Her cheeks darkened, and I savored the crack in her composure.
“Alaric is on the mend,” she stated, cheerful tone hardening. “It’s past time you both upheld your side of our bargain.”
“Which one was that? I’ve lost track.”
She planted an oil-slicked hand on her hip, her eyes narrowing. “The one where you and Alaric agreed to save Speck if I healed him.”
I uttered a low groan, rubbing my temples. “Ah, yes. Thatone.” The one we’d both agreed to, assuming we’d find her friend’s corpse, and that would be the end of it.
“Serafina held up her part of our deal, and my word is my bond,”Alaric stated.“It’s time we formulated a plan.”
What the hell? Now he was playing the noble do-gooder? Which left me as the villain. Fabulous. “And if he’s a ghoul?” I snapped.
“He isn’t,” Serafina shot back.
“You don’t know that. You saw that Cookie friend of yours. Those The Dark One captures are taken for a purpose.”
“Then we are about to change his plans.” Her chin lifted, voice fierce. “Whatever’s befallen Speck, I will not stop until he’s free.”
“Of course, you won’t,” I sneered with a tight smile, setting my feet on the floor.
“And we are oath-bound to help her,”Alaric rumbled, all gallant and virtue, still desperate to win her affections.
Thanks to the game he played, I was really going to have to do this. Risk my life for one little shepherd boy.
“They’ll have taken him underground,”Alaric added.
“We should return to Nefarr.” Serafina abandoned her patient, walking to my table where she picked up a cloth to dry her hands. “We’ll find the tunnels they used to infiltrate the keep, sneak into their lair, and free the captives.”
“Easy as that, huh?” I scoffed.
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Yes. I remain above ground and blast molten fire into the holes.”
She slammed the cloth down. “Killing everything, including Speck.”
Alaric stirred upon his pallet, arranging his wing.“Infiltrating the tunnels will take more than one man, and I cannot fit in my dragon form.”
Conveniently leaving me to deal with this alone while hewatched from a safe distance. No wonder he entertained this suicide mission. Was that it? Did he try to get rid of me? It was possible he knew more about me and Serafina than I’d given him credit. Because only an idiot would enter those tunnels on purpose.
Or maybe…three idiots.
Two of them expendable.
With their help, our chances of success rose from zero to trifling.
“I may know a couple of guys,” I said slowly, the words dragging up my throat. “One is an expert with fire, the other, with earth and stone. They owe me a favor.” And a big one at that.
“Hmm,”Alaric grunted.“I know of whom you speak. Former thieves. Both are skilled. It might work. Once night falls, you may fly to Carcerem to collect them.”
So anxious to get me out of his way, he’d given me permission to fly? “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.”
Alaric ignored my sarcasm.“While you’re gone, I will train Serafina to develop her magic. The stronger she becomes, the more likely she’ll be to break my curse.”
Ah, that explained it. He was eager to be alone with her. The fine scales along my shoulders itched and burned. To shift. To bite. To burn.
Flarking Alaric.
