Ash Princess (The Deviant Future #6) - Eve Langlais Page 0,54

out.

Eyeing the ground below them, Cam checked for any dangers. Seeing nothing, he turned and maneuvered himself over the edge, dangling from his fingertips and dropping with a light thud. He glanced behind to see the dragon still resting its head on the ground. No sign of alarm from anyone either.

He glanced upward in time to catch a falling cross bow. He’d no sooner stepped aside, than Kayda joined him, her knees bending to absorb the impact as she landed. He handed her the crossbow.

“Now what?” she whispered.

“We see where that hole in the ground goes.”

She offered him a grim smile that faded as she glanced at the big dragon. “Uh-oh.”

His breath caught. The dragon had opened one eye and stared right at them.

They froze.

It sat up, and there was a jingling of metal as the leash it had been lying on dangled from the collar around its neck. It must have been wearing it a long time given it was dug into the flesh and in places the skin had partially grown over it.

A prisoner.

No wonder it didn’t fly off. Obviously it had been set here as a guard by the Ruby soldiers. Guarding what?

Which begged the question, when did they start coming and how long had freedom lain within reach?

He knew he’d be wondering about that. He’d also be angry. Not only had Ruby rejected refugees, they could have provided the means to escape.

What was interesting to him was the fact they could travel unmolested, unlike the drones sent in by the Marshlands. Could be more than just dragons were at play. Was it possible Ruby was somehow to blame?

All those same thoughts must have run through Kayda’s mind because she went from shock, to anguish, to anger.

Anger was better than apathy. If channeled properly.

He wanted to see what was down those stairs, so he walked toward them, choosing a longer route that kept his back to the ruin walls. The dragon still sat, and he wondered how long the chain that held it extended.

Out of reach of the stairs? Most likely given the soldiers hadn’t shown any sign of worry. Or was the leash clipped in place only when the soldiers brought the ship around?

He was about to find out because the dragon rose to all fours and stalked toward them, huffing its nostrils. Figures it would ignore the soldiers. Maybe their red uniforms made them sour, but two tasty humans? Cam needed a plan that didn’t involve them getting crunched.

“If you distract it, I’ll move in close,” he muttered.

“To do what? Your knife will be like a toothpick to it,” she grumbled, and yet she moved counter to him.

Cam eyed the size of the dragon and didn’t disagree with her assessment. How thick would its hide be? Could he penetrate it with his knife? He could have used a sword.

He must have made a noise, because the head suddenly swung to him and snarled. A roar of fetid proportions, washing hot stinking breath over him. It was enough to make a man lose his stomach or his nerve.

Cam stood straighter. “Dude, you need to floss. I think you’ve got some human stuck between your teeth.”

The dragon hissed.

“Should you really be insulting it?” Kayda snapped.

“Apparently, it finds me and my mouth fascinating.” The overgrown lizard with wings slinked in his direction. “Guess I’m distracting and you’re taking it out.”

“With what?”

“Get it in the eye like you did with the other one.”

“Because that’s so easy.” She might complain, but she did act, bringing up her crossbow to sight. The problem being the dragon wasn’t looking at her.

A second later, it wasn’t eyeballing him either. Something else drew its attention.

A much, much smaller dragon came waddling into view, its tiny wings spread, warbling a cry.

“Gellie! No!” Kayda screamed. She predictably darted to save her pet.

Dammit. Cam began to run and yell, waving his arms. But he was too far. Only Kayda was close enough to the big drake. It opened its mouth wide, ready to snap the little one, only to find Kayda between them.

Standing straight and tall, her chin lifted high as she said in a voice low that carried, “No!”

Chapter 12

Kayda had never been so fucking scared in her life.

Ever.

Yet when she saw her baby wandering out to protect her, brave despite the fear making his little body shake, she couldn’t let Gellie get hurt. Without even thinking twice, she threw herself in front of Gellie and yelled, “No! You can’t have him.” Not Gellie, not Cam,