Of Steel and Scale (The Drakkon Kin Trilogy #1)

Chapter 11

11

As Kaia’s wing crumpled, I turned and flung fire at the closest rider. His mount twisted away, and my flames singed its tail feathers, melting their tips but doing little else. They simply didn’t have enough heat— I simply didn’t have enough heat left.

As white-hot lances of agony cut through my brain and blood flooded over my lashes, I dragged my bow from across my back, then pulled two arrows free. One I held in my teeth, the other I notched and drew back. I sighted on the nearest bird, unleashed, and then notched the next arrow. As the bird banked away, I quickly calculated its path and our fall trajectory, then released. The arrow flew straight and true, sinking deep into the joint between the bird’s wing and body. It wasn’t the killing shot it would have been with a much smaller bird, but it was nevertheless one that would make its ability to fly more difficult.

The incoming drakkons bellowed, and the rider of the bird I’d injured made a motion to his companion, and the two retreated toward the island.

I sucked in a breath, relieved. One problem down, another to go.

I slung my bow back across my shoulders and returned my attention to the dark sands that were approaching with alarming speed. We were definitely going to crash, and if I remained on Kaia, I’d more than likely die, crushed by her weight if she stumbled and fell.

Jumping wasn’t exactly a great option either but...

I hastily unclipped the harness and backpack, then slipped my feet from the stirrups and shifted my weight, rising on her back enough that my feet were now underneath me. I gripped the rope around her spine to steady myself, but it was a precarious, dangerous position given how violently she now lurched as she battled to slow her speed and keep some semblance of control. At the last possible moment, she lifted herself up and shoved her legs forward. Her talons hit the dark sand first, but we were going too fast, and she began to tumble. I threw the backpack down, then leapt clear as her whole body went up and over me. I fell for what seemed an eternally long time, only to have the sand sweep up to me with surprising rapidness. I hit, somehow managing to keep my knees slightly bent against the shock of landing, but my left foot ended up in some sort of depression and pain tore up my leg. I gritted my teeth against the scream that rolled up my throat and followed the momentum of the fall, pushing forward into a roll in a desperate effort to absorb more of the impact and prevent bones from breaking.

I landed hard enough on my back to be winded, and for several seconds, did nothing more than stare up at the blue sky, echoes of shock and pain reverberating through me. I was alive... but was Kaia?

I scrambled upright and swung around. The dark sand was deeply trenched and led into the trees and a trail of destruction. I swore and ran; my ankle protested violently against the movement and the pain that burned up my leg was so fierce I felt like I was going to be sick. I sucked in the sharp, salty air and did my best to ignore it, stumbling on up the beach and into the trees.

The destruction ran deep. But then, she was a big drakkon.

Kaia? Are you okay? Are you hurt from the crash?

There was a long pause, and my heart hammered in fear. She couldn’t be dead. Vahree surely wouldn’t be so cruel....

Here came her sharp, somewhat annoyed reply. Wing broke.

Can you move?

Stuck.

I slowed but continued to follow her path of destruction into the deeper shadows of the forest. And the acid?

Burns.

Then you need to get back into the ocean and soak it.

Will when not stuck.

That comment definitely held more than an edge of bite to it, and relief slipped through me. If she could snap back, then she wasn’t any more seriously hurt than she had been before crash-landing.

I clambered over the trunk of a fallen tree, ran around its thick crown, and followed the crack of wood and heavy grunting till I found her. She was partially upright, her body lodged between two trees, but it was the long stream of membrane from her left wing that had wrapped around the trunk of a third tree that appeared to be anchoring her in place. The position of her body in the trees meant she couldn’t twist around and free herself, and if she simply tore it completely away, she might never fly again. Phalanges and membrane could be repaired and healed, but I doubted it was possible for the latter to be torn free then successfully reattached.

Help , she said.

Trying , I replied, in the same tart tone she used earlier.

A rumble of amusement ran through our link. At least she saw the humor in the situation.

