The Dragon Empire: Nifleheimr, #1

By Heather McCorkle

There's trouble in the Northern Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people.

Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist.

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see—especially if it means saving the female he desires above all others. According to her, though, the hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon, but within the hands of a group of people. And if the hidden factions have their way, these people won't live to fulfill such a destiny.

With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save their kind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Compass Press
• Release date: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781939469366

Book preview

The Dragon Empire

A Novel of Niflheimr

Heather McCorkle

The Dragon Empire

Heather McCorkle

Copyright 2024 Heather McCorkle

Published by Compass Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

The Compass Press name and logo are trademarks of Compass Press.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. To the extent any real names of individuals, location, or organizations are included in the book, they are used fictitiously and not intended to be taken otherwise. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McCorkle, Heather

The Dragon Empire/Heather McCorkle —2nd ed. 2024

p. cm.

ISBN (paperback):

[1. Fantasy—Fiction 2. Dragons—Fiction]

Stock imagery from Thinkstock. Photo manipulation and cover design by McCorkle Creations

Contents

1. 1

2.2

3.3

4.4

5.5

6.6

7.7

8.8

9.9

10.10

11.11

12.12

13.13

14.14

15.15

16.16

17.17

18.18

19.19

20.20

21.21

22.22

23.23

24.24

25.25

26.26

27.27

28.28

29.29

30.30

31.31

More in the world of Niflheimr coming soon…

Author’s Gratitude

Chapter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The DragonS

Classes

Gods

Glossary

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1

Grendar

What he was seeing could be the death of him, but Grendar couldn’t look away. The undergrowth that had been hampering his progress through the jungle no longer seemed thick enough to conceal him. His heart pounded and his throat constricted. If he was seen, the mountain jötunn form he wore wouldn’t protect him, not considering what he beheld. Though they were the tallest and muscular of the races of people by far, they were still no match for the horror before him.

Through the ferns and palm fronds he saw four dragons. Two males shone the color of a starless night sky, while one female was dark blue, and the fourth dragon—another female—was white as a pearl. At each over twenty feet from hindquarters to nose, they were twice his size when he was in his natural dragon form. They gleamed in the tropical sun, their scales contrasting with the bright blood on their long snouts and claws, particularly the white dragon. She looked like a monster from a horror tale told around hearthfires to frighten young hatchlings into behaving. On the beach before them lay a mangled, broken ship—human from the emblem on the tattered sails laying like a drying skin on the sand. The partially eaten bodies of several people lay scattered about the wreckage as though they were no more than tortured and discarded dolls.

The biggest black dragon—one Grendar knew well—held a body beneath one of his massive forelegs. He reached down and tore a chunk of flesh from it, scarcely chewing before he swallowed. Both the sight and sound made him flinch, the motion feeling foreign in a jötun’s body. Killing the races of people was forbidden. They were sentient creatures, not unlike dragons and fogel.

A breeze blew off the ocean, its salty essence tainted with the reek of carrion and death. Bile stung the back of Grendar’s tongue and nausea kicked him in the stomach. People were protected. To kill one, let alone eat one, went against the creeds of the Dragon Empires. Such a thing would get one banished, or worse. And of all dragons for him to catch committing this heinous act, of course it had to be Sidean. The one who had harassed him throughout all five years at the university. It seemed like he had been looking for a reason to end Grendar since the day they’d met.

This morning it had seemed like an excellent idea to fly to the Breekay Islands and practice his transformation spell. Considering his lack of skill in that field and finals and commencement—hopefully—coming up at the end of the season, he had little choice. Now it seemed like the worst idea he’d had in a long time. His lack of basic magical aptitude might very well be the death of him, as his alchemic professor endlessly lectured. He shivered in his borrowed skin and prayed that they wouldn’t smell him.

Had Sidean and the others found the ship? Perhaps it had crashed against the perilous rocks jutting up like jagged teeth across the bay. Even if they had, that didn’t make it much better. Their barbaric behavior was still unforgivable. The urge to run roaring into their midst and tear into them, force them to stop, nearly overwhelmed his common sense and self-preservation. Among his own kind he was a descent warrior. But his kind were half the size of Sidean. And in this case, as much as he wanted to deny it, size mattered, a lot.

