Chapter 10
Fergus
The baker wrapped three loaves of bread into a cloth and handed them to me.
“You’re lucky, sir, that I have some left. The king’s soldiers were here yesterday and bought out half of the village. The pub’s closed today because they drank it dry.”
I froze.
“The king’s soldiers?”
“No lie. Fifty of them, loud and nasty. All the doors were locked, young omegas hiding from the sordid lot. The king stayed at the inn with his knights. Rumor has it young Prince Gillam ran away because he didn’t want to marry. And now they’re looking for him all over the country.”
I spilled the coins onto the counter and ran, the baker calling after me. I took off straight into the forest and shifted, not caring who’d see. I flew low over the treetops, straight toward the mountain.
I was too late.
The chamber was empty. Dirty footprints covered the floors, and three ropes hung from the balcony.
They’d taken my treasure.
How dare they!
Roaring, I soared into the sky, my fury fueling my muscles. I dove through valleys and over cliffs, along the main roads and across the fields. In bright sunlight, many might have seen me, and stories would be heard around the pubs tonight about a dragon on the hunt.
They couldn’t have gotten far in the few hours I’d been away. Finally, I spotted them in the valley below, dozens of men on horseback, and among them, my mate’s golden hair shone in the sun like a beacon. He sat slumped in the saddle, bound and defenseless.
I swooped down and slashed the ropes with my claws. The horse started, taking off like an arrow, but I was faster. Gillam screamed, kicking and squirming as I cradled him to my chest.
Around us, horses whinnied and reared in terror, throwing the men off. Before the knights remembered they had weapons, we were high above them, skimming the clouds.