“I was surprised he’d betrayed us. I trusted him too.” Zaarusha nudged her shoulder with her snout. “He even fooled Erob—and it’s difficult to maintain a facade around a dragon. Erob bellowed at the council, trumpeting on about going to save Roberto until I pulled rank on him. Not pleasant at all.”
“If you trusted Roberto, what changed your mind?”
“One traitor at Dragons’ Hold puts the whole realm in danger,” Zaarusha replied. “Roberto is clever. His mental abilities make him a dangerous foe.”
His mind. Shards, his mind was beautiful. But dangerous? “But Adelina knows him better than anyone else, and she says he’s innocent. What if we’re banishing him wrongly?”
“Roberto’s past holds dark secrets. Secrets that would make your stomach turn and send you running. I know you’ve developed a fondness for him, but it must stop. He’s not what he seems.”
Fondness? That’s what Zaarusha thought these powerful feelings were?
Their love was an avalanche, hurtling headlong down a mountainside. Unstoppable. And she’d let this man go to his death.
“I disagree. We should save him, go tonight. We could try melding with the blue guard’s dragon on the way. Perhaps we’ll catch them before they abandon him in the Wastelands.”
“Abandon him? Ezaara, he’s been tried and banished. He poisoned Jaevin. You’re probably his next victim.”
Zaarusha might never understand. “Adelina says the pot Tonio saw was oil for my cane, not poison.”
“Her sisterly affection is blinding her. He’s been banished. And if you try to rescue him, you’ll forfeit your right to be Queen’s Rider and be banished, too.”
Lose Zaarusha? “But Zaarusha, I—”
“You’re as bad as Erob. We’ve had to put him under guard until he quiets down. My own son, imagine!” Zaarusha’s voice was steely. “I’ll do the same to you, if I have to. I won’t lose you, Ezaara. I won’t have you assassinated.”
Ezaara clamped her thoughts down tight, so Zaarusha couldn’t sense them.
Zaarusha was making her choose: Zaarusha, whom she’d imprinted with in a burning flash of color; or Roberto, whose love seared a fiery pathway through her soul.
A current of bitterness ran through her. She didn’t want to choose. She loved them both.
“Thank you, Zaarusha. It’s been a long day, and you’re giving me good advice,” Ezaara replied.
“You’ve been under a lot of stress. It must’ve been a big shock, being charged with murder, then released, only to have your master banished.”
“Yes, it has been. I’m exhausted.”
“Why don’t you have a meal before bed? That might restore your energy.”
Did dragons think food fixed everything? Ezaara didn’t feel like eating, but she was hungry for action. “Good idea. I’ll be back soon.”
She ducked into the mess cavern and grabbed a bowl of stew. By keeping her ears open, she soon learned where Erob was being kept.
§
Ezaara hefted the lump of meat. Convincing Benji, the head of the kitchens, to give it to her so she could console poor grieving Erob had been easy. The hard part was going to be persuading the guards to let her feed him.
Low snarls rippled down the tunnel. Erob had stopped roaring a while ago, but he hadn’t given up protesting.
“Erob,” she melded.
“You!” he snarled back.
Ezaara swallowed. One word—so much venom.
“Erob, we have to rescue Roberto.” She rounded a corner, the flickering torchlight making her shadow skitter along the wall.
“As if Zaarusha would condone that,” Erob spat. “I’ve been shackled by my own mother—for loyalty to my rider.”
“Zaarusha threatened to strip me of my role, but I’m going anyway.”
“So, you saw through his subterfuge to save you?” Erob sounded surprised.
Ezaara swallowed, keeping her thoughts masked. Thank the Egg for Adelina.
“How could everyone believe him? How could they not see his innocence?” Erob’s questions stabbed her.
Shards, she’d been so dumb. Guilt wormed its way through Ezaara. She had to phrase this right. “We could go together.” Her heart thumped twice before she dared continue. “But we’ll have to convince them we’re being obedient or we won’t stand a chance.”
Ezaara rushed along the tunnel, bloody meat dripping on stone. There, on the right, was a barred cavern, in the shadows. Behind the bars, Erob sat on his haunches, yellow eyes slitted, still snarling.
“Halt. No one has permission to be down here.” A blue guard stepped out, blocking her way. He was massive with a thick scar running down his neck. Two more were behind him.
“I’ve brought food for the dragon,” she said. “It might soothe him.”
The scarred guard grunted. “Orders are orders.”
A smaller guard spoke up, “He’s quite upset. Perhaps food would calm him.”
“What if she doesn’t touch him?” the third guard muttered.
The scarred guard grunted. “All right.” They stepped aside.
“They think we can only meld when you touch me,” Erob whispered in her mind, the perfect picture of a brooding dragon. “If only they knew.”
Ezaara held up the meat, advancing slowly, letting her arms shake as if she were nervous. “We have to be quick,” she melded.
Erob’s snarls ceased as he sniffed the meat. “What’s your plan?”
“You need to calm down. We have to convince them that you don’t need guards.”
“Got it. As soon as they let me free, I’ll meld and let you know.” She passed the meat through the bars. His lips curled back and he took it in his fangs, retreating to the back of the cave. “We can’t leave until after dark.” Erob chomped on his meat, tail curled around himself protectively, as if he wanted to hide in a corner and lick his wounds.
“I can’t believe the change in him,” said the scarred guard.