The jötunn form he’d taken began to feel less solid, like it may dissolve at any moment. Losing it now would make too much noise. They would hear him for certain. While he had never backed down from a fight, not even with Sidean, facing down an entire cloud would end badly for him. He needed to leave, quickly. Unused to the humanoid form, he struck his head on a palm tree when he turned. Leaves rustled.

Holding his breath, he ducked as low to the ground as he could get. Turning invisible wasn’t an option. If he spoke the words to the spell aloud, they would know exactly where he was. Not to mention, he couldn’t do two spells at once. The transformation spell was hard enough to maintain. He’d never felt the consequences of ditching Multiple Spell Casting 101 as strongly as in that moment.

Quiet! I heard something, Sidean said.

The blue dragon—Beinkt—flipped her long neck up and gulped a chunk of flesh down her throat. She wiped blood from her long jaw with a scaled finger before shaking her head at the black dragon. You worry too much, Sidean. It’s probably just a bird.

That too was a voice that raised Grendar’s spine spikes—or it would if he were in his own form. In her own way that female was more vicious than Sidean.

Lips curling from his fangs, Sidean scanned the jungle, a horrible hunger lighting up his eyes. I smell jötunn. Fresh meat, he said in a voice that was thick with the blood of his current meal.

Plunging to all fours into the vegetation, Grendar released his control on his humanoid guise. After a shudder, his body bubbled into his true dragon form. Everything in him screamed to stay and fight. But if he did, he might die. He shuffled backwards on his emerald hued legs as fast as he could, stopping only when his flailing green and aqua wings hit a tree. Since he’d dropped to all fours, he was fairly confident they hadn’t seen him. He sent up a silent prayer to Drengr. Fighting four dragons twice his size was not the way he wanted to die. Nose buried between the hind legs of his favorite female emerald dragon was his preferred method of demise.

Tucking his wings in tight, he took off running on all fours. Behind him, he heard the other dragons struggling to get through the underbrush. Being smaller and more agile, he wove easily through the jungle and quickly lost them. A myriad of green plants speckled through with bright spots of flowers blurred before him. If he could make it a few more yards he had a shot at getting away before they saw him. His hearts pounded so loudly in his ear canals he could no longer hear anything else. The jungle gave way and the ground disappeared. Such a powerful relief flooded through him that it stole his breath.

Unfurling his wings, he took to the air. The main island wasn’t far away. If he could make it there and into the company of other dragons, he’d live. He stretched out his neck and tail and flew for all he was worth. The wind carried threats and curses to him. Massive wings soon slapped thunderously at the air in his wake. He pushed himself harder.

The ocean glimmered a brilliant blue below. Bright sunlight bounced off the low peaks of the waves, tempting him. He may be able to out-swim them better than he could out-fly them. Out here in the deep, though, it wasn’t a good option. Predators hid within these waters that made his pursuers look small and harmless. Counting on his skill to out-maneuver the other dragons, he flew on.

A glance back showed the tiny island fading into the distance. The turquoise and blue ocean passed beneath him at a dizzying speed. Fear slowed time despite the appearance of the world zipping by, making it feel like forever before the big island of Chahala came into sight. Just when he thought he might die from anticipation, his shadow fell over land. The muscles of his wings ached from his frantic flight and his throat burned.

Golden fields of wheat swayed in the wind roused by his wings as he dove low. The bigger dragons wouldn’t be able to maneuver so easily in the unpredictable air currents this close to the ground. The huge shadow that covered him from above was not encouraging, though. Ahead the field stretched on for what seemed like miles. In the distance he could barely make out the waterfall surrounded plateau where the city of Ait Culmhaut perched. He wasn’t going to make it.

With his adrenalin pumping and his mind racing, he couldn’t focus enough to recall the words of the spell he needed. Were he a magi of the divinity class he wouldn’t even need words. But he’d been born into the craftsman class. Even the most basic of spells were challenging to him. Thankfully, Sidean and his cloud needed to know the words to spells as well, for like him, their skills were in other areas. Areas like slashing and disemboweling—specialties of leader class dragons of the caith sub-class.

