Realm of Scamall
Closing in on a week of residence in the strange realm Germanus ruled, Evalle snuck through the castle. Germanus had granted her two hours to rest.
She didn’t trust him enough to lie down and sleep. Instead, she took quick naps while standing so she’d wake as soon as her body went limp and dropped to the floor.
That bastard was not screwing with her dreams again.
Inhaling a deep breath, she looked around the central area of the castle, saw no Germanus or gargoyles, and entered the stairwell that descended to the lower levels.
She’d expected to smell mildew from dampness.
Oddly, this structure showed no signs of being here for hundreds of years.
Or maybe a couple thousand years.
She rubbed her arm where a nasty gash tried to heal.
Different day, nothing new.
She’d come to realize the Noirre majik that had been shoved into her chest wound after she arrived here had interfered with her normal ability to call up her beast energy. Or it could be that the guy who stuck all that dark majik in her body had placed a spell, which allowed Germanus to control her healing via the Noirre majik. She’d heal somewhat each time she shifted into her Gryphon form, only to immediately face the next flying creature Germanus sent to attack her.
Being fully healed was a thing of the past.
To her credit, she was gaining more ability at air battles, but to her detriment she was losing the desire to keep fighting.
Daegan, Storm and the Beladors might never find her.
How would they know if she was here?
Germanus claimed he’d made a blood pact with her kidnapper that they would shield each other’s identity, but the kidnapper would alert Germanus the minute Daegan was on the way to attack.
Nothing had been said about sending a message to Daegan. Germanus was not telling her everything. No surprise there. She had her doubts about the sanity of a human living alone inside a realm for two thousand years.
Was the dragon king supposed to figure all this out on his own without a tip? If the kidnapper vowed not to share anything about Germanus or this place, did he have some sly way to send Daegan here? If so, Daegan had to suspect a trap.
Her dragon king would still come for her.
Storm and the rest of her friends would, too. At one time, she’d felt like the poster child for Evalle-against-the-whole-world, but that had changed. Reminding herself of that had warmed her heart and raised the urge to fight on at first, but that urge had begun to wane more with each passing realm day.
In her mind, she wished everyone would appear right now.
In her heart, she did not want anyone she loved to die in this place.
Would their spirits ever rest or just stay here? Who knew, but ... again, she was glad Storm had not tied himself to her.
What is with all this whining? Evalle asked herself before her mother’s voice got a chance to do it. The woman’s spirit had said little recently, though. Maybe time moved faster here than in her mother’s world, too.
The constant mental drain and lack of decent sleep had Evalle dancing close to insanity.
She could not give in. She was alive to fight another day, which would happen sooner rather than later, unfortunately. Storm was hunting her. They could defeat anything together.
That dragon would be leading with her Skinwalker keeping stride. Actually, knowing Storm, he might take off on his own, but she hoped not. Daegan would need to bring backup with him, because he’d be at serious risk in Scamall if Germanus had a powerful god—or more—ready to attack him. Even if he knew what awaited, that dragon would still come after her, and deserved for her to show enough faith to hang tight.
Figuring her way out of here was about more than just her. People needed her. She had to keep telling herself that so she wouldn’t give up.
She’d gone from being so very alone to having Tzader and Quinn at her back.
Now, she needed an extra set of hands to count the people in her life she could depend on, and who also knew they could depend on her.
That cheered her and stomped her moment of weakness. This was the time to be tough and believe in her mate. Storm had always found a way to locate her in the past.
Maybe the cavalry would show up, too.
Oh, yeah, maybe Macha and Maeve will team up to save you.
Evalle blew out a long breath. Shut up, mind. It’s my fantasy.
Descending deeper into the bowels of the castle with each carefully placed step, and avoiding the area where she thought the dungeon was located, she constantly listened for any sign of an enormous gargoyle coming for her. She’d had true affection for gargoyles before coming here.
The ones in this realm were monsters.
Not like her little Feenix. It hurt to think how confused and stressed he’d be right now, but he was tough, too. Storm, Lanna and the boys would watch over her sweet gargoyle and keep him safe.
Evalle kept her mind on her task, which was to uncover as much information as she could about Germanus. She might just find a way out of this mess or at least a weakness in his armor.
She’d been taking step after step, heading down stone stairs, but stopped at the first sign of light below.
