Ignoring the creeping feeling that she’d made a terrible mistake, Estella turned on her heel and marched out of the cavern, climbing up the damp stairs toward the surface where her hired boat was waiting to take her away from Algonquin’s Tower in the lake and back to the mainland of the DFZ.
***
The last twenty minutes had been the longest of Julius’s life.
Marci was still out, there was no word from Justin, and though Amelia was stirring, she had yet to actually wake up. That last one was particularly worrying. Generally speaking, it took a lot to keep a dragon down. He wasn’t sure what Chelsie had done to knock her out earlier, but he was certain it should have worn off by now. But even though she hadn’t opened her eyes yet, Amelia did look much better. Julius was trying to feel hopeful about that when his phone buzzed.
He’d barely registered the motion before he had the thing in his hands. When the name flashed on the screen, though, his heart stuttered, because it wasn’t Justin or Marci or anyone he actually wanted to talk to.
It was his mother.
For a few seconds, Julius actually considered not answering. But two decades of enforced obedience were difficult to ignore, and there was always the chance Bethesda would have information about Justin. It was that more than anything that made his decision. Not wanting to disturb Amelia, Julius stepped out of the living room into the hall that led to the kitchen, raising the phone to his ear as he grimly accepted the call. “Hello, Mother.”
“Julius!”
He jumped, eyes going wide. Maybe he was hearing things, but he would have sworn it sounded like Bethesda wascrying. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s your brother. He’s been captured by Algonquin.”
Julius took a ragged breath. Capture wasn’t the worst scenario he’d imagined, but it was close. “What happened?”
“He went into Reclamation Land alone and challenged Vann Jeger,” she sobbed. “Now my brave baby boy is in the hands of that lake monster!”
“Mother,” Julius said, shocked. He’d never heard her sound so upset. “It’s all right,” he reassured her. “We’ll save him. I’m sure there’s a way—”
“There isn’t,” she sniffled. “Algonquin already made it clear she won’t bargain. Our only option is a direct assault on her tower to take him back. An attack like that would take the very best of Heartstriker working together, and that’s not even counting Algonquin’s army of mages. The entire tower is layered with wards.” Her voice began to break. “I couldn’t even begin to think how to get around them without Amelia’s help, but she never answers my summons. She thinks I want to hurt her.” Bethesda paused there with a sniffle. Then, almost like an afterthought, she added, “You were talking to her at the party. Do you know where she is?”
A cold shiver went down Julius’s spine. His mother’s voice was more hopeful and sincere than he’d ever heard it, and why not? It was no secret that Justin was Bethesda’s favorite. If she was going to get emotional over anyone, it would be him. But even so, even when he was trying to think the best of her, the question about Amelia set off alarm bells in Julius’s head. Chelsie hadjustwarned him that their mother would try anything to kill Amelia, and while he wanted to believe that Bethesda was genuinely concerned enough about Justin to put aside her paranoia, he knew his mother better than that. Bethesda the Heartstriker was a true dragon. She put aside nothing when it came to her own well-being.
“Julius!” Bethesda snapped when he didn’t answer immediately. “This is very important! We need to move fast if we’re going to save Justin. Now, tell me where your sister is.”
Part of him, the better part, wanted to believe her. Hewantedso badly to believe she was telling the truth, that she wouldn’t use her son like this. But the rest of Julius, the dragon who’d grown up in the Heartstriker’s shadow, couldn’t take that risk, and when he replied at last, the lie slid easily from his lips.
“I don’t know.”
There was a long pause, and then his mother sighed. “You always were a terrible liar.”
Julius tensed. There were no more tears in her voice, no more distress. The whole thing had been anact.
“I’m not a fool, Julius,” Bethesda continued in a calm, businesslike voice. “I know Amelia latched onto you last night, and I will not tolerate you keeping secrets. Now, tell me, where is Amelia?”
“I don’t know,” Julius said again, clutching the phone. “Where’s my brother?”
“Oh, that part was all true,” his mother said. “And I really am very upset about all this. Butreally, what did Justin think was going to happen when he walked into Reclamation Land?”
“So you’re just going to let Algonquin have him?” Julius cried. “You’re going to let himdie?”
“Don’t say that like this is my fault,” she snapped. “Justin brought this on himself and you know it. That said, it doesn’t mean we can’t come to an arrangement.”
Julius blinked, confused. “What arrangement?”
“Come now, darling,” Bethesda chuckled. “I know Justin’s your favorite brother. He’s been saving your life since you were both the size of my claw, which explains why you’re so desperate to help him now. Speaking as the clan head who has to consider the good of all Heartstrikers, I, of course, have already been forced to write off saving Justin as more trouble than it’s worth. However, Icouldbe convinced to change my mind, provided you made it worth my while.”
She paused expectantly, but Julius was so angry he could barely speak. “Let me be sure I have this right,” he ground out at last. “You want me to pay for saving my brother, yourson, by betraying mysister?”
“Don’t be stupid, dear,” Bethesda said. “You can’t betray Amelia because you owe her no allegiance. That belongs to me.”
“But you’re going to kill her?”
