Destruction's Ascent, page 11
part #3 of Dragon Ridden Chronicles Series
It made sense. She could work all that out for herself. It still felt wrong to leave without her friends.
She jerked her wrist, rotating it while using her body to check his. Free, she ran in the opposite direction, ignoring the roar of anger behind her. She wasn't leaving without them.
She pushed through people, her progress hindered as they fled in a blind panic. It was like trying to force her way up a strong current. Tate caught an elbow to her stomach and a blow to her shoulder but didn't falter, moving to the edge of the rush and staggering back into the arena, Ryu only steps behind her.
It was hard not to stop and gape at the pandemonium and destruction. Several Avertine rushed to help another who dangled from above, trapped in some of the collapsed rigging.
She headed to the section where she'd last seen Dewdrop and Night, calling their names as she scrambled over fallen debris. Ryu didn't try to stop her, despite being within reach. A thunderous scowl had taken residence on his face, an expression Tate ignored as she searched for her friends, pulling debris up while praying to whatever entity would listen that they wouldn't be lying broken and dead under it.
"Dewdrop! Night! Answer me!" Tate screamed. Where were they?
One of the posts on the far end of the tent snapped, bringing down that section of the tent. Screams filled the air.
Rigging above Tate came loose, arrowing toward her. A stream of fire shot above her head, incinerating the wood and cloth before it could touch her. Ash floated through the air.
"I've had enough. We're leaving," Ryu snapped, fire wreathing his hands for a brief moment before extinguishing. Suddenly, she was in the air, her stomach landing on Ryu's shoulder with a thump.
"What are you doing? I haven't found them yet," Tate yelled as he turned and headed out of the tent.
"Saving your dumb ass."
"My friends—"
"Aren’t stupid enough to stick around when the tent is falling down around them," Ryu finished for her. "The smartest thing to do is to get to safety and then look for them. Remaining behind on the off chance they’re here is suicidal."
His tone brooked no argument, savage and fierce as he carried her toward the exit. She thrashed on his shoulder, struggling to reach one of her knives. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wasn't leaving without her friends.
"Tate!" A voice called just as her fingers touched the smooth metal of the inch-long weapon she carried in her belt.
Tate looked up, her heart leaping into her throat at the sight of Dewdrop, bedraggled and dirty, a cut on his face. He supported a staggering Ashwin, blood on her pretty dress and her face as pale as a fish's belly. Night and Roslyn appeared behind the other two, a little dusty but otherwise safe.
Tate relaxed against Ryu. They were safe.
Embarrassment at her behavior ate at her. Ryu had the right of it. She'd been acting like an idiot—reckless and stupid at a time when she needed her wits about her. It stung to admit it, and she had the brief wish that she could just stay on his shoulder until the entire incident was forgotten.
That was not to be. Ryu's grip changed as he pulled her down and set her on her feet. She studiously avoided his gaze, knowing the ass-chewing that was coming. One she rightly deserved.
"Next time you pull a stunt like that, count on being locked up until sense returns to that stubborn brain of yours," Ryu warned, his voice flat.
Before she could dig herself deeper with the unwise words brewing on her tongue, a form burst from the crowd and a pair of arms wrapped around her from the side. She held Ryu's eyes for a long moment, the anger in them rooting her in place before she returned Dewdrop's embrace.
She squeezed him for a long moment, beyond glad he was safe.
They drew apart and neither teased each other about the moisture in their eyes, for once. Night seemed relieved to see she was unharmed as he stalked up to her.
Glad to see you're in one piece, Night said.
"And you as well," she said as Dewdrop drew back.
She looked to where Roslyn supported her friend, her mask cracked and showing the fear and shock the day's events had left behind. "It’s good to see you two."
Roslyn nodded and her arm tightened around her friend, Ryu’s presence seeming to throw her. "We're a little bruised and Ashwin will probably need stitches, but we're otherwise safe."
None mentioned how some in the tent were not so lucky.
