To Wake a Dragon - Naomi Lucas Page 0,18

Ducking into the crevasse, I make my way down the path.

I reach the fork and find my shells still on the ground. There’s some dirt on them but I leave them for later. Turning toward the exit, I move slowly, knowing the walls will close in. Tree roots gnarl around me.

Then it occurs to me… Why Haime hasn’t come back to check on me? Has she waited or gone to the tribe like I hoped? Fear takes hold.

The dirt loosens under my sandals, and the walls narrow even more. I stop, staring at them. The pathway’s gone, vanished under rocks and roots. My mind blanks, my heart races. I take a deep breath to stop my rising panic.

Lowering my torch, I press both hands against the obstruction and gently push. Nothing gives but for some loose dirt that crumbles to the ground. I press again, same result.

My nails bite into the dirt.

Don’t panic, Milaye. Don’t. But my throat tightens anyway. Haime’s made it to the other side, I know she has. She’s a stubborn little dragon girl, she wouldn’t let some cave-in beat her.

“Okay, there has to be another way out,” I tell myself. “There’s another path.” Taking one last look at the blocked path, I wipe the dirt off my hands, grab my torch, and turn back. At the fork, I step over my shells and make my way down the other path. Only a few steps in and it’s already curving sharply to the right. I follow it for a time, not realizing how far and deep it goes. It is also getting smaller and tighter. I grow uneasy and keep my free palm on the hilt of my dagger.

Each step shoots a chill through my veins.

I’m getting farther from him.

When it occurs to me that there’s no end in sight, I pause. My vision is beginning to blur.

But I take another step anyway.

Leaning against the cave wall to rest, I place my hand to my heart and feel it thunder under my palm. I roll my head to the side, pressing my brow upon the stone wall. Its coolness gives me a moment of ease, and I check the wound on the back of my head, squeezing my eyes shut when there’s pain.

What am I going to do?

Tears threaten to fall, and I almost release them… I’m not trapped. We’re not trapped. There’s a way out of this. I’m sure of it. There’s no time for tears, not right now. Just because the entrance is shut and this path spirals downward, it doesn’t mean all is lost. I have to hope. I’ll do everything I can to survive. If I wallow now, I’m not Milaye, Protector of the Mermaid Coast, leader of Sand’s Hunters Huntresses, and Watcher of the Young. I’ll dig my way out if I have to.

I right myself.

But it pains me to imagine taking another step forward, knowing the bond will protest. I’ll have to come back later when I’m stronger… when he’s stronger. I’ve lost a lot of blood.

And I’m getting so tired. It’s unsafe for me to wander around in the dark, risking my life when there’s someone who needs me.

The male’s face surfaces in my mind. A rush of warmth floods me, and for a moment, I’m revitalized. My panicked heart calms, and a small smile lifts my lips. It gives me enough strength to keep pushing through my exhaustion, my fear.

If I can stumble upon a rare dragon and he can become a man, then anything is possible, right? Even surviving this.

I make up my mind.

We’ll escape together.

I turn around and go back to him.

9

Drazak and the Invader

I hate that she can leave me at any moment and I am powerless to stop her. All I have to remind me she was here at all is her delicious, lingering scent and the fire beside me. Its crackles fill my ears, making it harder to hear my human as she gets farther and farther away.

Then there is the smoke the fire gives off. It is bitter and strong, and to my frustration, the longer it burns, the more it clears away the human’s smell. Soon, it will be gone, and I will be alone again.

A growl tears from my throat. I open my eyes and gaze in the direction she went.

Human, come back. Another growl comes forth. First, you bind yourself to me, and now you leave willingly? The daring of this female frustrates me.

I do not even know what she