A Valley of Darkness Read online

  “Absolutely.” Avril nodded, then went on with her scent tracking.

  “You’ll be out and about today, anyway,” Patrik said, “to help me with the spell. Might as well take the opportunity to gather some floral samples.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Jax replied, then glanced at each of us. “Everyone clear on that?”

  “Yeah, we’ll collect whatever flowers we find.” Fiona nodded. “I’ll bet some of the private, higher-level gardens have plenty of specimens…”

  “Don’t tell me you want to peek through the Rohos’ garden.” Heron smirked. “I’m sure there are better ways to bump into Vincent.”

  I noticed Fiona’s glare. Hansa’s, on the other hand, made even my blood freeze, while Avril and Jax both rolled their eyes. Had the situation not been so dark and dire, I probably would’ve laughed.

  “There’s a time and a place,” Hansa replied bluntly.

  “Guys.” Harper’s voice made us turn our heads. She was scanning Minah’s upper body, her glimmering eyes settled on her chest. “I think I found cause of death…”

  Jax immediately moved from the table and joined her.

  “I think she died of an embolism,” Harper continued. “There’s a massive blood clot near her heart. I can see a puncture wound on her side, by the fifth rib.”

  “Patrik, can we touch her through the preservation spell?” Jax asked.

  “Yes, you can. The spell resonates through me, so I know if someone’s touching her, but it’s not you I’m worried about being near her in the first place,” Patrik replied, stuffing powders and herbs into small leather bags.

  Jax nodded, then put his hand through the protective casing. Its surface shimmered at his touch. He lifted Minah’s arm, to get a better look at her torso, removing part of the bandages. I saw both Jax and Harper’s expressions change, their eyes widening and lips slowly parting.

  “Puncture wound, huh?” Hansa deducted, resting her hands on the map.

  “Yeah, it’s small, but visible,” Jax replied. “Air was inserted into an artery. It caused a blood clot that led to a heart attack, I presume…”

  “Yes, the heart muscle is damaged. This was quick, overnight… I can see residual traces.” Harper squinted.

  “What about fingerprints?” Jax asked Harper. She shook her head.

  “Nothing. They must’ve had gloves on.”

  Jax then put her arm back down and stepped away, rejoining Hansa by the table.

  “So, she was… discretely injected with air,” Harper concluded. “Her body couldn’t deal with a blood clot, not after everything she’d been through. She was still recovering, after all. The impact was swift, the heart attack fatal. She died in her sleep.”

  “Whoever did this had some knowledge of the Imen’s anatomy.” Jax exhaled sharply. “Therefore, despite their claims, the nurses are still suspects.”

  Patrik cursed under his breath, dropping one of the leather satchels to the floor, its contents scattering at his feet. He dropped to his knees to collect the powders and herbs, stuffing them back inside the bag. He was angry and frustrated—it was written all over his face.

  “Patrik, don’t beat yourself up over this,” Jax said, his eyes fixed on the Druid. “You didn’t stand a chance last night. Mind-bending can be a powerful weapon, even against the most capable Druid. They caught you in a vulnerable moment.”

  “It doesn’t make me feel any better,” Patrik muttered, tying the strings around the satchel and placing it next to the other three he’d prepared.

  “Okay, we need an action plan now.” Hansa took a deep breath. “Patrik needs help setting up the protection spell for the city. Provided it works, we might just save some lives tonight.”

  “These need to go into four walls at the base of the mountain.” Patrik brought the satchels over to the table, while we all gathered around the map. “One for each direction. North, south, east, and west.”

  He then took out a tin jar, took the lid off, and showed us the contents—a thick, dark red liquid with traces of purple herbs and black crystals.

  “This needs to be used to paint these,” he said, placing the jar on the table next to a sheet of brown paper, scribbled with swamp witch symbols, “on specific walls all over the mountain.”

  “How specific?” Harper asked, her gaze settled on the peculiar paint and symbols.

  “Ten walls facing the north, ten facing the south, and so on,” Patrik replied. “They need to be relatively scattered across the mountain levels. They’ll need room to ‘breathe’ once the spell is armed, because they’ll be drawing energy from the living creatures around it to fuel the shield.”