"Head home," Ryu ordered. He looked back at the tent with clear purpose.
"What are you planning on doing?" Tate asked, stopping him with a touch on the arm.
"They're going to need help."
She frowned, thinking about what they'd been talking about just before the earthquake and the fact that a dragon was missing. She didn't like the thought of leaving him here alone.
"I'll stay with you." An immediate argument began on Dewdrop and Night's side, one that was half human words and the other a pissed off series of yowls.
"You won't," Ryu said, the words autocratic. "You'll take your friends home and make sure no one has any other injuries."
"Agreed." Dewdrop folded his arms and fixed Tate with a heavy glare.
She turned away from her friends and lowered her voice. "Of the two of us, you're the one most likely to still be injured. I don't like the thought of you staying by yourself."
Some of the granite of his face softened, and one hand rose to cup the back of her neck. "I am fine, ahvena. None will interfere with me. Not after my display in there." He gave her a meaningful look, referencing his trick with the fire. "As someone representing the emperor, I need to stay and do what I can to help. You have friends counting on you. See to them."
She pressed her lips together in a frown and nodded. He gave her a soft look and pressed a kiss against her hair, striding off before Tate could figure out how to react to the gesture—whether it infuriated her or made her feel warm, squishy things.
She watched him disappear into the crowd and turned back to her friends. Her eyes went to Ashwin and Roslyn, both women looking exhausted and shocked. "You'll come home with us." She raised a hand, forestalling the protest she knew was coming. "Colton's Place is closer than the Upper, and after the quake the elevators will be shut down until they can verify that they're safe. We have supplies to clean that cut and sew it up."
Tate presented the facts in a logical manner, knowing neither one of them were likely to listen if she said they were going into shock and she wanted to keep an eye on them in case anything happened. The points she made were just as true, if not the main reason.
Roslyn gave a nod. "We're grateful for your help."
Tate waved the sentiment away. She was just doing what anybody would.
Her attention went to Dewdrop. Now that his worry over Tate had abated, she could see his next thoughts were with Daisy. "We saw no sign of her," she said to comfort him. "It's very likely she didn't make it to the Mason's Stew and isn't caught up in this mess."
His nod was small. "I don't know if that’s a comfort or not."
Her lips pressed together as she took his meaning. The part of town where Daisy and Jack lived was just as flimsy and rickety as the Avertine’s main tent, and just as likely to collapse. Daisy might not be caught in the chaos of the tent, but that didn’t mean she wasn't lying under rubble in a different part of the city.
"Don't go borrowing trouble. Let's get Roslyn and Ashwin to our place and check on the cubs. We can see about finding Daisy and Jack after that," she said, meeting his eyes with a firm gaze of her own.
He nodded.
They wasted no time in working their way through the Mason's Stews. Away from the tent, things calmed down. The rest of the city was shaken but not panicked—many people were recovering quickly. Or seeming to. Tate sensed it was the calm before the storm. The earthquakes over the last month had everyone on edge.
They weren't natural to Aurelia. No one, not even the old-timers, had lived through a quake. Living memory had no record of a series of events like this in Aurelia's history. Tate knew, because she'd checked after the third one. She'd wanted to know if her new home was prone to falling down around its citizen's ears.
They were halfway home when a shout from across the street startled them. Daisy rushed across the cobblestone, dodging out of the way of a horse and carriage. Her face was panicked as her eyes locked on Dewdrop and Tate.
"Have you seen my brother?" Daisy cried, her eyes red-rimmed as they moved between the group. "I don't—I can’t."
Dewdrop stepped close. "Calm down, Daisy. We'll help you in any way we can."
Daisy took a deep breath, a sob catching at her throat. "I can't find him. I've looked everywhere."
"Where were you when you lost him?" Tate asked.
"We'd just arrived at the Mason’s Stew and were looking around. Next thing I knew, he was gone." She looked hopefully at them. "Did he happen to find you?"
Tate and Dewdrop shared a look, worry written on Dewdrop's face. She looked back at Daisy and shook her head. "No, we didn't see him."
