I made my facial expression blank, unwilling to say anything else.
“Everything has gone in our favor, for the most part. But, all the food and wine in the land won’t hold back their questions and inquiries about the new leader. The predators can smell blood. Despite all the talks, and very convincing arguments on my part, the clan elders want to see Tynan.”
“Alright. Tell them that we will hold a formal meeting by the end of the week.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to be soon enough,” Sage responded.
“When?” I licked my lips.
“Tomorrow morning,” he responded and his eyes searched my face.
He knew what was on my mind. He could not be blind to the difficulty of the situation we were in. Tynan was not well enough to partake in a public meeting, moreover to fight anyone.
“Is there a way to delay it?” I asked, keeping my chin high.
“Your plan worked brilliantly. You managed to get us a whole day and night, but there’s no way we can avoid them any longer. Among the warriors, there are some who would challenge him because they saw how injured he was. Also, the fact that we don’t have any healing water is very well known.”
“What should we do then?” I asked.
“It may be a good idea to smuggle him out until he can completely recover. I have a reliable candidate who could fly him outside the clan borders tonight.” Sage touched his well combed beard.
“He would never agree.”
“There’s not much else we can do. Unless you are confident he can meet the clan.”
I looked at the polished wooden floor, thinking. Thinking, and not finding any better way of solving this. Nothing seemed like a good alternative. Tynan would never agree to flee his clan, even if that meant that he would be placing himself in danger.
“I need to think about it.”
“We don’t have much time, milady.” He bowed.
“I understand.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
FRID
The smoke-like fumes slowly swirled and billowed, filling the air with thick, moist warmth. With all the strength I had left, I hefted Victor out of the pool. Momentarily, my vision turned black and blurry, I went past all possible limits trying to get us here. My stomach was empty, I had not slept or had a sip of water since I left Darragh. After the extreme burst of energy passed through my system, I had even less strength than before.
Victor was not a large guy, but he was incredibly heavy. I managed to roll his body away from the edge of the pool and froze, listening. Just one more crawler appearing from the dark tunnel would be enough to finish both of us.
I placed Victor on my back and with difficulty, picked up my half extinguished torch. On the way back through the pitch black corridor, I realized that despite not feeling the full effect of the healing water, I could make my way to the main chamber without falling to my knees.
I paused at the edge of the shadowed tunnel to transform and carefully picked up Victor, trying not to hurt him. Staying close to the wall, I got closer to the door and looked around outside. In the distance, I could see numerous crawlers on the streets.
I had to find a safe, secluded place high above. I knew we could not stay on a roof because crawler dragons or the council’s group of assassins could easily spot us from the sky.
My eyes shifted to a structure that stood above all the rest. It reminded me of some type of communal building. Its decorative facade was made with bricks that were meant to resemble dragon scales, and the roof that, even now, looked almost copper brown. With all the energy I had left, I lifted myself up into the air. Still struggling, I gained altitude and made a wide circle examining the roof of the building. It was really unfortunate that it was so dark outside. Walking through a building practically blind was very dangerous, but I had no other choice.
Several minutes passed before I spotted a balcony with a thick stone banister and landed, carefully placing Victor’s body on the floor. The double doors appeared securely shut. I transformed, taking out my blade. In the dark, I found the door handle and pressed it down hoping that it was not locked from the inside. With a loud clicking sound, it opened. I frowned, dreading to see crawlers attracted by the noise. If any crawlers were inside, they would definitely gather round to welcome us into the building. Slowly switching my weight from my heels to the balls of my feet, I walked into the room. Nothing happened. Everything seemed quiet, but years of experience taught me to never trust the room before it was fully examined. Something crunched under the thick sole of my boot and I froze, dreading to hear a familiar growl, but it never came. I had to find a spot that could be barricaded for the night to hide us. A little further into the room,I found a candle and immediately picked up the candle holder and carefully blew a wave of hot air on the wick. The outlines of the dimly lit room revealed a spacious area, filled with boxes, rolled up fabric, dresses on hangers, wooden mannequins, and rows of stacked wooden chairs.
“What is this place?” I whispered.
Not trusting the multiple dark corners and obstacles that remained a potential danger, I scouted the space. Although the main area was free of monsters, the other three walls each had a door, and each door was a possible death trap.
I adjusted the candle and stepped to one of the doors. Behind it, there was a dark corridor I did not care to explore. Another door opened to a second, smaller room. I shut it slowly. The third door had angled slats, and I could see in between them. I thanked the gods I had found something more promising. It was a small, closet-like room, filled with baskets and boxes. I quickly checked the floor and every wall for any gaps or holes, then pulled the stacks of broken baskets out. It was the perfect space to keep us secured for the night. I grabbed the fabric from one of the baskets and spread it on the floor of the small storage room.
Then I returned to the balcony and dragged Victor’s body to the storage room and placed him on top of the fabric. After that, I set the candle on a wooden crate in the corner. Then I pressed my shoes in the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, and blocked the door with the remaining boxes. My hands were shaking when I took off my flying suit, staying in my very well worn underlayers.
