Page 53 of Hexes From Exes

He didn’t back up an inch. “Yeah, of course they’re going to kill him. He broke a law. A serious one. In fact, they’re advertising that they’re going to kill him in a few days. You can buy front row seat.”

“That’s not what I mean,” she replied. She was trying to stay strong but his proximity to her was unnerving. She’d never had someone get in her space like that or bully her. She shouldn’t have picked a fight with an enforcer. Her courage slipped. “They’ve…they’re draining his magic somehow. I don’t know how to explain it! He said Ynnia did something. I don’t think he’ll make it to the execution.”

“Drained him of magic?” Dread asked. His head tilted slightly, considering.

“Yes! It’s like…he’s only been there four days, but he looks basically dead. He didn’t say that’s what Ynnia did, but you can tell.”

“You can tell that they’ve drained his magic?” Dread pressed.

“Well, yeah – or are draining it. I mean, if they took it all, he’d be dead right?” she said.

Dread nodded, turning away from her to consider. He paced the small area, stopping again when he was right in front of her. “You know you can’t just break him out, right?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Cass replied.

“Well,” Dread said. “They’ve decided to make an example of him. He broke a rule, one they clearly care a lot about. If he escapes, they’ll never stop looking for him. Where are you going to hide him? Would he be okay with that life?”

She hadn’t considered that. Her plan was so shoddy, so slapped together, she didn’t plan more than get him out. Her fear clouded her judgment. “I was going to bring him to the human realm, to the human he was with. I think…I think he loves her,” she admitted. She wasn’t sure why she was telling Dread this, but it seemed important.

Dread wasn’t moved. “That’s the first place they’ll look,” he replied.

“But they can’t do anything to him in the human realm,” she pressed.

Dread sighed, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. “You’re very naive if you think the council won’t stop at anything to see him executed. Ynnia took a personal interest in him. Apparently, he’s testing one of his new creations on him. He doesn’t let his experiments just skip away.”

“His creations?” Cass asked.

Dread frowned and tried to back up. “Or whatever. You said they took his magic, and Ynnia was involved. I can put two and two together.”

But Cass wasn’t swayed. “You think they used some new tool to drain his magic? Why?”

“Well, if he dies, that’s a lot of magic gone to waste,” Dread said. “Magic that could fuel the future,” he added, his tone bitter.

Cass clamped her jaw shut from the words that were gathering there, words about ancient texts and promises of untransferable magic. Is that why Rick was still alive? Because when he was with Stephanie, she gave him something that even the council couldn’t steal?

“Are you going to help me or not?” Cass asked.

“You can’t get him out alive,” Dread pressed.

Cass rubbed the base of her horns in frustration. She was trying to think of any other bargaining chip she had.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Dread said, “so we need to make them think he’s dead.”

“We?” Cass asked hopefully.

“We,” Dread affirmed.

“So, you’ll help me?” Cass asked.

Dread raised his hand to quiet her down. “Under some serious constraints. One, you do as I say, everything I say, without fail. Understand?” Cass nodded.

“Two, you keep your mouth shut about this to everyone, even Ralph. No one can know I helped you now or in the future. If you were planning on having a partner in crime, shut that down now. They have to believe you think Ralph is disgusting, beyond saving.”

Cass opened her mouth to protest when Dread waved his hand harder.

“Remember rule one, everything I say. If you show an ounce of sympathy toward him, they’ll be watching you too closely for this to work. When you get home, tell everyone how you went to see Rick and how he deserves his punishment. You’ll be front row and center when he dies. Make it convincing, you need them to think you agree with the council.”

“But I don’t,” Cass said.