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"Oh boy," I muttered under my breath. "Just what we need—another Froot Loop."
"Froot Loop is right," Smoky said, turning a bland eye to our visitor, who was busy trying to extricate what looked like a long knife out of a sheath attached to his leg. "I see my buddy's back."
"Your buddy?" Morio asked, inserting himself in front of Tom. "You know this guy?"
"He's not one of the demons," I said.
Smoky snorted. "Demon? Hardly. No, I have a run-in with this little fellow every few months. He must have at least twenty tries under his belt."
"Twenty tries?" I said, feeling a little lost. "Tries to what?"
"To kill me," Smoky said, striding forward. "Witchling, meet Saint George. Good old George has been trying to kill a dragon for the past fifteen years, and apparently I am still his target of choice."
* * *
CHAPTER 16
Saint George? I stared at him, confused for a moment, then snapped my fingers. "Georgio Profeta—that's his name, isn't it?"
At that moment, Delilah came running down from the steps. Georgio—or Saint George, whatever his name might be—didn't notice her until she'd leapt on his back, knocking him to the ground. Chase followed more sedately. He still looked a little green around the gills, and I had a feeling he'd have his jewels on ice before the day was out. Delilah, wouldn't be getting any tonight, that was for sure.
Smoky sauntered up to the would-be hero. He knelt down, giving Delilah a quick look before turning his attention to the man sprawled out beneath her. "George, George, George. What am I going to do with you? I told you to give it up. You're never going to kill me, so just go home, forget this happened, and next time go hunt windmills." He sounded almost fond of the man.
Delilah jumped up as I skidded to a halt next to them. "Who are these people?" she asked.
I blinked. "Well, I think that we've seen Mr. Profeta before—or at least his jacket. And this," I indicated Smoky, who had crossed his arms and was observing the whole scene with a look of mild amusement. "Meet Smoky the dragon."
"I thought Smoky was a bear," she said, snickering.
"No, no, no. D-r-a-g-o-n, dragon. Meaning no names, got it?"
She clapped her hand to her mouth. "Oh… oh! Yeah, got it."
Dragons were cunning, and as much as I was beginning to like Smoky, it wouldn't do us any good if he had our names.
"You're a harsh-hearted woman, my little Witchling," he said, leaning down to plant a faint kiss on my forehead. I almost swooned under the swirl of energy as his lips met my skin but managed to backtrack from that thought quick enough to keep it from getting me in trouble. The edges of a grin played around his lips as he motioned to Delilah, who was staring at us with an incredulous look on her face. "You—girl—help him up. He can't hurt me, and he won't hurt you.">Morio seemed to understand what I was thinking. "As much as I resent his presence, I wish only the best for him. We'll find out how he's doing. I promise you that. And if necessary, I'll go with you to Otherworld to deliver Tom to the OIA."
We turned back to Titania, who reached up on tiptoes to kiss Tom gently on the lips. "Farewell, my brave knight. We've had a long run of it, but the play is over, the curtain falls, and it's time for the actors to go home." She cocked her head, looking me in the eye. "Take care of him, please. Don't let anything happen to him."
I nodded, my mood plummeting even farther into the black. "I'll do my best to keep him safe. Titania, know that you're helping to save two worlds by letting us take him. He carries a vital secret, even if he doesn't know it. I'll let you know what happens to him."
She shook her head. "No, it's better that he just be cut out of my life. Go now, please just go, and leave me to my silence."
Morio took Tom gently by the arm and, with me leading the way, we headed out of the cavern, leaving the ancient Queen behind. I hadn't thought her capable of love, and perhaps I was right, but apparently she had more feelings than I gave her credit for.
The trek back seemed quicker than finding our way into the barrow. The pits that guarded the passageway were still an obstacle, but together Morio and I helped Tom make it past without incident. I wanted to touch the spirit seal, to feel the power that resided within, but was smart enough to keep my fingers out of the cookie jar.
Tom seemed rather chipper for leaving his ladylove. At first, he acted like he'd been drugged, but the farther away from Titania we got, the more alert he became. As we approached the entrance to the cave, he stopped, staring at the opening.
"I don't want to go out there," he said, his gaze locked on the entrance.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"They'll be coming to get me," he said.
I glanced at Morio. Just what did we have here? "Who's coming to get you, Tom? Is somebody after you?"
He hesitated, then—like a child deciding to put his trust in an authority figure—shrugged. "I don't know who they are, but early this morning, somebody was sneaking around outside the house, and I got scared. So I ran through the woods and hid with Titania."
