Dragonfire: Freedom in Flames (Secrets of the Makai Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

of Samara. “I’m sorry.”
    “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she replied.
    “I hope you’re okay and….”
    “I’ll be here.”
    Tristan nodded and stepped through the door, leaving it open for Landon and Victor to follow.
     

5

    EVER FAITHFUL
    THE SPIRAL STAIRS OF ROCK twisted in a counterclockwise direction, with flaming torches mounted on the inner curve. Tristan leaned against the rough wall to catch his breath, grateful for the coolness seeping through the thin cotton of his T-shirt.
    Donovan’s footsteps faded up the stairs and Landon and Victor stopped behind him.
    “Go on. I’ll catch up,” Tristan said.
    “That’s alright. We can wait.”
    “Is everyone okay? Where’s Pink?”
    “She’s fine.”
    On cue, the little pixie flew in somersaults above Landon’s hand and landed on Victor’s shoulder. Tristan smiled, then remembered the last thing he’d heard her say. “Hibernate?”
    “It’s just something dragons do once in a while.”
    “They do? But—” The idea of falling asleep for… “How long?”
    Pink launched herself into the air and spun circles around Landon’s head; it was impossible to not be amazed by the tiny creature.
    “Ugh!” Landon held out a hand for her to land on. “You’re making me dizzy.”
    She landed with the grace of a butterfly.
    “How long, Pink?” Tristan asked again, afraid there was a reason she hadn’t answered right away.
    “I don’t know for how long. Months? Years? Dragons don’t share information about themselves.”
    Years. Tristan forced air into his lungs. Years. “How long have I been down here?”
    “A couple of weeks, give or take,” Victor answered.
    Landon and Victor both looked worried for him, but they seemed reluctant to speak.
    “Well, maybe that’s why I couldn’t get moving? The dragon parts feel like hibernating….”
    “Maybe,” Landon said. He didn’t sound like he was buying it. “Whatever your state was, it wasn’t restful.”
    “Or rejuvenating,” Victor added.
    Donovan’s stern voice echoed down through the stairwell. “Need I remind you that we’re in a hurry to reach the outside?”
    Apparently he did need reminding. They had to make contact with Molajah again, before it was too late.
    Guilt filled his limbs like cement. Molajah and Jacques were his best resources for real information in this mess; the contract, the gems, the surge of powers he had to maintain somehow…not to mention general dragon knowledge. How was he supposed to know he hibernated? Both men could be facing their deaths and here he was trying to catch his breath. And failing.
    He glanced at Pink. “When we have time, I need you to tell me everything you know about dragons.”
    The little pixie nodded and dashed to the safety of Landon’s thick ponytail. Before Tristan could see what frightened her, Donovan was scooping him up and heading upstairs.
    “I can walk,” Tristan mumbled, though he felt himself slipping into a quiet darkness within seconds. Then he was being placed on his feet.
    A shaft of daylight sliced through the darkness, searing his vision as Landon opened the giant wooden doors. Tristan fumbled for the sunglasses just as Victor handed them over.
    “Clearly you prefer the night,” Donovan said, “as do I.”
    Tristan paused on the stone landing, taking in the trees and shrubs surrounding the clearing at the base of the stairs. A sense of déjà vu kept him from walking any farther. Donovan stood motionless beside him. Victor stayed behind, Landon glanced up at him from the ground.
    “Anything?”
    Tristan shook his head. He was about to send a mental plea when he remembered Molajah being specific about not making contact. And he wasn’t to contact Jacques either. But why? He let his mind open and reached out, searching for whispers or clues.
    Making himself available above ground was all he could do to help strengthen whatever connection they needed to communicate. But his attention kept coming back to the