Page 14 of Kingdom of Dance

Idric lifted one talon and ran it briskly down Jasmine’s arm. Zinnia gasped as a trickle of blood seeped out. Jasmine gave no reaction whatsoever, no sign that she’d felt a thing. She continued to gaze around the room with apparent satisfaction. It was an unnerving sight.

Idric let out a hiss of breath that Zinnia wasalmostsure contained words in some strange tongue, and the blood rose into the air and hovered before his eyes. He stretched out his neck so that his head rotated around the liquid, considering it from every angle. Then he breathed on it, no flame issuing from his mouth, just a shimmering heat that enveloped the red droplets. They glowed for a moment, then fell to the ground. Idric leaned down and sniffed at the blood on the stone, like a dog seeking a scent.

“Hm.” The dragon leaned back on his haunches, considering Jasmine once again, while Zinnia watched tensely. Before she knew what he was about, Idric reached toward a nearby boulder and withdrew a small, unfamiliar fruit, skewering it with his talon. He breathed on it before holding it out next to Jasmine, who turned, brightening at sight of it.

Zinnia lunged forward as her sister plucked the fruit from Idric’s talons, as if taking refreshments from a table.

“Jasmine, don’t eat that!” she said.

The younger girl scowled at her. “Don’t be silly, Zinnia, you can get your own.” She gestured at the empty space behind her. “There are plenty more.”

Feeling sick to her stomach, Zinnia watched helplessly as Jasmine bit into the food, swallowing it down with a blissful expression.

Zinnia rounded on Idric. “What will it do to her?”

“That remains to be seen,” he said. “I won’t know the answer to that until I assess her blood once again at the end of the night. And I see no compelling reason why I would share that answer with you.”

“Why couldn’t you use my blood?” Zinnia demanded. “It’s as royal as Jasmine’s.”

“I could have,” said Idric, sounding bored. “But I chose not to.” His gaze drilled into her as he subjected her to his full focus. “I require other assistance from you, and your feeble body has its limits.” He narrowed his eyes. “However strong your spark might be.”

“It’s stronger than ever, I think you’ll find,” Zinnia said defiantly.

She still had very limited understanding of what thissparkwas supposed to be, but she’d picked up that its supposed strength irritated Idric where nothing else seemed to ruffle him. And she lost no opportunity to rub it in. It wasn’t just that it was satisfying to annoy him—although it was. One of her main reasons for keeping her mind free of the delusions was to use the time to try to find out what exactly Idric was up to. And she’d discovered that if she provoked him to irritation regarding her spark, he was much more likely to rant.

Sadly, on this particular occasion, the dragon didn’t seem flustered.

“Let’s see, shall we?” he asked smoothly.

Zinnia barely had time to brace herself before he struck. Reaching out, he wrapped one taloned front foot around her midriff, the sharp points digging into her sides. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, determined not to let him see her fear.

Besides, the physical discomfort was the least of her concerns. Having lifted her bodily from the ground, Idric held her before his snout and breathed deeply.

“How do I smell?” she managed to gasp, with what little breath was in her body. “I must remember to bathe with dragonsbane next time.”

Idric’s snort released a small jet of flame that seared Zinnia’s face, making her wince. “A myth,” he informed her with relish.

She said nothing. She’d done her own research and was aware that, most regrettably, it was indeed a myth that the plant known colloquially as dragonsbane was in any way harmful to the magical creatures.

There was no more time for snarky retorts. The look in Idric’s eye told her he was done with his preliminary examinations and ready to start the main work of the evening. Zinnia felt her whole body tense in anticipation, but when he breathed on her—no heat to the white flame that now issued from his jaws—it wasn’t her body that felt the pain.

She didn’t understand what he was doing, or what she was feeling. She just knew that the attack wasn’t physical. It was her mind, her heart, her veryessence, that was under assault. That didn’t mean she felt nothing—it wasn’t normal pain, but it was still more acute, more intimate than anything she could have described. It took every bit of her considerable willpower to hold on to herself, not to give in to the insistent pressure that seemed to be trying to split her in two, to rip some part of herself out of her body.

It was this feeling that she’d dreaded, this unbearable sensation that had caused her to wake in the night more than once during her visit to Albury, covered in a cold sweat as her mind relived the indefinable assault Idric attempted every time he called her down here.

Her only comfort—one she clung to with every ounce of her tenacity as she endured the mental agony—was that no matter how many times he tried it, he didn’t seem to make any progress.

And if her own determination had any impact on the matter, he never would.

Chapter Three

Obsidian lifted the ax high over his head, swinging it down with precision.

Thud.

He gave a grunt at the satisfying sound of the metal hitting wood. A glance to the side showed him that he had a sizable stack now. Plenty for cooking. Enough to keep them warm through a week of winter, if he was honest. Certainly far more than they needed in late summer. He should stop.

And yet, the next moment, the ax was in the air again, coming down on a new log.

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