I stepped over the raw end of her tail, limped across to the tree, then walked around it until I found the end of the membrane. Carefully, trying not to tear it any further, I picked it up and began to unwrap it. It was a large piece, and it was damnably awkward to free it from the tree without causing any further damage, but I eventually succeeded. Once she was free, she tucked her wings in as much as she could, then backed out of the trees. There were gouges along the side I could see, and one of her back spines had been broken, but wings aside, she appeared unhurt.

From high above us came a deep bellow. Kaia raised her head and answered, and a heartbeat later, the two drakkons we’d seen earlier landed on the beach, the larger of the two peering curiously into the chaotic gap in the trees. The smaller drakkon, a male at full maturity from the look of it, kept to one side, his thoughts filled with wary interest.

The female shifted her weight a fraction, drawing my gaze again, and it was then I spotted the lightning-like slash of gold across her chest. It was the red drakkon who’d debated the merits of eating humans with me while I’d healed her.

Know you , she said.

Yes.

No eat.

Well, good , I thought, amused, though I wasn’t entirely sure if she meant she wouldn’t eat me now or that she hadn’t eaten humans since our discussion.

Is kin , Kaia rumbled. You hurt, I kill.

The younger female lowered her head, as if in acknowledgment and deference. What kin?

Kaia explained what it meant as she moved out of the forest, her broken right wing dragging on the ground and clearly still bubbling. The acid hadn’t initially taken out as much of the membrane on the right as on the left, but if she didn’t neutralize it, it soon would.

And until she did neutralize it, it was pointless for me to try to fix it.

The two younger drakkons moved apart to give her room, and she walked into the ocean, stopping when it was at her chest and spreading her wings out as best she could. The waves crashed over them, and pain rumbled through our link once again.

Can heal broke wing? she asked.

Possibly, depending on how bad the break is and whether I have enough strapping with me.

Where more strapping? Esan?

Yes.

Rua carry there.

Rua made a squawk that very much echoed her mental What?

Kaia’s head snapped around, her teeth bared, and our mental link was briefly cut as she and the younger drakkon conversed. The young drakkon lowered her head again. This time it was very definitely deferential.

I am the queen , Kaia had once told me. They will obey.

This was evidence that she had not been kidding.

Even if I can repair enough of your wing to fly, you shouldn’t fly straight away. You need to give the straps time to set.

Gria flew.

The damage to her wing wasn’t as great. What we need is to find somewhere more sheltered—are there any caves within walking distance along this shore?

Tarn look, Kaia ordered. Rua hunt. Am hungry.

The two younger drakkons bowed, then stepped back and took off. The sweep of their wings whipped the sand up around us, and I turned away from the stinging storm to protect my face.

It was then I spotted the distant shape on the horizon.

A ship.

Hope leapt briefly, then just as quickly departed. It couldn’t be from Esan—we were too far south, for a start, and they’d have to be a long way off from the fastest route to Jakarra to even get here.

Unless some of the Jakarran boats had escaped, this was either a fisherman from Southport or the enemy... and I wasn’t liking the chances of it being one of the first two options.

I looked around frantically for my pack and spotted it yards up the beach. I quickly limped over and, as I pulled the long viewer free, prayed for Túxn’s luck to be with us.

It was, at least partially. The long viewer was intact, but the lens glass was cracked, and the image more than a little fuzzy. But it was sharp enough to make out the boat’s deep belly, the line of open oar slats that lined its length, and the single mast that held red sails on which a crest had been inked—a long-clawed bird flying over crossed spears.

That was not a crest used by anyone within Arleeon or her islands, and as far as I was aware, none of our trading partners had crests like that.

This ship belonged to our foe. And if they had one ship here, they would have others, and that was certainly confirmation of my earlier fears—the riders weren’t all we had to worry about.

We fight , Kaia said.

We can’t. We have no weapons.

You have flame.

My flame is all but gone, and will take time to regenerate . I thrust a hand through my tangled hair in frustration, tearing bits free that floated away on the sharp breeze.

Rua and Tarn fight.

That ship might have acid weapons. We can’t risk their lives, Kaia.

Many would.

