“Will, this is amazing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Will squared his shoulders. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something else for a while. First, the old man lied to you and never apologized for that.”
“I’ve had this conversation with Lute. Your father did what he thought was best for your future. He didn’t know me, and he owed me nothing.”
“I know. As I said, first the old man lied to you. Then we failed to kill the Butcher. Then Lute allowed you to be taken. We keep fucking up and I’m tired of it. That’s not the way we usually do things.”
“I don’t see it that way but go on.”
“The old man has his ideas about the Sleepless Duke and what serving him means. But that’s his plans. Lute and I talked it over. The Sleepless Duke is a force, but you were the one who kept the old man from dying. You have my axe and Lute’s sword.”
“Didn’t you swear fealty to Everard?”
He shook his head. “No.”
For some reason, I had assumed they had.
“The Sleepless Duke can do so much more for you than I can,” I told him.
“We know. We are our own men. We’ve made our decision.”
“Are you sure? Because I’m about to pick a fight with Damaes of the Mage Tower.”
Will raised his eyebrows and winced when the skin above his black eye stretched. “Well, I’ve never gone up against an Archmage before. Might be fun.”
I felt so touched.
“I appreciate it more than I can express, Will. I will not treat your loyalty lightly.”
“Maggie!” Clover called from downstairs. There was a slight note of alarm in her voice.
I sighed. Something else had happened.
Will smiled at me and we headed downstairs to put out another fire.
The scroll case lay on the kitchen table. It was about a foot long, a wooden tube treated with resin. Decorative vines, carved with precision and care, wrapped around it. It looked expensive.
“Where did you find it?” I asked.
“On the side by the northern wall. It was attached to an arrow,” Lute reported.
The six of us pondered the tube.
“You don’t suppose there is a snake inside?” I asked.
Clover gave me an odd look. “Why would there be a snake?”
“No reason.” Digi’s aunt had once sent a poisonous viper in a scroll tube to someone she hated.
Kaiden pulled out his knife. “If there’s a snake, I’ll kill it.”
“Where did you get that?” Shana demanded.
Kaiden looked at Gort.
“You gave him a knife?” Shana asked.
“He’s old enough.”
