Chapter 17 #2
Syla pulled up one of her mother’s maps in her mind. “The Savian Shallows on the west side of Harvest Island are somewhat protected. If we were dropped there, we could make it to shore without being pulled out to sea.”
Tibby dropped her arms to her sides. “You’re serious.”
“It’s my duty to protect our people. It always has been.” In the past, Syla had been able to do it as a healer, not an adventurer, but if this was what the kingdom needed to end the anarchy and return safety and hope to the people… so be it.
Tibby shook her head. “Come with me.”
She walked across the loft to the window she’d used earlier for firing her hand-cannon.
Syla joined her, looking down at the road and the croplands beyond.
Agrevlari lay on his belly in the grass, his tail curled around his body.
Vorik sat, leaning his back against the dragon’s flank, his eyes closed, as if he were napping.
Like Syla, he’d been up all night, but something told her he was awake and much more alert than the position implied. Indeed, as they looked down at Vorik, one of his eyes opened, and he looked right at her.
She kept herself from jumping, but how had he known? He had magic, too, she reminded herself, and she didn’t know what all it allowed him to do. As she’d been thinking earlier, he was dangerous. Very dangerous.
“That body in the chamber didn’t have any blood around it,” Tibby said. “Did you notice?”
Syla’s first thought was that Tibby meant Venia’s body, and she looked at her aunt in confusion. There had been blood around her.
“The body of the assassin that your ally supposedly killed,” Tibby clarified.
“Oh.” Syla had taken a good look at that area since the man had died on the sarcophagus lid, and she’d wanted to put it back on, but she hadn’t been thinking of blood—or a lack of it.
Her aunt must have had something else on her mind when she’d witnessed that moment in her thoughts.
“You’re right,” Syla said slowly, mulling over her memory. “I saw Vorik run him through, but…”
“There should have been blood if he’d really run that man through. As a healer, you of all people should have thought of that.”
Syla’s cheeks flushed. “I had something else on my mind.”
Maybe she should have said that the man could have died without spilling a lot of blood, that if the cut had been clean and straight through the heart, only some might have seeped out on the back side, but she felt flustered and didn’t get that out before her aunt replied.
“Was it how handsome that rider is?” Tibby pointed at Vorik, who’d let his eyelid shut again. “That smile he gave me could have melted the ice off a frost harpy.”
“That’s not what was on my mind.” Syla’s cheeks heated further.
It wasn’t a lie. At least, she hadn’t considered that in the chamber.
Later, when he’d rescued her from the riders and had his arms around her on his dragon…
By the eyes of the moon, she didn’t, on some subconscious level, want to ride with him again so they could relive that moment, did she?
No. She wasn’t a fool. She didn’t trust Vorik—or his smile.
“If it’s true that Venia fell for a handsome stormer spy and all these people died because of it…” Tibby waved toward the capital and the castle. “The last thing you want is to repeat that mistake.”
“I know. And I won’t. I want to use Vorik for transportation. That’s all. Besides, as you pointed out, his dragon wouldn’t be able to fly to the island with us. Only he could swim after us. And without his mount, Captain Vorik is…”
Tibby raised her eyebrows as Syla trailed off.
“Still dangerous,” Syla admitted.
“I’m glad you see that. I only glimpsed some of his athleticism through our link, but he’s bonded with that dragon; I’m sure of it. That makes him powerful.”
“I’m aware,” Syla said.
Down by the road, Vorik’s eyes opened again, and he gazed at her. A little shiver went through Syla as she wondered what exactly his powers entailed. Was he, even now, able to hear everything they said? Did he know Tibby suspected his story? Suspected him?
And did Syla also suspect him? Yes. But…
“Vorik,” she called.
“Yes?” he answered promptly.
“Is your dragon willing and capable of giving us a ride to Harvest Island?”
There wasn’t any surprise on Vorik’s face. Maybe he had been able to hear their conversation. Or had some other way of monitoring enemies from afar.
“Dragons are very strong,” he called, “but one of Agrevlari’s size would only be able to carry two riders such a distance.”
The words were issued matter-of-factly and without any smirk or hint of smugness of plans falling into place. Even so, Syla had a feeling that Vorik liked relaying that particular information, that he wanted to go on this journey alone with her.
“That’s not going to work. Unless the dragon is willing to take the two of us and leave him here.” A hint of thoughtful speculation entered Tibby’s eyes as she imagined the scenario.
“A dragon will only accept humans on his back if one of them is his chosen rider,” Vorik said.
Tibby hadn’t spoken loudly. Vorik’s response verified what Syla had been worrying about. He either had extremely keen hearing, or he did have another way of monitoring conversations from afar.
“You’re not going off alone with him,” Tibby said.
“I… agree that’s not a good idea.” And Syla did, but would she do it anyway? For the sake of her people?
She planned to find a way to depart from Vorik’s company once she reached Harvest Island, but she would need her other allies when she arrived.
She wanted Fel to protect her and Aunt Tibby to know what under the stars to do with the shielder once they found it.
Besides, what were the odds that Syla could even manage to swim a mile to shore without losing her spectacles?
Her aunt wore a strap around her head to keep hers in place.
Maybe she could find something similar before they left.
“We’ll find a ship to take us,” Tibby said.
“All right.” Whispering, Syla added, “We’ll depart Vorik’s company here, but it might be better to avoid returning to the harbor if we want to retain our freedom and not be swept up by the military. There must be a ship in a cove somewhere and a captain willing to take us.”
“Yes.” Tibby patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you for not being…”
“Foolish and impulsive?” Syla poked into her bag for a map that she’d packed, thinking to look at the coastline for coves they could check, but her knuckles brushed the dragon figurine, and a new thought popped into her mind. Hm.
“I was going to say horny and smitten, but your words work too, I suppose.”
“I’m not a teenager who can’t control her libido, Aunt Tibby.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Tibby patted her again and headed for the ladder.
When Syla looked back at Vorik, she found him watching her with alarming intensity. Would he allow her to depart his company?