“Is anyone else amazed this camp is still standing?” Ignatius asked as Conleth skidded into the mud once more. “Because based on all the evidence, it should have gone bankrupt within two weeks. That man clearly should not be trusted with a banana, let alone an entire business.”
“Come on, Ragvald!” Archie yelled from the other side of the impromptu arena. “You can yank harder than that! Conleth doesn’t want you to go easy on him! Right, Conleth?”
Whatever reply Conleth might have made was drowned out by a sudden shrill sound. Rufus tackled Nancy, grabbing the hem of her shirt just in time to stop her launching herself over the crowd.
“Fire alarm, kids.” Buck was abruptly all business. “You know the drill. Find your counselors and get to your muster points. No dawdling.”
“Aw.” Archie’s face fell. “I wanted to see Conleth get dragged through the mud some more.”
Buck shooed him toward the rest of the pack. “All good things come to an end, kid.”
“Do not fear, young hatchling!” Ragvald gave Conleth a broad, conspiratorial wink. “Friend Conleth has not yet conceded. We shall continue this battle another time.”
“Absolutely not,” Paige bit out through clenched teeth. Stalking forward, she scooped up Conleth’s discarded t-shirt, thrusting it against his muddy chest. “This stops right now, you understand?”
“We’ll call it a draw,” Moira said quickly. “Come on, campers. You heard Buck. Everyone off the field.”
Paige turned her back on Conleth, surveying the pack. “Where’s Beth?”
“Here!” Beth panted, rejoining the group. She bent over, chest heaving. “I’m—here.”
“Good.” Paige turned on her heel, not sparing so much as a glance at her co-counselor. “Everyone follow me. Hurry, now. We don’t want to be the last group to the muster point.”
One of Conleth’s eyebrows rose as he surveyed his out-of-breath niece, but he didn’t comment. Pulling his t-shirt over his head, he followed Paige. The rest of the pack fell in behind the two counselors.
“Didyoupull the fire alarm?” Estelle whispered to Beth.
“Shh!” Beth cast an anxious glance at their leaders. “I don’t want to get in trouble. But I had to do something. If Uncle Conleth really planned that whole thing, it can’t have gone as he wanted. Paige looked furious.”
“Maybe that was his plan,” Nancy suggested, overhearing. “If someone was beating up my true mate, I’d be angry too. Maybe Conleth deliberately arranged to lose so Paige would realize she’s falling in love with him.”
As one, they looked at their counselors. Conleth was a bedraggled mess, so plastered in mud he seemed to have been dipped in chocolate. He winced with every step, favoring one leg.
Paige, in contrast, was stiffly upright. She faced straight forward, back and shoulders rigid. Her heels hit the ground in hard, angry strides.
Estelle spoke the thought running through every mind. “She’snevergoing to fall in love with him.”
CHAPTER 19
“That,” Archie announced when she visited his cabin to say goodnight, “was the best day ever.”
Paige’s feelings on the matter were the exact opposite. She was just relieved it was nearly over. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and try to forget any of it had ever happened.
Archie, unfortunately, was far too keen to relive every detail. He hopped up and down his cabin steps in his pajamas, too excited to stand still, let alone go to bed.
“Did you see how far Ragvald hurled Conleth, Paige?” Archie swept a hand through the air in an arc, making aneeeeeeeooooommm-pow!noise like an exploding missile. “I’ve never seen Ragvald’s shift form before. I didn’t know wyrms were so big. And strong! He yanked Conleth off his feet so many times! Over and over! Did you see, Paige? Did you?”
“I was right there, Archie. I saw the whole thing.”
“Right into the mud, too,” Archie said with deep satisfaction. “Conleth should have given up right at the start. Or at least after the first time Ragvald sent him flying. If he’s so smart, he should have known he was never gonna win.”
“I think he did know that. But he couldn’t give up. Not when Beth had staked all those desserts.”
“Then I’m gonna give her allmydesserts,” Archie said with feverish sincerity. “I’m so glad she made that bet. I never managed to get Conleth even half that dirty. Did you see how dirty he was, Paige? All covered in mud!”
Unbidden, the memory flashed through her mind yet again.
“Yes,” she said, somewhat hoarsely. She cleared her throat. “I saw.”