Her ragged heart kicked into gear, pumping hard, but still nothing like when she was in the pit. In there, where adrenaline and the will to live kept her fighting, one day ran into the next, blending into one endless stretch of battles followed by misery.
Now was the time to calm down and not alert anyone to her presence.
Once her breathing slowed, she continued toward the light. At the last step down, she reached a wide landing where she poked her head past the arched opening.
Now she knew where the glow had originated.
The sight of gold goblets, silver plates, gold figures, dazzling jewels, ancient weapons polished to a shine and ... there was too much to mentally catalog.
This should be next to hoard in the dictionary, or king’s ransom.
Germanus said a god made this realm and moved all her captor’s belongings here. Had Germanus been a king? He wasn’t a dragon or he’d have shown her that side by now.
Tiptoeing as if someone two floors up in a stone structure might hear her barefooted steps, Evalle limped her way through the room. She rubbed her arms against the chilly air.
Four torches were mounted to the walls, their light reflecting off the mountain of treasure that peaked thirty feet in the air. It sprawled at least forty feet in diameter. What all was in that pile?
Stepping closer, she knelt to touch a plate large enough to hold a Thanksgiving turkey and more. The metal work was beautiful. Someone had spent hours shaping this and engraving the design of grapes and vines around the edges.
“Exceptional collection, isn’t it?”
Evalle flinched and shoved up to her feet, turning quickly to face Germanus. “I was ... just finding my way around and got lost.”
“Liar,” he accused, then cut loose a deep belly laugh. “I expected you to go off on your own at some point. You found it, but then it’s not like I have to hide it in my own realm.”
She fought the urge to yell at him that there was nothing funny about any of this. But if she wanted intel, she wouldn’t get it by antagonizing a lunatic. Every bit of information she could squeeze out of him would help if she discovered a way to leave.
Not if, but when. Never, ever think escape is impossible.
The minute she lost all hope, she might as well be dead.
She had too much to live for to give in. Time to pretend she was getting accustomed to being here.
Breathing deeply as if relieved, she lifted a shoulder. “You caught me. If I’m going to spend a lot of time here I’d like to know more about this place.”
“Oh? So you concede that you will never leave Scamall?” he taunted.
To agree would not be believable.
She scoffed at that. “Not even. I’m only conceding that I’m bored as hell and curious. This isn’t exactly a vacation spot for me.”
He laughed again. “I like that about you. You speak your mind. In my time, it was frowned upon when a woman acted so boldly, but you are a warrior. But be very clear on this, you will be here forever.”
Keep thinking that, dick breath. She waved off his comment as inconsequential. Then she waved the same hand to indicate the pile of treasure. “Is this what you did before you landed in this realm? Spent your life stealing gold and jewels, then ratholing it here?”
He bragged, “Oh, no. I gained this all at one time.”
She gave him a dramatic look of disbelief that upped his arrogant smile. Her acting skills might not be as lacking as she thought. “This is ... this is incredible. It looks like some kind of dragon hoard,” she joked, hoping he’d take the bait.
Germanus strolled past her to stand at the opposite side of the extraordinary pile, gazing at it with admiration.
Was he not going to answer?
“It is a hoard,” Germanus murmured. Sending his gaze back to her, he admitted, “It was mine for the taking once the king’s defenses fell.”
She had a bad feeling that she knew exactly what he was going to say when she asked, “Where did you take it from?”
“Galway.”
“Huh?” Did he think she knew all the geographic locations in the world?
Annoyed, he said, “Has Daegan told you nothing of where he was born?”
“Uh, no, it hasn’t come up in any discussion. You stole this from him?”
“Of course not.”
She was actually glad to hear that. Otherwise, this would definitely turn into a war if Daegan showed up.
Germanus explained, “All of this belonged to King Gruffyn.”
“His father?”
“The very one.”
This man had been insane centuries ago.
He was so far beyond that now.
She’d found a thread of information and would not let go until she’d unraveled one of his secrets. “How did you manage to get away with that much treasure from a king who had a dragon? That’s hard to imagine.”
“You doubt me?” His happy little mental party turned into annoyance at her questioning his ability.
Time to stroke his ego. “Hey, I’m sitting in a realm in who-knows-what dimension with you and an army of flying beasts. I know you’re capable of what you claim, because ... hello. The evidence is staring me in the face. I just want to know how someone pulls off something this fantastical.”
Using fantastical should stroke his swollen ego, right?
He walked across the room, snagging a torch on the way.
