“We resemble a stupid storybook prince,”his dragon complained.“The pants are so tight, we won’t perform once we rescue Gwenyth.”
A startled chuckle burst from Leo.
“Laugh all you want, but our cock is an important body part.”
“Was there something else, Leonidas?” Telus asked, not bothering to hide his smirk.
“No, nothing.”
Leo wheeled around and departed. He increased his speed, and his long strides took him down the passage and around the corner. Only then did he slow to his usual pace.
“The more we learn,”he told his dragon,“the more I worry about the things we haven’t yet ascertained and don’t understand.”
“Yes,”his dragon agreed.“I vote we interrogate our brothers. We can manipulate them and acquire much of what we want to learn. Their arrogance and stupidity will play to our advantage. I hate that our lodestone is in the dungeon. She must be terrified.”
Leo considered all that might happen and increased his pace again. If he was lucky, he might have an opportunity to question those already present. His parents wouldn’t arrive early, since they preferred to make an entrance. It was time to knock a few heads together.
13 – Orders and Obedience
The cold was insidious. It crept from Gwenyth’s toes and up her legs and torso until she shivered in misery.
“How do you keep warm?” she asked Martinos.
“Keep moving. Jog on the spot. Run through my exercises. I’ve become used to the cold, but I remember how it was at the start. Is there a blanket on the bed? You should have one. Wrap that around your shoulders.”
“Does your dragon help keep you warm?”
“Not when the druid bracelet binds him.”
Gwenyth considered that.“Will he be all right?”
Martinos gave a bitter laugh. “We haven’t communicated since the soldiers forced the bracelet on me.”
Talking to Martinos helped Gwenyth to ignore the cold, to keep herself from worrying about Leo and what was happening outside the dungeon.
“What do you think they’ll do with me?” she asked.
Martinos was silent for a long moment before he spoke. “I believe you’ll be safe enough for now. They’ll use the threat of your death to make Leo behave. After that…”
“Which means I’m safe short term.” The regret in his words had tears pricking her eyes. She fought for composure and dragged in her next fetid breath with difficulty.
“What does your family do?” Martinos changed the subject.
Warning bells rang in her head. For all she knew, this dragon was a plant. She huffed out a breath. Such a vivid imagination. That came from reading too many books.Huh.
She pushed at the thought, and a face popped into her mind. Smiling lips.
Dimples. Beautiful brown eyes. Red hair.
“Are you there?” Martinos asked.
The memory popped as if someone had speared it with a sharp pin. Who was the woman? It was the first time she’d recalled a face.
A friend? Family? Or someone else?
It seemed as if her memory might be returning.
“My father is the baker in the village,” Gwenyth said the first thing that came to her. “He makes delicious pies and cakes.”
