Dewdrop’s shoulders loosened in relief. Others wouldn’t have heard it, but Ilith picked up on the worry and concern under Dewdrop’s bravado.
Smart, small predator to use a bluff to establish his dominance.
I don’t like that you put him in danger. We’re lucky the emperor has a long relationship with Ryu and Rath. Otherwise, he could have ordered Dewdrop and our execution.
Ilith’s tail thwapped the ground. She wouldn’t have let that happen. She would have stopped it.
You can’t always win against overwhelming odds.
You could when you were a majestic dragon.
Ilith caught a mental image of Tate rolling her eyes. Cheeky Savior.
“How did the dragon know how the victim died, and that the creature had left a piece in the guard?”
Not a creature. An amalgam. Not the same thing at all. A creature had will whereas the amalgam was a swarm who obeyed a master. A weapon that was little more than a shadow of what it was supposed to be.
And now it was dead.
Almost dead anyway, Ilith corrected after a second of consideration. She chortled to herself as she stared at the last piece of the amalgam.
You sound evil,Tate told her sourly.
Nonsense. Ilith was no such thing. She sounded like a dragon.
The shiny man bent forward, studying the scrap of the amalgam. “Its presence is undetectable.” He looked up at Ilith again. “Archibald is right. I’d like to know how you knew what this was.”
“Ilith and Tate have likely fought it before,” Ryu said, striding forward.
“A sleeper fitting this description has never been recorded,” the man in black said.
“Likely because Tate and Ilith hail from the same era when something like this would have been a tool of the Creators. I doubt there’s another like it or Aurelia would be inundated with these things,” Ryu said.
“Whatever it is, I want it destroyed and the rest of my people checked to see if this thing is inside them as well.” The shiny man rose and dusted off his hands. “Sir Daniel can be responsible for helping.”
Dewdrop’s back went ramrod straight as he gave the shiny man crazy eyes, looking like a fish that had just been plucked from its comfortable water.
The shiny man pretended not to notice as he glanced in the direction of the body. “I suspect the examination will be uncomfortable judging by our own experiences, but it’s better than ending up like that poor soul over there.”
“What about that?” the William man asked, looking at the ink blot Ilith still held captive.
The shiny man’s face turned scary. “Destroy it.”
The William man and the man in black unsheathed their swords and advanced. Ilith’s chuckle brought them to a halt.
Yup, definitely evil sounding.
Ilith chortled again, almost giddy at her thoughts.
Why are you laughing like that?
Ilith snagged the amalgam off the ground tossing it into the air. Surprised at its freedom it froze. Ilith’s head snaked forward; her teeth closed around the creature. She bit down, enjoying the way it squished in her mouth before swallowing it down.
Yummy.
Ilith smacked her lips as she took in the looks of disgust. Foolish two leggers, this was the best way to ensure the amalgam didn’t survive.
You couldn’t have just used fire?Tate whined.
