Hidden Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon Book 7) Page 7

  And she’ll be safer here, his dragon chimed in.

  Colin folded his arms, his biceps popping to a size bigger than Sylas’s head. Damn, the guy had turned into a beast during his time in Rogos.

  “Have you spoken to Dianthe about this? Because she seemed more than ready to channel her grief into making Eleanor pay for what she did.”

  “I’m her mate.” Sylas growled. “It’s my job to care for her.”

  “Yes.” Colin nodded. “But she’s a grown fairy. She can make her own decisions.”

  “Thank you, Colin.” Dianthe appeared beside Sylas, her wings flared.

  “Dianthe… I—”

  “Save it.” She tipped her head toward Colin. “Have you told my mate yet about our monumental discovery?”

  “No.” Colin frowned. “Maybe you two should talk first.”

  Sylas didn’t like the sound of that. Something in his brother’s eyes told him he might not like this revelation.

  “What’s going on?” He focused fully on Dianthe.

  “I know where the Everfield orb is,” Dianthe said proudly.

  A chill traveled the length of his body. Fuck. He’d wanted to keep her out of this. If she knew where an orb was, she was definitely in it. “Where? Are you sure?”

  “Positive. When I was a little girl, my aunt used to take me to Solaris Field.”

  Although Sylas had rarely visited the fields on the outskirts of Everfield near the Nochtbend border, he was familiar with them. Fairies would often visit to collect pollen from the densely growing sunpitcher plants there. The cone-shaped flowers collected the light and glowed like stars, making it an especially entertaining place to bring fairy children. Pollen collected from the flowers had an exceptionally short shelf life, making it too delicate for collecting, packaging, and reselling—another draw for the people of Everfield. Paragon was not interested in the fields. Yet those who had the time and inclination could collect the pollen for free. It was delicious when ingested immediately or baked into a number of dishes.

  “What’s in Solaris Field? I’m certain if the orb was there, someone would have found it by now,” Sylas grumbled.

  “Beyond the fields, on the border of the Grimtwist Forest, there is a lake. Solaris Lake. Most fairies never go there because of its proximity to Nochtbend, although it’s perfectly safe during the day. My aunt took me because the water is always pleasantly warm. I used to swim with her in the afternoons.”

  “Your aunt let you swim in strangely warm waters beside the Grimtwist Forest?” Dianthe’s Aunt Gemmy had passed away from natural causes several years ago. She’d always been a little eccentric, but at the moment Sylas had to question her judgment.

  “One fall afternoon, Aunt Gemmy took me to the lake to swim because it was too cold for the sea. In the past, I’d only waded into the lake, sometimes playing with the water sprites that lived there. I’d grown into a strong swimmer that year and was feeling exceptionally adventurous. I dove to the bottom of the lake that day, and what I saw there I would never forget. Something bright green glowed from inside a tangle of lake grass. When I touched it, the smooth crystal was hot. I tried to free it to show my aunt, but it wouldn’t budge. And when I told her about it, she said that in most cases it was best to leave magical objects where you found them. So I did. But Sylas, it looked exactly like the orb from Rogos, just green instead of purple. It’s there.”

  Sylas brushed a piece of invisible lint from the arm of his tunic and looked toward Colin. “Colin, you and I should go retrieve this orb. I know Everfield. We can be in and out in a day. Between the two of us, I’m sure we can pry it up.”

  Dianthe gasped. “If you think I’m not going, you need to see a healer. There is something seriously wrong with you. Everfield is my home. I’m the one who found it, and I know exactly where the orb is. You need me.”

  Sylas opened his mouth to tell her the idea was ludicrous considering Aborella knew her identity. Dianthe couldn’t even make herself invisible for the goddess’s sake!

  But Colin spoke up first. “I agree with Dianthe.”

  “Excuse me?” Sylas glared at him in righteous indignation. How dare he suggest his mate be sent into a dangerous situation without clearing it with him first? Didn’t he understand what it did to a dragon to know his mate might be in peril?

