Dragon Frost by S. J. Wist Page A

but Ubi's was a blistering cold that stabbed at his inner veins. He could take the pain, as he had anticipated it. Her soul was much older than he originally calculated. Easily as old as his own soul as his mind worked fast to sort out the images he recognized of the first Aster. Of the Dragon Moon's attack on it. Then the timeline pushed forward and he saw her last dozen lives, and how she was murdered. Her rage and hate was insatiable and wasn't limited to just Earth. He didn't know how she had built such a solid concrete wall around all of it, but she was no novice with psi Thread. She was very likely the most masterful deceiver he had ever seen.
    Ubi set him down on the bed in her room. He pulled his mind back to the present as he watched her like he would watch an adversary. Nafury and Xirel hadn't the slightest idea what they were dealing with. A very large piece of the enemy they searched for was right in here. Her very blood was what was poisoning the Awls and dragons into becoming puppets. They could have only taken that from her when she was on Earth. What angered him is that she knew this already. The only thing she didn't seem to know was who was behind it.
    He didn't look away as she changed into a clean, cream tunic and pants. It was awkward to watch her as she looked just like a female Kas might. The scars on her pale body were real. She had been a prisoner and test subject through this incarnation. He would have felt sorry for her if she had any kind of real emotion in her to justify her as a person, let alone a Fay.
    Nafury had sealed his own doom. Ubi felt little for him aside from using him as an extra shield to hide who she truly was. He could feel her attraction for Xirel, but he doubted that would last long once her true self showed its face. Either way, Kenshe had got what he wanted and didn't care about the rest of her story. This Fay was lost, and he had enough of his own problems. He stood up to leave, before stopping when Nafury appeared in the doorway again. Curses! Go away you infernal bastard!

    "I'm ready, let's go," Ubi said and picked up the True to take with her to show to Xirel.
    "You're still carrying that mutt around?" Nafury sighed.
    "I gave him a bath," she said in its defense. "See, smell," she said as she lifted him to Nafury's face.
    "I'll take your word for it," Nafury replied as he leaned away from the pup. They continued walking for Xirel's makeshift throne room.

    While being carried like a stuffed toy, Kenshe pondered all the consequences of biting Nafury's useless head off right now.

EIGHTEEN

    Nafury stopped in the hallway leading to the cavern where Xirel was. A glimmer of gold had caught his attention. When he looked closer, he saw that the object lying on the floor of the connecting hallway looked a lot like his helmet.
    "Nafury?" Ubi said.
    "Go on ahead, Ubi. I think one of the chimera found my helmet for me."
    Ubi briefly glanced at what he was looking at, before nodding and heading the rest of the way on her own. She pushed open one of the two heavy wooden doors and went inside. Xirel was sitting on a higher, intricately carved wooden chair. Loki was also there and sat before him. They both stopped conversing to acknowledge her arrival.
    "Princess," Loki greeted.
    "You're not back to talk about sailing over to dragon island again I hope?"
    "No," Loki replied and finished with a laugh. "We were actually just talking about you and how to go about training you to learn Thread."
    Ubi sat next to Loki with her pup and looked at Xirel. "Here I was worried about that too, as I didn't catch any fish..."
    "Xirel," Loki playfully scolded him. "That was rather mean."
    "It was one of my few attempts at humour," Xirel said and leaned his cheek against his hand. "I've learned my lesson. It won't happen again." He sounded like a child who had just been reprimanded.
    Ubi smiled at him, and Xirel seemed to cheer up a bit when he returned it.
    "Soooo," Loki said,