He looked at her, silently asking if she wanted to leave or to stay with him. There was no doubt that he was going to investigate what he was hearing.
She gave a firm nod. She was staying with him. When she took a step and a twig broke, he put his arm around her waist and they moved forward, her feet barely touching the ground. Together, they weren’t as silent as Mekos would have been alone, but they made less noise than a human would.
When they reached the wall, Mekos soared upward with her so they were sitting on the top. They were so engulfed by tree leaves that they couldn’t be seen.
Below them were two women, one of them the beautiful Valona.
Aradella, her back against Mekos’s front, looked at him and he nodded. Yes,shewas who he’d known was near them.
He swiped his hair back to expose his ears and listened.
With Valona was a very old woman. She walked slowly, bent over, and she was holding a silver pot.
They watched Valona sit down on a wooden stool, then turn her face to the sun.
The old woman, who seemed to be the maid, opened the pot and began to spread a thick pink lotion on Valona’s lovely face.
“The cream is almost gone,” the maid said.
“I’ll make a new batch from that princess Olina sent me. She’s big so there’ll be a lot of it.”
The maid frowned, which deepened the creases on her face. “She’s not pretty so maybe it won’t work. To keep your looks, you must take true beauty.”
“She’s royal. That’s a different kind of radiance.”
The maid paused, seeming to be worried. “Her status will make people miss her.”
“Olina arranged that. There’ll be proof that the two men killed the bland princess.”
“What men?” The maid sounded alarmed, then calmed. “Oh. You mean the swansman and his son. That’s good. They have no worth or importance, so no one will notice that they’re gone.” She nodded in approval. “Yes, that is a very good plan.”
When Mekos tightened his grip on Aradella, she knew he was warning her. Of Valona? But no, he nudged her to see a huge green lizard silently and stealthily walking toward them on top of the wall. It was the size of a bear cub, heavy and strong—and she knew it could spit fire. They had been exterminated onthe rest of the island since they tended to kill livestock—and a few humans.
Aradella held her breath, waiting for the creature to come for them. Of course Mekos would take them to safety. But he didn’t move, and the lizard stopped to just above where Valona was sitting. Did it mean to jump on her?
Mekos kept holding Aradella tightly and she thought maybe it was his scent of fox that made them uninteresting to the creature.
Because her attention was on the lizard—or “little dragon” as some people called them—she didn’t see the light that appeared near Valona.
“Yes! I know she’s here,” Valona said angrily. “Does Olina think I’m as stupid as she is? Must she remind me of what I’m to do?”
Aradella slid her eyes to the side, too afraid to move her body and alert the lizard. The light near Valona surrounded a little man with wings of gold and red. He was a handsome Never in his green trousers and sleeveless brown top. As small as he was, he was quite muscular.
Valona swiped her hand at him. “I don’t want to hear any more.”
To escape her hand, the little man flew backward toward the wall. In a lightning movement, the lizard’s long tongue shot out. It hit the man and made him tumble through the air.
“Borel! No!” Valona snapped, then made a grab for the Never. She caught it, but then she sneered. “It’s ruined! Now it’s ugly.” In disgust, she threw the Never over the wall.
He went flying past Aradella and Mekos, but they didn’t dare move from their hiding place.
Valona held up her hand. “It got blood on me! Filthy creature.”
“That thing was useful to Queen Olina,” the maid said. “She won’t like losing it, and you know how she likes to give punishment.”
“This is bad.” Valona sounded exasperated. “Where can I get another one to replace it?”
“I believe that swansman has one, a female. I’ll get her for you.”
