Page 76 of Connor and the Dragons

“And that puzzle is?”

Connor looked at me as if that was obvious. Or perhaps as if I was the puzzle.

“I am very happy to be home. Now things can return to normal.”

I had kept these rooms for more years than I could remember, since I was working at Delsy’s side, performing impressive feats of diplomacy to bring the counties together under unified rule. There was a sitting room, and a dining room, and a bedchamber with a massive bed, because the palace carpenters had felt a lord such as myself should have everything in a grand size.

“I might have another bath,” Oallian said, valiant in his efforts to remain upbeat. “They work wonders on sore muscles. Should anyone like to join me.”

Connor fiddled with his aetherwoven bracelet, then his eyes dropped to Oallian’s wrist. “What happened to your bracelet?”

“He does not need it here. He speaks Common.”

Oallian turned his hand over and he was looking at the inside of his own wrist, and then he shook his head.

“It was on me at Harrowgate’s house,” he said. “Or I would not have been able to understand Harrowgate’s asinine efforts at flirtation.”

“Did you remove it before the shift?” Connor asked. “At Harrowgate’s.”

Oallian glanced towards me, then took a long sip of his tea. “The shift was rather… unplanned.”

“You two going to tell me what the fuck happened?” Connor asked. “Or are you both planning to spend another few days avoiding talking this through?”

“It was no big deal—” I started, right as Oallian said, “You’ll only find it upsetting. But suffice it to say we have left some evidence behind. Clothing and a bracelet. Hopefully well-charred. And the bracelet isn’t the worst part. The worst part is I lost my cage.” He looked down at his dick mournfully.

Connor’s jaw ticked. “Since it’s a safety device for you, I will ask the palace leatherworker to make you some options.”

Oallian sat up so fast he knocked my chair back. “Are you making me a new cage?”

“Yes. But stop changing the subject. I asked a question.”

“He asked how a mediocre country wizard came to be in possession of an elf,” I said. “Then he told me he had always had a weakness for our kind, and he pointed to his ear to let me know he’d seen mine.”

“And taken them for elf ears,” Oallian muttered, rolling his eyes. “Not very smart, that one. Anyway, there was one thing to do, which was to get Kessrin out of that house before he could be enslaved, and the shortest way out of that house was up through the roof of it. I also wanted to murder everyone. Only once I transformed, Kessrin rolled his eyes and said ‘oh, for fuck’s sake, don’t murder everyone. Go for the hoard, you moron.’”

Connor’s lips twitched as he glanced towards me, and he looked me over the way he looked at things he had already decided to keep. I knew I could not trust it. Connor was going home.

I cleared my throat. “I’ve just remembered. The Queen sent summons with breakfast.” I put my napkin on the table, folded, because my hands were going to do something and folding was available. “I am late for her already.”

“Kess, you can’t make up fake summons forever.”

“Well. This is a real summons.” I didn’t know whether they believed it. I didn’t stay in the room long enough to find out.

I was down the corridor before I could think too hard about it, and opening the door to Delsy’s study with barely a nod to the guard posted there. He straightened when he saw me, but didn’t bother to try to stop me. They never did.

Delsy was at the long table with the map weighted down at all four corners. The Emberrick map. My stomach dropped as I realized just how thoroughly I’d failed her.

Connor wasn’t staying, and I had no idea what was happening with Oallian. I certainly couldn’t control the wild dragon myself. I didn’t have the ability to reach him when Vyranthos took over.

Not that I’d ever tried.

Everything was going horribly wrong, and I just kept replaying Oallian’s assertion on the island. I knew where he was because I felt him.

Good thing I hadn’t also felt Connor, because that would be very alarming indeed.

Or I didn’t think I had.

As I sat on the seat across from her, Delsy looked up and frowned. “Kessrin. Did something happen?”