The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu

Author:Marjorie M. Liu [Liu, Marjorie M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780843959406
Publisher: Leisure Books
Published: 2009-07-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Ulaanbataar was over four hundred miles north of Erenhot, and the easiest way to get there was by car, bus, or train. None of those was an option, especially the latter. Karr had no papers, no identification—something Roland should have considered before telling Soria to journey south to Beijing. Unless he had intended for her to leave Karr behind.Leave him for Long Nu or Serena? Had Roland made a deal with one—or both—of them?

And where, Soria wondered, would loyalties rest in such matters? Even though Serena had her own employers, would she obey their wishes over those of Long Nu? Would blood trump reason?

Or maybe they’re all working independently of each other, with separate motives. Face it, you know nothing.

Nothing except that she didn’t hold high hopes for their safety if they returned to the border city. She had a bad feeling about who else might catch up with them.

But, walking was out of the question. So was hijacking a tour group, although she considered stealing a vehicle for all of ten minutes, until she remembered stories about an increased police and military presence along the major roads through the region. Concerns of terrorists coming down through Russia and using Mongolia as a bridge to China had sparked the change, and that meant more eyes, more chances of being stopped. Better not to take the risk.

“We could ride horses,” Soria suggested flippantly, knowing full well what his response would be.

“I think not,” Karr rasped, his voice barely comprehensible; a sandpaper growl, rough and quiet. It reminded her a little too much of all the Narnia novels she had read growing up, with Aslan stoically rumbling.

Karr was a lion now, mostly, but he was as huge as a dragon—what little she knew of them. The lower half of his body was covered in scales and hard ridges. He looked like a throwback to some prehistoric age, especially when he stretched his massive wings, which were golden, with webbing the color of a dawn blush.

“You know,” she said, turning in a slow circle to scan the rocky horizon, “birds have hollow bones. Makes them light so that they can fly.”

“Is that so,” he replied. “I assure you, my bones are quite solid.”

“Not my point. The ratio of your body mass to wing span …” She stopped, watching his feline mouth somehow manage a smile. Magic, she told herself, shaking her head. Just tell yourself it’s magic. He flew last night. He can do it again.

Except that someone, eventually, was going to see them.

The morning sun was bright, blinding—or maybe that was the dust in Soria’s eyes. Her nostrils ached, too, and her throat was patchy with thirst. Temperatures were comfortable, but it was only morning and late spring. She did not want to think about what it would be like here at the height of summer.

“Come,” Karr said, sitting up on his haunches, holding out long arms huge with muscle, his skin covered in sleek tawny fur. Sunlight glimmered against his wings, which rested delicately around his shoulders.

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.