  “Living creatures… As in Imen and Exiled Maras?” Hansa asked, and Patrik nodded. “Won’t they be able to tell?”

  “Not really,” Patrik replied. “They might feel a little more tired than usual, but that’s why I want the symbols scattered throughout the city. It’s inconspicuous. Besides, this is a special paint, a proprietary blend. It becomes invisible to the common eye as soon as it dries. The more discreet we are about it, the better.”

  A moment passed in silence as we processed the amplitude of the spell.

  “This is impressive, Patrik,” Jax said slowly. “Well done!”

  “Let’s hope it works,” Patrik replied.

  “Okay, so you need us to put the satchels into four walls, and someone to paint the symbols throughout the city,” Hansa reiterated. “Jax can take one wall, Heron and Avril will take another, Blaze and Caia will be on the third, and I’ll take Fiona for the fourth—l don’t want her alone.”

  Jax didn’t seem happy with the decision, his brow furrowed as he glanced at Hansa, but he didn’t object.

  “Afterward, we’ll work our way up the mountain and get as many flower specimens as we can, for Avril to identify the odor she caught on Minah,” she added. “The wearer of that scent either came from a specific area of the city or uses it as a fragrance. It’s a lead we must follow. Everyone clear on that?”

  We all gave her a brief nod, then patiently waited for her to continue her instructions.

  “Harper will paint the symbols throughout the city,” Hansa said. “I think it’s safe to say she can be trusted on her own, given her performance in the Valley of Screams. She’s downright vicious, and I know no one will dare get near her. Provided she doesn’t go around pulling her swords on the Five Lords again.”

  She gave Harper a warning glare, prompting the sentry to shrink a little. I stifled a chuckle, then stilled at the sound of my name.

  “Scarlett,” Hansa addressed me, “you’ll be staying here with Patrik at all times. At least for now. Preservation spell or not, I don’t want anyone near Minah’s body, and I certainly don’t want our Druid on his own, surrounded by mind-bending Maras.”

  I held my breath for a second, glancing at Patrik. Given his earlier mention of his dream, I had a feeling there would be some awkwardness between us.

  “Okay,” I murmured, bracing myself for when I’d be left on my own with Patrik.

  “We’ll reconvene in the infirmary by sundown, after we complete our tasks,” Jax said, looking at Hansa. The tension between them was as heavy as ever. “Be careful out there.”

  “I’m a big girl, Jax. Don’t worry about me.” Hansa scoffed, then pointed at the map. “Now, which of the teams I nominated wants to take the south wall?”

  Caia

  (Daughter of Grace & Lawrence)

  Blaze and I took the south wall. We headed down one of the two side alleys leading to the base of the mountain. Tree crowns stretched overhead in crude shades of green, but this part of the city was no longer protected by awnings, so there were no Exiled Maras around. We passed a few Imen on the way down, and they all gave us curious looks, but we kept moving.

  The alley became narrower toward the bottom, carved into the limestone wall, which grew taller on both sides as we descended and turned the road into a tunnel. A small, wrought-iron fence stood at the end.
/>   “This leads nowhere,” Blaze said as we reached the fence, overlooking the strips of pebbled beach and rocky shore that cut through the middle of the landscape, with green fields to the right and a dark blue ocean to the left

  I looked around, craning my neck to take in the full height of the mountain’s limestone walls, along with the curved ceiling. The Exiled Maras had probably spent some time carving this out in the early days of their city.

  “I wonder why they left it like this,” I muttered, then bent over the fence to get a better look at what was below.

  “Careful, Caia.” Blaze held my arm, and, despite the layer of leather between his fingers and my skin, I still felt tiny electric currents flowing through me.

  “I’m okay,” I replied, pointing at the view below. “Look… I think that’s why they stopped carving.”

  We both glanced down and saw a very steep trail leading toward the base of the mountain, with nothing but shrubs and the occasional small tree scattered around. The wall ended abruptly with the fence, and there was nothing but the stony ridge on this part of Azure Heights.