I’m not many

No. Why I seek for help.

I couldn’t help but smile. Who could have guessed that all those years of watching her hunt would lead to her not only trusting me, but also the formation of a bond that went beyond mere trust?

What do then? she continued.

“I don’t know.” I raised the long viewer again and saw the harpoon sitting high on the bow. “They’re not hunting us. They’re hunting for food.”

Water beasts?

“Yes.”

I dropped the long viewer onto my pack, limped into the waves, and thrust a hand under the water. We were a long way from that ship and whatever it was hunting, but I had no doubt desperation would add extra strength to the call.

After a few minutes, I felt the presence of a pod of long fins. I homed in on them and quickly realized they were unaware of the danger that lurked above them. I sent out a broad beam warning followed by a request for aid to sink that ship.

There was a long pause before a distant voice, How?

I deepened the connection and sent an image of the ship, envisaging five or six long fins leaping high out of the water and smashing onto the boat either side of the mast. Then I sent images of the boat breaking, the long fins swimming away, and the boat sinking.

Basically, I was teaching this pod how to sink our boats, and this boat was not as large or as sturdy as most of our fleet.

There was another long pause before she said, You warn , we do .

Thank you.

She didn’t reply, and I didn’t withdraw, despite the fact the intensity of the connection was not helping my headache. I kept track of them as they dove deep, keeping well under until they were behind the boat. Six then split away from the main group and began the ascent. I spun and limped back for the long viewer, picking it up and quickly focusing it—just in time to see the six rounded black bodies surge high out of the water and, with perfect synchronicity, came down as one along the boat’s entire length.

The boat—and the people—never stood a chance. The sheer weight of six long fins shattered the wooden structure even as it drove the boat under waves. I watched for the longest of times, but little more than broken bits of wood resurfaced.

For the moment, we were safe.

I sucked in a breath, then glanced around as the male returned. He landed neatly further up the beach and gave me the side eye. Hollow five wing sweeps away. Hide all.

Thank you, Tarn, I said.

He reared back on his hind legs and shook his head, as if trying to get rid of my reply. Hear you?

Yes , I said.

Why?

I hesitated. Kaia jumped in and said, Is kin.

Obviously, that was the only explanation needed, and the male seemed to accept it. Guard from cliff.

Kaia rumbled her approval and, as the male flew off, said, They come to aerie?

I rubbed my forehead against the increasing ferocity of the headache and switched to voice rather than internal conversation. “If you want.”

Safer.

I half smiled. “And the male can guard Gria when you’re not there?”

Plan . Also, cave larger.

“Does that mean you’re going to relocate your grace there?”

Not yet.

Not until we’d dealt with these birds, she meant. And I couldn’t say I blamed her.

Rua return , she added. Has two longhorn .

The latter was said with a thick rumble of approval. The younger female crested the mountain a few seconds later and swept down, one longhorn grasped in her rear talons and what looked to be a calf in her mouth. She banked her wings to slow, then dropped both her prizes on the sand within Kaia’s reach.

Is good , Kaia said.

Rua looked pleased. She backed away but didn’t land, her head swinging around to me. You need?

I’m good, but thank you .

She nodded and flew up to join the male on watch.

Pair , Kaia commented.

“Are they part of an aerie?”

No room. Forced out.

I glanced at her, surprised. “Does that happen often?”

When no room .

If a young breeding pair had been kicked out because the aerie was at capacity, that meant Esan’s drakkons were more numerous than we’d thought. And that was definitely a good thing.

I limped over to grab my pack and pulled out the last of my rations. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have minded a well-roasted kayin or even a capra to boost my energy reserves right now, but I didn’t like raw meat and I couldn’t risk creating a fire, even though it would be easy enough to make a firepit in these sands, and there certainly was enough broken wood within the forest to fuel it.

Once Kaia’s wings had dried, she shifted position, digging herself a little deeper into the sand so that I could reach her wings more easily and check the full extent of the damage. Several phalanges on both wings had been broken, but they were an easy enough fix if I had enough straps. It was the right wing’s broken radius bone and the large amount of torn membrane on the left wing that were the main problem. Without those two things fixed, she definitely wouldn’t fly.