  “Leena can’t leave the scrolls. She’s taken a solemn vow to protect them.” Colin gestured toward the tent and the scribe inside. “And I’ve taken a vow to protect Leena. You can’t imagine how brave she was to leave Rogos. Do you know what Eleanor would do to a scribe outside the boundaries protected by elfish magic?”

  Sylas frowned. He could imagine. “Gabriel then.”

  “Gabriel has to stay with Raven, and Raven has to stay with Clarissa and Avery. The three sisters cannot be separated. Their power derives from one another. It’s too dangerous. Plus there is Charlie to think about.”

  “Which means Xavier and Nathaniel are out of the picture. They won’t leave their mates.” Dianthe crossed her arms and drummed her fingers on her bicep.

  Colin tipped his head. “Maiara and Nick are human. Neither of them knows Everfield, and the vampires in Nochtbend will smell them coming a mile away. Plus Rowan’s wing is still healing.”

  “That leaves only Tobias,” Sylas said gruffly. Their brother was a talented healer and the smartest among them when it came to history and culture, but as a warrior his skills were lacking, especially now that he hadn’t had to fight in a number of years.

  Colin leaned back on his heels. “Exactly. You, Dianthe, Tobias, and Sabrina will go. Sabrina is a vampire—”

  “From Earth!” All of Sylas’s muscles clenched at the idea. It was a recipe for disaster.

  “But still a vampire. Vampires notoriously hate dragons and witches and share an uneasy peace with the fairies of Everfield. You’ve made progress in Nochtbend, but as one of their kind, she’s our best bet of convincing them to help us find the orb. When I spoke to her last night, she was pretty confident that vampires, by their nature, are the same everywhere.”

  “In your own words, vampires have an uneasy peace with fairies. Exactly why Dianthe should not go,” Sylas grumbled.

  Colin ignored him and continued. “The four of you will go to Everfield to retrieve the green orb Dianthe saw; then you will journey into Nochtbend and search for the one hidden there. Sabrina thinks she’ll be able to find it.”

  “Absolutely not! The very idea!” Sylas wanted to punch his brother in the face for even suggesting such a thing. Had Colin forgotten that Grimtwist Forest was inhabited by carnivorous monsters?

  A muscle in Colin’s jaw jumped, and he pursed his lips. “I get that you fear for your mate, Sylas, but it’s not like we’re sending her alone. You’ll be with her. This is the perfect team to get this done. Use her second sight. Lean on Tobias and Sabrina. I know you can do this.”

  He clenched his teeth and stepped closer to his twin until their chests were almost touching. “Over my dead body.”

  Colin shook his head. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but with my return to Aeaea, I officially take over the role I left to you. I’m the leader of the rebellion again, brother. Don’t make me pull rank on you. I’ll go to the others if I have to.”

  Sylas shook his head. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Colin narrowed his eyes as if to say try me. “We need you to do this. This is your team. Make the most of it.”

  Chapter Nine

  Dianthe wanted to hug Colin for standing up for her. Although Sylas’s bright red face warned that he might explode at any moment, she proudly soldiered on, talking detailed plans with Colin beside her seething mate. She’d won this round and it mattered.

  In the past, Sylas had always respected her contributions to the Defenders of the Goddess. He’d always had reverence for her gift. But since she’d healed Aborella, he’d treated her like she was a child—inconsequential—or worse, a liability. Not only did it make her feel inferior, it made he
r question her own abilities. She’d caught herself fighting her intuition and doubting her second sight, that thing that had been with her for as long as she could remember.

  If she was going to forgive herself for any role she’d played in what happened in Everfield and regain her confidence, she had to go on this mission. With Sylas there, it would be the perfect opportunity to prove to him she was the same woman he married. She’d earn his trust in her abilities and his respect again. Oh, she knew he loved her. He’d always love her. But love wasn’t enough. She wanted him to see her as an equal—like he used to see her.

