Fuse by E.L. Todd

Five

Fearless,Cora didn’t back down from any fight. Defeat was never an option, and she gave everything she had until there was nothing left. But she wasn’t stupid either.

This was a fight she couldn’t win.

She set the bow on the ground along with her arrows. Her eyes were glued to the dragon the entire time, not letting it leave her sight. “I always pictured dragons to be the kinds of predators that got off their asses and hunted down their food, not commanded their dinner to come to them.”

The dragon took in a slow breath, and its throat rumbled with disapproval. Steam billowed up at the end of its snout, a clear threat of being burned alive. Looks like this meal is suicidal. More steam erupted from the end of its snout.

Instead of shaking in her boots and feeling the adrenaline just before death, she felt oddly calm. Knowing there was nothing she could do to win this battle gave her an odd sense of calm. “If you’re going to eat me, let’s get on with it.” She wasn’t sure what was worse, being eaten by a dragon or being tortured by the Shamans.

They both sucked.

You aren’t appetizing to me. No offense.

Cora felt her eyebrow rise as far as it would go. “None taken.” She noted the deep baritone of the dragon’s speech. She didn’t know anything about their species, but she was certain this dragon was a male. “Then why did you command me here like a slave?”

Why did you come, if you aren’t a slave?

Cora narrowed her eyes in irritation, surprised by how argumentative the creature was. She was even more impressed with its intelligence. It communicated with her flawlessly, as if having a human conversation was completely ordinary. “I wasn’t given much of a choice.”

The dragon looked over the distance before its eyes returned to her face. You always have a choice.

Cora didn’t pull her eyes away from the creature, unsure exactly what was happening. Now, she wished she’d done more research on dragons when she had the chance. But then again, why would she if they were considered extinct? “Why have you summoned me here?”

Sorry, do you have somewhere else to be?

The sarcasm in his voice told Cora he knew exactly what she was doing. But how he knew was a mystery to her. “You’re an ass, you know that?”

He breathed the fire deep in his belly, and this time, smoke erupted from his nostrils.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

If being burned alive doesn’t alarm you, then you need some serious help.

She eyed his broken wing and returned her gaze to his face. “You clearly want me alive.”

For now.The threat lingered in her mind after the words faded away. Fix my broken wing.

Cora crossed her arms over her chest. “Do I look like a healer to you?”

You look like you know enough.

“Well, I’m not the kind of girl you boss around. Just because you’re bigger than me, and breathe fire and whatnot, doesn’t mean I’ll do anything for you.”

I’m a dragon. He said it like the fact was reason enough.

“Your point?”

You should want to help me.

“Why?” she demanded. “You disrupted my journey and forced me here. Then you insulted me. And now, you’re asking for my help? The only thing I feel toward you is irritation.”

He tilted his massive head slightly, his eyes narrowing to slits. You’re peculiar.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Fix my wing, or I really will burn you alive.

Cora gave him a blank look and shifted her weight to one leg. “I don’t respond to coercion.”

Then what do you respond to? Jewels? Coin? A dragon claw?

“No,” she said quickly. “Just some old-fashioned respect.”

Now the dragon had a blank look on his face.

She sighed and lowered her arms. “Just ask nicely. All you’ve done up to this point is boss me around. I’m guessing you’re new to this human interaction thing, so let me enlighten you. Ask politely.”

Frozen to the spot, the dragon just stared.

“Come on.” Cora tapped her foot impatiently. “Have some manners and ask politely. If you’d done that from the beginning, you would have saved a lot of time.”

He blew out more smoke like this conversation was extremely irritating.

Cora had nowhere to go nor anyone to see, so she waited.

The dragon rose to its full height and looked her squarely in the eye. Will you please fix my broken wing?

Cora didn’t hide the smile that spread across her lips. “Since you asked so nicely, of course.” She approached the dragon without any fear of being swiped with a claw or becoming his dinner. “You’ll need to lie on the ground because I can’t reach.”

The dragon slowly lowered itself to the dirt, but its wing was still seven feet from the ground. Cora would never be able to reach it, not unless she climbed on his back. “May I climb up?”

He stared straight ahead, looking across the meadow and toward the village of Vax. You may.

She crawled up his arm and shoulder until she reached the back of his neck. Then she made her way to the injured wing that was folded in. When she looked down, she realized just how high up she was. And she also had a startling revelation.

She was standing on a dragon.

“I need you to stretch out your wing so I can get a better look.”

The dragon released a deep growl before he complied. The wing slowly expanded, and the wound was exposed.

