Falling for the Ashfather

Chapter 9

Flames flicked at my skin, making it bubble and blacken. Pain wracked my entire being, as I desperately tried to pull out my dragon form. Nothing I did brought out that body, though, leaving me to burn in the midst of the flames.

Screams filled the air, sounding over the crackling of the fire, but the smoke was so thick as I tried to make my way through it, ignoring the pain, all I could see was a flash of gold through the dense clouds.

My lungs were burning from breathing it all in, and I couldn’t stop coughing. I had to get out. I was going to die here. I was going to…

A creak sounded above my head, and I looked up just in time to see the roof give way. The burning mass fell on me, but the pain was cut off as I was dragged into the dark.

I sit up in my bed, my lungs still feeling like they are burning, and coughing desperately. The sky is still dark beyond my window, and I push off the blankets that are twisted around me, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and sitting there until my heart calms to something close to a normal rate.

I’d been having the same dream for weeks now. Always burning. Always that flash of gold. Nothing ever changed, and I rubbed my hands down my arms, reassuring myself I was okay, that there were no burns on my skin. That I wasn’t a husk of myself.

Pushing myself out of bed, I moved over to the window and leaned against the window, staring out into the darkness. I hadn’t had nearly enough sleep, but I knew myself well enough to know there wasn’t going to be any more sleep that night. I couldn’t tell if the dream was about me, or if I was in someone else’s head. As a dreamwalker, it could be hard to tell your own fears from others. Nightmares about people and places I had never seen had been plaguing me since I’d discovered my dragon caste. But this one, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Maybe it was because I could feel the pain, the blistering of my skin, the terrible numbness that told me it was worse than I could possibly imagine.

If there had been someone in the dream, I would work to find them. To get them somewhere safe. Instead, there was nothing. No clues to tell me if this was something I could stop, or if it was just a fear. Something that already happened, or something yet to come.

I rubbed my forehead and grabbed a dress, shrugging it on and pulling my white hair back into a low ponytail to keep it out of my face before heading to the kitchen and stoking the fire in the stove and putting a kettle on to make some tea. It was no use to dwell on a dream I had no idea how to pursue. Not that my brain ever believed me when I told it that. The images of that dream plagued my waking mind as well as my dreams.

Making the tea when the water was ready, I headed down into my workshop, lighting the lantern and pulling out the supplies I would need to get started on the first of my orders for the day. I would go out to my garden once the sun was up and check on the herbs I was growing outside. I had another room devoted to growing plants as well, filled with light during the day. I would love to be in there now, banishing the visions from my head, but with it being dark, there was nowhere I could go to bring light to the dark thoughts and fears. So, I threw myself into my work, instead.

The knock that interrupted me was loud and insistent. I blinked as I looked up, having lost track of time while I worked. It had always been a problem for me, when I was concentrating on something, that I would lose myself in work. I already had most of my orders done, so it was with annoyance that I threw the door open, an angry retort already on my tongue, only for it to die as I was confronted with the emblem of the Drakesworn in my direct line of sight. It was pinned to a chest, and I looked up into the glowering face of one of the Ashfather’s guards staring down at me.

My stomach twisted, though I forced myself not to let the fear show on my face. Had they found me? Had they figured out who was helping the Wyvern? It had to be obvious that someone was helping them. But, how did they know? How had they tracked me? Had I made a mistake?

The Drakesworn didn’t say anything, just grabbed my arm and dragged me out of my shop.

“What are you doing?” I protested, but glanced around and saw the same treatment being given to all of my neighbours. All around town, it seemed, people were being pulled from their homes and forced to gather in the town square. Once there, my escort gave me a push, to make me join the others, then took up his place around the crowd.

There was a small commotion to my right, and then Clara was beside me. For some reason, I felt better with her there by my side, and shifted a little closer to her.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Clara asked?

I glanced at her and shook my head. I wish I did. Why hadn’t I dreamed about this last night? Why that same dream over and over again instead of something that would be actually useful to me?

It looked like nearly the entire town was gathered, when someone stepped onto the platform that had been erected. My hands clenched into fists when I realized it was the prince, and right beside him, Kami. What the hell were they doing here?

“Good morning, Furenwood. I appreciate you giving me your time today.”

As if they’d had a choice. I shifted again, and I could feel Clara’s eyes moving to me. I wasn’t normally this restless, but seeing my sister again would do that to me. And the man who had ordered Konrad’s death.

“I apologize for the abrupt nature of my summons, but I felt this couldn’t wait. It has come to my attention that there is a traitor among your number. And I would like to give you the chance to bring them forward to me so I know it’s not the entire town that needs to burn.”