Daisy seemed to crumple before her. Roslyn swooped in to catch her, gathering the girl against her chest.
"My place is one street over," Tate said. "Let's take her there."
"No, I need to find my brother," Daisy moaned as she tried to shrug out of their hold.
"Hush," Ashwin said, her voice firm. Pain still cut deep grooves on her face, but with someone to take care of, she rallied. "Let's get you somewhere calm and then you can tell us what you know. Lady Fisher will be happy to do all she can to find your brother."
Ashwin shot a pointed look at Tate, who pressed her lips together before nodding. "Yes, we have people who need their wounds cleaned and bound, but after that we'll look for your brother."
Daisy's eyes welled with tears and she wiped at her nose, the sweet, polite girl of yesterday gone as she trailed after Roslyn and Ashwin in a dejected mess.
Dewdrop watched them go for a long moment, an expression on his face that Tate had never seen before.
"I should have looked harder for them," Dewdrop said, emotion clogging his voice. "No, I shouldn't have let them come in the first place."
"They probably got separated in the earthquake. There's no way you could have seen that coming." None of them could.
Thoughts moved behind Dewdrop's eyes, thoughts that didn't look like they gave him much comfort. "I hope you're right."
Tate paused at the subtle undercurrents in his words, like he knew something that she didn't and that something was bad. His face was grim and set. She knew getting anything out of him at the moment would be difficult. She'd save her questions for later. She was more likely to get the truth out of him then.
It was with a heavy heart and full of exhaustion that their group turned onto her street and ascended the stairs to her apartment. She preceded them up and opened the door.
Two furry bodies sailed through the air, hitting her around the knees and almost sending her crashing to the ground. Twin voices mewed their distress, both cubs rubbing their faces almost frantically against her legs. Tate had never seen Pax and Willa in such a state.
"Good, you're back," a woman said, standing from her seat at Tate's desk.
"Laura, is everything alright?" Tate asked, bending and giving each of the cubs a stroke. They purred and rubbed their faces against her hand before abandoning her in favor of their father.
"Oh, aye, everything is right as rain. A little shake such as that isn't enough to bother a place like this." Laura stood, setting her hands on her ample hips and smiling down at the cubs. "The little ones took a fright. Wouldn't settle. I expect they were waiting to see that their father and you two came through it in one piece."
Night was nosing the twins, blowing on them and giving them a lick here and there. For a minute the two seemed less like the terrors Tate knew them to be and more like two frightened children seeking solace in a parent.
"Who's that there?" Laura asked, looking past Tate as the rest of the group straggled into the hallway. "Are they hurt?"
Tate stepped aside and waved the three women in. "I think one of them needs stitches."
"Savior's protect us, I'll get my supplies," Laura said.
"I couldn't put you out like that," Ashwin said.
Laura's snort was rude. "Don't be daft. You're liable to bleed all over this place, and these three don't need another reason to get kicked out. Have a seat, girl. I'll get you cleaned and stitched up in no time."
Laura's tone brooked no argument, and it was in short order that Ashwin was seated, her wounds tended to by Laura as Roslyn looked on. Tate took the opportunity to get Daisy settled. Seating was limited and with Ashwin in one of the few chairs, it meant Daisy had to take the bed. She sat looking ill at ease and poised to take flight at any moment.
"Tell us what happened before you realized your brother was missing," Tate said.
Dewdrop stood at her back, his jaw tight.
Daisy looked between the two of them, seeming at a loss for words. "I don't know."
"You said you'd just arrived at the Avertine’s fair," Tate said, trying to help her out. If she couldn't get Daisy past her panic, it was going to make finding Jack that much harder. She needed a place to start and Daisy was the only one who could provide that.
"Yes, we were late. Jack had gone off again this morning, and it took me a while to track him down." Her eyes rose to Dewdrop's. "I'm sorry. I know we were supposed to meet you there."