Over a thousand pounds of black scales and claws breathed down his tail, making focusing nearly impossible. With mating season growing closer, they were more aggressive than they’d ever been. If they caught him before they came across any witnesses, he was likely dead. Shoving his doubts aside, Grendar dug deep, calmed himself, and found the words he needed. All he had to do was out-think them. Considering how he was now gasping for breath, he had to do it fast.

Magic surged within, sending a warm rush from his snout to the tip of his fin-like tail. As the sensation tingled all the way through the clawed tips of his wings, he knew the spell was complete. Still, he couldn’t resist the urge to look down at his forelegs to check. Sure enough, they were invisible just like the rest of him. It was a simple spell even his class could pull off for a short time, one his father had taught him while he was still in the egg decades ago. Sometimes simple was the most effective.

The moment his invisibility kicked in, he veered off course and dove toward a cluster of boulders. Touching down as gently as he could so he didn’t disturb the grass and give himself away, he tucked his wings in tight and crawled under an outcropping. All around him the field had given way to a rocky landscape filled with similar cubbyholes. He hoped it would help make his hiding spot harder to find. But it wasn’t easy to remain in place with instinct screaming at him to fight. Fleeing wasn’t a thing that came naturally to dragons. But, as his psychology professor often lectured, they hadn’t become the most advanced species on the planet by allowing their instincts to rule them.

Moments later, the other black dragon—Sidean’s brother Olvke—and the white dragon soared right by. Several more moments passed. The sound of wings beating at the wind faded. Thinking the danger to be gone, he stepped out from beneath the rock and stretched to his full ten-foot height. His nostrils flared as he checked for any scent of the others on the breeze.

Disspell, a deep voice hissed behind him.

Pressure settled over him then promptly popped like a bubble. The air shimmered and a beat later he could see his forelegs. He shot forward and spun around, standing up on his hind legs so he could use the claws of his forelegs if he had to. A mass of black scales rose before him. Balancing on his long, whip-like tail, Sidean towered over him at nearly twenty feet tall. He opened and closed his talons like the fingers of a fist, the huge muscles in his forearms bulging with each squeeze.

Hey, it’s your rival, Beinkt said from somewhere behind Sidean.

The growl that rumbled through Sidean literally shook the ground beneath Grendar’s feet. He’s not worthy of being my rival, he tossed over his shoulder.

Realizing feigning a casual air would best serve him in getting Sidean to believe he hadn’t seen anything, Grendar snorted. Then why are you always seeking me out to challenge me?

With a shake of his horned head, Sidean curled his lips back from his dagger-like teeth and laughed. Me, challenge you? More laughter rumbled from him. Hardly. If I challenged you they’d be scraping your entrails off the coliseum sands.

Staring into that gaping maw, Grendar knew if Sidean really tried, he could clamp his jaws all the way around his head. That thought made him swallow hard and take a step back. For at least the thousandth time in his life, he wished he were anything but an emerald dragon of the craftsman class. He supposed he should be happy Sidean wasn’t a metallic dragon. They were three times the size of a gem dragon. At the moment that was scarcely much comfort.

You didn’t really think you could hide from me did you, Grendar? Sidean asked after a moment of allowing him time to squirm internally.

I’d hoped, Grendar admitted with a shrug.

What did you see? Sidean demanded.

Could the brute really be so foolish as to think he hadn’t seen enough to condemn him? If so, there might be a chance he’d fly out of this in one piece. A bruised, bloody, and broken piece, but one piece, nonetheless. It was a small chance, but he’d take what he could get.

I heard your voice and took off. Why, was there something to see? Grendar demanded, adding a hiss to the last word.

Growling, Sidean took a step closer, looming over him and clearly enjoying it. You sure about that? he snapped.

The carrion-scented breeze of Sidean’s breath made his testicles shrink inside their pouch. He bared his teeth at him. "So there was something to see. What was it? You out there with a diamond dragon so you can feel like a big male or something? For good measure, he added a derogatory chuckle. Bet the other chromes would love to know that."

A long black tail whipped up and slapped for his face. He blocked with a foreleg, but considering the morningstar tip of a black dragon’s tail, it still stung horribly. Bad as it was, it hadn’t been hard enough to break anything, this time.