Cora examined the injured flesh and realized he hadn’t been stabbed or shot with an arrow. He’d been burned. “Did you breathe fire on yourself?” Was that even possible?

No.

“Then what happened?”

The dragon was quiet for so long it wasn’t clear if he would answer. I was shot with fire.

Cora spread the wound apart and inspected the burned flesh. The wound looked fresh, perhaps only a few days old. “What does that mean?”

His back recoiled slightly, the memory chafing again against his scales. Shamans used their magic. Tarnished my beautiful scales. His skin began to burn with heat, his anger emerging to the surface.

Cora froze when she heard the words echo in her mind. Shamans chased down this dragon and used their powers against him, and then Shamans came to Vax. Was that truly a coincidence? “Why did they do this to you?”

I’m a dragon. He said nothing more, those few words sufficient to explain the whole picture.

“Are they trying to capture you? Or kill you?”

The dragon fell silent once again, his back rising and falling with his heavy breathing. Does it matter?

“Actually, it does.” She stared at the back of his neck, noting the large spikes protruding. They were a darker shade of red, almost brown. “Because two Shamans came to my village. They tried to hurt a child, and I intervened. I stabbed one in the side and the eye, but it didn’t seem to affect him at all. That’s when I left the city and fled into the highlands.”

The dragon turned his head so he could stare at her over his shoulder. His colossal yellow eye bored into hers. I knew you were running from something. But from what, I did not know.

“It sounds like we have the same enemy.”

No. They are everyone’s enemy.

“Why do they want you?”

The dragon faced forward again. Just because you’re forward with your information doesn’t mean you should expect others to be in return.

“Why be secretive?” She moved the wing slightly, making sure important tendons hadn’t been damaged. “If you trust me with your wing, then you know I’m not your enemy.”

You don’t understand the definition of trust, clearly.

She tried not to be insulted by his coldness. Dragons were strange creatures. Very much so. “For argument’s sake, they are chasing both of us. I say we stick together and lie low. You can’t travel with a wound like this.”

Yes, I can.

“You shouldn’t. You need to heal.”

I can walk.

“But walking isn’t resting.”

I need—

“Are all dragons this stubborn?”

A growl erupted from deep in his belly. I’m not stubborn. I’m just wiser than you.

“I don’t know about that…” She folded the wing to his back then slid down to the grass. “Isn’t it important to keep your scales pristine and clean? If this wound doesn’t heal right, you may have a scar.” Miss Fitz said dragons were full of vanity. If there was one thing they cared about, it was their looks.

The dragon tensed at her words, his eyes scanning the horizon.

Cora knew she’d made an impact.

If I do as you say, you’ll make sure I don’t have a scar?

Cora hid her smile. “Yes. No one will know the difference.”

* * *

Cora had an ulterior motive. She needed to get to the top of the crags where she’d agreed to meet Dorian. He was her only source of news, and if she missed his passing, she wouldn’t have a clue what was going on in Vax.

The dragon didn’t need to know that.

They slowly made their way up the mountain, taking the longer route since the dragon couldn’t move around so easily, not with its large girth. Even if he could fly, that wasn’t an option. With his bright red scales, he would be spotted in a second.

“What’s your name, anyway?” Cora walked in front, her bow slung over her back along with her quiver of arrows. Her dagger remained in her boot, and her short blade was attached to her belt. The weight didn’t hunch her shoulders or work her back. She was used to exerting herself on a daily basis when she forged her weapons over the burning fires.

The dragon always used long pauses before responding. He was either extremely thoughtful in his answers, or he dragged them out on purpose. Flare.

“That’s your name?”

The irritation was clear in his projected thoughts. That’s what I said, is it not?

“It’s just…that doesn’t sound like a dragon name.” She hiked up the hill and concentrated on getting the soles of her boots in the right areas.

Why would I want my name to sound like all the others?

Cora shrugged and kept walking.

And yours?

“Cora.”

His deep voice slowly enunciated the word. Cora.

“Pretty, huh?”

Eh. Not as pretty as my scales. Even in the moonlight, they sparkle like diamonds.

Cora raised an eyebrow as she walked, confused by that response. She was told dragons were particular about their looks, but she didn’t realize how excessive it was.

When I breathe fire, it looks like a dance of flames.

She tried not to laugh. Listening to him talk about his beauty was entertaining.

How much longer?

“Not too long.”

The dragon fell quiet behind her, his massive claws thudding into the dirt with every step he took. The ground beneath them shook as they scaled the mountain. When they approached a tree nested with birds, the winged creatures took flight the moment they sensed the vibrations from the dragon’s approach.

