Chapter Thirty-Four
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I had to do somethin’. My stomach turned. The hot mornin’ sun and the sweat it produced prickled my skin. The impatience welled, waitin’ for a dragon to show up. I let out a half-hearted scream of frustration.
Selene, sittin’ back against his boulder in the shade, chuckled. Morgan shook his head.
I should study my runes.
I strode toward the pool and glared at the still surface of the water as though it would divulge secrets. I harrumphed, unhooked the loops of my shirt, pulled it and my undershirt off, kicked out of my boots, dropped my pants, and dove onto the shallow water.
Surfacin’, I completed the primal scream I cheated the energy of earlier. “Holy moley, this water is cold!”
“Remind me not to drink from there again,” Selene called.
“I filled my water skin already,” Morgan mumbled.
“Ahhhhh,” Selene groaned.
“Lad, ya should have taken yar bath earlier. I see dragons. Yar dip must have drawn ’em.”
I covered the sun’s glare with my hand and searched the sky. Directly above the peaks I found the silhouettes of two pairs of extended dragon wings. I hurried out of the spring, grimacin’ from the slick rocks stabbin’ my feet. Skin danced as the breeze struck me, but I rubbed at my flesh briskly to flick away what moisture I could. The sun and warm breeze did its part, thankfully.
I was in my clothes before Taiz’lin and Tir’loch landed, ridden by their bonded mates, Ike and his much smaller brother, Asr.
“No Iza?” Morgan asked.
“Glad to see ya too,” Ike called.
He slid down Taiz’lin’s shoulder casually drawin’ two sets of bulky saddle bags that had rested across his lap, over his shoulders, as though they weighed nothin’.
Asr said, “Gladys said not to let these burn up.” He gave me a wink.
Ike walked to the now-standin’ Morgan and the two ogres slapped each other in the arms as though it was a game to see who could cause the biggest bruise. Morgan stumbled. Ike probably had over a hundred pounds on him, and Morgan’s no spindly ogre.
“That looks to be enough provisions for weeks,” Selene said.
Ike eyed the man. “Don’t expect ya to settle until yar task is complete.”
The enormity of the unstated message blanketed me, makin’ me shudder. When I recovered, I reached out to free Ike of one set of the bags. With a grin, Ike handed one to me, which pulled me double as it clunked into the ground.
“What’s in this thing? A ton of rock?”
“Includes a good bag of gold for each of ya, in case ya have an emergency,” Ike answered.
My cheeks flamed with heat. Did the ogre know of the bag I’d already cost Ike?
“Uh—”
“What, lad?” Ike threw the other set of bags into Morgan’s chest.
Morgan didn’t even grunt. Ogres.
“I learned it’s handy to have smaller coin—uh—it can be dangerous if riffraff see ya carryin’ gold.”
“Huh.” Ike slapped his hip. “Never experienced that.”
“Guess ya wouldn’t,” I mumbled.
“Let’s go, ladies,” Asr called from Tir. “I have thin’s to do.”
Ike snorted.
“Shut up,” Asr said.
Ike takes enormous pleasure teasin’ his closest brother. Seemed he didn’t even have to utter a word to irritate him. Not botherin’ to hide his grin, Ike climbed back atop Taiz’lin. I hesitated and let Selene follow him, and peered up at Asr. He smiled and gave me a nod, and I hustled to join him.
Tir launched immediately, and I said a silent prayer, thankful for my tight grip, though I still wiggled to settle properly between the dragon’s ridges. I looked over my shoulder to watch the ground drop away.
Tir’s shorter wingspan meant his strokes were crisp, fast, provin’ to accomplish a more comfortable ride. I took a long breath and tried to relax, realizin’ I didn’t even know where we were headed. The two dragons struck a more northerly route. So, I wouldn’t have to pass through the villages I experienced such brutal behavior on my first trip.
I searched for the main, north-south road. It had been eight days since I had last seen Louisa. An ogre is capable of maintainin’ a healthy pace. She could be north of Selene’s Nador woods already. I blew out a harsh lung of air.
Wasn’t right.
My head ached, as though my brain recognized the idea swirlin’ inside it was a bad one. Just because Ash’et admonished Morgan that the wizards came first, didn’t mean I was indebted to the task. We should have prioritized freein’ Louisa, despite what the queen said.
Wasn’t right.
My mind wandered. My last adventure alone, didn’t work out so well.
But that was the past. I’ve learned from those experiences, have faced deadly wizards, stared into the eyes of a gaggle of goblins not knowin’ if they meant ill will, and my connection with the ethereal now gives me an advantage. Even if I can’t form a murderous lightnin’ bolt, I can sense danger on its way, if the perpetrator intends harm.
Perpetrator is a good word. Where’d I learn that one? I worked to refocus.
My argument to strike off on my own sounded good, and even bolstered my enthusiasm for what I wanted to do. Couldn’t yet call it a plan. But how would Morgan take my idea? Or Selene? I am, after all, contemplatin’ huntin’ three of Selene’s peers, who can form murderous lightnin’ bolts, by myself.
Selene has no motivation to save a dragon once the wizards’ mortal enemy, though. Does he? And he owes Louisa nothin’, either. What if Morgan disregarded Ash’et’s command? It was as close to an order as they come. The two of them have seven wizards to deal with. Could I offer them any assistance, really? Then again, could I do anythin’ to save Louisa, other than trade my life for hers?
I shivered. My thoughts were circlin’, a bit like water searchin’ for a drain.
I told myself the shiver is from the cold, the altitude, and thin air.
~
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