She had no option except to follow if she wanted more answers.
He entered an alcove on the side that hadn’t been evident earlier. Probably shielded by majik. Shoving the torch in a new holder, he stood there as light filled the smaller room with an orange glow that brushed over a throne fit for a king.
Germanus had stolen the king’s throne, too?
Daegan would slaughter the enemy of today’s Belador to protect his people.
She tried to imagine how much more deadly the dragon king would be to someone who dared to possess his father’s throne, especially when the king probably hadn’t survived this incident.
To be sure, she asked, “What happened to the king?”
“What do you think happens when a king is dethroned?”
Yeah, just as she’d thought. “Was he a bad king?”
“Gruffyn was a weak king, always putting his people ahead of building a true dynasty with an army capable of raiding for more gold. In his place, I would have ruled the world. Should have, in fact.”
Settling into the enormous chair covered in gold gilding and with plush cushions of a deep red material that appeared downy soft, Germanus had the face of a content man.
Would he still have that calm expression in death?
He lifted a jeweled crown of gold from a small table at the side of the throne and placed the exquisite piece on his head.
If Daegan stood here, he’d torture Germanus before beheading him.
She’d hand the sword to her dragon king and offer pointers.
Sounded like Daegan’s father had been a good and decent ruler, which would be easy to believe after the time she’d spent with Daegan. He’d had a solid role model.
She warned Germanus, “Daegan will not let you keep all of this.”
“He’s not taking any of this from me. I’ve been here for centuries.” Leaning back with his crown half-cocked, Germanus said, “I can’t believe Queen Maeve was stupid enough to keep Daegan alive all these years. She should have killed him and saved all of us a lot of trouble.”
Poor baby. Should Evalle apologize for imposing on his life as well by having to be kidnapped?
She doubted he’d answer her question, but it was worth a try. “So Queen Maeve is behind kidnapping me?”
Germanus gave her a smile of tolerance, but no reply.
Returning to his comment about Queen Maeve keeping Daegan alive, she told Germanus, “Daegan said the queen doesn’t want him dead. She kept him all that time because she wanted to torture him by making him spend eternity in the shape of her throne.”
After saying that out loud, it made her question Queen Maeve’s involvement, since Germanus definitely wanted the dragon dead.
Germanus sat up. “A dragon throne you say? I only heard she’d captured Daegan.” That tiny piece of information brightened his day. “I like the way she thinks, but she still should not have allowed Daegan to escape.”
Evalle had played a part in Daegan’s escape, which had involved taking him out of TÅμr Medb in the form of said throne, but sharing that might put a damper on the light mood.
Thinking back over her conversation with Germanus, she pulled on her lower lip until she returned to the one question that had badgered her mind since showing up here.
Why was this happening and why now?
Could she be standing in the middle of the answer? She asked, “Are you concerned that Daegan will come for that hoard?”
“Of course he will. I’m not concerned, but anticipating it.” He looked at her as if she’d asked if breathing clean air was healthy. He bent forward, propping a hand on one knee. “Every dragon needs a hoard. Daegan will settle for nothing less than his father’s treasure.”
“Why would he even think you had this stash? Did you know his father?”
“For many years. I was his steward.”
Evalle mentally dug through historical novels she’d read. “Wasn’t a steward some kind of accountant back then?”
“Exactly. I oversaw the finances of his entire kingdom. The king was not prepared for a war or he’d still have all this treasure. Or at least, Daegan might.”
“What war?”
“The great Dragani War. Have you studied no history?” Germanus seemed genuinely disappointed in her lack of dragon-era education.
“Hey, I knew what a steward was,” she snapped. Pointing at herself, she said, “I haven’t been alive even thirty years yet. I’m just now finding out about things that happened over the past one hundred years in our world, much less something that happened two thousand years ago.”
“Your education is sorely lacking. Once you battle Daegan and he’s gone forever, I’ll ensure you have plenty of history to study.”
She walked to one side and turned to start back, using Tzader’s motion of pacing to think. Seemed to work for him, but he didn’t walk with a limp.
She missed Tzader. And Quinn.
Pushing that away, she addressed this ridiculous battle Germanus expected her to have with Daegan. “You do realize Daegan is a dragon shifter and I’m only a gryphon. You also said all I had to do was lead your creatures into battle with him, not kill him.” If Daegan did show up, she hoped he would fight back because she’d have to really battle. If she didn’t give her best attempt at fighting Daegan’s dragon, Germanus would harm someone else she loved.
