Page 53 of Scaled Hearts

Kelly holds onto the back of my neck, her head tucked down against my scales while the wind whips by us.

Never did I imagine seeing such horror on my mate’s face when that old woman had been describing what the orcs had done after they’d discovered her sister. Apparently, their plan was to hold Kara in the mines, far away from everyone, and lock her inside of a cage.

They planned on leaving her in it in order to observe what exactly the curse's effects were and how long it would take to manifest and completely take over Kara’s entire body until she was no longer recognizable.

I’m sure there is more to the story than simply being cruel to a human. While orcs aren’t exactly calculating creatures, they are intelligent enough to know a potential weapon when they see one.

Considering the fact that Kara’s outbursts have been getting more frequent and more violent, I’m sure once the orcs caught wind of it, they decided that they were going to keep Kara as some kind of beastly pet to unleash on whatever they felt like.

Kelly didn’t need to even look at me or plead with me before I had already dragged her outside and shifted.

At this point, hiding myself is useless. We aren’t going to get anywhere by sneaking around and trying to find her sister now that the orcs had her captive.

We were going to need to go in there blazing like the pits of Glacies.

Kelly guides me to where the mines are, her hands tug on my horn like a lead, shifting my position ever so slightly until I can spot the entrance to the mines myself.

I can see from here that there are humans coming in and out of the mineshaft. Their faces are tired and haggard—no doubt from spending so much time underground in the cold, damp darkness.

When they spot me flying above them, most of the scatter with screams of terror. I would find it amusing if I wasn’t so focused on finding Kara.

I land at the entrance to the mines, lowering myself just enough so that Kelly can slide off of my shoulder and onto the ground. I beat my wings a few times, kicking up enough wind to blow dust and dirt down the mineshaft.

A few of the orcs—ones who are manning the equipment by the entrance—come running over. They have their weapons drawn, big hunks of metal attached to thick sticks, while beating their chest with their fists.

I snort at the display.

“I’m going to go inside and find my sister!” Kelly yells, already jogging towards the entrance.

I turn my head, wanting to follow her. I need to take care of these mindless idiots first.

I suck in a deep breath and release flames from my mouth. A few humans nearby scream again and abandon their equipment in order to get out of the way.

I take off into the sky, keeping my fire blazing while I rain it down onto the Orcs.

Their skin sizzles and melts down to the bones. My fire is hot enough to burn through metal if I concentrate it long enough into one spot. I tilt my body back and hover in the air to beat my wings hard enough to fan the flames that engulf the orcs.

I’m glad to hear their agonized screams. It really is music to my ears.

These terrible creatures have done more harm to my mate and her family than anything else on this forsaken island. I want to watch them reap what they sow and destroy every last piece of them in honor of her. As her protector, they must pay.

Once the final one drops dead to the ground in a heap of burning flesh, I head into the mines. It’s cramped enough in the tunnel that I have to resort to running on all fours—not something that I’m particularly used to.

I see up ahead that there are lights that illuminate the end of the tunnel, casting a wide glow into a bigger cavern inside. When I reach it, I realize that the mind doesn’t extend outward, but down.

Floors have been carved on each level down into the deep hole that looks to reach at least a mile down into the crust of Kaynvu. I’m a bit struck by it, mostly because this kind of work is something that I would expect from a dark elves’ civilization. Not an orc encampment.

Since there is much more room to fly here, I lift off from the sheer drop in front of me and glide down. I don’t have any idea where Kelly could’ve gone, but I can still recognize her scent well enough to follow it.

It leads me down to one of the back sectors of the mines, following the line of the elevator that is stationed in the middle of the long drop to whatever ground they’ve hit so far.

I can hear loud shouting from one of the tunnels up ahead, causing me to follow the sounds and land on the ledge leading down one of the more narrow tunnels.

“Let her go!” I hear Kelly yell.

A growl leaves my throat.

A see two silhouettes running towards me. Their lithe figures are familiar even if they’re hard to see in the shadows. I tuck my wings into my back, giving them both enough room when they clear the tunnel and hit the landing.

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