Authors: Tamara Shoemaker
Embrace the Fire (36 page)
The soldiers wrestled him up the stairs, but when they reached Sebastian, they did not stop. They continued to shove Ayden until he reached the gallows. They jerked him around to face the courtyard below.
Kinna couldn't take her eyes from him. As the guards had prodded them down into ClarenVale, she'd allowed herself brief thoughts of standing up to Sebastian, demanding a return of justice, perhaps martyring herself in a blaze of determination and fire. Instead, she could only feel the weakness in her knees and the dagger at her throat.
Chennuh, help!
she pleaded. His frantic roars rang out from beyond the portcullis. Dragonfire blasted above the battlements, upsetting the Poison-Quills who paced the courtyard not far from her.
Kinna cringed away from the knife on her neck, but the soldier's grip was relentless.
Somehow, someone, please, help!
Tears streamed from her eyes, and she could hardly see.
A soldier at the top approached Ayden and placed a hood over his head, followed by the noose.
“No!” Kinna sobbed. Her panicked gaze found Sebastian's, and she clasped her hands in front of her. “Please, Sebastian, don't do this!” The Poison-Quills shrieked.
“Oh, Kinna. My dear niece Kinna.” His mouth parted in a cruel grin. “I only wanted you to see this. This is my parting present to you before it is your turn to swing. I hope you enjoy it, my dear.”
He gave the signal for the soldier to drop Ayden over the edge, but at that moment, a louder roar sounded above them.
Chennuh appeared over the wall with Lincoln's brilliant hair visible on his back. The two Elves rode just behind him, clinging to the Dragon's fins. Lincoln's mouth was open in a piercing Pixie song, his eyes wild with anger. Behind him, Luasa rose, speeding like a streak of lightning toward the battlements where Ayden stood, colliding with the soldiers lining the wall. With a swipe of her tail, the soldiers plunged over the outside of the wall where they fell into the lake below.
Chennuh crashed to a stop directly in front of Kinna and sprayed fire all over the courtyard. The soldier holding the dagger to Kinna's neck dropped the knife and screeched as he fell backward. Lincoln stood, his arm outstretched, reaching for her.
Kinna ran forward, but a dark shadow passed as a Poison-Quill arched above her, his wings beating furiously. He lurched his heavy, quilled body toward the wall and Luasa.
“Ayden!” Kinna screamed. “Ayden, look out!”
Ayden didn't hear her; his back was turned as he mounted his Dragon.
Kinna watched in helpless horror as Poison-Quill crashed into Mirage, gallows, Ayden, and all, his fury twisting his neck upward in a spray of fire that billowed from him like a volcano's eruption.
In slow-motion, the whole mass of them tumbled over the battlements, crumbling the stone wall as they fell.
“No!” Kinna screamed, lurching toward the wall.
“Kinna, no!” Lincoln called. “We'll check from the air!”
“But—”
“Kinna, the guards!”
They were scrambling across the courtyard to her. Sebastian was screaming unintelligible words, his face purple with fury.
Kinna reached her chained wrists to Lincoln, who hauled her onto Chennuh. “Let's go, Chennuh,” he shouted, and the Dragon snapped his wings, furling them outward, crashing the air against the stones as he lifted himself upward.
They passed over Sebastian on their way to the wall, and then cleared the battlements as spears hurled against Chennuh's armored stomach. Lincoln slid around Kinna and crawled to the top of Chennuh's neck, quickly twisting his fin. All of them vanished.
Ayden, Ayden, please, please, please.
She couldn't find any more words for her frantic thoughts, but she could feel Chennuh's wordless agony.
Gone. Gone, gone, gone.
Despair strapped Kinna to Chennuh's fin as the Dragon left the roiling frenzy of the courtyard beneath them.
Below, the story finished as Kinna dreaded. She leaned her cheek against Chennuh's smooth scales, and allowed tears to trace the seams between them as she gazed down at the lake below.
The dead Poison-Quill rested on the side of the lake. There was no sign of Ayden or Luasa, but the lake still foamed with the evidence of the Dimn and Dragon mouthful it had swallowed.
Hope disappeared as Chennuh arched farther from the walls. Kinna felt the Dragon's despair, too. His forlorn whimper floated back to her as they drifted on the wind.
L
incoln's fingers
slit the seal that held the scroll closed. His gaze quickly scanned the contents, and then he handed it gravely to Kinna where she sat on the porch step of Helga's woodland cottage in West Ashwynd.
She took it wordlessly, unfurling it, and reading it with dull eyes.
