I can feel her.
Luka concentrated, focusing on his beast’s utter confidence. She was alive, and all he had to do was find her.
She’s alive,his beast growled,but she’s terrified.
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Izzy kneeledwhere Dashiell had shoved her on the broken floor. He’d tied her hands behind her back, winding the rope tightly over her wrists, tearing at skin and scales. Then he’d bound a second rope around her throat and strung it down to loop around her ankles, until she was trussed and helpless.
As soon as she was secured, Dashiell lit a nearby wall lamp. It threw a pool of light onto the surrounding area and illuminated an ancient steel portcullis that hung ready to drop. A stone lever was built into the ground below and a little to the side of the portcullis—perhaps an operating mechanism. Dashiell began winding a coil of rope around the lever, keeping an eye on the door as he worked.
“What are you doing?” Izzy whispered.
“Preparing to catch a drake,” Dashiell stated, as if it were obvious.
Mother of the Weave. “Please don’t do this,” Izzy begged, voice breaking.
Dashiell ignored her.
“Luka won’t be alone,” she insisted. “That won’t work.”
“Oh, I think he will,” Dashiell argued. “I’ve watched the knight commander for years as he’s pushed everyone away. He’llcome looking for you when he realizes you’re missing… and he’ll come alone.”
Izzy’s heart broke a little more. “The others will come. They won’t stop. Someone will realize the truth!”
“I’ve run Firebreather right under their noses for years without anyone realizing the truth.” Dashiell chuckled. “Rayan died, and not one person even thought to look at me. That was the best thing about being a city guard—I could go anywhere, do almost anything—and it would’ve been even better to be a castle guard.” His amusement turned bitter. “I thought I could restart the war and get myself into a better position at the same time.” He sighed. “It didn’t work out, but I have a new plan. And now I’m going to make more gold than you can even imagine. I already sent a bird. The baron has a ship waiting around the headland, just over the horizon. I’ll hand you both over, collect my prize, and be long gone before anyone notices.”
“What baron?”
Dashiell tugged on the rope until the lever just started to move. Then he walked back to Izzy, letting the rope unspool along the ground, but he didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he pushed the temple door open a few inches, just enough to create a tempting entrance. Then he blew out the lamp, leaving them in deep shadow.
Gods of fire. All he has to do is pull the rope, the lever will disengage, and the portcullis will drop.
Izzy hung her head. Dashiell was insane… but his plan could work. Her gaze fell on the gloomy pile of skeletons only just visible in the dark. “Who are they?” she asked roughly.
Dashiell settled himself on a piece of convenient marble, gripping the end of the rope. “They were already dead.”
She swallowed. “They didn’t die in a pile like that. What did you do?”
Her beast twisted and roiled, unsettled.He did something foul.
“It’s quite brilliant, actually,” Dashiell bragged. “When Benja first taught me the secret to Firebreather, I knew instantly that his production method was unsustainable. He was going to get caught killing old drakes, and that would have taken us both down.”
Izzy swallowed bile. Gods, Benja had been killing people, and Dashiell had helped.
“What secret?” she forced herself to ask.
“It’s so obvious, really. The drakes have magic. They take it from the air, from the mountain. They probably even take it from the rest of us. Someone long ago found a way to take it back.”
Izzy did not want to know, but she had to. “How do you take it back?” She glanced again at the ominous pile of skeletons. “Is it in the bones?”
“I wondered that myself.” Dashiell tilted his head. “I think there probably is magic in the bones. I’m sure Benja could have distilled something from them. He taught me poisons and anatomy, but he died before he could teach me the rest.” Dashiell sighed, as if Benja had failed him by dying when he still had work to do. “I just burn them and use the ashes to mix in with the Firebreather and bulk it up.”
“And what is Firebreather?” she asked in a strangled voice.
“It’s the claws. They extend when a pair mates; they’re full of magic and heat and potency.” Dashiell chuckled darkly. “Just a taste, and even the oldest, most feeble and doddering ancient among us can get his cock up. And the rich and powerful can enjoy their festivities for days.”
