Page 11 of Dragon Gods

Sofia wanted to argue more, but Javi did walk in then, dark curls hanging limply in his face. Perhaps Flor was right. She looked at her friend, truly looked at him, for the first time in weeks and she saw the deep purple bruises beneath his eyes that his tight smile couldn’t hide.

“I shouldn’t have been worried about you leaving without me, Sofia. You manage to take forever to pack even when it’s just a single dress. As if Micael’s going to change his mind.”

“We can only hope one day he grows a brain.” She matched his smile, throwing an arm around his shoulders and placing a kiss on his cheek. “And I would never leave without dramatically complaining to you about it, anyway.”

Flor rolled her eyes, but joined the hug, wrapping her own arms around them.

Javi seemed to suddenly notice the bag slung across Flor’s shoulder.

“You’re leaving, too?”

“Micael said that I’m due back the day after Sofia anyway and I could help with?—”

“Babysitting me and making sure I don’t get into trouble,” Sofia interjected.

Flor elbowed Sofia, hard enough to hurt. “With gathering information now that the plan is in effect. Micael wants to know if the king or chief commander makes any proclamations or moves.”

Javi’s face went pale, but his smile didn’t falter. Sofia had to give him credit for never showing his hand. Even after cycles, she never knew exactly what he was thinking or feeling. But she understood he had to be hurting. Dia was six cycles his junior and barely associated with the resistance thanks to his own work in keeping her out of it. But five weeks ago, when she’d been arrested for being on the wrong side of the gates past curfew, she’d had a small dagger on her. It had been barely the size of a thumb, just large enough for self-protection when Javi wasn’t home to watch her. It was enough to have her sent to the prison on illegal possession and suspected resistance ties. And he had been the one to gift it to her.

Micael’s own granddaughter was arrested two days later trying to get a message to Dia and found guilty of conspiracy. The only reason they weren’t dead yet was because the chief commander suspected, rightfully so, that they had information regarding the resistance. Sofia could only imagine what the two girls had been put through in the five weeks they’d been imprisoned. She was extremely familiar with General Ocon’s methods of interrogation. Neither of the girls knew exactly where their base was, but they had enough information about the resistance’s activities in the city that if the girls had broken, the entire resistance would have been arrested or killed by now. Sofia didn’t know how long two girls, barely sixteen cycles old, could survive the torture.

“We’ll get them back,” Sofia said, the words slipping out before she reminded herself she couldn’t make such a promise.

Javi squeezed her shoulder, but didn’t say anything. Perhaps he knew how empty a promise it was.

“We should head out,” Flor said. “I want to make it to the mangroves before dark.”

They said their goodbyes, Sofia purposefully ignoring Micael. But she gave Viola and Carmen an extra tight hug, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks as if it might bring their daughter home sooner. Javi stood beside his mothers, his blood-mother, Viola, holding his hand tightly in her own.

“We’ll be back in less than a week,” Flor said as Sofia stopped at the lip of the cenote, not ready to take the first step back toward Suvi.

“They’re wasting an opportunity by not questioning him,” she said, looking back at the cenote as if she might will Micael to change his mind and call them back.

“I’m sure they’ll do so, but you’re assuming he’ll give us anything.”

“He would if we put a blade to his throat.”

Flor gave her a flat stare, rolling her eyes once she was sure Sofia was looking at her.

“Do you truly think their plan will work?” Sofia’s voice was quiet, too afraid of her words echoing down into the cenote where Javi and the others might hear.

“It’s the best one we have, and the sooner we get to Suvi, the sooner we’ll know what’s happening.”

Flor pulled Sofia toward her, linking their arms before turning south.

* * *

They walked in silence,their soft footsteps and breaths the only sounds to challenge the general hum of the forest. Even though they were still a few hours’ travel from the wall, neither of them wanted to speak. The sun was starting to set and it was all too easy to slip from one shadow to the next. But, as much as they’d built a system for coming in and out of the city unseen, there was always the chance that a scout’s habits would change or they’d run into the military out here. And even though plenty of king’s men might arrest them, it was always easier to simply shoot the rebels and leave them to rot out here in the forest. It was less paperwork. Micael always enjoyed reminding them that he’d lost a few members of the resistance that way over the decades.

They made it to the mangroves shortly after dark, when the sun had tucked itself away behind the horizon, leaving the stars and moons to rule the sky. The dragon’s eyes were opening, the two moons wide crescents already high in the sky. It made it easier to move, but easier to get caught, as well.

The mangroves twisted their way along the western coast of the peninsula, their branches and roots a dense wall between the land and sea. It wasn’t the easiest path back into the city, but it was the one that guaranteed stealth. Even at low tide, the scouts didn’t venture too far into the area, fearful of the crocodiles, the blood monkeys, and the other fanged creatures that made their home here. But the Dragonborn had never forgotten the knowledge of their ancestors and it was easy enough to avoid angering the creatures. Just don’t splash around or make eye contact with the monkeys and you’d rarely be bothered.

It was just coming on low tide and the ocean that normally flooded the area had receded just enough to reveal the bridge of tree roots that stretched and twisted across the low waterline. They both removed their shoes, more sure on the wet roots of the trees in their bare feet. They made their way across the twisted trees, never even touching the water. It was a long and arduous journey, taking another hour to cross the small span of shore, but they bypassed the wall completely—the Dereyans never managing to build the stone structure through the thick mangrove trees.

They’d made the mistake of tearing down the eastern mangroves when they’d first settled down and decided to claim the entire southern tip of Wueco as their own. Now the entire sector of the city flooded twice a day with the flow of the tides. Not that the Dereyans cared when they simply ensured their people never had to live in the drowned quarter.

Sofia and Flor made it back to Suvi before the first moon had even set and they were back at the Wall’s Inn less than an hour later. Luckily, despite how strict the Dereyans were in tracking the Dragonborn by day, even they didn’t like traveling through the edge of the slums at night. The only soldiers this side of the inner gates were either in their barracks along the wall or tucked safely away in a room at the inn with a Dragonborn or two for company.

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