Lincoln, my dearest son,
I am sorry that we were not able to connect before your escape from Lismaria. How thankful I am, though, that you were able to leave safely, and that you kept Kinna Andrachen safe upon your exit. She and her brother remain the beacons of hope for our sad kingdom.
I wished you to know that I have once again hidden the Amulet and set it amid safeguards. However, I believe it will be intrinsic to the uprising and the final reunification of Seer Fey, Man, and Dragon, once blessed by the Stars.
But Lincoln, my good son, I do not believe the Stars bless the Bond of Blood and Fire anymore. The power has split too many times, and the Seer Fey have ruptured into factions that will never see eye to eye. Once the uprising comes to fruition, the Amulet must be destroyed.
It will take more than my wish to make this happen, though, my son. The Amulet is far too powerful to be trifled with, and its destruction will mean certain death for some.
At times, however, the Greater Good must be observed at all costs. I will say more on this when I see you in person.
Until then, take care of Kinna, keep well, and keep the peace of the creatures.
All my love,
Helga.
THE END
What did you think of
Embrace the Fire
?
I would so appreciate it if you would leave a review for this book at the book review site of your choice. Word-of-mouth is still the best way for indie authors to gain readers, and the online version of word-of-mouth is reviews.
Thanks so much!
D
ragons
:
M
irage – a Dragon covered
with mirrored scales, hard to see, capable of turning completely invisible with the right touch.
P
oison-Quill – a Dragon
covered from head to talon with poisonous spikes. The poison is deadly to beast and human; quick treatment is necessary if the poison gets below the skin.
N
ine-Tail – a Dragon that has
, as its name suggests, nine tails, each one with the ability to operate independently, each one with a sharp spike on the end.
E
mber – a Dragon
whose scales burn with constant fire, sometimes hotter and brighter, other times smoldering and low.
S
eer Fey
– an ancient collection of Fey that held the gift of “sight.” As time progressed, they morphed into the category of creatures called Pixies. Seer Fey still maintain a presence in this world, though their numbers are greatly reduced. Wendren is the ArchFey who solidified the covenant between the Stars, Seer Fey, Man, and Dragon with the Amulet in the Bond of Blood and Fire
D
imn
– the trainers
of the creatures in their respective Clan (e.g. Dragondimn live in the Dragon Clan)
A
ndrachen
– the family
name of the Lismarian heirs, beginning with Aarkan the Firebringer and descending through Sebastian, Cedric, and Kinna.
C
lans of West Ashwynd
:
C
entaurs
Cerberuses
Direwolves
Dragons
Dryads
Elves
Goblins
Griffons
Mammoths
Ogres
Phoenixes
Pixies
Sirens
Trolls
Unicorns
Valkyries
M
easurements
:
Orlach – approximately three inches.
Span – approximately a foot.
Length – approximately a yard.
Fieldspans – approximately a mile.
M
oney
:
Sceptremarks
Denn – a hundred denn to one sceptremark
P
suche
– the soul
-connection between a human and a creature that allows them to know each other's thoughts and feelings.
T
aibe
– magic
T
aibos
/Taibas
– sorcerer/sorceress
T
his book was unarguably
the hardest book I've ever written. I found myself wandering through complicated plot threads, pulling my hair out by the roots, because
what
had I gotten myself into?
And so I must acknowledge my deepest thanks to my editor, Emily June Street, who patiently untangled many of the knots I tossed into the story. She wins ALL the Girl Scout merit badges.
To the Shenandoah Valley Writers and the Shenandoah Christian Writers, thanks for your forbearing critiques as you tackled the first draft or two of this book.
To the folks over at National Novel Writing Month, I truly appreciate the fire you lit under me to get this thing written. It was slow going there for a while—until November, and then smoke came from my keyboard.
To my beta readers, Taryn Noelle Kloeden, Kary Phillips, and Angie Breneman, your feedback is priceless! I truly appreciate all the time you took out of your schedule to read my “Dragon book” and let me know your thoughts.
To my consistent cheerleaders: my parents and my close friends and family, both home and abroad, thanks! You've sometimes brought me back from the edge of giving up.
To my husband, who puts up with my quirks, and to my children, who are too young to be embarrassed by them yet, thank you for humoring my dreams.
And most of all, to my Creator, thank you for every door you've opened for me. May it all circle back to you.
T
amara Shoemaker lives
in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, three children, a few jars of Nutella, and a never-empty carafe of coffee. She authored the best-selling
Shadows in the Nursery
Christian mystery series and
Soul Survivor
, another Christian mystery. Her fantasy books include the
Heart of the Dragon
trilogy as well as
Guardian of the Vale
trilogy.
