Page 41 of Lady Dragon
“Don’t we?” the princess cried.
Just then, a horn sounded through the trees, echoing throughout the forest. She could recognize the exact tone—the clear, bright call of Andrath’s armed forces. A search party, perhaps, signaling others. Of course they would have been looking for the daughter heir as soon as they discovered her missing—which had probably been right after the high tower was torn to shreds by a dragon, meaning they’d been searching for herthroughout the night. Shortly, Samansa could hear the shouts of men and the pounding of hooves.
“We probablydon’twant to be discovered just yet,” she agreed breathlessly. “Not until we’ve had more time to think about how all of these… developments… will be received.” Rather, if she was going to keep turning into a dragon, but she didn’t want to voice the fear aloud in case that would make it come true. “What do we do?”
We may be out of time, Kirek said shortly, her giant head swiveling.
Samansa could see the shapes of horses and the glint of armor flickering through the trees. A much louder shout went up as they obviously spotted Kirek. Even nestled down in a forest, a dragon’s bulk was hard to hide.
“We don’t have to tell themexactlywhat happened,” the princess said hurriedly. “We can say it was some sort of an accident or a misunderstanding, that we’re both fine now, and hope it’s true—”
But then Samansa saw the banner, lashing behind a galloping charger. It didn’t bear the queen’s insignia, a silver dragon coiled around a golden crown on a field of blue. This was red, bearing a brown shield wreathed in orange fire—her brother’s insignia, which subtly recalled King Wyleth’s flag of old, much to her mother’s distaste.
This wasn’t just a search party. It was also ahuntingparty.
A shout came close enough to pick out the words: “It’s her! Secure the princess!”
That’s something at least, Samansa thought hysterically. Of course, the average soldier wouldn’t know about her brother’s plot to murder her. She was still the daughter heir, and if shecould only get back to the safety of the castle walls, speak to her mother, then she could explain—
Explainwhat? Not even Samansa understood what had happened.
At least she could tell her mother what Kirek had told her: that Branon had tried to kill her. He was probably behind all the assassination attempts—those made by human hands, at least—and he was trying to turn the dragons against the queendom so he could take the throne. It didn’t help matters that he might have already succeeded, if the dragon queen had commanded Kirek to kill her. But maybe whatever had just happened with Kirek wasgood—perhaps this bond between them would make the dragons reconsider neutrality or, skies forbid, any overt support for Branon.
As the dragon had said:It is the one thing that forces us to protect the vulnerable among us. The one thing that lets us trust in each other above all else.
Perhaps it was a desperate, far-fetched hope, but at least therewashope for peace yet. Samansa couldn’t worry about turning into a dragon for the time being. She just had to get home. She just had to escape Branon.
Because she had no doubt that her brother wouldn’t be bringing her home. He would likely see to it personally that she never made it, if only so no one else would know what he had done.
Which meant if Kirek were now aiding her instead of eating her, he might not want the dragon to leave here alive, either. It would certainly be easier to attack Kirek for supposedly abducting the daughter heir than it would be to attack Samansa herself.
All of this, she considered in a brief flash.
“Kirek, you should go,” Samansa choked out. “You can still escape.”
He wants you dead, Kirek snarled silently, hissing aloud and baring teeth as long as daggers.I’m not leaving you.
The princess stumbled closer to the dragon. “And I won’t be able to hold on to you if you try to fly with me, now that I know what I subjected you to with my flight.” She choked on a panicked laugh. “I’m not strong like you, and we don’t have a carriage for you to carry me in this time.”
Then remain still, the dragon commanded.
Samansa froze as Kirek raised one of her forelegs to gently enclose the princess in her claws like a cage—a terrifyingly pointy one. Even more gently, the dragon tipped her off her feet to loosely clutch her above the ground as if testing her hold. Samansa grasped one of the scaled toes with both arms, her breath coming faster. The lengths of the claws were pressing into her backside uncomfortably—although thankfully not the sharp tips—lacking width enough to support her weight well. And yet, any tighter, and the dragon would risk crushing her.
“Kirek, if I fall—” Samansa couldn’t help the note of panic in her voice.
Don’t fall.
The dragon started flapping her powerful wings, blowing up waves of pine needles with great gusts that stirred the trees around them. Samansa’s stomach rolled, and her hands gripped even tighter to whatever they could. Shouts, ever closer, followed them as they began to rise, the ground passing dizzily faster and farther beneath them.
“The dragon is taking her!”
“Don’t let her fly—archers!”
“No—!” Samansa tried to cry, but then an arrow went whizzing by Kirek’s wing, followed by another, making her shriek, instead, and nearly lose her balance within the cradle of the dragon’s claws.
“Don’t hit the princess!” came another shout.
Her brother would only be too pleased to have such an unfortunate accident. But at least he still wasn’t giving the orders to shoot directly at her, consequences be damned.