  Her bag was already packed—she’d never had a chance to unpack it—but she moved it to her own tent. Her gut told her that if she gave him the opportunity, Sylas would try to talk her out of this mission or sabotage her involvement. So she did her best to avoid him until it was time to leave.

  Mercifully, he wasn’t on the boat when she arrived. Neither was Tobias. But she was not alone. A willowy and shockingly pale woman with bright red hair lay in the shade of the sail, a hooded cloak pulled high over her head and a pair of dark sunglasses shading her eyes, which presently appeared closed as if she were napping. Sabrina the vampire. They’d never been formally introduced. Now did not seem like the time.

  As quietly as possible, Dianthe stepped on board and stowed her pack in the cargo hold. She took a seat in the sun.

  “You must be Dianthe.” Sabrina opened her eyes and sat up, adjusting the dark shades. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m usually sleeping at this time of day, and direct sun is quite uncomfortable for my kind.”

  “Sabrina, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The vampire gave a small nod, then leaned her head against the hull and closed her eyes again.

  “It’s funny about fairies and vampires,” Dianthe said cheerfully. “Fairies derive strength from the sun. Really anything celestial. The moon and stars as well. We celebrate many celestial events in our culture, but the sun is the most beneficial to our kind. Our kingdom butts up to Nochtbend, which is the land of the vampires. They live underground and only come out at night when they are the strongest.”

  Sabrina lifted her head and stared at her over her shades. “So I’ve heard.”

  “I’ve always thought we made perfect neighbors,” Dianthe continued. “Everfield sleeps at night and Nochtbend sleeps during the day. If you didn’t know the other existed, you might not ever find out.”

  The vampire blinked at her sleepily.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you anyway.”

  “Likewise.” She closed her eyes again.

  She sat in silence for a few minutes until Tobias stepped onto the boat wearing a strange pair of shorts with large pockets and a short-sleeved shirt with a collar. He looked very human for a dragon.

  “Dianthe.” He extended his hand. She grabbed it and he pumped her arm twice. “Nice to meet you. I’m Tobias. Have you met Sabrina?”

  “We’ve met.” A hint of annoyance peppered Sabrina’s tone. She didn’t bother opening her eyes again.

  “She’s, uh, actually very personable,” Tobias said. “It’s just that yesterday she was up during the day, facing the sea monster and helping people to shore, in full sun I might add. I helped her heal that sunburn, but then she had trouble sleeping last night because that’s when she’d usually be up. Plus she’s überworried about her coven because she’s left them in the hands of her father, who is, if I may say, way scarier than any vampire you’ve ever met—”

  “Tobias,” Sabrina said flatly. “She doesn’t need our life story.”

  The blond dragon smiled down at her, awkwardly nodding his head. “Well… okay.”

  Sylas arrived then, carrying his bag and looking flustered. He stared at Dianthe and Tobias, then at her bag peeking through the cargo net. “You could have told me you were taking your pack, Dianthe. I was looking all over for it to carry it down for you.”

  He climbed on board, stowed his luggage, and gestured to Indigo that they were ready to go.

  “I carried it myself.”

  “I see that.” His lips pressed into a flat line.

  His shadow stretched over her, blocking out the sun, but the aura he was putting off made her far more uncomfortable than the shade. Tension coiled in the pit of her belly, cranked tight by the look of annoyance and disappointment on his face. It made her breath halt in her throat.

  “This is happening, Sylas,” she said softly. “Accept it.”

  He scoffed. “I hope we all live long enough for me to have the opportunity.” He crossed the deck to take a seat next to Tobias.

  It wasn’t the conversation she’d hoped for, but at least she could feel the sun on her face again.

  Sylas sat beside Tobias, only half listening to his brother’s story about how he met Sabrina. There was something about coffee and a hospital. Okay, he wasn’t listening at all. His mind was completely preoccupied with not staring at his mate, who was sunning herself on the bench where he’d left her. His eyes kept darting back to her. The light made her skin shimmer like chestnut-colored silk. He looked away, wishing he had a pair of dark glasses like Sabrina’s so that he could stare at Dianthe without her knowing.