I took a deep breath and then said, “I need to realign the bones on your right wing. This will hurt.”

Know. Do.

I hesitated, then got down to work, carefully positioning the bone, then wrapping half a dozen straps around the break to hold it in place. Then I retrieved some silk webbing and strung it between the phalanges on either side, attached the leathery membrane to it, then sealed it on. Broken patches remained, but at least the membrane had a framework to regrow on.

With that done, I moved over to the left wing and the larger swath of membrane that had been torn away from the area between her shoulder and elbow. I repaired the nearby phalange first, then strung the webbing between it and the remaining patches of membrane, sealing it in place before unraveling the large sheet of torn tissue and attaching it. I didn’t have a whole lot of sealer or straps left after that, so repaired the worst of the tears, then spread antiseptic cream over her other wounds, particularly her raw tail. When I’d done as much as I could, I stepped back and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

“That’s all I can do, Kaia.”

She pushed out of the sand and warily closed her wings, and then opened them again and lightly fanned. Is good. Can fly .

“Not yet,” I said hastily. “We need to give the straps a little more time to set, otherwise we risk them popping during flight.”

Need leave before light fades. Not safe here.

I glanced up sharply and realized noon had come and gone. “We will, but in the meantime, we should find that hollow Tarn mentioned and get out of sight.”

Not safe in hollow. Rather fly.

“And I’d rather you get back to Gria in one piece, thank you very much.”

It was tersely said, and amusement ran through her thoughts. You in heat?

“No, I am not .”

Sound like. Her amusement fell away. Fly now. Safer. Bones heal fast.

“Bones don’t heal that fast, Kaia, especially when you’re putting them under the stress of flight.”

Our bones different.

I sucked in a breath and released it slowly, torn between the need to get out of here and the desire to keep her safe.

I good. We go. If wing fail, Rua and Tarn catch.

“How? You’re almost double their size.”

I trust you. You trust me.

“Fine,” I grumbled. “We go.”

She immediately shifted and extended her leg. I grabbed the pack, then clambered up, positioning myself behind her spine before attaching the harness. The minute I had, she bellowed, a sharp command aimed at the other drakkons, then hunkered down and launched into the air, her wings pumping hard, sending a storm of sand flying all around us. I closed my eyes, tugged my undershirt up over my mouth and nose to stop breathing in the muck, and waited, heart in mouth, for wings to tear and bones to break.

They didn’t.

We remained aloft, though she kept low and close to the cliffs, using the uplift to soar more than fly. Tarn flew behind us, Rua to our right. She kept studying us and even without skimming her thoughts, it was pretty obvious she was curious.

Why allow on back? she asked eventually.

Safer for both , Kaia said. She flame.

Flame? Rua asked.

Kaia described how she and I had battled the riders and defeated them, and Rua grew thoughtful. Share?

My kin , Kaia snapped.

Where find kin?

I grinned. It was just too perfect an opportunity... and it was doubtful Kele would object to me nominating her as a possible drakkon rider. There is another who can flame at our breeding grounds, but she cannot speak directly to minds like me.

Kaia help talk?

Will, she said.

Rua looked pleased, and my smile grew. Wait until Kele found out....

We flew on, and after a couple of hours, when it became very obvious the straps and seals were not going to fail, Kaia rose and headed inland, following the spine of the Black Glass Mountains back to Esan.

Dusk’s pink fingers were just beginning to claim the sky when I spotted the glint of gold. I swore, dragged the long viewer free, and focused the broken sight.

Riders, two of them, coming in fast from around the direction of the Throat, suggesting that at least one of them was the sentry I’d spotted earlier.

We fight came Kaia’s unsurprising response.

We run , I said. Not to the aerie, because we can’t risk them finding out about it.

Then fight.

No. Fly to Esan.

What good that?

Esan have spears that can bring the riders down, plus Kele and a few others can flame.

Rua and Tarn no like Esan.

But they trust you, and will obey you, right?

