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I frowned. Killian had told me Dorian could be a jerk sometimes, and he liked to instigate mistrust and doubt. Lord Drake kept him as a prince, and Killian said that even though Dorian could be a prick, he was also an incredibly good fighter, and sometimes, his absurd ideas and suggestions were right.
“I’ve thought about that,” Drake said. “That’s why this morning I asked Morris to put a few drops of a truth elixir in her food before our conversation.”
Raika’s eyes widened. “You didn’t trust her.”
“It takes a lot for me to trust someone,” Drake said. “I couldn’t risk everyone in this castle for a demon who could be lying to us. What if she fed us wrong information and send us into a trap? It happened before.”
I glanced from him to Lavinia. It had been different, but Lavinia had also been allowed back after being with our enemies, and when we least expected it, she attacked us.
I understood Drake’s point.
From the way Raika’s shoulders drooped, I knew she did too. “I think she would have told you the truth even without the elixir.”
“She did,” Thea said. “I made the elixir so that if the person tries to lie and the elixir forces the truth out, with a high-pitched voice the person can’t control. But nothing happened. Ivy told us the truth.”
Dorian humphed.
“What happened to the gate?” I asked. If Paimon was in the underworld, no one would be seated calmly here, right?
“Paimon opened a portal right in front of the gate, as he did last time,” Drake said. “Though this time, his demons came through.”
“And the coward?” Killian asked.
Drake nodded. “He came too. But the demon hunters’ response was swift. Hadrian, Rey, and Erin fought Paimon and pushed him back.” Drake glanced at Raika. “He was too strong for the three of them, and as much as they tried, they couldn’t kill him.”
Raika inhaled. “Only I can.”
“We still think so, yes,” Drake said. “But we won’t know for sure until you face him.”
My gut knotted. I loathed the idea of Raika standing before her father again, but what other choice did we have?
Raika looked at Thea. “We should go back to training.”
“No more training,” Dorian snapped. “How many demon hunters did his demons kill earlier today? Too many, I bet.” Drake nodded. He probably knew the exact number. “We need to act now. We can’t wait for his next move.”
“We need a plan,” Drake said. “I’ll be meeting with Hadrian, Rey, and Erin later this afternoon along with a few others. We won’t leave this meeting until we have a solid plan we can put into action ASAP.” He looked around the room. “Anything else before I dismiss you all?”
I nodded. “Yes.” All eyes turned to me. “I talked to Kaz. He’s coming here to help with Raika and the dragon magic.”
Raika’s eyes bugged. “He has a cure?”
I shook my head. “No, but he wants to examine you and help you with your training, I think.”
Her chest deflated.
“That’s good,” Drake said. “Any help is welcomed.” He looked at all of us again. “I’m leaving for the meeting. In the meantime, be prepared. We might face Paimon again at any time.”
Drake extended his hand to Thea. She took it, got up, and the two of them left the room together. Prince Dorian and Prince Aston were next.
Killian and Lavinia stayed. They leaned over the long table, looking at us.
“Kaz is coming, then?” Killian asked.
I nodded. “He’ll arrive tomorrow morning.”
22
RAIKA
