Aspen (The Dragon Kings #2)(54)

She shuffled forward, and her right foot didn’t connect with the ground. She backed up and got down on her hands and knees. Runa was close. She reached her hand out and found nothing but air. Runa was in a pit. But how deep?

“Runa, are you in the pit?”

“Yeah.”

“How far down? Can I jump?”

“I’m on a ledge. Can’t see the bottom.”

Dammit. Aspen was going to have to climb for her. Luckily, she had a lot of experience. But she’d never done it blind, nor did she climb without proper equipment.

“I need you to tell me when I’m directly above you so that I don’t have climb sideways.”

“I can’t see you.”

“Look up. Can you see my hand?”

Aspen waved her hand over the pit. At least she hoped that was what she was doing. It was hard to tell without her sight.

“Oh, yeah, I see it. Move twenty feet to the left.”

Aspen crawled several feet and waved her hand again.

“Closer. Maybe three feet or so. Hurry. This ledge isn’t stable.”

Aspen snorted. “Why don’t you just fly away?”

“Can’t. They tied up my wings.”

Aspen’s stomach clenched. They wouldn’t let Runa die. Would they?

“Hang on. I’m coming.”

Aspen swung her legs over and tried to find a foothold, but there was nothing. She wiggled a little to the right—the rock face was smooth as glass. She had moved a full ten feet before she found a good foothold. That meant she’d have to climb sideways.

“You need to guide me. How are you doing?”

“Rocks keep falling. Aspen, hurry.”

Aspen found another place for her left foot and held on to the top of the ledge as she felt around with for another spot. She found one and scaled down the face of the cliff. Once she got a feel for it, it was easy. Runa shouted directions to her, and she moved quickly. She got stuck when she was directly above Runa and couldn’t find anything to hang onto.

“You could jump,” Runa said.

Aspen palms began to sweat. Not a good combination with slick rocks. Sid told her that people died during this test. She’d never felt more unsafe in her life.

“You said the ledge wasn’t stable.”

“I know, but I don’t know how else you are going to get down here. There’s nothing to hang onto.”

“Okay, I’m going to slide to you. Are you sure you’re directly beneath me?”

“Yep.”

“As soon as I reach you, you need to climb on my back. If that ledge gives way, I’m going to need to find a way to hang on to the cliff. I won’t be able to hold onto you too.”

“Okay. Hurry.”

Aspen closed her eyes for a second. Took a deep breath and fell. She hit the ledge, and immediately it gave way.

“Runa, quick.”

Runa climbed on to her back, and Aspen tried to grab ahold of anything that might be sticking out of the cliff face, but they were falling too fast. All she was doing was scraping up her hands.

“Aspen, grab my leg.”

Aspen didn’t hesitate even though she knew it was suicide. They were falling to their deaths. But she trusted Runa. She grabbed her leg, and soon they were going up instead of down.

“I thought you said you wings were tied up.”

“I’m a pretty good actor, huh? I had you going.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I know. But you passed. Thanks for rescuing me.”

Runa dumped her on solid ground again, and Aspen’s sight came back suddenly.

Very good, Aspen. Good luck with the rest of the test.

Aspen only survived that one because she had extensive knowledge of how to climb. She stood up and waited, positive that this time she’d be stumped.

A bright blue dragon with ice blue eyes stared down at her and a foreboding entered Aspen’s heart. This dragon did not have good things in mind for her.





Kairi, the sea dragon stepped forward.


Theo, Everett said. You might want to hang on to Obsidian.

Sid froze. This meant something awful was coming. Everett, you need to tell me what is about to happen.

If I explain, it will only make it worse. You do know what the sea dragon’s gift is, right?

Yes, you can tell them anything, and they will never reveal your secrets.

Correct.

Are they going to try to get Aspen to reveal a secret?

Something like that. Watch.

Theo’s tail squeezed Sid. Sid watched as two humans, dragons presumably, entered the cavern. One pushed a long table with straps. The second rolled in a table with several pitchers of water on it.

They approached Aspen and spoke to her.

“Kairi just told you a secret,” the first man said. “What did she tell you about this secret?” Sid liked it when they spoke out loud. Then at least he knew what was going on.

“That I am not to reveal it to anyone, even in the face of death,” Aspen said.

“And did you agree?”

“Yes, of course. I keep my word and my secrets.”

“We’ll see about that, please lay down on the table,” said the second man.

Aspen did as she was told. The men bound both her arms and legs. They tilted the table slightly so that her feet were elevated and placed a cloth over her mouth and nose. The first man held her head in place, and the second took a pitcher of water and poured it onto the cloth.