It was mid-afternoon by the time they reached the mountain, and Lily swiped at the sweat running down her face, smearing soot across her cheeks. The tiny gray flakes almost looked like snow as it fell around them, coating every inch of their skin and clothes. The sky could no longer be seen above them as they started on the mountain path, just wide enough for two horses to walk side by side.
Aisha took the lead while Lily and Basil followed close behind, the other knights falling into line after them. Lily ran her fingers over the smooth black rock to her right, frowning when they came away sticky with melted ash. "This isn't a mountain." She murmured to herself.
"No." Basil replied, eyeing the ledge to his left. "It's a volcano. Pierake has plenty of them."
"This can't be safe."
"Since when is anything we do ever safe? Besides, this one only erupts at dawn."
"What?" She tried to keep the alarm from her voice.
"It's part of Pierake's defense. Some of the volcanoes only erupt at specific times. Odd how that works considering this is supposed to be a "magic-free" kingdom."
"Every kingdom has its secrets, I suppose."
"Yeah." He hesitated then looked over at Lily. "How are you feeling?"
She tensed. "Fine." It wasn't really a lie. She did feel a bit better than before.
He didn't press it. "It'll be odd seeing you as a mother."
"Almost as odd as seeing you as a father."
"I'll never be one. Babies terrify me. Too fragile."
"You're good with kids."
He shrugged a shoulder. "I guess."
The ground trembled, making them both flinch. "I thought you said the volcano wasn't going to erupt." She hissed.
"I-I don't think that's what this is." He tightened his hold on the reins as his horse tried to step back, giving a terrified snort.
They quickened their pace as the trembling grew worse, scattering rocks over the edge of the cliff. "There should be some caves near here. We can wait this out there!" Basil called out to Aisha.
"Whatever this is!" She called back.
The path opened up into a wide circle, four caves gaping at them from the right. "Dismount!" Lily called out, but her words were barely heard as a fierce roar sounded just above them.
They froze, Aisha and Lily already off their horses, when a strong wind swept around them. "Can't be." Aisha whispered, awe mixing with horror. A giant beast landed before them, its leathery wings fanning out behind it. Black smoke rolled across sharp teeth, making it hard to breathe.
"Run for cover! Now!" Lily ordered, her voice shaking on the words.
The dragon raised its head, golden eyes staring straight at Lily, and sprayed fire from its mouth. She raised her hands, on instinct, silver magic spiraling from her fingers. Her eyes widened in disbelieving horror when the magic burst into colorful flowers, her hands tingling with unfamiliar pink dust.
Something slammed into her, knocking her to the ground with bruising strength, as the flames scorched the air right above them. Shocked, she looked up to meet a pair of worried brown eyes. "Owen?"
The breathless knight grinned down at her. "You alright, Princess?"
"Fine, fine. Let me up." Lily pushed at his chest.
"Never heard that from a woman before." He joked weakly as he helped her to her feet.
She noticed he stood between her and the dragon, the beast staring at them with cruel intent. Everyone else had dismounted, and their horses long gone. She wasn't sure if they had fallen over the edge or disappeared back down the path, but at the moment, it didn't seem important. "The caves." She breathed. "Come on."
YOU ARE READING
The Witch's Retribution
Fantasy((Book two of the Knight's Deception Trilogy)) Nothing burns quite as bright as the fires of revenge... It's been a year since Lily married her prince, six since she killed her brother to protect him, and everything has settled into a warm routine t...
