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  The statistics for surviving a kidnapping weren’t good, and I’d already let them move me to a different location. Chances of survival were slim.

  That didn’t mean I was giving up. Not until Siro was safely home.

  Closing my eyes, I wished with all my heart that I wouldn’t break the promise I’d made to Sven.

  Chapter Eight

  Sven

  “Then there are the supply lines…”

  I tapped my fingers on the table in front of me as Tyson rambled on, his eyes focused on his tablet and the list of concerns he had written down. The other Chieftains watched him, but I could see their eyes glazing over like mine were as he continued in his characteristic drone. I sighed silently, making an effort to look at least moderately interested in what he had to say. This meeting was important, if not for its content then for the tentative bridge I was building with these particular Chieftains.

  They were more middle of the road types, those that didn’t know yet if they wanted to fully support me. When they had contacted us in order to set up a meeting, I knew it would be a good idea to accept. It didn’t mean the meeting was enjoyable.

  I kept my eyes focused on Tyson as I let my mind wander, a trick I’d had to develop in self-defense since I’d taken the throne.

  It felt like I’d been in one long meeting ever since.

  We’d already covered the jist of what Tyson was saying, but it wouldn’t hurt to let him feel as though he’d had his say as well. Whether or not I actually listened was immaterial.

  My mind immediately went to Adara, as it had repeatedly since she’d left.

  She’d sent me a message last night. The talks had gone about as well as I’d expected them to, definitely better than if Blaise had gone on his own. He might have pushed Eli and Aaden into an outright war.

  Nevertheless, I was more than ready for her to be home again.

  I hadn’t slept well last night without her by my side. I had kept turning over to pull her against me and finding an empty bed. I didn’t like it.

  I checked my watch discretely.

  It wouldn’t be that much longer now. Just a few hours. But I wouldn’t be able to rest well until she was here by my side again.

  Sometimes, I marveled at how quickly Adara had become such a big part of my life. I couldn’t imagine it without her in it. Though that wasn’t exactly right, either. I had been without her for a short period when…

  I deliberately steered away from that train of thought. I didn’t ever want to go back to that.

  I checked the time again.

  It had only been five minutes since I last checked it.

  Maybe I could end the meeting now. We’d opened the door and discussed a few things. We weren’t going to get anymore done to—

  The door to the audience chamber burst open and Igna hurried in, his face tense, his lips pressed into a thin line.

  I was out of my seat before he’d made it all the way across the room. He never came in like this during a meeting. Something was very wrong.

  “What is it, Igna?” I asked, ignoring the squawks of protest from Tyson. But I already knew from the way my stomach balled up. It had something to do with Adara.

  “It’s Adara,” he said, confirming my fear as he came to a halt in front of my desk.

  A chill settled in my bones.

  My heart turned over in my chest before settling into a fast rhythm. I saw Igna glance over at the assembled people listening with perked ears.

  “Tell me,” I demanded.

  Everyone would know whatever it was soon enough. Privacy was a luxury in my life now, one I didn’t care about at this moment.

  Igna nodded sharply, his eyes conveying his worry. “She’s missing.”

  My hands curled into fists at my sides, the nails digging into my palms.

  My nightmare had come to life.

  Chapter Nine

  We spent about an hour taking a circuitous route, one that provided us some kind of cover for a good majority of the trip. Nobody said anything, apart from Bren giving orders to Camille and the other drivers remotely. I didn’t know if that was because I was in the car with them and they had orders not to speak or because they all just preferred silence during drives.

  No matter what the reason, it wasn’t the best for me. I’d been hoping they’d be chatty so I cold pick up some information, figure out exactly what it was they’d kidnapped me for. I had my suspicions, but knowing for a fact would be better, though it wouldn’t change the situation I was in.

  Apparently, they weren’t going to try to make things easier for me by laying out their master plan while we drove. At least not yet. Maybe it would come later from the head honcho himself, complete with maniacal laughter.

  I moved my hands again. It was impossible to get comfortable with them tied behind my back.

  “Can you tie my hands in front?” I asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular. “It’s not like I’m going to get up and run off. Especially not while you still have Siro.” Honestly, the fact they had Siro was much more effective than being tied up.

  A heavy silence.

  I wasn’t giving anything away by acknowledging that I cared about her. They already knew by the fact that I’d handed myself over without a fight. It had been an idiotic move by any standard in terms of self preservation.

  I saw the bald guy and the guy with the ponytail look at each other.

  “Tie her hands in front,” Bren finally said. “She’s not going anywhere.”

  True, though the dismissive tone in his voice still rubbed me the wrong way.

  Ponytail gave me a warning look as he took out a pair of tiny scissors from one of his pockets.

  Maybe he liked to do manicures in his free time.

  “Don’t try anything or I’ll use these somewhere else. Got it?”

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the unnecessary drama. “Got it,” I agreed, keeping my face bland.

  He glared at me for a few seconds for good measure and then pushed me forward by my shoulder so he could snip through the tie. “Hands in front,” he barked.