Her options sucked, because she would not be the reason the Beladors lost a true leader.
Right now she should be wishing she’d been born human, but she tossed that wish right out the window. If that had happened, she would never have met Storm. She’d never regret whatever it took to have him in her life.
Her heart ached from the pain of Noirre permeating the organ, but it hurt worse from losing Kardos. She’d never be able to heal from that. She was not letting this monster kill anyone else she loved.
She only hoped the kidnapper got what he deserved somewhere down the road for doing that to an innocent person. If he ever showed his face here, she’d find a way to gut him.
If protecting all she held dear meant battling Daegan, she’d apologize and do it, but she was banking on Daegan teleporting her out.
Germanus had said it wouldn’t be possible, as though he controlled all activity in and out of the realm. But if that kidnapper had managed to enter on his own, that would mean someone else could pass both ways, right?
Was his threat of her not being able to leave just a bluff to keep her from trying to escape again? She’d like to think so, but anything was possible in the world of preternaturals.
Not the most comforting thought.
Pausing in her barefooted limping, she leveled with Germanus. “Even if I wanted to kill Daegan, which I don’t, he’d burn me into a lump of charcoal before I got off even a kinetic shot ... and that’s if you allow me to use all powers.” Not to mention her bum leg that was strong enough to stand on, but not much use for anything else. She had a sick feeling the Noirre plugged into her chest would never allow those hideous scars to heal or her chest to stop hurting.
“Daegan won’t kill you,” Germanus argued.
She stuck her hands on her hips. “Not if he has a choice. I’m one of his closest advisors and I know he does not want to harm me, but he is not going to stand by and let me take him apart.”
“I never expected him to do any such thing. But I know Daegan, because he’s more disgusting than his father. Daegan is the last of the white knights and you’re a woman, which he would never raise a hand to harm. Besides, as I explained, you only have to battle him. While he’s busy trying not to harm you, my army will take care of the rest.”
This delusional jerk was living in a fantasy world.
She chuckled. “The seven critters you have left are not going to take down Daegan even if he fights them alone.”
“Don’t laugh as if I am the fool here,” he warned in a booming voice that vibrated the walls.
She was not cut out to be a spy. Undercover operators had to maintain their cover at all times and never show what they were thinking or feeling.
With her anger boiling over at everything from getting kidnapped, to not being allowed to heal, to watching Kardos die, she snarled, “I don’t get you at all. You’re safe here. You can sit here and count your money every day forever. Why bring Daegan’s wrath down on your head?”
He stood. “Safe? I’ve been stuck in this realm for centuries with nothing but my imagination to keep me company. I can’t conjure a woman or touch you. If I do, my dick will shrivel and I will be without even manual entertainment.”
So that was why he had not tried to force himself on her. She’d thought it was her repulsive image. She’d also thought he was favored by the god who put him here, but it didn’t sound that way.
Germanus must have pissed off that powerful being. With her captor on a rant, she stifled her anger and tried for an understanding tone. “What? Why would your god do that? You must be one of his followers who worshipped him.”
Staring at his shiny pile of goodies, Germanus groused, “I did worship Abandinu in spite of risking a lashing if the king had found out. Abandinu was everything to me. When I asked my god for a safe place to stash this hoard and somewhere Daegan couldn’t harm me, I thought he would put me in a castle far from King Gruffyn. But no,” Germanus scowled.
Evalle didn’t breathe. Don’t interrupt the mad man.
“Instead, Abandinu built this realm for his favorite winged beasts, then teleported me here with all my possessions. He said the day Daegan died that he would free me. Then he disappeared. The bastard.”
Part of that story had to be missing.
Evalle had nothing but disdain for gods and goddesses she’d faced in Tribunals, but she had learned they did little without a reason. Basically, they were lazy and self-serving.
What had Germanus done to be treated this way by Abandinu?
Probably hadn’t been wise of Germanus to curse a deity, but she had no qualms about watching him get smoked if his god heard that.
They’d both wronged Daegan and his father.
Tired of listening to the rant of someone who didn’t deserve any consideration, she muttered, “Sympathy is between shit and syphilis in the dictionary, Germanus.”
“Dictionary?”
“Argh. Can’t even insult you, because you’ve been isolated forever.”
