Page 12 of Between Fear and Favor

Chapter 8

EMMELINE

The Dragon Hollow,as Rain had called it, was located deep below the dungeons. The moment I set foot in the palace after ditching my guard, I opened a rift, much to the disappointment of my aching head. Stepping into the dark, I inhaled deeply. Despite being so deep below the palace, it was warmer than it was outside. The weather hadn’t quite decided to cooperate for spring, and with being constantly outside, I’d grown used to the cold. Truthfully, it was a blessing. Spring Equinox was coming, and it usually tended to be warm for Elora’s birthday. Without her here, it made sense the air was still frigid.

Perhaps it was the bodies of eight large dragons residing in the space which warmed it. I hated keeping them down here in the dark. They were meant to fly, and I truly thought they could help against the Supreme despite the supposed risk.

After Hyše died, Rain wanted to send the dragons across the sea to Skos. He’d wanted me to put my hands on them and use my shadows to shrink them out of existence if it were possible. He hated that they made me vulnerable. But as I summoned a ball of my divine fire into my hand and Irses and Ryo prowled closer to me in the dark, I’d never felt more safe.

That was how I’d convinced Rain to let me keep them nearby. In a last ditch effort to defend ourselves, I would release them upon the Supreme’s forces. With their long bolts made of obsidian designed to maim even my largest dragon, Nereza’s Nythyrian archers had demonstrated the uses of their tremendous two-man bows early in the siege. But I’d risk them, risk myself, before I allowed the city to fall. If all my dragons died and it killed me, at least my death would have honor.

Sometimes, I hoped it would come to that. Despite the excruciating pain I’d gone through when Hyše had died, if it meant saving thousands, I’d withstand the agony. And then I could rest.

I tried not to think of Hyše, of what it must have meant if she died. Both Rain and I had refused to speak of it. I knew it pained him. If there wasn’t an army encircling the capital, he’d have traveled east, shoving Shika through each of his rifts, before riding the dragon to the middle of the sea. Not knowing where Ven was or what happened to her was killing him slowly. But what could we do? We couldn’t abandon Astana.

Ryo, still smaller than the rest of the dragons, rested his chin on my shoulder. Though I’d thought to make him larger, there was no sense in it if he was going to be trapped in this hole in the earth. Rain and I had used his divinity to dig out the cavity, and we’d been lucky to hit a stream far below the dungeon. We’d made it large enough for them to be comfortable and have access to the water, and did our best to give them comfort by growing long, soft grass on the ground. Torches of divine fire lined the walls, but I suspected the dragons blew them out when they tried to sleep as they had to be relit daily.

“Hello, love,” I whispered as I kicked my shoes off. Stepping on the toe of one stocking, I pulled my leg up to rid myself of the garment before I repeated the action on the other side. Sighing, I let my toes sink into the grass.

Ryo backed up and sat down, bringing his face even with mine. And when he let out a little huff as he cocked his head, I would have sworn it was a disappointed sigh.

“What is it?” I asked, before reaching forward and scratching his chin.

Behind the small dragon, Irses appeared enormous—and utterly magnificent. He sat on his haunches, and his long grey tail curled in front of him. He rested his wings on the ground for balance, and they splayed wide around him. Rainier’s green eyes looked down at me, and I was certain my dragon could see into my soul just as Rain could. Or perhaps, each of the dragons had a part of my soul—taken along with my memory to create them—and they could feel that the part of it that still resided in me was weary.

And perhaps they were weary, too. I could feel a restless energy in the rest of the dragons. Lux, curled on the ground by the water’s edge, let out a small snort, and a spark of divine fire lit the grass below her. Her opalescent scales glittered in the dark, and when she laid down on top of the licks of flame, she seemed irritated.

Many of the dragons were asleep, and I wondered if that was when they felt peace. Wen and Den were curled protectively around one another, both asleep, and Ifash snored beside them. With each breath came a small cloud of smoke. The way he laid reminded me of a cat in the sun. Belly up, he snoozed with ease. Traekka’s azure wings twitched in her sleep as she laid beside the others.

Shika paced the perimeter of this cave that was much too small. We’d been afraid to make it much bigger, in fear that the palace above would somehow collapse. I hated keeping them here. Part of me was afraid, just as Rain was, of what would happen if they flew freely. But my reasons were different. Could I trust myself to not order Ifash and Lux to destroy everything in sight? I was so angry and bitter, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop them from burning the world to ash. And then Cyran’s prophecy, the one he’d hoped to avoid, would come true—by my hand instead of Declan’s.

I resolved to convince Rain to let me bring Lux out. The Supreme and Nereza had created a circle around the capital—though sparse in some areas—and built a tall wall behind it. Made of blackened thorns and something that appeared to be ice, it had been impenetrable to our forces that rifted to the other side. If Lux could use her fire on the divine boundary they’d created, I was sure we could end this siege.

Please let him be successful, I prayed to whichever gods were willing to listen. They’d blessed me and abandoned me, and I was more than a bit angry with them. But if they allowed Rainier to succeed in his mission and cut off the Nythyrian supply, I would worship them as they wanted.

“I’m sorry I don’t have more food for you,” I said, head tilted up as I spoke to Irses. The first beast I’d created with my own hands seemed to understand me best, so I thought to explain it to him—even if it did nothing. “We have to prioritize the people, but I promise I won’t let you starve.”

As it was, we gave the dragons the worst of everything, though the standard was lessening each day. I’d send them away before it came to them starving to death, but we were growing closer to that moment each day. They could go a week without food, but two?

Irses blinked, but did nothing to show he understood. Instead, he slowly lowered himself to the ground before closing his eyes. It felt as if I was being dismissed, and something in my heart cracked. I couldn’t blame him though, could I? I nodded, then turned away. I’d left the healer’s tent to rest, and my visit to the dragons hadn’t helped me feel any better.

As I spread my hands to open a rift, my head felt as if it split in two, and I collapsed to the ground. Perhaps I’d found the rest I needed—though not in the way I’d meant to take it. Everything went black, and then I knew nothing at all.

Chapter 9

ELORA

“I don’t knowhow many times I can repeat myself, Grandmother. I was terrified he was going to kill my—Rainier. Us. I ran, jumped, and grabbed Declan’s throat. How am I supposed to recreate that?”

The early spring sun was warm as it beat down upon us, the courtyard protecting us from the wind. I wished it could shelter me from Shivani’s ceaseless nagging too.

“Are you still calling your father by his given name?” Shivani didn’t turn to face me, and her tone made me very curious about her expression. I couldn’t tell if she was irritated or scrutinizing. Perhaps both.

“I don’t know what else to call him,” I admitted. It wasn’t for lack of thought. I’d been mulling it over and hadn’t come up with anything yet.

“Father is easy enough.”

“And far too formal?—”

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