“That means,” I said, “someone did something to cause the decays.”
Arthur nodded once. “Something deliberate.”
“And now someone is willing to kill to keep it that way.”
He didn’t look away. “Yes.”
The quiet that followed was louder than the noise had been.
It was too much to absorb all at once, but some part of me understood the shape of it. A wrong had been committed, the truth hidden. And Arthur was trying to put things back to the way they were supposed to be.
I was looking at him differently now. Not just as the man who had turned into a dragon, but as someone who, despite holding the fate of an entire race on his shoulders, still worried whether I was all right.
Which seemed very on brand for him.
Percy approached us with the face of a man ready to move on to the afterlife.
“We need to go to Edinburgh,” Arthur said. “Soon.”
Percy lifted both hands. “Absolutely not. I amofficially done with adventure. I have enjoyed my survival streak and would like to preserve it.”
Arthur regarded him calmly. “You’re still in danger.”
“Yes, I am, which is why I will be in hiding. I have a place from my college days. No one will look for me there.” He glanced at his smashed car. “I’ll, uh, need a ride.”
Arthur nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
The sirens drew closer, catching Arthur’s attention. “We need to figure out the logistics. Artemis, are you sure you want to come?”
“Yes.”
He searched my face. “You don't owe me this.”
“I know,” I said. “That’s why I’m saying yes.”
A spark zinged between us.
“I’d like to grab a few things from my apartment,” I added. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll need a few things as well.”
He lifted his hand and pressed his thumb to a small mark on his wrist. It was the first time I’d noticed the symbol etched into his skin. My brain tagged it asImportant and Definitely Not Decorative. Before I could ask, the world bent, and someone appeared out of nowhere.
I yelped.
Percy shrieked and ducked behind a traffic barrier.
The man who materialized was well-dressed, looked annoyed, and deeply unimpressed by reality at large. I recognized him from the brief video call in Arthur’s car.
“Arthur, you could have given me more warning,” he said.
Arthur lowered his hand. “You arrived quickly.”
“You activated the bond,” the man snapped. “That is not a casual summons.”
“I needed you.”
The man sighed. “Obviously.”
