Shadows of Demise (The Warrior Angels Trilogy - Book 3)

Chapter Thirty-One

The tall surrounding grass immediately caught fire, and the royal knights stumbled backwards.

"Run!" Ashton pleaded.

The knights took off. Richard shot another fire arrow, blocking the guards from reentering the city. He grinned at Ashton before retreating to the horses. Ashton took a step in the direction he'd come from and halted when a person teleported in front of him.

"My, my, we meet again," the young woman spoke, her eyes sparkling.

Ashton frowned. "Dahlia."

Dahlia lowered the purple rag from her face and giggled. "You make this too simple, Ashton. I let you go last time because I had some business to attend to. Now you're the business I need to attend to." She lunged forward at him.

Ashton ducked as she swung her sword. She let out a low growl as he turned away and ran.

"You can't escape me!" Dahlia appeared in front of him again, and he skidded to a halt. "I am much faster than you." She swung forward and he staggered as he attempted to jump back.

Ashton waved his arms until he caught his balance. When he felt confident that he wouldn't fall, he exhaled in relief.

"Watch your step!" she teased. "I know that probably wouldn't kill you, but it would be such a hassle to heal from, wouldn't it?" Then she laughed as she teleported behind him.

Ashton spun on his heel and narrowly dodged another strike with his dagger.

Dahlia laughed even harder. "That little thing won't do you any good! How are you this helpless?" She withdrew her sword and began to swing sideways when he ran off.

Of course, she blocked his path once more and waved innocently at him. Ashton side-eyed the small buildings in the market.

"I don't intend to kill you here," Dahlia said as she stalked toward him. "Our orders are never to kill you. You're valuable to us... or so they say." She narrowed her eyes and smirked. "I would like to find out how exactly you're so valuable. I want to make you bleed."

Ashton raised his eyebrows and sheathed his dagger. "You'll have to catch me first." He leaped off the wall and heard her curse his name. He reached the nearest rooftop and hissed through his teeth when he felt his ankle twist from the landing.

"You are such an imbecile!" Dahlia scolded, teleporting behind him. "Where do you think you'll manage to go?"

"You can't teleport all day," he said, limping onward. "Magic has its limits!" Dahlia swung her sword. Ashton grunted as he jumped onto the next rooftop. He fell onto his knees there, and she snickered, suddenly standing beside him.

"You were saying?" she asked, leaning down. "That was disappointing."

Ashton smiled. "Was it?" He snatched his dagger and pierced it into her calf.

Dahlia cried out and kicked him in the shoulder, though it hardly shoved him. He pulled his dagger free and got onto his feet. He continued to run, jumping to another building.

"Ashton!" Dahlia screamed, which then turned into a shrill as the breeze grew stronger.

Ashton peered over his shoulder and froze. A flying beast dashed toward them. It opened its mouth wide and released a breath of fire onto Dahlia.

Great Holy Deity!

Ashton picked up his pace, ignoring his racing heart. But when he tried to make the leap to the final building, he slipped. He closed his eyes, bracing himself. Rather than a hard impact with the ground, however, something grabbed the back of his doublet, scratching his skin, and he felt his body float.

Ashton opened his eyes and gasped, finding himself flying. "No... no, no, no. I am dreaming. This isn't real!"

"It's very much real!" He heard Julian say.

Ashton took a sharp, painful breath and looked up. The beast was clutching him with its claw, holding him through the air as it glided so seamlessly. Ashton's legs dangled, and he bit back another gasp, realizing just how high they were. Not even his magic could save him from a fall this high. Julian leaned over from where he sat on the creature's back, enough for Ashton to catch a glimpse of him.

"You looked to be having some trouble back there!" Julian winked.

Ashton touched his chest. "So, I am alive?"

"And awake!"

The creature slowed down and began to lower itself to the ground when they approached Lord Winslow's manor. Once it was a mere foot off the ground, it released Ashton. Ashton fell onto his stomach and quickly picked himself up despite the aches surging through his body.

Julian carefully climbed his way off its back and landed much more gracefully on the grass. He whistled a tune that encouraged the creature to lift back into the air and fly off.

Ashton bent over, catching his breath. "What was that?"

"A dragon," Julian said.

Ashton widened his eyes and stood upright. "That is the beast you brought onto the castle grounds five years ago?"

Julian hung his head. "Not my finest moment, I know. She listens to me, though. She will only listen to me—as she always has."

Ashton squinted at him. "I'm going to pretend I heard none of that. Instead, I want to know, what are we doing here?"

"We should be safe here now." Julian walked past him and made his way inside.

Ashton glanced around, yet he saw no signs of any guards. He couldn't even hear if there was any commotion in the market. Even so, he ensured he still had his dagger and sword before entering the manor.

Julian stood in front of the stone throne with his arms folded across his chest. Ashton slowly walked up to him and stopped behind him.

"Is she safe?" Julian asked.

"Yes," Ashton said. "Lord Wylie took her back to the castle."

"Lord Wylie." Julian hummed. "I certainly remember her complaining about him." He faced Ashton, and his expression softened.

"Are you being honest with your actions, Julian?"

"If I weren't, would I have saved you just now? I attacked Siria's sister for you. That wasn't easy. I've known that girl since she was a child. My only hope is that she still somehow made it out of there alive. Burned but alive."

Ashton blinked. "Well, then this is where I say thank you."

"Save your thanks for later. I need to find something before we leave. You won't mind helping me, will you?" Julian moved away from the throne and headed up the stairs. "It should be in Lord Winslow's bedchamber."

Ashton pursed his lips and checked over his shoulder. Still no sign of anyone nearby. No sounds of anything at all. So, he shrugged and rushed to catch up with Julian. He supposed he did owe him now.