Sitting back down with a glum look on his face, Germanus said, “My god abandoned me long ago. Now I find out Daegan is free and still immortal. What am I supposed to do? Just sit here for eternity with a dragon after my ass? That is not happening. I will have a new protector once I leave here. She will reward me just for killing Daegan.”
Evalle’s ears perked up. “Who?”
Germanus would not answer.
“Let me get this straight. You’re preparing for a battle with a dragon and you don’t even know the name of your new benefactor?”
Speaking through clenched teeth, he said, “I do know her name. I promised to not speak her name until she gives me permission.”
Dead end there. Evalle switched gears, acting uninterested. “Whatever. So who kidnapped me? I know it wasn’t a woman.”
“You keep asking the same questions.”
“If you’d answer them, I’d stop asking. See how that works?”
Gifting her with a smirk, he said, “How about this? I will give you the names you ask for before I leave.”
Hold everything. “You’re really leaving me here?”
“It will not be possible to take you with me.” He said that as if it was obvious. Nothing was obvious.
This might be her only chance to find out everything she could. “You made this deal with my kidnapper, right?”
Germanus frowned. “Correct.”
“He said he’d get you out of here if you kill Daegan, is that the deal? What about your pile of treasure?”
Giving her a look that questioned her IQ level, he said, “Once I have Daegan’s head on a platter, I will escape this miserable realm with my treasure and live forever.”
She only knew one way to live forever. “My kidnapper promised you immortality, too? And you trust this guy? Why?”
For just a second, doubt dimmed his confidence, but it disappeared as quickly. He sat up, placing the crown to the side and explained, “This man had the power to harvest pure Noirre when others died attempting it.”
Pure Noirre? Was that why the majik used on Evalle smelled so strong? Noirre got traded secretly among preternaturals, but Noirre majik was believed to have always come from the Medb. A pure form had Evalle again thinking Queen Maeve had to be behind this.
Germanus kept listing evidence to support his trust in the kidnapper. “When someone can enter a Celtic realm through a bolthole, shield his trail and show up with the purest form of Noirre in his hand, then deliver a Belador who shifts into a gryphon, I have a hard time arguing.”
He had her there. “Where did this guy find pure Noirre?”
“Ha! You do not know where Norrie originates, do you?” he scorned. “I am stuck in this realm and still I know more than you!”
She hated to admit it, but Germanus was correct on that point. She said, “I’ll give you that. So where did Noirre come from?”
“Dunmore Cave in Ossory,” Germanus replied, full of smug arrogance.
“Where is Ossory?”
“Listen closely and learn something,” he snapped. “The Vikings of Dublin were raiding—”
“Dublin? As in Ireland? I thought Vikings were Swedish or Nordic or something like that.”
Shaking his head in disgust, he said, “There were three groups of Vikings in Dublin, Limerick and Waterford at one time. Those in Dublin were going after the Waterford bunch when they raided Ossory. Fearing capture as slaves, the women and children hid inside Dunmore cave because it had a narrow opening they could defend. The Vikings decided to burn them out, but—”
Evalle snapped her fingers. “They asphyxiated those innocent people instead. Damn.”
Germanus narrowed his eyes at her with irritation. Or was he confused?
Did he not know what asphyxiated meant? Rather than poke back at him about having a better vocabulary, she focused on keeping him talking and said, “They suffocated, right?”
“Yes. I knew of Noirre in my time, but my friend shared more details. He said some remains were recovered, but a small number of skeletons were hidden deep in the cave.”
Evalle had this comical vision of skeletons creeping into a dark corner to hide. Yep, her mind was going.
Undeterred, Germanus kept explaining. “The mother of one little girl was not present when the women herded the children to the cave. That mother was captured trying to save her child. She cursed the raiders and swore she’d have vengeance.”
Evalle mentally nodded her approval over the mother getting back at those murderers any way she could.
Germanus continued, “The Vikings soon realized they had captured a witch, which was why someone probably allowed her to escape when they invaded Spain and fought the Moors. She was taken in by a man who found her almost dead. He used his powers to heal her and realized she also had powers. He convinced her to stay with him. They had seven children who inherited various abilities and gifts. My friend who kidnapped you is a descendant of that impressive power. He grew up being told of the cave that hid his ancestor’s remains and how the original Noirre plant grows from the skeletons of those killed.”
She had to close her gaping mouth. Noirre was a plant? “When did all that happen?”
