Page 37 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

What else had he said? That she was going to freeze when they got to Ristat. Nothing more.

Before they set out again, he removed his gloves and washed his hands in the creek. He considered “forgetting” them, but out of habit, he tugged them on again. Minkin watched him closely, then mouthed the word “coward” before she turned away, laughing.

* * *

Asper…

The beauty of the canyon kept me well entertained to the point where the day passed quickly. I had never seen such lush growth, such heavy-laden branches, such colorful celebrations of the abundance of water. Minkin had so many blossoms in her hair and in her hands—red, pink, blue, purple, and white—that Sweetie gave up picking them. But I could tell it went against his instincts to pass the flowers by.

I was loathe to see the sun setting for the simple fact that I wanted to see more.

Tearloch was so distracted with his thoughts, I didn’t have to worry about him pulling me aside for a private moment. He rarely glanced my way, and yet again, I felt forgotten. Minkin, on the other hand, studied me often, though she didn’t seem inclined to talk.

Morrow and Nogel led the way, watching me closely and setting the pace according to mine. But of necessity, we slowed as the light faded. Glow stones could only do so much. Even my bright one.

I delayed removing mine from my pocket because its uncommon brightness was a reminder that Tearloch still believed I was more than an Uncast, that he still couldn’t take me at my word. Even the dragon’s attention had increased his suspicion, when it was obvious the creature reacted to the way others were treating me, like a princess.

After an hour of plodding through the dark, along our narrow trail, I was surprised that my energy was already wearing thin. Then I remembered that I had shared my heartstone stores with the dragon. The energy that now moved me was my own, and it was waning fast.

Thankfully, we soon reached a summit and were able to pause to catch our breath. My minor wound stung once more, and I shook my head. “I need to rest. I can’t… I just need to rest.”

The others were content to do the same, so I lowered myself to the ground. Minkin came to stand beside me. She freed a leather skin from around her shoulders and took a drink. After my breathing calmed, the place was eerily quiet with nary a chirp from the insects, which was odd considering the dark hour.

In fact, it was too quiet.

The men noticed it as well. Those who had chosen to sit suddenly got to their feet again and freed their weapons. Tearloch, Sweetie, and the brothers were already crouched and ready for an attack. I listened, but all I could hear were the staccato beats of my own heart. Steady. Monotonous.

It came from the sky. Dark blue in color, it blended perfectly with the night. A large, faceless bird with a wingspan the length of a tall man. By the time we saw it, it was already reaching for Minkin.

I threw myself at her legs, wrapping my arms around her to weigh her down. She screamed as the bird's claws sank into her shoulders. The bird screeched, over and over, when it couldn't lift her.

All I could do was hold tight as her feet slowly left the ground?—

Sweetie's roar startled me so much I nearly let go. I fell back to the ground, bringing Minkin with me, and we ended in a heap. We rolled over to find Sweetie fighting with the angry creature that was foolish enough to think it might take Sweetie instead. Its claws clamped around his horns and gave it a try, then chose to punish the big man for interfering, but it couldn’t reach past the twisting horns to get to his face.

Sweetie spun away and swung his long dagger over his head, piercing the feathered body just as Tearloch's longsword sliced the creature in half. The screeching ended abruptly, followed by a rain of feathers and blood. And while we caught our breath again, the insects announced the all clear.

Sweetie hurried to Minkin and helped her sit. She held her torn gown against her while he examined her shoulders. He ripped a section of cloth from her skirts to press against her bleeding wounds, which were many.

"We'll stay put until the bleeding stops," he told her. "We can catch up?—"

"We're not leaving you," Tearloch said. He grabbed the claws of the bird carcass and flung the pieces away from her. "But we need shelter."

"And we need very hot water," I said. "A bird's claws will cause fever if her wounds are not cleaned properly. I assume that was a moon stalker?"

"It was."

"And it was blue."

"Yes."

"I don't suppose the people who saw the blue dragon were mistaken?"

"By a moon stalker? No.” Bain reached down to squeeze Minkin’s hand in sympathy. “As you saw, they’re the color of night. The dragon was sighted in the day.”

"Not a chance of it," Morrow said, watching the sky for another attack. "It was seen by Guardian Riders. They chased it off the planet, and it got away. Moon stalkers can't survive off planet. And our dragons won't last long out there."

"Ourdragons? What other dragons are there?"

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