  “We need to get down there, huh?” Blaze said.

  I nodded, and he took his backpack off. The actual base of the mountain was about seven hundred feet down from where we were. If we wanted to make sure Patrik’s spell worked, we had to put his satchel in there. I heard a zipper go down and glanced at Blaze, then immediately turned my back on him, my face flushed.

  “What… What are you doing?” I stammered, as Blaze took his clothes off and shoved them into the backpack, which he handed over to me. I took it, struggling not to look over my shoulder and see him in all his naked splendor.

  “Sorry, but I need to go into dragon mode,” Blaze replied, matter-of-factly. “It’s too steep to climb down. I can fly us there.”

  “Oh… right.” I tried to sound casual, but my cheeks were on fire, my heart galloping and kicking my ribs like a tempestuous mare... I was going to literally ride Blaze.

  “Unless you want to wait for me here?” he added.

  “Oh, no,” I said quickly. “I’m not staying here by myself.”

  “Okay, then hop on my back once I’ve shifted,” he replied. I heard him skip the fence and move forward on the ridge, enough to give himself the space he probably needed to shift without breaking anything. I put his backpack on, then waited for him to shift.

  The sounds of deep breathing and low grunts stretched out for several moments, and once the grunts grew deeper and became closer to growls, I turned around, to find myself standing before a stunning fire dragon. He was massive, a gorgeous specimen with dark orange and black scales, a long neck, and a spike the length of a street lamp extending from the tip of his tail. His wings were huge as they extended, the skin membrane shimmering in a warm shade of amber and his arms ending in large, sharp claws that could easily tear a wall down. His back legs were strong and muscular, ending in another pair of claws that were perfect for climbing.

  I had difficulty breathing as I tried to take in the vision of him. He was one of the most beautiful dragons in The Shade, in my eyes, and this was the first time I was seeing him up close. He growled and looked at me, and I recognized his eyes, huge pools of midnight blue in which I could see my reflection.

  He brought his head closer to me, and made a sound akin to deep, rumbling purring, his gaze gentle despite his ferocious design. No wonder the Exiled Maras feared him. This entire city was a tinderbox with Blaze around. I put my hand out, not surprised to see it trembling before him—not so much out of natural fear, but genuine awe. I touched the hard, warm scales on his face, his jaw slowly opening as I ran my fingers down his thick neck.

  “Let’s go,” he murmured.

  I withdrew my hand as he lowered himself farther down the ridge. He held out one large clawed hand, and my heart skipped a beat before I climbed onto it. He lifted me off the rocks I’d been standing on and positioned me on the base of his neck. I held onto the hard scales and mounted him, settling in behind his neck as if riding a giant, fire-spitting horse.

  I felt his body move beneath me, his muscles jerking as he took off. His wings stretched out, and I had to grab at his shoulders, my fingers hurting, just so I wouldn’t fall off. We soared out over the beach, the cool air hitting me hard, making it difficult to breathe.

  He flapped his wings, then did a gentle turn and drop, headed straight for the base of the mountain beneath the open-ended alley. He landed with a thud on the rocky ridge, right before it spread into the pebbled beach and the bumpy border of the plains. He used his front claws to hold onto the rough mountain wall. It was too steep for us to just walk around, but with Blaze clinging to the base, I was able to get off and reach a clean strip of limestone.

  I took the satchel out of his backpack, along with a metal pick, which we’d gotten along the way from an Iman blacksmith. I carved a hole into the wall and stuffed the satchel inside. The ground beneath shook, as if already responding to the spell.

  I yelped and lost my footing on the narrow ledge. I slipped and fell backward, but didn’t have time to scream, as Blaze’s clawed hand caught me. He helped me climb onto his back, then flew back out. He brought me down to the very bottom of the mountain, landing on the rough stones of the ocean shore. I got off, my knees weak and my legs shaking from the experience. He shook his back and brought his face closer to me. I touched the tip of his nose while his giant blue eyes scanned me. I couldn’t help but smile.

  “That was ridiculously cool,” I said.