“Not that long ago. I believe in early 900.”
Eleven hundred years ago was recent? Guess time was relative when you lived in this realm. She forced her sleep-deprived mind to think what was bugging her about all that. She questioned, “Who first used Noirre?”
“Queen Maeve, of course.”
She was growing tired of his you’re-an-idiot tone and argued, “But she and Cathbad the Druid went to sleep or whatever for two thousand years, then recently reincarnated.”
“I heard as much.”
That’s when she realized what didn’t fit in her mind. Waving her hands, she said, “Whoa. Hold everything. I’m no genius—”
“Quite true,” he interjected.
She sent him a scathing look and finished her thought. “Well you’re no Einstein either, because the math doesn’t work. How could Queen Maeve do anything in 900 if she supposedly went into this deep slumber a thousand years earlier?” Evalle considered everything. Maybe that slumber and reincarnation bit was all a big lie. Not that much of a stretch when considering that queen and druid.
Germanus sighed with great satisfaction at knowing things Evalle did not. He taunted, “I told you that Queen Maeve used Noirre majik during my time.”
“Not possible. I … this makes no sense.”
Grinning now, he said, “I should make you wonder for the next thousand years you spend in here alone and unable to hold a conversation with another person.”
The light bulb flashed on in Evalle’s head. Germanus was talking to her now because he hadn’t been able to do this for two thousand years.
Her heart hit her feet at the possibility of repeating his life here.
Germanus must not have realized how bad that thought shook her, because he never paused, chattering on. “I find that I am not ready to end this conversation, so I will fill in the gaps in your sad education. Queen Maeve had a seer who told her of a powerful majik to be found in a cave in the future. The queen was unwilling to wait a thousand years and wanted it immediately. Perhaps because of the slumber you say she and the druid had planned. The queen brought in Cathbad, who said he could open a time portal to one spot, but he could not leave it open long due to the power and majik needed. She sent part of her army to retrieve the Noirre majik from the cave.”
That sounded incredible, but possible.
What was she saying? What wasn’t possible when preternaturals were involved?
After all, Queen Maeve and Cathbad planned a way to spend two thousand years out of pocket, then reincarnate at a time to coincide with forcing Alterants to evolve into gryphons. Who saw that coming?
Yeah, she could see how that crazy queen would risk so many lives to travel through a time portal and battle deadly plants.
Evalle mused aloud, “Huh, so the queen’s men grabbed the Noirre and jumped back to her world?”
“Not exactly. She lost half her army. One warrior barely entered the portal to return before it closed and was able to report what happened. She next sent a mage who died, then Cathbad agreed to go with her to gain the Noirre. My friend said Cathbad almost perished retrieving the plant and his majik was so damaged from creating those portals he was believed unable to perform that majik ever again.”
Could be or … maybe Cathbad told the queen he couldn’t open a time portal like that one again to prevent that crazy goddess from sending him places he didn’t want to go.
Would any of today’s Beladors know about this?
She doubted it, because Tzader or Quinn would have told her during the many hours they’d spent filling in her education. Daegan would probably know.
She said, “Okay, let’s say that I accept that my kidnapper gained Noirre, but I’m not sold that he has such easy access to immortality. Is he immortal?”
Germanus had opened his mouth to argue, but said, “Not yet. He will become immortal at the same time that I do. This way, everyone is invested.”
How easy was it to make someone immortal?
Evalle had a sick feeling the kidnapper’s offer to Germanus was based upon reaching the river that ran beneath Treoir Castle. This new information pointed at Macha being behind the kidnapping, as much as the Noirre pointed at Queen Maeve.
No clear winner in the villain race.
Based on Germanus’ story, the kidnapper was of Celtic ancestry, but descended of a Spanish Moor as well. What was he? A Medb warlock? What other power or ability did he possess that would help her figure out his identity? She’d like to know who hated her enough to do this.
She thought back on how she’d sensed someone or something following her where she met up with Adrianna in the woods. Could the guy be Fae? She asked, “Can the kidnapper fly?”
Germanus cocked his head in a odd way. “I do not think so. Why?”
“Just wondering if he had a way to follow someone who was very fast.”
Sitting back with a smug look, Germanus nodded. “He had a pet peregrine falcon that was dying. Once dead, the bird became his eyes.”
“What do you mean?”
“He performed a necromantic spell on the falcon to allow him to control its movements, plus see through its eyes.”