“Can I ask you something?”

Was that the question?

She ignored the sarcasm in his voice. “I thought the dragons were annihilated.”

The dragon fell quiet.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Hello?”

I’m still waiting for the question.

She faced forward again and hid her irritation. “Are you the only dragon left in the world?”

No.

“Really?” She stopped in her tracks and turned around. “There are others?” The idea of these winged creatures roaming the skies once more was incredible. If there were enough of them, they could take back the land from King Lux, and those disgusting Shamans could be returned to wherever the hell they came from.

Yes.Flare tilted his head and examined her closely, his eyes narrowing slightly. He studied her like she was swaying grass in the breeze or dancing flames in a hearth. Nothing was happening, but he couldn’t look away. But you already knew that.

“What?” She put her hands on her hips. “Does it look like I already knew that?”

How can you not? Your elven brethren must have told you everything by now, despite your childish age.

She raised her hand in irritation. “Whoa, hold on. My childish age? What does that mean?”

It means you’re a child. Or are you not old enough to understand the vocabulary?

Even though her opponent was a dragon, she really wanted to go head-to-head with him. It was so easy for him to insult her. He did it fluidly, like he truly enjoyed it. “I’m not a child. I’m a woman.”

He leaned in farther, getting a close look at her features. You’ve never killed a man before.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Everything. He pulled his head away.

“Maybe I haven’t killed anyone, but I’m considered old in the village. I’ve seen twenty-one years. I’m practically ancient.”

Flare snorted, and a small amount of fire erupted. Cora was far enough away to barely feel the sting of the flames. Twenty-one years is merely a second.

“Then how old are you?”

Flare looked away, dismissing the question. That’s a very rude question to ask.

“You asked me.”

No. I assumed.

Cora wanted to stomp her foot in protest, but that would just confirm his assumption that she really was a child. Flare had said something far more important than her age, so she focused on that. “What did you mean by my elven brethren?”

You’re an elf. Therefore, you must know what they know.Flare peered at the sky before he turned back to her.

“I’m not an elf.”

Flare tilted his head slightly, and his yellow eyes scanned her face. You are.

“No, I’m not. I may be young in your eyes, but I’m definitely not an elf.” She’d never even seen an elf, so how could she be one herself? No one had ever made that assumption before. Everyone in the village accepted her as one of their own.

I see the world with my eyes, nose, and claws. I know an elf when I see one, smell one, and touch one.

“But I’m not,” she argued. “I’m a human.”

You’re half human, half elf. Hybrid.

Cora felt the sweat form under her brow and on her palms. A dragon was looking her in the eye and telling her she belonged to another race. “With all due respect, you’re wrong.”

Your features are softer than those of humans. The curves of your eyes are exaggerated, shaped like the almonds you find in your forest. Your upper lip reminds me of a bow. The fair skin of your neck and face is unnaturally smooth and soft. Not a single mark has adorned your face because your skin there is impenetrable. You’re petite, much smaller than the average woman of the human race. You’re strong, able to run long distances and lift heavy objects because your body is mainly composed of lean muscle, not fat. But I see the human aspects as well, such as your wide shoulders and ungraceful movements. Not to mention your limited intelligence.

At first, his words were complimentary, but that quickly changed toward the end. “I am intelligent. I’m saving your wing, aren’t I?”

You thought you could kill a Shaman with a dagger.If he could roll his eyes, he would have.

“That doesn’t mean I’m stupid. It means I’m brave.”

You’re confusing bravery with recklessness.

The constant insults were making her hot under the collar. She’d never been so insulted in all her life, and the fact that her aggressor was a magical dragon wasn’t helping matters. “You know what…” She put her hands on her hips and tried to think of something harsh. “Your scales aren’t even that pretty.”

Flare immediately tensed under the insult, every muscle in his arms recoiling for a fight. His neck straightened, and he looked down at her like she was firewood about to be lit with his flames. A growl erupted from deep in his belly, echoing along the mountainside.

Maybe she shouldn’t have said that.

Do you want to die, hybrid?

Whenever she was scared, she acted braver. “Do you want to lose your wing?”

He snorted gently, and smoke rose from the end of his nose.

“Then maybe you should keep the insults to yourself.”

They aren’t insults. They are honesty.

“Well, I’m being honest too.”

No, you aren’t. You’re asking to be turned into lunch.

“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now.” She turned her back on him and kept walking forward. She hid her fear well, and she suspected that made the dragon respect her more. Or maybe she was completely wrong, and he would burn her alive.