Page 51 of A Tribute of Fire

A giddy excitement filled me, and I wondered what he would do if I turned around and pressed myself to him, my softness against his strength. What would his reaction be if I kissed him? Here, in front of everyone?

I ran my fingertips along his forearm, his skin warmed by the sun. I traced the outline of the veins along his hands. Without thinking I lowered my head slightly and pressed my lips gently to the top of his wrist. His arm tightened against me as he softly swore.

“What just happened?” he demanded, and for a moment I wasn’t sure what he was referring to. Me touching him? The accidental kiss? Or the dragon?

He quickly cleared up my confusion by asking, “Do you speak to dragons?”

Were there people who could talk to dragons? Could life mages do so? What a marvelous power that must be. I shook my head. I didn’t know what had occurred. I hadn’t spoken and neither had she. But the compulsion to join her had been there all the same. As had this residual, elated feeling that made me want to kiss Jason.

“Are you all right?” Quynh demanded, and only then did Jason release me. I took a few steps away from him, regretting each one. I was overcome by this strange desire to kiss him and stay close to him.

Her question almost seemed silly. I felt exuberant, as if I could conquer the world. I hadn’t been harmed. If anything, I’d been reenergized. “I’m fine.”

“No one said anything about dragons,” Quynh said accusatorially to Jason, as if she held him personally responsible for it.

“We don’t generally see them,” he said as he sheathed his sword.

“What if he had tried to attack us?” she demanded.

“She,” I corrected. “The dragon was female.”

They both stared at me for a long while before Jason spoke. “Dragons are sacred to the goddess. We have been taught to respect them and we try to do our best to leave them alone. That doesn’t meanpeople haven’t occasionally slayed one from time to time, but usually as long as you feed them, they’re fine. It’s why we bring goats on every voyage. Just in case.” Then his heated gaze turned toward me. “And as a general rule you shouldn’t offer yourself up to one as a midday snack.”

“Air dragons pull the goddess’s chariot,” I offered to no one in particular, and it had the effect of causing both Quynh and Jason to stare at me as if I’d gone mad.

Some detached part of my mind wondered if I had.

“Isn’t that why you paint eyes onto your ship?” Quynh asked. “To scare off monsters?”

“If it is, I don’t think it works,” I added.

“It does not,” he agreed in a tone that sounded almost cheerful. The rowers had returned to their stations and the boatswain was playing a fast tune, to quickly get us as far away as possible.

But as we glided along, I found myself wanting to throw myself overboard to find the dragon. It seemed clear to me now that she had wanted me to join her. Not to be eaten, but for some other purpose.

It was only Quynh’s grip on my hand that kept me tethered in place.

The next two days passed by far too quickly. I showed Quynh basic fighting techniques, how to block a strike, how to look for an opening, constantly encouraging her to remember that she would have to keep her wits about her and fight off any fear she was feeling.

Jason and Acmon continued delivering our meals and water. And although I didn’t ignore Jason, I no longer spoke to him. I was embarrassed by what had happened between us when the dragon appeared. I had no explanation for my behavior, and that knowing smirk he sported whenever he saw me didn’t help things.

The end was quickly approaching and the only person I could care about right now was Quynh.

The night before we were to reach the docks, Acmon brought us a great feast. I was surprised by the number and variety of dishes. I realized that they were marking us as important, honoring us. Treating us like royalty. They had no idea that two princesses had been selected and they had no need to pretend.

I wasn’t one to turn away food. My stomach was upset but I forced myself to eat. I needed the strength it would provide. They also gave us pure, sweet, unfiltered wine and I allowed myself only a small sip. I had to keep all of my wits about me.

Quynh was surprisingly calm and it helped to steady my own nerves.

After the feast had been cleared, Jason came down carrying bundles of cloth. He passed them through the bars of the cage. “They want you to wear this.”

They were gleaming white tunics.

“Yes,” I said as I held mine aloft. “We want to make sure that we stand out so that it will be easier to locate us. We wouldn’t want to blend in. And probably more importantly, we want to make sure that our blood is clearly visible for the man who claims our lives.”

Jason looked ashamed, as if my words pained him, and I was glad. He should feel bad.

But after he left, I was the one who felt terrible. I had been trying so hard not to speak about our deaths as a given in front of Quynh.

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