“Water.” Brandor wiped at his brow.
Yeah, that wasn’t the way she was acting. Urian was beginning to think a pod person had kidnapped her.
Medea scoffed. “I’m fine. We’re just enjoying the sight of male stubbornness at its prime best, and wondering at what point the lot of you will cede defeat.” She glanced over to Brogan. “How long have they been pounding this poor defenseless shell now?”
“At least an hour.” Brogan wrinkled her nose.
Blaise shot a sudden blast at it that recoiled and hit Brandor squarely in the chest. The blast knocked him back fifteen feet and sent him head over heels until he landed on his side in a smoking heap.
Medea burst out laughing again.
With a groan, he pushed himself into a seated position to glare at Blaise. “Really, mandrake? Really?”
Squeaking in fear for her brother, Brogan scrambled to her feet to check on Brandor and to make sure he didn’t attack Blaise out of anger over his indignity.
“You know, Falcyn,” Medea taunted. “I think that puts the wall over for bonus points on all your sorry hides.”
“At least we’re doing something. You could try your hand at it, you know?”
“Why? It’s obviously not budging. If sheer force of will could open it, I’d give it to you and it would have surrendered ten hours ago.”
“Onehour ago.”
“Tomayto, tomahto.” Leaning on her side, she propped her head on her hand. “I should go ahead and take a nap while the lot of you waste your time.”
Urian was ignoring their sniping banter. At least until a sharp light almost blinded him.
Summoning a god-bolt, he was about to release it when the shadow took the form of a man he knew well. And one he trusted not at all.
The moment he saw the glow engulfing their hands, Shadow drew up short and set fire to his own hands as if to retaliate. “Whoa! Down, boy!”
“What are you doing here?”
After allowing the fire in his hands to go out, Shadow tugged one of the three amulets he wore about his neck over his head. “I have a present for you.”
“It’s a portal key,” Blaise said instantly. “I can feel it on him.”
“The mandrake would be correct. Varian sent me to escort the lot of you out of here.”
“We need to get back to Sanctuary,” Medea rose to her feet. “We’ve wasted enough time.”
“First we have to free the dragons at Camelot,” Blaise reminded her. Yeah, Urian was definitely on Blaise’s side with this one.
Medea rolled her eyes. “They’re statues, right? Been that way for centuries. What’s a few more days? Meanwhile my people are dying even as we speak. We need to save them!”
Blaise approached her with angry strides. He stopped right in front of her so that he could speak in sharp staccato beats. “If they free the dragons, they’ll tear through your Daimons. They’ll die anyway.”
Brandor growled at her. “And Falcyn’s sister is among those being held. She’ll be the first slaughtered should she wake her. Would you condemn her, too?”
Urian’s heart stopped at those words.
Shit. He was being asked to choose between Davyn and Xyn. He couldn’t make that call.
If either died because of him, he’d never be able to live with himself.
Shadow frowned as he listened to them arguing. After a second round of their escalating pitches, he whistled. “While this argument is really un-amusing and unproductive, and I couldn’t care less about the outcome, I feel obligated to mention something you might find interesting.” He waited until all of them were facing him before he spoke again. “Why would Maddor be summoned forthis?Seems a massive waste of his talents, if you ask me.”
The color faded from Falcyn’s face. “What delusions are you suffering?”
