors might be harmed, even though there were more of them. Riders healed quickly, but I still knew it was only a matter of time before someone would be killed or gravely injured. I also knew that if Malik or the others harmed any of these warriors, they would never forgive themselves when they came out of whatever trance they were in.

As the battle began, Malik and the others fought with stilted, jerky movements, like puppets on strings, lacking the grace a rider normally would have had. They were still deadly though, and the Talonar were at a disadvantage as they tried not to injure them.

A sound drew my attention upward and my blood went cold as I saw Virath flying directly for us, jaws opening.

“Move!” I yelled.

Brunara, who had been fighting with Taj, tackled him out of the way just as the dragon released a breath of flames our way. I dove behind a corner of stone and landed hard on my uninjured side. The heat of the flames touched my skin, but the strike missed me.

A wing of olive-green scales passed overhead as Leif’s dragon pursued Virath. The smaller and faster dragon caught up to Virath, and they collided in midair. I watched in shock as the dragons careened out of control, then lost sight of them in the shadows overhead.

Wheezing out a breath, I struggled to my feet as I focused back on the ground and saw a wall of flames and scorched earth now separated me from the Talonar. Plants and trees that had once lined the beautiful walkway before the dais were now burning. I fought to ignore my rising panic at being so close to the flames. Somehow, I found it was surprisingly easy to do, given my worry for the others as I squinted through the fire and smoke. I could just make out that one of the warriors was bleeding and looked pretty badly hurt while Salim had been burned severely on his leg. Though the man wasn’t acting as if he could feel the pain at all and was trying and failing to rise, his face blank. Brunara and another warrior were struggling to keep Taj pinned down while he resisted, reaching for his dropped sword. Three other warriors engaged Harun and Helene, who were still fighting mindlessly. Still more fought the remaining Rajar.

Wait.Where was—

Malik stepped through the flames a few feet to my right. He looked like he had stepped out from the Dark Realms themselves, completely unbothered by the flames. His dark, vacant stare fixated on me.

His clothing was singed in places, and he bore a few scratches, but other than that, he appeared unharmed.

I took a step back. “Malik—”

He raised the long dagger he held.

I cursed. I had lost Malik’s sword when I fell and now had nothing to defend myself with. Though I seriously doubted I could really bring myself to hurt Malik if it came down to it.

He swiped with the dagger, and I stumbled back. My side was screaming. I spared the now burning portion of the gardens around us only a glance before I was scrambling up the first few steps to the stone dais behind me.

“Malik!” I cried in desperation as he advanced. But I could see in that blank stare that he didn’t hear me.

Another blast of dragon fire nearby knocked us both off our feet. I spun to face him, my hands on the stairs behind me, pulling myself backward up the next step. And the next.

“Malik, you have to wake up!” I pleaded. I tried to get my feet under me and couldn’t.

He stood over me now.

He swung his blade again, but this time, I was prepared. I dodged the strike, and in a move I had practiced hundreds of times, I gripped his hand and wrenched it back, forcing him to drop the weapon. He swung at me with his other hand. I jerked my head back, taking the hit on the shoulder instead. It hurt, but I refused to release my hold on his other hand. I used it to yank him off balance, so he fell into me. Then, as quick as I could, I tugged the obsidian ring from my finger and slid it onto his.

His body went still atop me, and I prayed to all the Nine that it would work. That my hunch was correct.

When he pulled back, I tensed to fight him once more. But relief rushed through me as I saw his eyes were focused, unclouded, andhim.The red had drained away completely. His head snapped around, his sharp gaze taking in the scene and the destruction around him before coming to rest on me. His brow furrowed in confusion, and then fury, as he saw that I was injured.

“Leida, what—”

“Amir,” I said through clenched teeth while holding my side. “It was all Amir. He mixed Moonstone with Fleshfire to create a potion that can control dragon riders. He’s been controlling you and the others. He’s the one who drugged Ramin. He worked with Mercedes. He’s behind all of it. And Malik,” I swallowed hard, knowing this would be hard for him to hear. “. . . he’s the one who wanted Zara killed.” Malik’s jaw hardened as a mixture of anger, pain, and resignation passed through his eyes in quick succession. But it was all quickly replaced by a look of determination.

Standing, he helped me to my feet and down the stairs. “How bad is it? Can you walk?” he asked me, studying my side.

---