Nothing you wouldn’t.
Fury,he growled.
I’d fed him more power last night. He’d do the same for me.
As soon as I’m finished with the king, I’m cornering Brodine,he said.I’ll see if I can help him.
We need to remove these collars.
I’m working on that.
That made me sit bolt upright.Have you found a way?
I am the controller. All I can do is try.
You said anyone collared would be hunted.
Only if they can tell that the collar has been removed.
Will the king be able to tell?I asked.
A long silence followed.
We can’t risk it. Can we grab Brodine and hide him?
As long as the collar’s in place, Ivenrail will be able to find Brodine no matter where we hide him.
Would he bother to look for a drained Nullen?
He’s unpredictable. Just as he knows Reyla’s your friend, he knows Brodine is too. He won’t risk losing a way to force you to behave.
Is there anything we can do?I asked.
I have an idea,he said. He paused, then his voice came out urgent.I have to go.
You’re still safe?
For now.
He cut me off, but I had to trust he’d watch out for himselfsince I wasn’t there to do it for him. The thought was laughable. He was so much more powerful than me, even after he was drained. What could I do for him that he couldn’t do for himself?
After bathing, I dressed in one of my simpler gowns. With Drask on my shoulder, I left my room and went down the back staircase, exiting out into the hallway with the portrait where the fluffy blue creatures were trapped.
Because I didn’t want to scare them again, I cautiously approached from the side.
This time, when I showed my face, I did so from across the hall. And this time, they watched me rather than scurry into the woods. I swore I read excitement in their eyes. They must see I was trying to help them. I hoped their confidence in me wasn’t unfounded.
While Drask fluttered his wings and stroked his beak through his feathers, grooming himself while sitting on my shoulder, I drew on my power and whispered the spell Vexxion taught me. Predictably, nothing happened, though the marscapoles shuddered like they had the times before. That encouraged me, so I cast the spell over and over again, not willing to leave until I’d donesomething.
Finally, I could tell I needed to go. Brenna was decent enough as far as would-be queens were concerned, but she wasn’t above scolding someone for arriving late and who needed to deal with that?
“One more time.” I drew in more power, scrambling to tug some from a deeper, smokier section of my well. After pinchingmy eyes closed and making a wish, I watched the blue creatures as I sent the wish out with the spell.
The marscapoles tumbled out of the painting, plopping onto the floor.
I wasn’t sure who was more surprised, them or me. They weren’t very big, not much larger than a full-grown chall, coming only halfway up my shin. Their fur appeared soft and lush, but I knew better than to touch it.
They blinked up at me before releasing high-pitched cheeps.
