Page 48 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

My ears popped as they adjusted to the altitude and popped again just before the tan dragon touched down in a wide courtyard, long before reaching the city. Ciro and the dragons carrying our companions landed close by. The gold removed itself from my legs, and after I stood, it disappeared the way it had come and finally coiled itself around the upper arm of the DeNoy woman. I was anxious to ask Lennon if she might have something similar.

The dragon rider pointed to a red beast in the distance, landing near a large structure. “The little woman is being taken to the Recovery,” she said, “where they can properly dress her wounds. The horned man refuses to leave her side.”

Tearloch helped me climb down, and even when I was sure-footed, I felt like the ground was moving.

“It will pass, my lady.” Nogel came to stand beside me as the tan dragon and its rider walked away. “Now I understand why they call it The Soundless.”

“Why is that?”

“Outside, I assume no one can hear what happens under the dome.”

“Yes,” Tearloch said. “The dome. You don’t happen to know just how we get outside again, do you?”

Nogel shrugged. “I think it involves those horns.”

“Excellent. It will give me something to do.”

I didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

“If we are not on our way to Ristat by tomorrow, I will have to learn how to blow a horn” He reached his arm around me and yanked me close. Our faces were inches apart. “I’m going to save you, Asper. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to save you before you can save yourself.” Then he kissed me, hard and quick. When he pulled back, he turned away. I had no idea if he liked it.

As for me, I sucked air into my lungs and savored the tingles pouring through my body, thawing me. It felt very much like I’d been kissed by a heartstone. I glanced down to see if I might be standing on a bit of the black rock, but the only thing beneath me was snow.

It had to be snow—though I’d only read about it. What else could cover the ground so completely and cleanly?

When I looked up, Tearloch waited with a smile.

I was so relieved. If he’d disliked the kiss, it would have broken my heart as before, when he let it slip that he didn’t trust me.

I laughed at the wonder in his eyes. “Is this your first time too…seeing snow?”

“Yes. I guess it is.” His voice was strangely quiet. He inhaled deeply, shook his head, then kicked a bit of the white stuff with his toe. “Well, I thought I’d seen it before. It was a long time ago. Hard to remember…”

* * *

The courtyard sprawled widebeneath a sky heavy with moisture. I could feel it each time I inhaled. Stone walls towered around us, weathered and dark, each block etched with the wear of centuries. And between those blocks ran a vein of familiar black heartstone.

The chips and scrapes along the top edge had to be from dragon claws. Here and there, the walls were reinforced with iron bands as if they were so ancient they might crumble. The metal gleamed faintly in the morning sunlight which slowly chased away the frost.

After depositing their passengers, the colorful beasts and their fanciful riders left again. The blanket of snow on the ground remained untouched except where the sweep of wings and large feet left indentations. Some of the heavy, warm bodies left patches of slush behind. Their scales gleamed like jewels as they caught the sun again—a deep emerald, stormy purple, and rich gold. Steam rose from their nostrils, the heat from their breath cutting through the cold, mimicking the fire and smoke they were capable of.

In the far corner of the courtyard, a small fountain stood frozen in mid-flow, the water captured in a delicate sculpture of ice with veins of frost radiating from the spout. Icicles dangled from an arch above it, glittering like shards of glass.

Out of the center of the castle itself rose a multi-faceted tower with a round roof. Windows repeated in each section, and the tiny figures moving on the inside would be able to see the sky in every direction. Protruding from two of those windows were long straight horns—probably the ones that Tearloch planned to use to get us through the dome.

Except for a tattered banner flapping weakly above our heads as we entered the keep, nothing moved.

The castle was blissfully warm though the frigid air still clung to our clothes as we followed our host down a dimly lit corridor. His cloak rustled along the stone floor, the sound oddly unsettling. His smiling voice offered no warmth, despite his words.

"Welcome to The Soundless. Here, you will find everything you want and more. Asper and Tearloch, you and your entourage will be housed in the North Wing.”

While he walked, he turned to show us his smile. It curled at the corners in a way that made me itch to remove my dagger now tucked in my boot.

"Spacious apartments, comfortable enough for your needs, of course. Each room with a view of the valley below, though I doubt you'll have much time to admire it." His gaze flicked over to Tearloch, then me, where it lingered a beat too long.

As we continued, Tearloch moved closer and curled his little finger around mine.

“Lennon and Griffon will stay in the South Wing, above where we are now.”

---