Whose tail I get under is none of their business, or yours. Why’d you run? You could’ve learned something by watching, Sidean said, clearly trying to bait him into revealing just how much he’d seen.

Because our meetings always end like this. And I have better things to do today than embarrass you with my wit, Grendar said.

Your wit, seriously? Hardly a match against our claws, said a female voice from behind him. From the sound it was Edeltrud the white dragon.

They were closing in on all sides of him.

My wounds heal before your egos, Grendar pointed out.

While he remained the picture of calm resignation, his eyes darted every which way, trying to see where the first attack would come from. Each muscle in his body tensed in anticipation. He considered using his breath weapon—shards of ice that could puncture scales if they hit the right spot—but he didn’t want them using theirs on him. Sidean had spit acid on him more than once and it was unpleasant to put it mildly. Usually, if he didn’t use his, neither did they. It was an unspoken agreement between them, a small line they didn’t cross.

Sidean’s snowy white fangs gleamed as he bared them. Is curiosity getting the better of you, Grendar? Want to join our cloud? We can teach you things, things about the northern and southern empires that will shatter your world.

The odd choice of words gave Grendar pause and made the boney ridges of his brows draw low. Never, he snapped.

Bloody teeth bared, Sidean leaned closer. Then stay away from the Breekay Islands. It is our place. Forget we were there, he warned.

The words sent ice shooting through Grendar’s veins. The islands didn’t belong to any dragon. They were between the northern and southern empires, along with the continents of the races of people. Dragons weren’t allowed to claim territory in the warm belt between the empires.

Fine, Sidean, you’re easily forgettable, he said, trying to make light of it. The lie rolled easily off his forked tongue.

A deep growl sounded behind him. But he knew it for what it was, a distraction technique to strike fear into him and keep him from wondering what they’d really been up to. Sidean’s yellow eyes lit up like the sun as an echoing angry growl rumbled through his chest. His right shoulder tipped back and by seeing it, Grendar was able to get a foreleg up to block the swipe that was coming. The impact knocked him back and pain burned along his foreleg as Sidean’s claws cut deep. He bumped into hard bodies and was thrown forward. Laughing, Sidean lunged at him. Forelegs shooting up, claws raking, he braced himself. The impact rattled his teeth and sent him flying back. But he felt scales part beneath his claws and that was something. A roar of pain sent a shot of satisfaction through him.

What Sidean, you can’t fight good enough to pick a rival your own size? said a feminine voice.

Icy tendrils of dread shot through Grendar. He knew that voice well, and he wished the female were miles away in the relative safety of the Northern Empire. Spitting dust and blood, he stood slowly and stretched his wings, testing them. Nothing felt broken save for the scales of his upper lip in front of his forward-most fangs. Putting weight on his right foreleg hurt. The scratches must have made it to the muscle.

Facial scales wrinkling with fury, Sidean spun in the direction of the voice and roared, He is not my rival!

Shoving her way through the dragons, undaunted by the fury radiating off Sidean, was a female nearly their size and easily as dark. She was long and sinewy with a graceful neck that was half the length of her fifteen-foot tail. The anger filling her big blue eyes looked far more dangerous than the pair of long, curving horns behind them. With complete disregard for her own well-being, she stepped between Grendar and Sidean. Turning her back to Grendar, she unfurled her dark, leathery wings to their impressive fifty-foot span, affectively hiding him. Unfortunately, it also blocked his view, not to mention completely demeaned him. But, he cared nothing for that in comparison to the danger she was putting herself in on his behalf.

Must you always come to his rescue, Makani? It’s tiresome, Sidean complained.

Makani’s back straightened and the spiky ridge running down her spine forced Grendar to take a step away. His tail brushed against the boulders.

You’re right. It is. So why don’t you just leave him alone? Makani snapped.

The strong prey on the weak. It’s called natural selection, Sidean said. You should come with us and try it sometime. You might find it fun, and I’d make it worth your while.

Though his voice was low and quiet, it sounded louder, like he had moved closer. That wasn’t good. Grendar prayed she wouldn’t push him any farther. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to get hurt trying to save him. Wings flaring out, he prepared to step around her and draw Sidean’s attention when a second female voice rang out.

