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He shook his head. “We don’t need a dragon to open the vault, Pendragon. We need a rider.” He tilted his head. “Sharma said you wouldn’t have known that.”

The words hit me like a slap. Fucking Zaira.

“Drakharrow isn’t going to like that one bit, is he?” Silvio’s expression was playful. “Where is your little boyfriend, anyhow?” He leaned in and touched a strand of my hair, smoothing it off my face.

“Fuck off,” I snarled.

“Just being helpful, darling. After all, I’m your master now.” He gestured. “So, if you feel like getting down on your knees—”

“You can go fuck yourself if you think that’s happening.” My wrists itched where they’d bound my hands.

He kept smiling. “It’s amazing what an honorable man will do when he’s desperate enough. Sharma didn’t tell us at first, of course. It took a while. But eventually, he rolled over like a good dog and spilled all his precious dwarven secrets.”

A wave of sickness rolled through me as I thought of the pieces of Lord Sharma’s body we’d found.

“Now, the bear, on the other hand,” Silvio went on, “I think it’ll take a little longer to break that beast. But we’ll get there.” He met my eyes. “It’ll be fun, too. Maybe I’ll even let you watch, my little fiery beauty. You’ll be naked, of course.”

“I’d think you’d be more concerned with getting to the fucking eggs, you idiot,” I snarled.

He shrugged. “I can have a bit of fun along the way.” He frowned and for a second, his mask slipped, and I saw anxiety beneath it.

“You’ve lost a lot of people, Silvio. And you know the vault doesn’t just take any blood—it wants the blood giver to be willing. And believe me, I’m anything but.” I lunged forward before I could stop myself, the cords cutting into my wrists as I threw my weight at him, aiming my shoulder right at his chest.

We collided. Silvio gave a grunt and fell backward. But then Gretchen was suddenly there. She yanked me back, wrenching my arms. Pain shot through my shoulders. Silvio stepped forward, his expression angry. He slammed a fist into my stomach, and I doubled over gasping.

“Stupid bitch.” He snapped his fingers at Gretchen. “Put her with the bear. Let her see what’s coming.”

They dragged me across the camp and threw me into another tent, dumping me on the ground unceremoniously. I rolled and came up on my knees. The first thing I saw was brown fur, wet with blood and matted. “Hawl!”

The Ursidaur was slumped on one side of the tent. They were still wearing their armor, but it was in rough shape. One shoulder plate had been half torn loose and hung crookedly by one strap. Their chest piece and vambraces were dented and blood-spattered. There was a long slash across their muzzle, exposing raw flesh beneath. One of their eyes was swelling shut. My eyes blurred with tears of rage.

“Little cub.” Hawl’s voice was weaker than usual, but still deep enough to send vibrations through me.

“What have they done to you?”

“Nothing I did not return upon them tenfold,” Hawl growled.

“Yes, I saw you left a little bit of chaos in your wake.” I hiccuped, then knelt down carefully and scooted closer to them. The scents of blood and iron filled the tent.

Hawl narrowed their good eye at me. “Why did you come, little cub? You should not be here. Did you not see the little pup?”

“What do you mean?”

“The fluffin. I saw him scampering as they took me.”

Neville had gotten away. I smiled. “I don’t think Silvio knows that yet.” Hawl gave a rumbling laugh. “But even if I had known,” I continued, “of course I would have come. The real question is why did you come alone?”

The bear’s brow seemed to furrow. “The little pup was in danger. I could not also risk my little cub.”

My heart clenched. “Oh, Hawl.”

“I have only ever wanted to protect you, little cub.” Their rumbling voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. “Across worlds I traveled. And now look at us.” They gave a rasping wet cough that filled me with worry.

“It’s my turn to protect you now. You’ve done plenty.”

Hawl’s expression seemed exasperated, yet I caught a tinge of pride. “We are in a sorry fix now.” They lifted their paws a little, and I saw their wrists were chained to a ring hammered into the ground.

I looked down at the ropes around my own wrists. Silvio had been too annoyed to think to chain me. “Blake and the others are probably already on their way.” I thought of Rodriguez and wondered how long it had taken him to raise the alarm. I hoped the knock on the head I’d given him wouldn’t leave any lasting effects—besides maybe greater surliness. “When the rest of Fluffin Squad arrives, Mortis is fucked.” I assessed Hawl. “You seem to have taken out a lot of Silvio’s people.”