Yes.

Then we fly into Esan and land in that courtyard. There will be room for all three. As long as all the humans got out of the way.

Kaia grumbled unhappily—a sound echoed by the other two drakkons—then as one they swept around to the left and increased their speed, arrowing toward the dark blot of mountain that housed Esan.

It seemed an extraordinarily long way away.

Ten minutes later, Tarn trumpeted a sharp warning. I twisted around and saw another two birds appear on the horizon to our left, their wings a golden blur as they arrowed toward us.

Keep going , I urged all three.

Their speed didn’t increase. They were already flying as fast as they could. Or rather, as fast as Kaia could given the condition of her wings.

We flew over the capras’ valley and swung right around the range I’d clambered over half my life. We were close, so close, to Esan now....

But so too were the birds. I could see the glint of their riders’ armor.

A sharp squawk had me looking up. A gray hawk circled high above us.

Veri.

Mom had sent her aloft. She would know we were coming in fast....

Hope surged. But too soon, far too soon.

Tarn bellowed, a sound filled with pain. I glanced around, saw the claw attached to his shoulders, its metal mouth digging deep into his flesh. It was attached to a long rope that was held by the closest rider, who banked hard and dragged Tarn down and away.

I swore and unleashed a long stream of fire, cindering the rope first, then flinging it on into the bird’s sharp features. There wasn’t enough heat left to burn metal wings, but its eyes weren’t protected and a far easier target.

As the heat burned out its eye sockets and the bird screamed and fell away, Kaia dropped, positioning herself above Tarn, protecting the younger drakkon. We flew on, around the mountain. Esan came into view, her walls lined with people. Rua faltered, but Kaia bellowed a demand they follow and took the lead, sweeping down and around until we were flying directly at the fortress.

The drakkons banked abruptly, and something wicked looking flew past us, its long rope tail flapping in the breeze as it fell away.

Another spear.

I twisted around. There were three riders still behind us, and they didn’t appear too put off by Esan’s closeness.

I flung fire their way, but it was little more than a pale shadow of heat that didn’t even reach the nearest bird. Agony surged, seizing my brain as the mote in my eye popped again. I blinked the blood away and concentrated on the upper wall, looking for familiar faces.

Saw Damon, blood pouring down raised arms.

He was raising a spell....

The drakkons banked again, and again a spear flew past. I twisted around, saw the nearest rider raise a long metal tube.

Vahree help us....

We swept over the first wall. Arrows flew, not at us, but at the riders that followed. The ballistas were swung into action, unleashing their bolts with deadly force, but the birds were smaller, more agile targets, and they merely flicked their wings, dancing through the storm of missiles with seeming ease.

The velocity of the wind abruptly increased, and overhead thunder rumbled. Lightning sliced down, into the nearest bird, cindering metal, feather, and flesh. Then magic surged, sharp and familiar, sweeping over the three drakkons and seeming to condense behind us. I twisted around. There was nothing to see, no sharp shimmer of air to give any indication a barrier might be present... until the birds smacked into something solid and stopped hard. Then the wind swung around them, grabbed the three, and smashed them down onto the walls. The soldiers standing there finished what wind and magic had started.

Kaia trumpeted hard, and as one, the three drakkons braked, stretched out their feet, and landed with surprising lightness in the middle of the cleared upper courtyard.

Home. We’d actually made it home .

The wave of relief that surged was so damn fierce, a sob escaped. I quickly swallowed the rest, detached the harness, then rose on Kaia’s back, and shouted, “Everyone stay back. The drakkons won’t attack, but they are skittish and afraid.”

“You heard the captain,” my father bellowed when there was no immediate response. “Move out of the way now .”

As everyone crowding the edges of the courtyard retreated indoors, I twisted around. Mom was descending the stairs and coming toward us, but my father was standing on the wall next to Damon. His expression was amused and relieved. Damon’s was... I wasn’t sure what Damon’s was, because I fell into his gaze and sort of got lost for several seconds.

A knowing smile stretched his lips. I sent him a mock scowl and returned my attention to the drakkons. “Kaia, can you extend your leg for me?”

