Page 20 of Lies That Blemish
“Stars help me,” I breathed, and then leaped into the frigid water. I was so short that the water came up to my chest, and I panicked as it began to tug me downstream. I knew how to swim, but I wasn’t prepared to be floating alongside Luska for too long. I’d be spotted.
A strong hand grasped my arm and hauled me to the side. I peered over, expecting Tej, but it was Arjun. His face was fierce and determined as he struggled to pull me against the current, until we were close enough to the shore that Tej could pull us up out of the deep water.
“Thanks,” I muttered to Arjun. I shuddered to think what would have happened had he not grabbed me so quickly. Just a few klicks down, there was a checkpoint. I knew the Luskins watched their waterways closely since they drank from this river and watered their crops with it. I’d heard my sister talking about it once.
I stepped onto the shore in soggy, water-logged boots and scowled. This was not very comfortable fighting attire.
Tej, who was much taller than me, and therefore only went to his waist, just shrugged as he looked down at me. “You’ll have to make do.”
“Okay, Dad,” I retorted.
“Gross,” Tej responded, which caused Arjun and me to share a smile. After squeezing as much water from the end of my shirt as possible. I pulled my blade, scanning the Luskin Wilds. I’d obviously never been to Luska, but I was very aware that if someone captured us and found out who I was, I’d be used as a pawn against my sister.
I reached down and smooshed my wet fingers into the dirt, then rubbed my cheeks with it until there were brown streaksacross it. “If we get caught, my name is Natasia. We ran away from home, hoping to bond creatures for fun.”
They both looked back at me like I was crazy.
“Hello, I’m the heir to Amersea. If I get caught?—”
“Fine. I’m Zack. I’m an heir, too,” Tej taunted.
“I’m Beast,” Arjun said, and both Tej and I burst into laughter.
“Bro, I amnotcalling you that,” Tej informed him as we began to walk deeper into the forest.
“You have to. I’m Beast, named after my incredible fighting skills.” Arjun informed us of his fake backstory.
I couldn’t stop smiling, even given the dire circumstances. Tej and Arjun, or Zack and Beast, had grown on me. I had wondered since hearing that my sister had some love affair with Kohen Badshah exactly how that had happened, but now I knew. It was little by little.
“So… who bonds first?” I whispered. “And what kind of Talanagi do you guys bond?” I was fully giving in to Kohen’s vision, hoping it was real.
“Kohen didn’t say,” Tej told me. “He said it wasn’t important. Just that you would bond a small red dragon. And we both would bond Talanagi as well.”
I thought of my dagger still sticking out of the fox that had tried to kill Tej. I was so weak for not being able to pull it out. I felt stupid for it. I wanted to go back now and yank it out just to prove I could. Then maybe I’d show myself that I was ready to bond a Talanagi.
Tej stopped suddenly, and we all froze. He crouched down and picked up something bright blue, rubbing it between his fingers.
His eyes widened a little, not really in alarm—more in awe.
“What is it?” I whispered, stepping closer to inspect the blue… rock?
When he opened his palm, I gasped a little.
It wasn’t a rock. It was a scale. A shimmery… dragon scale?
“Cool,” Arjun said in low tones, stepping up beside me.
Excitement thrummed through me. Maybe this was all legit, Kohen’s seeing the future, the map, everything.
I opened my mouth to speak when a blur of blue shot through the air and knocked Arjun to the ground. I spun, coming face to face with a blue dragon.
Holy crap.
It was huge.
I mean, at least to my five-foot-two height.
“She drew blood. You have to fight,” Tej told his brother.