That kind of attitude could bring the emperors down on you.

No, no, no. A tendril of fear shot through him. He didn’t want either of these females anywhere near Sidean and his cloud of dragons. A roar building in his chest, he dashed around Makani and snapped his wings out to draw their attention.

Storming up beside Sidean, wings twitching with fury, was the vision of beauty that made him thank Drengr he was an emerald dragon. Her body was slim and fit like the skydancer she was. The sight of her long, curving neck and tail made his hearts beat harder for more than one reason. Sunlight glinted off her scaled hide, making it look more like cut emeralds than scales. Since her scales were inflated, that meant she’d likely flown all the way here from one of the colder isles. Even in a situation like this, he couldn’t help but be moved by this female, particularly when she was in this condition. It made her look so soft and voluptuous that it called to something deep inside him. He couldn’t imagine Ingra—All-mother Goddess of dragons—looked any more enticing.

Gem dragons’ scales only looked that way—all bulbous—when they’d been in the cold. Their scales expanded with the warm energy of the sun. It was nature’s way of making them more adaptable to the arctic isles they called home. She must have flown here when he failed to show for their meet up.

A growl rumbling down his long throat, Sidean turned to the female emerald dragon. He dropped onto all fours, snapped his wings in against his sides, and glared her down. At twice her size he literally towered over her. The sight flared a fury and protectiveness in Grendar so strong it made him shake.

Ashanti, how predictable to see you here, he said.

His head whipped forward, stopping inches from her face, lips curled back from his long, sharp teeth. Ashanti flinched and fear flashed in her beautiful crème eyes. Glaring at him, she lowered her head so the tips of the short horns that sloped up from behind her brows pointed at him. Most males wouldn’t dare take such an aggressive stance against Sidean. But then, Ashanti was more courageous than many of the males Grendar knew.

"How predictable to see you here Sidean. When are you going to grow up and stop picking fights with Grendar to get Makani’s attention?" Ashanti demanded.

Sidean’s forked tongue darted out and licked his lips, looking like a trail of bright blood against his black scales. The movement was slow and sensuous. He moved up alongside her and his tail whipped around her hind legs.

"Clearly you’re the last female who hasn’t noticed, I am all grown up. Maybe I should show you," he said in a husky voice as he stepped closer to her.

Blue scaled brows pulling together in a look of discomfort, Beinkt let out a low rumble that wasn’t quite a growl but was close enough to draw a glare from Sidean. Their gazes locked in a battle of wills that made Grendar think a little better of the blue female. But she looked down in a show of submission a moment later. Chuffing, Sidean lifted his snout.

Grendar shifted his weight, readying to move toward Sidean. Dragons didn’t interbreed because the mix couldn’t produce eggs. However, that didn’t mean they couldn’t copulate. The idea of Sidean even thinking about copulating with Ashanti made him want to dig the bastard’s entrails out. Before he could pick up a foot, though, Makani’s tail wrapped around his left hind leg and held him fast. For a heartbeat he thought about breathing ice on her to make her let go, but he couldn’t do that. She was his friend and had been since only weeks after they hatched decades ago. He couldn’t hurt her, not even to save Ashanti.

Making a disgusted sound, Ashanti clicked her needle-sharp teeth at Sidean as she shoved him away. Don’t touch me unless you want to lose parts vital to mating, she warned. You should be ashamed of yourself, acting like a hormone addled fool at your age. Such behavior is disgraceful, not just to yourself, but to the Northern Empire.

Sidean and his cloud laughed and mocked her, but thankfully, they moved away.

Your emperors would do well to remember their natures, Sidean said.

After looking her up and down he grunted, turned, and walked away with his cloud in tow. Glancing back, he winked at Makani.

"You would do good to remember they’re your emperors as well," Ashanti called after him.

Sidean didn’t turn back or even twitch a muscle, but the agitated way he whipped his tail from side to side made it clear he’d heard. After a few steps, he, his brother, and their companions spread their massive wings and took to the sky.

A low, hissing sound came from Makani. Thank goodness your great aunt Samahra is the emerald dragon emperor. It’s made that son of an ogre back off more than once, she said.

