Read Online Lost mark 3 The Queen of Death: by Matt Forbeck - Free Book Online Page A

than you could probably know.”
    "I just . . she started. Then she stopped and took a deep breath. She wanted this to come out right.
    "Yes?”
    "I just don’t know if I need everyone to come with me on this—this . .
    "Quest?” said Kandler.
    "Suicide mission?” said Burch.
    "Whatever. I just don’t see what good having a lot of people with me will serve. I’ll be facing down a horde of dragons, right? All together we barely managed to kill one dragon.”
    "Don’t forget that half-dragon he had with him,” said Burch, only half serious. "He had to be worth at least,” he looked to Kandler, "what would you say?”
    "Oh, a half a dragon. At least.” Kandler laughed, and it felt contagious. Espre had to join in.
    The next moment, though, Espre turned serious again. "Even rounding up, call that two dragons. How many are we likely to see in Argonnessen? Two dozen? Two hundred? Two thousand?”
    "What’s your point?” Kandler said.
    "What good are all these people going to do?” she asked. "Why risk everyone’s lives? We don’t all have to die.”
    Kandler looked hard into the elf-girl’s eyes. "Is this because Sallah wants to leave?”
    "She makes more sense than you admit.” As the words left her lips, Espre wished she could take them back, but it was far too late.
    Kandler pursed his lips for a moment. "Who would you put off the ship?” he asked. "Duro? Xalt? Monja?”
    Espre nodded.
    "Te’oma?”
    "Certainly.” She stifled a laugh.
    "Why stop there?” Burch said.
    "What do you mean?” Espre said. It felt like a stream of ice had shot through her guts.
    "Why not get rid of Kandler and me too?” Burch asked.
    Espre couldn’t read the shifter at all. She’d never been able to.
    "That’s what you’re suggesting, isn’t it?” Kandler asked after Espre hadn’t responded for a long moment. "You want to get rid of all of us and go off on your own.”
    Panic threatened to choke Espre. "I can fly the airship better than anyone,” she said. "You said so yourself. I don’t need anyone else. I can make it on my own.”
    Kandler stared at Espre, and now she realized she couldn’t read him either. She couldn’t tell if he was about to jump up and start yelling at her or if he’d just have Burch handle it for him.
    "Thank you,” Kandler said, reaching up for Espre. She fell to her knees next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She hadn’t realized until then that she’d been trembling.
    "What for?” she said. "Because I don’t want you to come along with me?”
    Kandler stroked her long, blonde hair. "For wanting to save me,” he said. "For trying to see if there was a way you could do this on your own.”
    "I—I just wanted to do the grown-up thing,” she said. Kandler smiled. "Even grown-ups know they need all the help they can get.”
    Chapter
    12
    what   in the name of the Silver Flame is that?” Sallah asked.
    Kandler peered out over the airship’s gunwale. They’d been flying south for two days now, and these were the first words Sallah had said to them since she’d declared her intent to leave the Phoenix the next time the airship landed.
    For that reason, Kandler had decided to avoid Krona Peak, the capitol of the Mror Holds, despite Duro’s pleas. Kandler declared that they already had plenty of supplies to make it to the southern coast, and he didn’t intend to stop for anything until they could see the sea. The dwarf had sulked for the better part of a day, but he’d perked up when they’d skirted the active volcano that towered over the southern end of the Ironroot Mountains.
    "The Fist of Onatar,” Duro had said, gaping in astonishment at the reddish lava leaking out of the mountaintop. "It must be. I’ve heard of it my entire life but never set eyes upon it.”
    "Onatar?” Xalt had said. "Is that not your god of artifice?” The warforged had managed to patch his arrow wound so well that Kandler might never have known it had been there.
    "Aye, and of the forge. He