  I held in a groan as I rolled my shoulders and moved my hands forward. My body did not like being in that position for as long as I had been. This was the point where I headbutted him and showed off my cool martial arts skills before making my escape.

  Unfortunately, this wasn’t a movie. Chances of me fighting my way free from the car were basically zero. And they still had Siro.

  I actually had been asking my hands to be moved only for comfort.

  A fresh tie ready in his hands, he looped it around my wrists and tightened it until it was just barely digging into my skin. He seemed to have a lot of experience tying people up. Not a great sign.

  At least now I was able to rest my back against the seat while we continued to drive through the desert, the ache in my back and shoulders slowly subsiding.

  As we drove, the rough terrain slowly gave way to almost perfect flatness as we continued farther and farther away from my flock. I had no idea where we were going. Maybe if we had taken a straight path I might have gleaned something of use, but the circuitous route we’d taken in the beginning had really confused my sense of direction.

  We definitely weren’t going to Eli’s territory or we would have made it there already. There were mandatory buffer zones between flocks, though they didn’t need enforcement very often because there was so much space. Eli’s flock and Aaden’s were as close to neighbors as we got. Without another definitive clue to go on, I simply watched and waited as we continued to drive.

  We’d make it to our destination eventually.

  And we did, though it took quite a bit of time.

  The trip took long enough that we actually stopped to take care of nature’s call. Everyone got out of the car at a grouping of rocks, ostensibly for cover. My guards stayed with me.

  “If you have to relieve yourself, now is the time,” Bren said. “We won’t stop again.”
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br />   I hesitated. I didn’t particularly relish the thought of doing something so private in front of people.

  “We still have hours to go,” Bren warned me as he saw my face.

  Fine. I didn’t want to torture myself any more than they were going to already. If someone got their rocks off watching me pee, fine.

  I nodded.

  “Camille, Terra,” Bren said immediately. “Keep an eye on her.” He cut my hands free himself this time, using a small knife.

  Well, at least he sent me with the women.

  As we walked, I saw Terra was holding a compact bundle of what looked like clothing in her hands. I followed them behind the rock wondering if she was changing.

  As predicted, going in front of them was uncomfortable, and they didn’t bother turning away. I was too relieved at being able to go to care too much.

  As soon as I was done, Terra handed me the bundle she’d been holding. “Put these on,” she ordered.

  I guess I was actually the one changing. I opened up the bundle to find a white t-shirt, jeans, and boots. “You want me to change clothes?” I asked.

  “We don’t have time for questions. Just do it,” Camille ordered. “Hurry up. We’re burning daylight.”

  Lovely. Let me hurry so that my kidnappers weren’t too inconvenienced. I bit my tongue to stop from making a smart remark; antagonizing them wasn’t a smart idea. I stripped off my tunic, matching pants, and distinctively phoenix sandals, all designed to be comfortable in the heat and also easy to take off in order to change. I was partial to the traditional and practical clothing, though not everyone wore it. I liked a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt as well.

  The ones they handed me fit a little snugly, but they had enough stretch that they were fairly comfortable. I wondered who had picked them out; I was not either Camille’s or Terra’s size, and though the clothing didn’t have tags, they had that new smell.

  That mystery would go unanswered as well. We headed back to the car, where one of my captors dispersed food to each of us, and Terra took up position behind the wheel.

  They promptly tied my hands again. It was difficult to eat that way, but they obviously didn’t want me to be weak if they were feeding me and giving me water. I would have been worried about drugs in the food, but they got it all out from the same cooler. It was a bunch of basic meal bars that were known for their nutrition more than their taste. Chances of them being tampered with were low.

  Necessities taken care of, we drove for hours more. I couldn’t stay on edge, stay tense for that long. I was almost in a trance watching the passing scenery, almost nodding off, when something caught my eye through the windshield: a distinctive dome shape cut across the sky at the horizon.

  A city dome.

  We were headed right for it.

  The change of clothes made sense now. Dragons and phoenixes weren’t allowed in the human-run, human-populated city domes that protected our physically weaker counterparts from the harsh sun that beat down from the depleted ozone layer and the caustic chemical pollution that required them to wear masks when they ventured outside.

  I didn’t blame them. Not when the war between the dragons and phoenixes had managed to destroy so much of what they’d built and caused so many human casualties.

  For practical purposes, however, there were dragons and phoenixes in and out of all the city domes, mostly to conduct business.

  Humans were a market and a resource we couldn’t ignore. Just like they couldn’t ignore us, even if they didn’t want us living among them. If the right palms were greased, anything was possible.

  Money talked in all things.

  Unfortunately, I personally had no experience with the human city domes. My work didn’t involve many humans. There wasn’t a whole lot of reason for me to visit a dome and jump through all the hoops I would have to in order to get in.

  I also had no idea which city dome this was. Great.

  On the plus side, if I could somehow get Siro away, there would be places for us to hide in one of those densely populated hubs. I hoped.