“The kidnapper is a necromancer?”
“No. He does not possess that gift, which was why he said he needed the pure Noirre to perform the spell. He also used it to hide his trail and to keep you alive once he removed the stone from your chest.”
Worse than having Noirre in her chest, she had pure Noirre stuck in there.
“You’re insane, you know that?” That popped out of her mouth before she thought it through.
Bright yellow rolled over his eyes. “Careful with your words, Alterant. While I do miss conversation, and find your desire to speak your mind entertaining to a degree, I can always bring the other twin to kill.”
She hated to cower in front of anyone, but she would not be the reason anyone else died. She quietly explained, “In my shoes, you’d want to know what was happening. Maybe if you gave me a better idea of what’s going on, I could help you more than you realize.”
“I’ve answered all your questions with the exception of withholding names.”
She scrambled for an idea of how to keep him from shutting down on her. “Not all of them. I have one more question.”
“Very well, what?”
“Would any Alterant have sufficed, or was I the target?”
“You were. Not that I cared which one he captured, but of all the Belador gryphons, you had the most to lose. I had to agree when he explained how that would make keeping you in line easier as compared to someone with little to lose.”
She hoped Tristan found out the truth and didn’t carry guilt over swapping with her the night before she was taken.
He observed her quietly for a long moment. “You said if you knew more, you could help. I’m always interested in a deal. Do not ask me for names, but what else do you wish to know?”
Relieved he had calmed down in the face of her anger, she took him up on his offer. “You never answered me about why you’re doing this. Daegan doesn’t bother anyone unless they poke him first. Why start trouble with him now?”
“Me?” Germanus snapped forward and gripped the arms of his throne. “I didn’t start this. He did.”
She kept her voice calm, but still pointed out, “I’m not seeing how he did this. You had me kidnapped. From what I can see, that’s the catalyst to all of this.”
His forehead creased with true confusion. “Why would I do that unless I had to?”
What was with this guy? “I’d ask if that was a trick question, but I’m not sure you’d grasp my meaning,” she said dryly.
“I’ll make this simple, because women in today’s human world must be more dense than they were in my time.”
She would not let Daegan kill Germanus.
He’d have to wait his turn behind her.
Germanus spoke as if instructing an idiot. “If Daegan were not so bloody greedy, you would not be in this situation and he would not be facing death here. He could have stayed in the human realm or on Treoir and left me alone. Understand now? Although, I will admit that a part of me is glad he started this conflict. Once he is gone forever, I get my life back.”
At the risk of being slammed again as a simple-minded woman, Evalle asked, “Greedy? Does Daegan even know that you have his father’s treasure?”
“He does not know where it is yet, but he is hunting for his hoard. He might not show up for fifty human years, but with so many people willing to do his bidding, I do not expect it to take long.”
Evalle grabbed all the disjointed pieces floating around in her mind and pushed them together. She gave this maniac an incredulous look. “Before I was captured, no one, not even Daegan, was hunting for this gold. Where did you get that wild idea?” She paused, remembering what Germanus had said when he first found her down here. “Is that why you said I found it first? You meant I found this treasure before Daegan, who is not even hunting it?”
Her head spun at the gravity of this entire situation.
Her whole life and world had been yanked away, loved ones harmed, her mate and dragon king now at risk plus who knew how many more because of this crazy man being played.
His giddiness dissolved into anger. He accused, “You lie.”
She opened her arms out wide. “Why should I lie? I have nothing to gain by lying. You said yourself that I speak my mind.”
“You’re trying to trick me, but it won’t work.”
Her head hurt as all of this made sense in a sick way. “Not me, but someone else has sold you a line of crap.” She recalled the conversation she’d heard Germanus and the kidnapper having when she was still half conscious.
She snapped her fingers. “That’s what you two were talking about when he delivered me, wasn’t it?”
Germanus had been staring off, lost in thought. He glared at her. “What?”
“When your buddy, the kidnapper, dropped me in here. One of the moments I was conscious, you asked if he was sure someone was hunting it and he said yes. I thought you were talking about me, but it was referencing this treasure. The kidnapper told you Daegan was hunting that pile over there.” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.
Germanus went from an angry warlord to sounding like a petulant child trying to convince someone he was right. “It is Daegan’s hoard. He has to have it!”
“Stereotype much?”
“Stop spouting stupid words!”
