“It will not be easy to attack in dragon form,” Tariana said, “not with all that anti-dragon magic and those horrible bracelets. But you are right—the time to act like sniveling cowards has passed. We must stand andfight.”
“Exactly.” Drystan rose from his seat. “Tariana, contact your lieutenants and get this in motion immediately. Catriona, Taldren—withme.”
He stalked out of his office, the others following. Seething, Drystan stormed down to the dungeons and headed straight for the private, closely guarded cell where the warlock was beingheld.
“Let me through,” Drystan ordered the guards. They opened the cell, then stepped aside to let him in. Smoke puffed out of Drystan’s nostrils as he beheld the imposter, who lay on the hard bench with his eyes closed and his hands folded over his stomach. If not for the enchanted manacles around his wrist, the warlock might have resembled some sleeping princess waiting to be awoken by her long-lostlove.
Well, Drystan would awaken him all right. Just not in the manner of hischoosing.
“You miserable wretch,” he snarled, grabbing the warlock’s robe. He hefted the man, and when he merely hung limply from Drystan’s arm, Drystan slammed him into the stone wall. “I know you are faking it, old man. Wake up now, or I will burn you toashes!”
The warlock’s head lolled forward in response, almost as if he were mocking Drystan. Smirking, Drystan pushed the man’s head back up, then leaned in and oh-so-gently blew a stream of fire directly onto his shiny, baldhead.
“AAAAIIEEEEEEEEE!” the warlock screeched, his eyes flying open. He smacked at his head with his sleeves, thrashing against Drystan’s iron grip. “What in Xaldor’s name is wrong withyou?”
“Ah, so you are awake.” Drystan looked over his shoulder at Catriona and Taldren. His sister’s expression was an interesting meld of amusement and shock, while Taldren merely looked relieved that the warlock was no longer unconscious. “I knew you were fakingit.”
“You can hardly blame me for trying,” the warlock whined. “These manacles may prevent me from using my powers on you, but I am perfectly capable of using them on myself to affectsleep.”
“So I surmised,” Drystan spat. He threw the warlock at the bench, and the man cried out in pain as he smashed against the wall. “You are going to tell me who you really are, and what you’re doing here, or I am going to slow-roast your testicles and feed them to thedogs.”
“A-all right!” the warlock stammered, holding up his manacled hands to fend off Drystan. He trembled as Drystan opened his mouth, letting a cloud of smoke waft over the imposter. “My name is Mathias Black. I was sent here by King Wularian to spy on the dragoncourt!”
“To what purpose?” Catriona demanded. She and Taldren had moved in, flanking Drystan on either side. Mathias clenched his jaw, and Drystan opened his mouth wide, giving him a glimpse of the dragon fire lurking just down histhroat.
“Fine, fine!” Sweat broke out across the warlock’s forehead. “To weaken the kingdom and prepare it for an eventual takeover. My king had already heard about King Dragomir—he’s been using magical mirrors to spy on the goings-on in Dragon’s Keep and saw your father showed signs of dragon sickness. We needed to speed up the progression of the illness, so he sent me in to get rid of his Dragon’s Gift and to sow doubt and mistrust in hismind.”
As the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place, a red haze descended over Drystan’s vision. Roaring, he grabbed the warlock by the throat and slammed him into the wall again, squeezinghard.
“You…killed…my…mother,” he ground out between clenched teeth. The fire raged in his chest, demandingretribution.
“P-please!” Mathias choked, his eyes bulging. “I-I-I…can help…you!”
“Drystan,” Taldren said gently from behind him. “We came down here because we needed information. If you kill him now, we may not find out what we need toknow.”
Disgusted, Drystan released his hold and let the warlock collapse on the bench. Letting out another roar, he punched the wall just above Mathias’s head. Spiderweb cracks raced across the stone as the room trembled, and the warlock whimpered. He still wore the oracle’s guise, but he was a far cry from the smug, self-righteous arsehole he’d beenportraying.
“You are going to tell me how to circumvent the anti-dragon spell that has been laid over Elvenhame,” Drystan said in a too-soft voice. “And you are going to tell me how the elves are bringing down my dragons and forcing them to change back into humanform.”
“T-there is no way to circumvent the anti-dragon spell!” the warlock stammered, holding up his manacled hands to fend off Drystan. Drystan bared his teeth, puffing a cloud of smoke at the warlock that caused him to lose control of his bladder and fill the room with the stench of piss. “Not unless I crafted warlock amulets for every member in your army, and that would takemonths!”
“We don’t have months,” Drystan snapped. “The elves have mutilated my brother and threatened further harm to him—we are marching on themnow.Give me something to use against them, or so help me, I will tie you to a spit and let one of my sisters slow-roast you todeath.”
“The bracelets!” the warlock whined, his voice cracking. “The secret is thebracelets.”
Catriona sucked in a sharp breath. “What do youmean?”
“We crafted special brass bracelets that force dragons to shift back to human form and prevent them from breathing fire,” Mathias croaked. “That is how Arolas was able to turn the tide so quickly againstyou.”
“Is there a way to combat the effects?” Drystandemanded.
“As I said, warding amulets,” Mathias panted. “But again, it would take me months to craft enough for all ofyou.”
“That’s insane,” Taldren snapped. “Lucyan has a warding amulet—he’s using it right now. If he was able to get his hands on one, that means they are forsale.”
Mathias laughed harshly. “Indeed, in Shadowhaven. Good luck making it to any of the market stalls there, or getting them to take a large order. It is foolish to attack the elves now. We have armed them against you. The plan was to get the two of you to weaken each other, and it has gone splendidly so far. Once the elves finish you all off, Shadowhaven can move in and annihilate what is left of Elvenhame’s army. Both of your peoples will be ground into the dust, and we shall reclaim our homeland and return it to its former glory.” His eyes shone with a fanatical light. “Terragaard will thrive once it is free from the influence of elves anddragons.”
Drystan clenched his hand into a fist. He wanted to grind Mathias’s face into the dust, or at least give him a few good punches. Neither of them were even close to what his mother’s murderer deserved,but…