"Don't worry about that," Dewdrop said. "It's not what's important right now."
She nodded and wiped her nose. "He wanted to see the jugglers first. He's fascinated by the ones who juggle fire, thinks it's the neatest thing, you know?"
Tate nodded. She could see how the young boy would be interested in something that could cause destruction and mayhem.
"We were watching them, and I got distracted by an Avertine making an ice sculpture. When I turned around, he was gone."
"Before the earthquake?" Tate asked.
Daisy nodded. "I looked for several minutes. Then the earthquake came and afterwards they started forcing people out of the area. Said it was too dangerous. I tried to tell them he was still there, that he was missing, but they wouldn't listen."
Tate looked up at Dewdrop with a troubled frown. This was unexpected. She'd thought Daisy would tell them that Jack went missing during the quake or the pandemonium afterwards. The way things sounded, that wasn't the case.
"It's my fault," Daisy said. "If I hadn't gotten distracted, he wouldn't be missing."
"It's not your fault," Roslyn said, coming to sit by Daisy. She looked up at Tate helplessly, as if saying she needed to fix this. Tate didn't know how to respond. She was in over her head, with little clue how to proceed.
Dewdrop's expression turned dark, and he stalked out of the room without a word.
"We'll go back to the Mason's Stew and look around," Tate promised, before following her friend. "Night, keep an eye on them."
Night looked up from where the cubs were crawling all over him, using him as their own personal living tree, and gave a light chuff.
The door to their apartment building slammed shut behind Dewdrop, and Tate broke into a run. If she didn't catch him and quick, she feared she wouldn't. He was fast and motivated and knew the streets infinitely better than her.
Something about Daisy's story had set him off, and she was willing to bet it had everything to do with the fact he hadn't been himself since the Avertine showed up.
She caught sight of him at the end of the street. She ran after him, calling his name. "Dewdrop, what are you doing?"
"Go back, Tate. Daisy needs you," he responded as he marched resolutely along.
She growled and caught up to him. Looked to her like Dewdrop needed her more—perhaps to keep him from committing an unwise action likely to land him in the Deeps or bleeding out in a gutter.
"Come on, don't pull that with me. We've been friends too long. What's going on?" She caught his arm and pulled him up short.
He looked away from her and crossed his arms.
"Don't lie to me, either," she warned when she saw he was about to do just that. His head jerked up at the sharpness of her voice. "I've known you long enough to know your tells. We almost lost our friendship once because you were keeping secrets. Do you really want to risk it again?
Dewdrop's mouth snapped shut as he stared at her in misery. She fought the urge to go easy on him, knowing it would do no good. Dewdrop was streetwise. He'd wiggle out of any leeway she gave him, take advantage of any weakness.
A long moment passed as Tate waited for him to make his decision. She was tempted to push, even as she knew she couldn't. He was just as likely to shut down, as share.
His shoulders slumped, and Tate knew she had won. "I grew up an Avertine. My family has been part of them ever since my ancestor crawled out of the tunnels."
Tate blinked at this bit of history about Dewdrop. Somehow, she had always assumed his story started with the Night Lords, or maybe on the street. If he had been an Avertine, he would have left at a very young age—too young. She knew he had spent a decent length of time in the Lucius' court and the streets before that. How young had he been when he'd first been on his own?
His smile flashed in a humorless grin. "Back then, our line looked a little less human. Things have changed since then."
It made a strange kind of sense, fitting with what Ryu had told her during the performance. As roamers, the Avertine would never be in any one place long enough for their obvious differences to become an issue with the people around them. The intricate costumes and dress would have further helped conceal their origins.
"Why do you think they have anything to do with Jack's disappearance?" Tate asked, putting together the pieces. Because she knew it had something to do with it. He wouldn't have rushed out to confront them without taking the time to see to Daisy or even a word to Tate or Night if it didn't.
Dewdrop lifted eyes older than his sixteen years to Tate's. "Because it's happened before."
The admission froze Tate in place. "What do you mean?"
