“Anything?”
“Anything, what?”
“Did it work?”
“Did what work?”he grumbled.
The fact that he remained a dragon was answer enough. “Never mind. Silly idea.” Heat flamed in my cheeks as I scrambled down, settling on his forearm. For one foolish heartbeat, I’d dared to believe it was the solution.
I hugged my knees, folding into myself, but the thought wouldn’t leave me. I, of all people, should have known better than to believe in fairy tales. There wasn’t a prince alive who was willing to come to my rescue. That was something I’d have to do myself.
Alaric’s green eye fixed on me, unblinking, unreadable.
I forced a tight smile. “I probably should have asked first; do you have any idea how to break the curse? Clues, mysterious rhymes, quests for magical trinkets, prophecies?”
“I’ve explored hundreds of possibilities,”his voice broke, the spark in his eyes dimming.“Nothing has worked. It happened shortly after my kingdom fell.”
“Did the person responsible for the attack do it?”
“I cannot say.”His green gaze shifted away from mine.
I got the sense that he wasn’t being completely truthful. Again. If he didn’t share everything he knew, breaking his curse might be impossible. While I was sympathetic to his plight, I had my own needs and those of Speck to consider as well.
In the short time we’d spent together, I’d learned the dragon was fond of oaths and bargains. It was time I struck a bargain of my own. “If I break your curse, what do I get out of the deal?”
“Anything you desire,”he said in a rush, no doubt anticipating I’d select something from the massive cavern of treasures.
“Would you give me my freedom?” I dared to ask for the one thing he couldn’t stash in his cave.
Silence fell heavy. At length, he narrowed his eyes.“Perhaps once you break my curse, you will no longer wish to leave me.”
I chewed my bottom lip while debating my response. If the man were anything like the dragon, living with him wouldn’t be easy. Not that I dared to share this with the beast.
“I can’t say for sure whether I’d stay or go,” I said, committing to nothing. “Regardless, it should be my decision.” After all, wasn’t that the very definition of freedom?
“So be it.”He nodded.“We have struck yet another bargain. Break my curse and I will set you free.”
“Great. Except there’s still the issue of your wounds. Along with my missing friend.”
“Minor—”he rasped, his words cut off by a fit of coughing that threatened to spill me onto the floor.
Heat wafted from his massive body, so hot it threatened to burn me. I abandoned his arm in favor of standing. With a professional eye, I scanned his sunken eyes and dull scales. The dragon looked like hell.
I set my hand upon his snout, then snapped it away, shaking my heated flesh. “Goodness, Alaric. You’re burning up.” I’d come to the conclusion that dragons ran hot, but this couldn’t be normal. “Let me see your wound.”
Uttering a low grumble of irritation, he raised his wing, spilling coins off the thick webbing in a shower of gold. Once his many riches had settled, I tucked under the odd canopy. The crimson streaks that feathered his injury were now molten. Fiery fingers clawed a path beneath his dull scales, streaking back to his haunch.
I uttered a curse. “By the gods, this is far worse than it was earlier when I applied the poultice.”
His powerful wing trembled with the strain of holding it aloft. I tugged the clawed tip down, urging him to rest it against his flank. “You’ve spiked a fever and grown even weaker. I’m sorry to say this, but beyond the infection, I believe you’ve also been poisoned.”
“Then fix it,”he grated.“That’s what healers do, after all.”
Trepidation tripped down my spine. “Maybe in your world they do, but in mine, they create ointments for gout, creams for foot rot, and expectorants for mucus. They do not rid dragons of mystical poisons. I’ve never seen something like this. It’s possible it’s even magic-based.” Not that I’d had much experience with such things.
What would the beast do if I couldn’t heal him and he continued to decline? Would he roast me if he decided I was useless after all? Order Thorne to toss me off the flight deck? And what of Speck? If I disappeared, would anyone even care what happened to him?
Alaric was gravely ill. All the things Yaga taught me over theyears raced through my mind. None of them was up to the task of healing a poisoned dragon.
