Page 46 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

"Come, sir. The blue dragon must have a rider." He glanced around. "Where is our blue, by the way?" Turning and studying the crowd, he found no help. Most eyes were cast down until he pointed to the devious devil who had hoped to run his spear through Tearloch. "You," Ciro said. "Where is the blue dragon?"

The man pointed to the cave. "The cavern behind you. Sir," he added, belatedly.

When Ciro headed for the gap in the rock, I glanced at Minkin, who shook her head. "Not him," she said. She couldn't influence a man like that.

Griffon and Lennon moved to block the entrance. Ciro stopped immediately, grinned at Lennon, and held out his arms as if he would embrace her. "Ah, here you are." Only Griffon's stiff arm kept the DeNoy from touching her, which only made Ciro laugh. "A protector. How charming." He offered Griffon a shallow bow. "And you are?"

"Griffon. This is my wife, Lennon."And you will not touch herwas implied.

To her, Ciro said, “But you are DeNoy.”

“Yes.”

“And DeNoy have no permanent mates. It is…unwise.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re not from here. And we’re not staying.”

Ciro chuckled. “Nonsense. All DeNoy long to come home. Tell me you haven’t felt the same.”

“I haven’t.”

“You…lie. But no matter. You brought a blue back to Hestia’s skies?—”

“And you mean to punish her for it?” Griffon’s smile promised pain for the wrong answer.

“Certainly not. It is time for celebration. The blue has come. This means we will no longer be required to destroy our own.”

Griffon looked doubtful. “But it also means everyone in Hestia dies, does it not?”

Ciro rolled his eyes and threw his hands out. “Do not tell me you believe in such superstition. Look around you. The blue has come and we all still live.” He glanced back at the body of the DeNoy henchman. “Well, most of us.” He slapped his hands together. “Come. Introduce me to your…Kivi, is it?” He laughed at their obvious surprise. “She has been speaking to my Skullcrusher. He wants her and he hasn’t even seen her yet.”

The man slid past Lennon into the dark maw and the couple had no choice but to follow. Tearloch took my hand, and we pushed past the oddly resigned guards to follow after them.

Glow stones and a quickly dying fire cast an eerie illumination to the rough walls of the cavern and left the lofty ceiling in darkness. Ciro pulled a bright stone from his pocket and chased the shadows back. Lennon stalked around him to reach Kivi first, then put her back to her beloved dragon and braced herself for a fight. Griffon moved so he could concurrently keep his eye on the exit, his woman, and the DeNoy none of us trusted.

The fact that he’d cut off the executioner’s head with no pre-amble had unnerved us all. But I suspected that was the point.

“Hello my beauty,” Ciro said, and advanced toward Kivi’s head, hand held out.

Lennon blocked him. “She is not your anything.”

He held up his hands. “Quite right. Quite right. I must remember you are unused to our ways. In time…”

Lennon and Griffon exchanged a look. Tearloch and I did the same. The man wasn’t going to let them go…easily.

Tearloch cleared his throat to get Ciro’s attention. “We, on the other hand, are Hestians, and we will help them all we can.”

The DeNoy’s attention finally fell on me. He took in the details of my ripped dress Tearloch’s arm around me. “Well done, sir. Royalty, even.” He studied my face with narrowed eyes for a long while. Then suddenly, he clapped his hands again and started back to the entrance. “Come. I insist you and your people accompany us. One of mine will ride the blue, to teach her the way.”

“Not without me,” Lennon said, marching after him.

“That goes without saying.”

* * *

The Guardian Rider,the commander, and the rest of the king’s men looked on, powerless, while the DeNoy took their prize away. Ciro insisted our party come along, but Morrow, Lears, and Poole were given the option of staying. They jumped at the chance to be free of the king’s guards and whatever judgment might have been rendered for their involvement, but I think they all knew they were choosing to jump from one unknown fire into another.

Nogel was not invited.

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