Page 21 of Dragon Gods

“Still in the prison from what we gathered,” Sofia said.

Micael didn’t speak again for another minute and they stood, carved in stone. None of them wanted to break the moment—wanted to accidentally break the man who had always seemed so steady in the face of all the horrors they’d witnessed. But even in the flickering light, Sofia saw the sheen of emotion in his eyes. He shook his head, and Sofia flinched at the sudden movement.

“You’re done,” he said, eyes boring into her own. Sofia’s world dropped out from under her. “You’re off active duty. You’re citybound until we have some space to fix your mistakes and decide on our next steps.”

“Sir, if we can get into the prison. If he can get us in there?—”

“No,” Micael said, no longer looking at her. “We continue with the plan.”

“They’re going to kill everyone!”

“Then that will be on my shoulders, not yours. Pack your things. I want you gone tomorrow.”

“But…”

But what could she say? How she’d already screwed up? How she had nowhere in the city to go back to? How she thought she might die if she was forced to be trapped in the city once more?

She settled on saying, “You can’t keep me from the rainforest.”

“No,” he said, eyes narrowing, “I suppose I can’t. But you’re no longer welcome in the cenote until I decide otherwise.”

“Micael,” Flor started, but he raised his hand before she could say more, a clear indication that he was done listening to them. Sofia might have accused anyone else of being dramatic as he turned on his heels and left, but he was grieving and she knew that anguish well. He left them standing silently and looking at each other.

It was Sofia who moved first, taking the turns back to their rooms with her head down. She thought she saw some of the others watching them from the dining area, but she didn’t dare acknowledge them. Her shame was burning bright and hot in her chest, even as her still damp clothes clung to her body.

Back at their rooms, she fell against the wall where her bedroll was wrapped up, waiting for her since she’d left the cenote last week. Would it still be here in two weeks or two blinks from now when Micael let her back?Ifhe let her back. If she survived being trapped in the city again, homeless, jobless.

And if she did survive? Nothing would change. The king would still think himself a god and the Dragonborn the mud to be scraped from his boot.

“He’s not just the general’s son. Heknowsthe chief commander. He could get us into Harlow’s home.”

Flor shook her head. “No. No. You are not going down this road again. Killing the chief commander is a suicide mission.”

“It’s not just that,” Sofia said, looking between Javi and Flor. She took a breath. It had been a few cycles since they’d truly argued, but she knew exactly what their last argument had been. “If the chief commander still has the books on the dragons...”

Javi’s eyes went dark and his lips pressed together, but it was Flor who spoke, face going pink.

“Gods, Sofia, we’ve been through this. The dragons are gone. They’re dead and they aren’t coming back no matter how many books you read.”

She shook her head. “You both know the stories same as me. Plenty of legends speak of the dragons disappearing before they were killed off.”

“Key word: disappeared,” Flor said. She grasped Sofia by the shoulders, forcing her friend to look at her. “This is not going to convince Micael to welcome you back with open arms. Do you hear me? You don’t say this shit out loud. You don’t let the others hear that you’re even still thinking of the dragons. You know what Micael said last time.”

Sofia bit her lip, tearing her eyes away from Flor’s own pleading ones. Javi was looking at her with the same desperation, though, and she could only stare down at her feet. The last time Micael had heard her talking of dragons he’d sent her back into the city for two blinks and hadn’t let her back in until she promised not to spread rumors about dead gods.

“He already hates me,” she muttered.

“I’m sure he’ll cool down soon and everything will be fine.” Javi, ever the optimist, wrapped an arm around Sofia as he sat. “You’ll be back at the inn for a few weeks at most.”

Flor was still looking down at him, her lips sharply tilted down. “It’s not that easy.”

“What does that mean?” Javi asked, looking at Sofia when Flor raised an eyebrow at her.

“I was fired from the inn today—”yesterday?She had no idea what time it was. “I don’t have anywhere to go back to in the city.”

“I’m sure we can find something else,” he said. “I’m not letting you end up on the streets again.”

“I was lucky enough Frankie took a chance on hiring me, but no one wants a smart-mouthed Dragonborn with a traitor’s mark on her wrist.”

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