She wanted to howl at this idiot. He didn’t send someone to kidnap her. He was the patsy here.
The kidnapper had an ulterior motive to snatch her and set up this trap for Daegan. And he’d used pure Noirre. Had to be crazy Queen Maeve. Who else would be so bold knowing Daegan would rain more than fire down on someone for doing all this?
It felt good to know she had a leader she could depend on and who put his people first, but she hated the danger he’d be facing here.
Evalle said, “No, Daegan doesn’t need a hoard. He’s not some cartoon dragon from medieval stories. He’s real and has the heart of a king. He would never put any of us at risk for any treasure.”
Those words settled in her heart.
She was right. Daegan had never acted like a self-centered dragon.
Damn Germanus and whoever had discovered that this lunatic could be manipulated. She wouldn’t go so far as to say Daegan would not come for the treasure if he knew it was here, but he was someone who would go alone and not risk losing even one warrior for something that could be replaced.
She repeated, “I am in Daegan’s inner circle. I can say without question that prior to your grabbing me, not one of Daegan’s people had been hunting any gold. And Daegan has had too much on his plate to run around treasure hunting. You have been played for a fool.”
Getting her say in and watching Germanus have a meltdown felt good. Seeing a chink in his plan emboldened her to stick to her resolve and survive.
She added, “In fact, regardless of some oath, your kidnapper buddy is very likely spreading the word that you are holding Daegan’s hoard ... and me. You won’t have to wait long. He’s coming and so is my mate. Those seven flying creatures who survived battling me will never stop Daegan in dragon form.”
Her heart surged at the taste of imminent victory.
Daegan and Storm would survive and she’d get out of here yet.
This was what a rush of hope felt like after being at the bottom of her emotional barrel. She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face if she tried.
Seriously pissed, Germanus stood and walked over to a wall next to his throne. He sneered at her. “Those seven and you are only intended to slow him down. These are my army.” Germanus lifted his arm and called out, “Nunc aperta. You’re too stupid to know those words, but that is Latin for open now.”
She ignored his dig at her vocabulary as shock blasted her happiness to pieces.
The wall turned foggy then cleared, much like peering into a scrying bowl.
Twenty huge beasts meandered through a field. His menagerie held everything from massive wyverns, much larger than the one that had survived fighting her, to manticores to things she couldn’t name to ...
A dragon?
There were two dragons alive today?
Plus, this bunch appeared well fed.
Germanus bragged, “These will not be defeated.” Turning to her, he broke out a huge smile. “I only wanted to cull the weak ones and use those that survived to show me how it looks when you really battle so you can’t pretend. If you don’t battle, I will send word to your kidnapper to bring me the rest of your friends ... and your mate if he doesn’t come here first. When he does arrive, I will send my two gargoyles out to tear him apart.”
He walked out, pausing at the entrance and turning to her. “You lie about Daegan hunting the gold. No dragon can stand to lose a hoard such as this one. A dragon is nothing without a pile of treasure that rivals all others.”
Her mind screamed with rage at his ancient thinking, but she wouldn’t break down in front of this monster and give him one more second of enjoyment.
That didn’t stop her from shouting, “Think what you want, Germanus, but you’ll see my mate for sure and he’ll be the one tearing your monsters apart. He’ll come with Daegan. They’ll defeat your army.” She hoped like hell they could. “When they do, we’ll all teleport out of here.”
Clenching a fist, he said, “They might. You won’t.”
What did that mean? “They won’t leave without me.”
His hand relaxed along with his face. “I thought you heard us talking when you first arrived. Evidently you missed some of our conversation.”
She waited for more. Germanus would talk to an empty room.
He said, “Remember seeing the wyvern carcass in the field the day you tried to fly away? That was a demonstration for me. The kidnapper spelled the wyvern as he fed it a tiny bit of the Noirre majik, then he tried to take the beast out of this realm. Majik created in here cannot leave. That beast screamed when it tried to pass through the limits of the realm. My friend held it there long enough for the majik to boil inside the animal. Then he dropped the writhing body back to the ground. If you recall, he also shoved Noirre into your chest to close the wound. He spelled that too. Had he not, you would have died. If you try to leave, you will suffer much more, but you will probably die faster.”
He turned and climbed the stairs.
Her skin felt clammy and her stomach churned.
She’d thought ... she always had a chance to escape. She screamed out loud this time.
His laughter floated down.