Page 153 of Miss Bennet's Dragon
After a hundred thumping yards, I reined in to a trot. I would not be much use if I flew out of the saddle and broke my neck. But the rhythm of a galloping horse continued, approaching behind me.
Lord Wellington slowed to match my pace. He bowed from his saddle. “Mrs. Darcy.”
I nodded, and we continued.
50
IN THE MIDST OF BLACKNESS
The day had dawnedwith a few low, puffy clouds, but the puffs had grown until the sky was white with splashes of blue. As we entered the woods and climbed, the sun vanished and the air chilled.
“Mrs. Darcy,” Lord Wellington said as the horses walked up the steep slope. “I understand your reticence, but for military purposes, I must understand the capabilities of your sister. And, for that matter, of yourself.”
“I cannot precisely answer either question. Lydia has skills I do not. She can command foul crawlers. Are you aware that the French weapon used against our draca was crawler venom?”
“Yes. Mr. Darcy informed the English command some months ago.”
“And you know that crawlers can be large?”
Conversation paused while we guided our horses over an uneven, rocky patch, then he replied, “I know that foul crawlers can reach five inches, at which size they are extremely dangerous.”
“My sister commands crawlers twice the length of a horse. They run faster than a man, climb trees, and have heavy armor plates. Their heads have serrated pinchers, like a pair of swords, and there is a pair of stingers at their rear, although they can curl their bodies to strike in front of their heads as well.” What else did he need to know? “Their venom confuses and hurts draca, like the French weapon. And of course, it is lethal to humans. I believe the sting of alarge crawler kills much more swiftly than the small variety. The French soldiers who died so horribly were stung by monstrous foul crawlers.”
We rode in silence for a good minute before he replied dryly, “I see.”
I was thinking of how to finish my answer. “I can summon draca, even unbound, and ask them to do things, although I do not like to command them. And I can look through their eyes.”
“That is remarkable.” He sounded more hopeful.
“Lydia can also command draca. When she tried to take the Longbourn firedrake, she was far more powerful than I.”
“I see.”
“When I became angry, I was able to stop her.”
“Let us hope you become angry.”
I was becoming irritated by his tone. “I am simply answering you. Lydia cannot sense the presence of draca like I do. And… and she is my sister. She will not hurt us.”
Lord Wellington made no reply. Well, at least he did not turn around and head back.
We rode in silence for ten minutes, then I said, “We are close. She is over that rise ahead, perhaps three-quarters of a mile. They do not seem to be moving. At least, Lydia is not. I cannot sense anyone else.”
We were following a narrow trail. Lord Wellington led us into heavier brush. He stopped when we were screened.
“You said you can look through draca eyes,” he said. “Can you use draca to scout ahead?”
I was a little embarrassed that had not occurred to me. “I have done that when closer. Let me try.”
I dismounted and knelt, dry leaves crackling under my dress. I rested my hands in my lap, seeking calm. This would be farther than I had ever thrown my awareness.
Lord Wellington dismounted and sat cross-legged a few steps from me, at ease in the rough. One would think he was on a social excursion, if not for his attention to the forest around us.
I closed my eyes. The oily, churning blackness that surrounded Lydia was obvious. There were sparks of draca near her, but they were hard to distinguish at this distance. I bit my lip, thinking how I had reached out to summon those tiny flying draca, then tried to push my awareness closer.
There was a sense of motion—like riffling the pages of a book—and I wasthere. Right there. In the midst of the blackness. A hundred oily, ice-cold rags dragged across my bare skin.
Hurriedly, I pulled back a dozen yards. My arms were rigid with goose flesh. My breath shook. I hugged myself, rubbing my forearms to warm up.