The scales on Ashanti’s cheeks swelled more as blood rushed to them. I’m just glad those cretins have never realized even I couldn’t gain an audience with her nowadays, she said.

Once Sidean’s cloud was out of sight, Makani tucked her wings against her side and turned around. Her scaled brows furrowed deep and she shook her long snout.

What’d you do to show him up this time? she asked.

Pain seared through Grendar’s bottom lip as he smiled. Reaching up with the fingers of his left foreleg, he touched it gingerly. Blood stained his ivory claw. I went to the Breekay Islands to practice my transformation magic in privacy and came across his cloud. Wrong place, wrong time. The tale of my life.

He couldn’t tell them the full truth, at least not right now. It would only put them in danger as well. Self-preservation screamed at him to forget all about it. No one besides Makani and Ashanti would believe him anyway. The thought made his hearts ache. This was bigger than some petty squabble or rivalry. Such a thing meant Sidean was walking an even darker path than Grendar had thought. He could no more let this drop and forget about it than he could stop designing more efficient and inclusive creeds. Both fruitless endeavors considering his inability to affect either.

What Sidean’s cloud was doing was unthinkable, whether it had been innocent travelers, raiders, or pirates. Whether they were the casualties of a ship dashed against the spiky rocks of the bay, or… No. The alternative was unthinkable, even for Sidean.

Makani snorted and waved her foreleg in an agitated gesture, claws extended. It’s never your fault. That stupid ogre’s ass. It takes less and less to set him off lately, she said.

Slowly stretching his wings out, Grendar tested them for injury. The left one was sore from landing on it, but nothing serious. He’d walked away with a lot worse.

He’s only jealous that you choose my company over his, he said.

Makani made a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh. He’d be lucky to get a leader class female to look at him, let alone me, she said. Coming from anyone but Makani such a statement would have seemed arrogant. Beneath her words hid an undertone of fear, one that made Grendar clench his teeth.

Exactly. He’d never be able to fly the mating dance with a dragon like you, Ashanti said.

And I’d never show him my favor if he tried, Makani said.

They bumped horns in a show of solidarity.

Both Makani and Sidean had been born into the leader class, so a pairing wasn’t impossible. The wicked look in Makani’s eyes said otherwise though. Females were faster and much more agile in the air. They could outfly males any day, which was why the males had to impress them and win their favor. Dragons coupled outside of mating season, but were only fertile during it.

Ashanti’s shadow fell across Grendar, offering a slight relief from the tropical midday heat. Her scent filled his nostrils, and he breathed deep of it—lavender and new snow. His eyelids fluttered as he drew it in like a decadent treat. More than anything, he wanted to look up into her crème eyes and beautiful face, but he couldn’t. Shame kept his gaze riveted upon the crushed wheat beneath his claws.

How could he ever hope to be a worthy mate to her when he couldn’t even protect himself? True, an emerald dragon was half the size of a black dragon, but what they lacked in size they made up for in speed and agility—which was what had kept Grendar alive all these years when it came to Sidean. But that was all he’d done, survive. He was brilliant at politics, mathematics, and of course engineering. However, that did little good against Sidean. Having been born into the craftsman class—architect to be specific—class, Grendar knew he didn’t stand a blizzard’s chance on Muspelheimr with her anyway. She was an amazing skydancer born into the artist class. Classes didn’t mix. But a male could dream.

Oh Grendar, you’re bleeding badly, Ashanti said through a sigh.

The dainty fingers of her scaled foreleg inspected the wound, sending a tingling sensation all the way to his tail that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Blood trailed steadily down to his elbow and dripped onto the ground, but he hardly noticed anymore. Her talons were amazingly gentle as they brushed over the ravaged scales. When she touched the open wound, he couldn’t help but wince. Looking down, he realized it was a lot deeper than he had thought.

Makani’s long neck snaked around Ashanti for a closer look. Her eyes widened as her gaze fell upon his leg, and she whistled through her fangs. Do you have any of that healing potion left? she asked.

No. I used it up last week, Grendar said.

Shaking her head, Ashanti pulled a piece of cloth from a pouch strapped to her foreleg. Grendar had to bite back a grunt as she tied it tightly around the wound.

"It’s ridiculous that you have to keep healing potions