Read Online Kindle the Flame (Heart of a Dragon Book 1) by Tamara Shoemaker - Free Book Online Page A

turned to her left, hurrying down the hallway to the only other vantage point she knew how to access—a service doorway where water troughs and fresh kills were sometimes dragged into the arena for Dragons who took a long time in their training sessions.
    She had watched a session from there once with Julian, but he'd distracted her with his constant fear that they would be caught at any moment.
    “Relax,” she'd told him. “It's a new session; they won't be using this entrance unless the training session takes all day.”
    She wished he were here with her; in spite of his tendency toward over-carefulness, she missed his company. He would have insisted on leaving before the session was over, though. She planned to stay as long as the Dragon was in the arena this time, though of course, it meant some white lies to her parents. If they ever found out what she was really doing...
    She flinched as she thought of her mother's tears and her father's strained face the night before. The Elders had unanimously agreed to make Julian the Emissary to the Tournament for the Pixies, naming a second and third place as well. All three would travel to The Crossings in the spring with their Pixies. Sage had been thrilled; she could hardly hide her exuberance. Kinna had not seen Hazel again, though Julian had spotted the Pixie in a south-bound carriage headed for The Crossings and prison.
    Tristan and Joanna had been quiet on the short walk home and again in the flickering light of the fire as the three sat in the main room at home.
    Kinna had seen the emotion on their faces, had felt their sympathy hovering in the air. Her father would suffer embarrassment in the Council of the Elders, despite his staunch defense. The new taxes would come, swift and hard. The fresh struggle would be to find enough food to feed their family of three. A twinge of guilt had accompanied the thought that Hazel had relieved them of the responsibility to feed her as well. Kinna had stared miserably at her fingers as they fidgeted in her lap.
    The three had sat for a long time by the fire without breaking the silence, and finally, Kinna had risen. “Goodnight,” she'd said.
    Tristan had squeezed her hand as she passed him, but both her parents had remained quiet. Tears had flooded her eyes as she'd mounted the stairs. She'd stained her pillow with them before she'd drifted into a slumber disturbed by the hoofbeats of dream horses, dark mists, and clawing panic.
    So she’d come again to the Dragon keep, a hard two hour ride by horseback, as a result of her desperation. Julian couldn't come with her this time; since he'd won the session the night before, he was spending the day with the Elders discussing strategy for the Tournament. Kinna was on her own.
    A roar shook the arena as Kinna cracked open one of the doors. She peered in, her eyes level with the beast's tail where it lay curved along the arena's edge. The Dragon's scales reflected the ceiling and the loft. The images spun, and Kinna jumped back to avoid a slap from the twitching tail.
    The mirrored wings beat the air once, and the Dimn in the arena shouted as he snapped his whip at the creature.
    “Poor thing,” Kinna whispered. The whip lashed the Dragon's sensitive snout; he jerked away from the sting. He backed up two steps, hunching and curling, disturbed by the whip and by the shouts of the spectators. Kinna glanced in alarm at the loft, fearing the Dragon would flame the audience. Though they watched from far above, the distance didn't guarantee their safety.
    But the beast didn't spit flame. He swung his head again, and Kinna caught a glimpse of his smoky gray pupil lingering in her direction.
    She froze in terror, but the Dragon didn't react.
    Tentative kinship flickered between Kinna and the beast. The Dragon was panicked, trapped, unable to find the freedom to be what he was—a Dragon. His desperation became hers. How could it be right to chain these magnificent beasts? He should be soaring