  He huffed, then shook his body, and I turned to face the other way as he morphed back into his gloriously naked self, that entire mass of scales and claws withdrawn beneath ropes of muscle and tanned, smooth skin… I could hear him breathing heavily from the effort of the transformation.

  “Does it hurt?” I asked, handing over his backpack while determinedly keeping my face turned away.

  He took it, and I heard the zipper being pulled and the shuffling of fabric as he got dressed. I distracted myself with the stunning ocean view—an endless layer of restless, dark blue waters, and black cliffs poking out from the horizon beneath a perfect, clear sky.

  “Nah,” he replied. “I’m not sure I can describe it properly, but it feels like everything inside you moves around. It’s uncomfortable and always weird to experience, but no, not painful… I’m done.”

  I breathed out, then looked at him. He wore a playful smile, his hands resting on his hips, back in his two-piece GASP uniform.

  “So you enjoyed the ride?” He winked.

  “Yes, sir.” I grinned.

  He chuckled, then walked over to the limestone base of the mountain, sprinkled with grass, weeds, and a colorful variety of wild flowers. He took a linen bag out of his backpack and gave it to me, his gaze fixed on the pink, red, and purple blossoms poking out from green patches all over the stone wall.

  “I’ll pick. You can hold them,” he said, and plucked several flowers.

  He handed them over, and I carefully placed them in the bag, our fingers touching in the process and causing my arm to tingle.

  We walked through the plains, close to the mountain, looking for more species of flowers before taking another route back up. I spotted a small staircase carved into the wall up ahead.

  “I think that’ll take us back up on the south side,” I said, pointing at it.

  Blaze followed my gaze, then nodded.

  “I thought you did well last night, by the way,” I murmured, picking a small yellow blossom from the ground. I brought it up to my nose and inhaled its sweet fragrance. It reminded me of Hawaiian summers by the beach. “With Rewa, I mean. The whole dance and questioning thing. I didn’t get to mention that. I’m sure you’ll handle rejecting her just as well.”

  “Thanks,” he muttered, focused on the tall grass and whatever flowers he could find as we got closer to the carved stairs. “My celibacy oath does come in handy at times…”

  “Yeah…” I paused, swallowing. “Speaki
ng of… Why did you take it in the first place?”

  “Well, my dad took his when he was my age. It’s a tradition in my family, on my father’s side. They’ve done it for centuries before me. It’s meant to strengthen a dragon’s character. You keep your distance, hold your physical instincts under control during several of your formative years, and you come out stronger, more resilient.”

  I had wondered on more than one occasion what the limits were, regarding dragon celibacy. From what I remembered, as far as definitions went, being celibate meant you abstained from any… intimate contact. But I wasn’t sure about the specifics, i.e. the exact extent of such an oath. As I mulled it over, I forgot to stop talking.

  “I get that celibacy means you can’t have sex, but does it mean you can’t kiss, either? Like nothing? Nada? No kissy, no touchy?”

  Blaze’s head turned in an instant, his eyes wide.

  I immediately brought my hand up to my mouth, realizing I’d voiced a very intimate thought, a question I’d asked myself before, in the privacy of my room back at our GASP base, while watching Blaze spar with Field a week earlier.

  I must’ve looked horrified by my own loose tongue, but he seemed to find it funny. A huge grin bloomed on his face while I prayed for the earth to swallow me whole.

  “So sorry,” I gasped. “I… I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

  “It’s okay.” He laughed lightly, handing me another wildflower. “But to answer your question, yes—basically. Celibacy refers to abstaining from intercourse, but it’s pretty much assumed that a dragon will abstain from the other things too. It’s not written anywhere that kissing, for example, isn’t allowed, but personally, I hold back from everything. There’s no point in opening the door to temptation when you’ve sworn an oath to keep your distance from it, is there?”

  “Right… I see you take your celibacy oath quite seriously…”

  “I do. It’s very important to me,” he replied, but his gaze was telling me something else, as it settled on my face and softened. He then looked out, watching the ocean lapping at the rocky shore. “I know I’ll come out stronger when it’s over. That lasts a lifetime, and I can’t set that aside…”