Dragonblood by Alianne Donnelly

Author:Alianne Donnelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: multicultural, dragons, demons, high fantasy, norse mythology, multiracial romance, dragon romance, persian mythology, desert tribe
Publisher: Alianne Donnelly

Chapter 22

When the shadows turned long, it became too dangerous to continue. Their pace had brought them to a fork in the riverbed, a natural rest stop, where remnants of old fires still marked the red clay with black soot. Tir remembered this place only too well; it was one of his earliest memories from childhood.

The night his tribe had stopped here, there’d been no music, only the sound of a people mourning—women had wailed, children had screamed, men had argued. Fights had broken out over which way the tribe should go come morning. Many had believed there’d be water and hope where the river branched out into creeks, and they’d hoped to find another flood plain like the one that had sprouted the river at the foot of the Silver Mountain to the west.

But Dhakir al-Bashir, Dhakir the Conqueror, hadn’t wanted to stray from their eastward path, convinced their salvation lay where the sun was born each morning. Surely the source of light and life would succor them and restore their strength. He’d described visions sent to him by the gods each night, of black caves deep underground, caverns where crystalline lakes glistened and diamonds glittered in the walls.

Those who’d heard him had been scandalized—they were desert people, not cave dwellers!—and fights had become brawls, which had grown into a small revolt. In their fear and desperation, the once-proud people had turned on each other like savage beasts, tearing into one another worse than any demon could. By dawn, the tribe had split into two, each half going its own separate way.

To this day, Tir didn’t know what had become of those who’d gone south, following the lead of Khiron, Dhakir’s last remaining brother.

“Do you think they’ll follow us?” Liadan asked as they dragged a dead tree down into the basin for firewood.

“I do not know.”

When they dropped the wood onto a charred patch of red clay, Liadan worriedly wiped her hands on her pants. “There won’t be enough.”

The firewood would last through the night, but Tir knew she wasn’t talking about that. Fire only burned with something to hold the flame. In the absence of wood or oil, Liadan could sustain a blaze, but for how long? Already she’d tired herself out practicing throughout the day, and neither of them had slept the night before. Tir was exhausted, and could only imagine the weariness Liadan must have felt.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with one shaky hand. With the other, she clutched the vial her brother had given her, and Tir didn’t need to hear her thoughts to know what they were. “You are afraid.”

“I’m tired,” she lied. “That’s not the same thing.”

Tarabas fidgeted, tossing his head, prancing left and right. Tir went to soothe him, and glimpsed a familiar sight to the north. “Liadan!” He raced back and began to unload the cart.

“What are you doing?”

He grinned at her. “Help me turn the cart over.”

“What?” She tossed pouches and bundles to the ground, and carefully arranged bottles to one side.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.