Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
My uncle’s recent words to my father ring in my head: What’s the point of sending Andor anymore when the raid always turns into a fool’s errand?
I swallow down the bitterness and force myself to focus just as the girl and her dog pass out of sight and the dragon begins to stir, moving its legs slowly, its long claws scratching loudly over the black aerated rock. I don’t have enough of the poison left for another arrow—I need to leave. I quickly seal the container and remove the sapper from the egg. Then I climb out of the crater and run toward the shore after the girl.
The dragon growls and the ground trembles as I feel it get to its feet. I pick up the pace, with my cloak flowing behind me, glancing over my shoulder to see the beast shaking its wings out. In seconds it will be airborne. I wish the poison didn’t leave the system so quickly.
I make a mental note for Steiner to adjust the formula and I keep pumping my legs until I see the girl again, this time in another crater, busy gathering smaller blooddrage eggs, the dog watching her work intently.
“Hide!” I holler at her, my speed increasing. “She’s awake!”
The lavender girl stares at me with her large dark eyes, unsure what to do for a moment, then yells at her dog. “Lemi! Go to the boat. To the boat!”
The dog looks reluctant until she yells “Go!” again.
And then he disappears into thin air.
Fucking fascinating. I’ve seen him shift before but never so close. There’s no time to marvel over it, though.
In seconds I’m launching myself into the air until I’m pushing the girl to the ground, covering her with my cloak.
She lets out a whimper of pain from the impact, but her armor should protect her from the worst of it, as shoddy and threadbare as it is.
“Shhh,” I whisper harshly into her ear as I press her down into the crater, hearing the sickly sound of eggs cracking beneath us as I do so. “Don’t move. I won’t be able to save you again.”
“I never asked you to save me the first time,” she grumbles.
I slip my hand under her face until it covers her mouth, making sure she really shuts up, just as the steady beat of dragon wings fills the air.
I am not getting paid enough for this, I can’t help but think. Truth is, I’m not really getting paid at all. It’s my duty as a Kolbeck, more than anything, and I’m the only one even remotely suited for these expeditions. Steiner would spend his time trying to catalog the flora and fauna of the islands, Solla would find a cave and never come out, Vidar would find someone else to do the dirty work, and my uncle Kjell would try to fight a dragon and fail miserably. Only my father would stand a chance at doing this job. He’d also be the first to throw me in the line of fire if it meant his escape.
The dragon lets out another cry, a breeze coming off the powerful wings, stirring up the fine black sand gathered in the crevices. I hear the sound of it expelling fire close by, feel the heat as the flames warm our back. It shouldn’t see us, not with my cloak covering us both up. It was designed by Steiner to mimic the surroundings, completely camouflaging us, as well as protecting us from any fire blasts.
I hold my breath and wait. I can feel Brynla’s heartbeat through her back, the stiffness of her muscles as she keeps still.
The cloak works. The dragon keeps flying onward, then turns back to her nest again. With her back to us, we can make it over the ridge where we’ll be hidden. She won’t be a happy dragon when she discovers that both her eggs have been destroyed, but thankfully they weren’t fertile anyway.
I stand and grab the girl’s arm, yanking her up beside me.
“Ow!” She scowls at me, trying to get out of my grasp. Up close her features are an intriguing mix of youth and hardness. Her eyes hold a world of pain and anger in them, her mouth and jaw set in the same tense way. But her full pink cheeks and lips, her smooth sun-kissed skin, and the way her lavender hair is braided in coils at the back of her neck make her look youthful. She’s tall and broad shouldered, strong in her stance, but has full breasts and wide hips, thick thighs and a round stomach. She looks healthy and strong.
She gives me another sharp look, this one telling me to stop staring at her.
“We need to get behind the ridge before the dragon looks back,” I say, keeping my voice low. I keep ahold of her arm and haul her up and out of the crater like she weighs nothing at all. She grumbles the whole way, swearing under her breath.