  I was focused and alert as we drove closer to the impressive dome. The clear, hexagonal panels that made up the dome itself gave the structure the appearance of a beehive. We stopped at another rocky outcropping before the car was close enough to glean more detail.

  There was a man waiting there, his face covered in one of those gas masks humans tended to wear outside the domes. I frowned, watching as Terra got out of the driver’s seat and this new man got in. Perhaps this was a way to make getting into the dome easier.

  I glanced around the car. This was a little much to handle. The size of it alone would draw attention.

  Terra came around back and settled into a spot behind me. The man gave me a look through the clear section of the mask around the eyes, but didn’t ask any questions as he steered the car back out onto the path leading to the dome.

  And then we continued on.

  I saw the two smaller cars veer away from the dome and leave. Apparently, it was just us now.

  “Your job is to remain silent,” Bren ordered, turning in his seat to look at me. “Do you understand?”

  I nodded once. I needed to see Siro; I’d stay quiet to do that. Plus, humans didn’t like us. I could end up in an even worse situation at their hands if I tried to get their attention. It was in my best interest not to do so.

  “Does this car have air filters?” the driver asked as we neared the dome.

  “Yes,” Bren said shortly.

  Nodding, the man took off his mask.

  In front of us, a security guard in a similar mask stood outside a large, sealed gate set in the side of the dome. His partner rose up from where he’d been speaking to someone in a smaller armored vehicle in front of us and waved the car in.

  The gate opened, the sound of whooshing air following as the car drove in and stopped. The gate closed behind it.

  The same guard walked up to our car, his partner still scanning the area around the dome. When he ducked down to look inside, he gave us only a cursory glance.

  In direct sunlight, both phoenixes and dragons had a metallic sheen that was unmistakable. I didn’t know if the shelter of the car was enough to prevent that shine that could give us away. Nobody seemed particularly tense about it. Maybe they didn’t look as closely as I feared they might?

  “Did you transfer it?” the guard asked the driver.

  The driver tapped his watch on his wrist and nodded. “It’s done.”

  The guard checked his own watch. “Pleasure doing business,” he murmured with a salute as he stepped back and waved us in.

  I was guessing this was why Bren had hired this human. Money again. Everything was for sale. A depressing but realistic thought.

  The second gate opened and we drove in, wind buffeting the side of the vehicle to keep the air outside from coming in, then closed behind us. Then the inner gate in front opened. We drove through, only to be stopped at another guard’s post, though I wasn’t looking there. I was looking at the densely packed city in front of me.

  I’d been to many of our cities, seen a wide variety of them. The capital was more packed than many others, but not anywhere near…this.

  Tall buildings stood together as far as I could see, with barely any space between them. The sidewalks were teaming with people, the roads congested with traffic. The sheer amount of people was mind boggling.

  As we drove past the last guard and into the city dome, I didn’t know where to look first. There was an open air market on one side with vendors hawking a wide variety of colorful wares. The people on the sidewalk ran the gamut in their style of dress and general demeanor, some ridiculously colorful, some scantily clad, and others buttoned down, with a variety that didn’t fall into any category. The cars were similarly packed in, expensive and shiny ones against ones that looked like they were on their last legs.

  “Arrived just in time for the crush,” the man in the driver’s seat muttered, easing into traffic
. “This is going to take a while to get through.”

  “Just get us there,” Bren said neutrally.

  The man nodded. We slowly inched along that busy street. The shop fronts seemed to grab for attention with their blinking lights and images. People’s voices intermixed, creating a dull roar of sound that added to the other noise of the place. It all kind of swirled together until my eyes didn’t go anywhere in particular but kept scanning.

  Then we were driving through a quieter street with buildings that had more architectural detail, fake trees set along regimented distances to add some kind of feel of nature.

  Nothing here was natural. Not even the filtered air.

  I was also accustomed to wide open spaces above, and even though the dome was clear, filtering out UV light that was too intense for human skin, it still felt like a cage. Not being able to just fly away if I wanted to was not a comfortable sensation.

  I forced my eyes away from the dome when I felt like it was closing in. Best not to focus on that when I couldn’t change it.

  We drove for some time and passed undoubtedly expensive areas that were less congested with cleaner sidewalks. We passed the densely packed business districts, some clean higher-end ones, and others populated with pawn shops and liquor stores. The car traversed alleyways that didn’t initially look wide enough for it fit through, and the people who lurked in them scuttled away at the sight of the vehicle.

  Finally, we came to a section of the city dome that went beyond disreputable. Our driver slowed as he drove through apparently deserted streets, defunct vehicles gathering their hundredth layer of dust on the sides of the road. In a city so densely packed, I sincerely doubted this area was as empty as it appeared, not when space was at such a premium. There must have been another reason for people to stay out of sight here.

  The back of my neck prickled with unease.

  Dangerous.

  This was a dangerous area.

  I could feel the tension in those around me as everyone reacted to that feeling of being watched. It was unsettling, especially coupled with the deserted look of the place.