Ride the Wave

9

The floor seemed to fall out from under me and I staggered back. My first thought was, thank the Gods it isn't Sark. The doubt came next, but as he held my eyes, I realized they were a mirror of my own. I took him in slowly and caught other similarities in our features too. He truly was my father.

And not a very good one.

Fire flared around me. “You knocked me out and kidn*pped me!”

“To protect you!” He sighed and dragged a hand through his long sandy hair. “I'll explain everything later, I promise. Right now we really need to get out of here before anyone notices us. We have a small window while Nysa and the others are busy, but it will only last so long, and we don’t have much time to meet your mates.”

“Where are they? Are they all okay?”

“Put on your mask and follow me. I’ll take you to them.”

I donned the mask, snapping it over my head. “Why the mask?”

“Today is the Spirit Festival. The entire city is wearing masks. It’s the perfect time to escape Soulspire.” Doran put his own mask on, which featured tiny brightly colored fish, before stepping out of the room into a dark corridor. He scanned the length of it before setting off, clutching his side where I’d injured him. I wasn’t sorry. He deserved it, even if he was helping me—which I wasn’t positive he was.

I drew in a long breath, quickly weighed my options, and then followed him. If this was a trick, I’d fight back with everything I had, but I couldn’t stay in that prison one more second.

The corridor was empty and had a musty smell with no windows, making me wonder if we were underground. I hadn’t realized we were in Soulspire, although I’d suspected it. I’d never been to the capital before, and I was beginning to realize that without Doran’s help I might never have made it out on my own. Assuming he was truly helping me now and not leading me to my death.

We walked with quick purposeful strides and I fell in step beside him, although my limbs were stiff from being in a cage for so long and my muscles were weak from inactivity. As we continued through the long stone halls, we passed a few guards, who stood up straight and nodded at Doran. They completely ignored my presence, and I had a feeling it was only because I was at his side.

“Where are we?” I asked in a low voice.

“The lower levels of the palace,” Doran said. “Keep moving.”

That burst of energy when I’d exited the cage had begun to fade, and now a bone-deep exhaustion was beginning to set in. I pushed past it and kept moving, fueled by the knowledge that I would see my mates again soon.

Doran stopped at an unmarked door and opened it, then gestured for me to enter. All I saw was darkness and a putrid smell hit my nose. I gagged and stepped back, but Doran shoved me forward through the door. He slammed it shut behind us and I quickly summoned a flame to fight back the darkness.

We were in a domed tunnel of some sort, with a thin trickle of water running down the center of it. Doran grabbed a torch off the wall and lit it with the fire in my palm, then gestured for me to follow him. “Your mates are waiting for us in these sewers. Once we find them, they’ll get you out of the city.”

“You’re not coming?” I asked.

“No, I still have work to do here, but I promise I’ll find you later. I’ve waited a long time to be reunited with you and we have a lot to talk about.”

I gave him a skeptical look as we began walking down the dark tunnel. He’d had twenty years to find me, and Gods knew I could have used his advice and help during the last few months. Or after Sark killed my family. Or any of the other times I’d found myself on the run or in danger. It was difficult to believe he’d suddenly become a loving father now, when he’d been absent all these years. And why was I any different from my sisters, who he’d allowed to be murdered for centuries?

I didn’t trust him one bit and I had a million questions for him, but I also recognized he was my only hope of getting out of here. I followed him down the tunnels despite my hesitations, but as soon as we had a chance to talk, I would need some answers.

The moment I saw a familiar broad-shouldered frame ahead of me, I let out a loud cry and stumbled forward. “Slade!”

He turned toward me, and his eyes widened. He crossed the distance between us with a few steps and swept me up into his arms. I laughed and sobbed at the same time, so relieved to be in his arms again.

“Kira!” Jasin called out, but he was busy holding off five shades with Auric at his side.

Doran gestured idly and each of the shades turned to ice, then broke apart into a million pieces. Gods, he was powerful. It was a grim reminder that we still had a lot to learn to match the other Dragons’ strength.

As the shades vanished, my other mates rushed forward to wrap me in their arms and sprinkle my face with kisses. I was overjoyed to be united with them again and to see with my own eyes they were safe. But then I realized one person was missing.

“Where’s Reven?” I asked, suddenly worried.

Each of their faces darkened. “He’s injured,” Auric said. “But now that you’re free, you can heal him.”