Page 35 of Song of the Dragon Rider
“Never mind.” I waved him off and continued walking. “The point is, we don’t have mystical creatures back home, but wedohave airplanes. Big metal contraptions with wings that fly through the sky.”
Damien blinked, clearly trying to wrap his head around this. “Metal… that flies? You’re joking.”
“Nope.” I grinned, loving his bewilderment. “Picture this: a giant metal bird—okay, not a bird, but itkind oflookslike one—filled with people, food, and sometimes really loud children who kick the back of your seat for six hours straight. That’s an airplane.”
“And it… flies?” he asked again, as if saying it twice would somehow make it make sense.
“It does,” I said proudly. “We’ve got engines, wings, and a whole lot of engineering magic. Well, not actual magic, but science—which is basically the same thing. Anyway, paratroopers jump out of those airplanes mid-flight with parachutes strapped to their backs.”
Damien stopped walking altogether and stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Youjumpedout of flying metal birds?”
“Yep,” I said, popping the “p” for emphasis. “It’s kind of our whole thing. They shove you out of the plane at high altitudes, and you freefall for a bit before your parachute opens. If it doesn’t open, you’ve got a backup chute, and if that fails… well, let’s just say it’s not a great day to be you.”
He blinked again, his expression a mixture of disbelief and horror. “And you…volunteeredfor this?”
I shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Plus, the thought of staying on the ground while other people flew through the skies? Nah, not for me. I had to be in the thick of it.”
Damien rubbed his temples like he was getting a headache. “So, let me get this straight. Your people built metal contraptions that defy gravity, you willingly jumped out of them, and you trusted… what? Cloth? Rope? To save your life?”
“Pretty much,” I said cheerfully. “Although I wouldn’t call itjustcloth and rope. Those parachutes are high-tech. Well, mostly. Occasionally they’d have holes in them, but hey, youdon’t really think about that when you’re plummeting toward the earth at terminal velocity.”
He stared at me, utterly flabbergasted. “Your world is insane.”
“You’re telling me.” I grinned. “But hey, at least we didn’t have fire-breathing dragons running around. That’s a whole different kind of insanity.”
Damien snorted and shook his head. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or horrified.”
“Go with impressed,” I suggested. “It’s the safer bet.”
He chuckled softly, the sound warm and genuine. “You reallyarefull of surprises, Cat.”
I winked. “Just wait. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, trying to read his expression in the dim light. “And what about you? Shifting into a dragon, setting buildings on fire... You're like a character straight out of some dark fairy tale.”
Damien's laugh faded and he looked ahead, his gaze distant. “Sometimes I feel like I am,” he admitted. “Trapped in a story I didn't write. But tonight, with you, it felt like maybe I could change the ending.”
His words hung in the air, weighted with meanings I wasn't sure I wanted to unravel. We continued walking in silence for a few moments before I gathered the courage to ask the question that had been burning inside me since we started this whole ordeal.
“So, what happens now? We burned down their ring, disrupted their operations, stole their money... Do you think it'll be enough to stop whatever's coming?”
Damien's grip on my hand tightened. “I don't know,” he confessed. “But it's a start. And with Thorne removing their funds, we've at least put a dent in their resources. We just need to stay vigilant.”
“And the emperor?” I pressed. “What if he finds out what we've done?”
Damien's jaw clenched and a shadow crossed his features. “Then we face that when it comes. I'm tired of running from shadows, Cat. It's time to confront them.”
The palpable conviction in his voice stirred something within me—equal parts fear and admiration. “Just don't expect me to start trusting you completely,” I warned, only half-joking.
He pulled me to a stop and turned to face me with an intensity in his eyes that made my heart stutter. “I wouldn't dream of it,” he said seriously. “But maybe, just maybe, you could start.”
The air between us charged with an unspoken challenge, the streets around us silent witnesses to our late-night confessions. I looked up at him, the man who was both my captor and, strangely, my ally, and slowly nodded. “Maybe,” I echoed.
We resumed walking in companionable silence toward the border of the Northern District just ahead, consumed with thoughts of the unknown future that stretched out before us like darkened streets under a moonlit sky.
“Arya!”
The sound of my so-called name startled us both. We looked over to see Jacob running across the border with Maeve close on his heels.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Looks like I’m busted.”