She immediately did so, then glanced around as Mom drew near. Heard you before .

“Indeed, you have,” Mom said, stopping beside me and giving me a brief but fierce hug. “But we have not been formally introduced. I am Marin Silva, Bryn’s mother. It is a pleasure to meet you, Queen Kaia.”

Kaia rumbled in appreciation and lowered her head for a scratch. Mom complied. “We need to help that young male of yours—can you tell him we mean him no harm, though removing the claw will hurt?”

She could have told him all that herself, but he’d believe it more coming from Kaia. She complied, and what followed was several long hours of Mom and me tending to the drakkons’ wounds while they consumed a meal of fat boars we’d ordered killed and brought in for them. Rua and Tarn remained wary, and I suspected it was only Kaia’s presence that kept them here, but they were nevertheless looking around with growing interest.

When it was all done, Kaia said, We go now.

I frowned. It was dark and very possible the riders would be active—if any remained in the area, that was. They surely didn’t have an unlimited supply, and we’d taken out quite a few of them over the course of the long day. But the truth was, the drakkons really couldn’t stay here. Aside from the fact their bulk filled the courtyard, there was no guarantee someone wouldn’t try to get too close or make some move that spooked them into reacting. The situation was simply too new for everyone not to be cautious.

“Be careful,” I said, removing her harness. “Tell me when you reach the aerie.”

Will . She accepted another scratch, then, as Mom and I stepped back, rose on her haunches and bellowed long and loud. It was, in many ways, a declaration of acceptance.

This place was now her home, and she had no intention of losing it to man or winged monster.

As the sound echoed through the farthest reaches of the fortress, she launched into the air, her scales gleaming molten in the many lights lining the walls. The two younger drakkons followed suit, and a murmur of awe ran around the courtyard as the three of them disappeared into the darkness.

Footsteps approached. My father and Damon. Mom stepped in front of me and held out a hand, finger raised. “There will be no reporting this evening, Rion. Bryn is dead on her feet, and she needs?—”

“Marin, I love you and all, but your habit of jumping in before I can even speak can be rather annoying.”

Mom raised an eyebrow, amusement teasing her lips. “And is that not the true purpose of a wife?”

He rolled his eyes, stepped past me, and enveloped me in a fierce hug. “That was one hell of an entrance, Bryn. Where did you pick up?—”

“Rion,” Mom cut in. “Honestly, you cannot be trusted. Come, let us depart and leave the two newlyweds to their hellos.”

My father made a grumbly sound that rather amusingly reminded me of Kaia’s responses, then hooked Mom’s arm through his and guided her away.

Leaving me staring at Damon.

“Nice to see you alive and well, wife,” he said, amusement teasing the lips I ached to kiss.

“Good to be alive and well, husband,” I replied evenly. “Thank you for that timely save up on the wall.”

“I could hardly let them destroy you when I’ve barely even begun to play with you.”

“I’m not sure I’ve the energy to play right now.”

“Then I shall do all the work.”

My pulse leapt at the thought. “There is another problem.”

He raised that eyebrow, the movement languid and decidedly sexy. “And what might that be?”

“I desperately need a bath. I’m a mess and I stink.”

His blue eyes slowly and very thoroughly scanned my length. It felt like he was caressing every single inch of me, and my skin burned in response.

“I’m afraid I would have to agree with that statement.” He paused, and amusement crinkled the corners of his bright eyes. “I am, however, ridiculously turned on by both.”

I laughed and threw myself into his waiting arms. He held me close and kissed me long and hard, with all the fervor and passion a woman could want.

Then, with a warm chuckle, he swept me up into his arms and carried me up the steps into the palace and then our bedroom, where I was bathed, fed, and then loved. And he did indeed do all the work.

It was the perfect way to end a day in which death had come far too close, far too often.

And yet, as sleep finally folded around the both of us, I couldn’t help but think such happiness couldn’t and wouldn’t last.

Vahree was never one to let his prizes go so easily, and he would come hunting us all again far too soon.