AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t need them to tell me what it was. I knew the instant I heard it; I recognized his voice, but I wanted it not to be. The three of us sit in silence and listen to the sound of Bahr being tortured. There’s nothing we can say or do.
I don’t know how long we sit in silence. It feels like an eternity but at long last the screams stop. I develop at least a thousand plans to help him, but each one is more unreal than the last. There’s nothing I can do yet.
“Time,” I mutter.
“Huh?” Charlie asks.
“All we can do is buy time and hope,” I say, quoting her words from earlier.
“That seemed a lot more applicable before we got caught.”
“No, it matters more now than ever,” I say.
I let go of my knees and stretch my legs. Pins and needles rush through my calves and thighs as the restricted blood flow returns. I wait for them to pass then stand up and pace to the door, turning to face my friends.
“It matters,” I say, “because we’re not only going to survive this. We’re going to win.”
“She’s lost it,” Asia says.
“That electrical jolt must have fried something, Belle. What are you even thinking?” Charlie asks.
I smile. “I’m thinking that the three of us have more power than we ever gave ourselves credit for.”
They exchange a look that clearly lets me know they think I’m crazy, but it’s okay because thisiscrazy. Crazy, but I think it’s crazy enough to work.
“What are you thinking?” Charlie asks.
“Truth is, I’m not sure,” I say.
“Great plan,” Asia says, rolling her eyes.
“I didn’t say I had a plan, but we’re going to buy time. We know what the Order wants, but think about it, how does what they want line up with what we know of the Zmaj?”
They look at each other then Asia shrugs and Charlie shakes her head.
“What are you getting at?” Asia asks.
“The Zmaj we know, do you think they’d be willing to share their treasure?”
Understanding dawns on their faces followed by them both grinning widely.
“Oh that’s good,” Charlie says.
Footsteps sound outside the door so I scoot closer to them and whisper.
“We know these guys are brainwashed,” I say.
“How do you know that?” Asia asks.
She keeps glancing at the door, we all do. Those footsteps are coming closer and my heart is beating faster as my nerves ratchet up.
“It’s a guess,” I say, holding up a hand to stop her protest before she can voice it, “but it’s a good one. How else do you get an entire race of men who are basically jealous dragons to agree to share their treasure?”
“You’ve read too many fairy tales,” Charlie says. “We don’t know any of that.”
“You have a better idea?” I ask.
She snaps her mouth shut and shakes her head. “No. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is a leap. A really big one.”
