Chapter 62
Lorien
“Do a sweep of the building first,” I shouted at Kael as we flew around the keep. “Let me get the lay of the land.”
“Scared, are ya?”
He was the man I called brother and yet he looked back over his shoulder, grinning like a loon.
“Not scared.”
Intent, that’s how I felt. Blood pulsed through my veins, making my head quiet and still the same way it always did when we pulled off a heist. Before it was to steal some coins or food to live, but now? My whole heart was in this mission.
Fern called us a wing.
That had to mean something, right? She was starting to accept the bond. Well, if I pulled this off, found out whatever the hell the general thought he could use against us, then she’d turn to me in a rush of appreciation. Maybe a few kisses?—
“Ready?” Kael yelled.
No, I was not, and yet my feet were moving of their own accord. My mind might be distracted, but the muscle memory was still there. Following the sways of Slate’s body, I kept mybalance, a hand on Kael’s shoulder as my legs coiled under me.For Fern, I thought, my body thrumming with excitement.For?—
“Now!”
Kael’s cry, the roar of the corp dragons as they joined the fray, they were mixed by my shout as I launched myself free. For just a second, I hung in the air, my entire consciousness focused on that balcony. I could’ve drawn the balustrades from memory, they were so clear, right before a realisation hit me.
This was going to hurt.
I let my body go limp, curling into a ball, but that wasn’t enough to stop the impact from rattling every bone. Rolling forward, I sprang into a standing position, then shook my head. The big glass doors were wide open, allowing me to stroll into the general’s office.
Secure the door, that was my first task. Flicking the lock mechanism, then propping a chair under the handle would stop anyone from getting in. That wasn’t a focus right now. The muffled shouts and screams made clear that the entire keep was in a flap, thinking they were under attack.Get the damn cupboard open, I thought, pulling my tools from my belt,then we’re away…
It was a long time since I’d had to use my lock-picking tools, but I couldn’t let that stop me now. I slid the fine blade into the brass lock, my tongue catching between my teeth. The actual pick went in next, trying to move the tumblers into the unlocked position. Feel for it, I thought, wiggling the blade, then feeling it slide forward a little. Now a little finessing, a twist of my wrist and…
The door popped open to reveal a puzzle box.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw it.
“Oh, you beautiful thing…” I smoothed my hands over the sides, feeling for the different parts of the mechanism. My mother was given a puzzle box once as payment for her services and a very young Lorien was obsessed with it. Dad encouraged me, thinking I might be apprenticed to the thieves’ guild, right before he figured I’d make more money on my back. The boxes were always a combination of mechanisms that if you worked them just the right way?—
“General?” A thud on the door had me looking up sharply. “General! The silver dragons have decimated the ballista.”
Had they? With a grin, I turned back to my task, shutting everything else out. There was always multiple parts that could be manipulated in a puzzle box. The more there were, the greater number of possible combinations, meaning it would usually take someone days to discover the correct combination.
Not me.
I’d trained myself to feel for it, the slight give of a mechanism indicated that it was the right one, then moved on to the next. Slide this forward, twist that, all while pressing this button and that down before–
Brother, ‘Fang said.Slate’s rider asks if you’ve found the box. More and more corp dragons are joining the fray. We will fight them for our mate if we must, but?—
I’ve got it.
But I wish I hadn’t. My heart sank as I stared at what was inside. As a citizen of Harlston, I knew exactly what this was. The whole of Nevermere learned about dragonstone amulet when newspapers printed etchings of the devices the old duke used to coerce the dragons on the corp to do his bidding, attacking their own people.
But this one was different.
Not an amulet, but a staff. I hauled it out of the box, the carved wood fitting perfectly in my hand. It was the huge chunk of dragonstone caught between the jaws of three dragons that had despair setting in.
I knew now what the general intended.
