AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shook my head and turned to the fae noble. “I’m not concerned about ol’ Walter, here. And you are?”
Blackbird, a warning in her eyes I couldn’t interpret, stepped forward. “Lady Sorceress Gwynn, may I present General Fafnir.”
He swept a bow. A light pattern of gray drifted over the right side of his face, like snowflakes. Or scales. His close-cropped hair echoed the color, giving him the look of an aged and grizzled soldier—unusual among his ageless kind.
My vision filled with a red haze of rage and the cat deep inside snarled. I reached for the staff and Athena danced back out of reach. Never mind. I didn’t need it. Fafnir blanched and Blackbird’s robin-dark eyes flew open in panic.
I took a step, fingers curving into claws, and Darling tripped me. Then Starling was slipping an arm around my waist, fake laughing. “Oops, Lady Gwynn! Watch your step there. What iswrongwith you?” she hissed in my ear.
“That darn cat.” I tried to smile, but my face felt stiff. Fafnir. Right in front of me. He gave me a cautious and curious look. I strained to wrestle the cat down and she fought me, hungry for this death. With enormous effort, I managed to contain her, and lock her in the cage of my heart.
“Perhaps we should take the wizard into custody—” Blackbird stepped in with smooth politesse, “—and give Lady Sorceress Gwynn an opportunity to rest from her great and terrible duel.”
“Of course.” Fafnir took my hand and bowed over it. I flinched, expecting his touch to be cold and scaly. He seemed not to notice, though he watched me closely. Undoubtedly sensing something. “How thoughtless of me. Still, I would like to discuss this proposition with you. And be sure to sentence the wizard appropriately—justice must be seen to.”
“How about tonight?” Blackbird folded her hands, looking expectantly between us. “We shall have a victory feast, sentence Walter and you two can discuss then!”
I glared at her and she smiled sweetly, with steely determination beneath. The last thing in the world I needed—another fucking feast. And this one with a creature that made my stomach turn. Darling meowed up at me, lashing his tail. “Colossus.”
A snort escaped me and I picked him up so he could head-butt my chin.
“A brave and daring Familiar you have there, Lady Gwynn,” Fafnir observed, then waved a gracious hand to include Blackbird, Athena and Starling. “Along with all your stalwart companions. I look forward to spending more time with all of you this evening.”
He strode off, fae peeling away at his gesture to swarm around Walter, bundling him up to carry him to await his fate. I felt unutterably weary that it would again fall on me to make that call.
“Just confine him to his rooms,” I called out. “Until we decide what to do with him.”
“What is going on?” Starling demanded. Blackbird looked pained. “You asked me about Fafnir before and now you’re acting strange.”
Athena twirled her dagger through nimble fingers, holding the staff in her other hand, her face impassive.
The adrenaline and emotion from the fight were receding, leaving me drained. That, coming face-to-face with a monster and thinking about how to deal with Walter all combined to overwhelm me. Exhaustion stole my thoughts. I felt like a shell of myself.
“Leviathan,”Darling suggested.
“Can we talk about this later?” I asked, my voice sounding plaintive to my own ears. The breeze had turned into a cutting wind, and dark clouds gathered darker overhead. Apparently the distant thunder had been more than surf. “Having a bit of rest sounds really good at the moment.”
Thankfully they dropped the subject, Blackbird assigning her daughter a number of tasks designed to keep her distracted and busy. She wouldn’t meet my eye, so she knew something about Fafnir for sure.
We got back to the rooms, everyone agreeing that a late lunch and a nap would be just the thing. With her easy authority, Blackbird arranged for real food, which we devoured. The wind truly howled outside, whipping the sea into a frenzy. I bolted the shutters, grateful for the warm fire now crackling away in the little fireplace. At least our quality of life had improved considerably. I lay down, Darling leaping up to nestle against me. “Gigantor.”The name echoed in my head as I crashed into a dark and dreamless sleep.
*
The clatter ofthe shutters woke me with a start. Disoriented, I gazed blankly at the room, trying to remember where I was. For a moment I’d thought I was in my own bed, Isabel sleeping at my feet and I was my old self.
But no.
I heard soft snores from the other room and Darling half opened one lazy eye, then closed it again. Serendipitous if everyone was asleep, because I had an errand to run and I really didn’t want to have conversations yet. Picking up my boots, I padded barefoot across the floor and slipped out into the hallway.
The place was such a maze that I wasn’t sure I could find my way on my own, but it was worth a shot. Could I wish myself into knowing the route? I sat down on a stone step and pulled on my boots, lacing them up while I thought. The magic part of me still felt tired—though nothing like the time I’d pulled lightning. I’d probably used way more effort to zap Darling into Gigantor mode than necessary, but I’d wanted no mistakes. Dealing with my feline animus, too, seemed to strain my resources in some odd way. Something to experiment with. For now I needed a guide. Maybe I could wish up a little map that showed me where to go and that wouldn’t drain me much more.
A gremlin popped its head over the edge of the next stair, making me jump. It chittered at me. Still no content. But Walter had communicated with them somehow.
“Can you take me to the dragons?”
It danced a little in place, then took off running down the steps and around the bend. Assuming that to be a yes, I followed. It came back into view, chattered and ran off again.
“Okay, Lassie,” I called after it, “I’m following you.”