  Grumbling, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Fuck. He was acting like a schoolboy. If he wanted to stare at his own mate, he should just do it. And for that matter, if he had something to say to her, he should just say it. His eyes drifted to his toes.

  “Sylas?” Tobias elbowed him in the side.

  “What?”

  “I asked you if you thought we should make the boat invisible. We’re approaching Serenity Harbor. Do you think Mother will have guards watching Aeaea? She knows we’re staying there.”

  “It’s possible.” Sylas’s stomach filled with lead at the thought of battling Eleanor again with his mate in tow. “But if we make the entire ship invisible, we’ll drain ourselves. We’re going to need that strength if we run into trouble. Better we use it on ourselves and our mates.”

  “An oread driving an empty boat into port… that’s not suspicious?” Tobias laughed.

  “What do you suggest?”

  Tobias’s blue eyes morphed to green, his platinum hair to dark amber, and his face elongated in shape. Two gossamer wings unraveled from his back. “I think disguise is in order. Eleanor has never met Sabrina. I’m betting by what you’ve said she has no idea who Dianthe is either.”

  “She might now, because of Aborella.”

  “We can put her in a cloak. Cover her face.”

  Sylas concentrated, changing his appearance to a black-haired native of Everfield with purple wings and a square jaw. “How do I look?”

  “Too attractive. You don’t want to draw attention.”

  He added a few pounds around the gut and made his face rounder.

  “Perfect. Now, do you want to tell Dianthe the plan or should I?”

  “I’ll do it. Why wouldn’t I do it?”

  “Because you two have been in some kind of cold war from minute one. I don’t know what is going on, but a cold breeze blows my way every time your eyes meet.” Tobias’s strange face slanted a quirky smile.

  “I’ll do it, all right?” Sylas stood and crossed to the other side of the boat again.

  Dianthe’s eyes were shut, but they opened when his shadow passed over her. At first she looked startled, but then noticed his clothes and realized it was him. “Why do you look like that?”

  “You need to put on your cloak. We’ve got to disguise ourselves before we reach port in case Eleanor has people watching the coast.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t move.

  “Do you need my help with the bag?”

  “No. I’m perfectly capable of getting my own cloak out of my own bag. I’m simply waiting for you to move out of my way.” She pointed to the bag in the cargo net directly behind him.

  Without another word, he returned to Tobias’s side.

  His brother shivered. “Cold as ice.”


  “Shut the fuck up.”

  Serenity Harbor came into view, and Sylas stood and walked to the front of the boat.

  Dressed in her black hooded cloak and a pair of dark gloves, Dianthe sidled up beside him. “Oh my goddess.”

  That was an understatement. Everfield’s largest beach was covered in ramshackle housing. Everything from burnt logs to woven grasses had been stitched together to form the most rudimentary of shelters. As they came closer, they could see fairies, dirty and haggard, huddled together around a fire. Behind them, the Empyrean Wood, once their homeland, stood gray and bare, a skeleton forest of ash and scorched timber.

  She reached for his hand, and he did not deny her.

  “I’m so sorry Dianthe. I wish I could have saved you from this,” he said. “I wish I could have saved them from this.”

  For a long time they watched the approaching squalor in silence. Until, it seemed, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Her hand slipped from his, and she turned so that her back was to the shore.

  “Me too,” she whispered, her voice raw with emotion. “Promise me you’ll make her pay.”

  He wasn’t sure if by “her” she meant Eleanor or Aborella or both. It didn’t matter. He intended to make them both pay, along with every member of the Obsidian Guard who’d participated in the burning. “I promise.”

  Chapter Ten

  The vision rushed through Aborella like a wave, starting in her stomach and rolling up her body until her lashes fluttered and her eyes rolled back in her head. Five spheres formed in her mind’s eye—cobalt, emerald, flame red, royal purple, and gold. The spheres overlapped and the scene changed. They morphed into a key. The key was fed to a dragon. The dragon turned into a book. A golden book.