Chapter 145
"Come forth, Pyrethrus."
Magic flared around me and shot toward the sky in a radiant wave. A gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, stirring my hair as I slowly opened my eyes.
I expected to see a gigantic dragon kneeling before me, his head bowed in solemn submission to the heir of Ardentia.
Instead, all I saw was an empty forest path.
I blinked.
Where was the dragon?
I waited.
Nothing happened.
I waited a little longer, but the result was exactly the same.
Perhaps he hadn't heard me.
I tried the invocation again, this time pouring more magic into it until the entire courtyard shimmered with energy.
The result?
Absolutely nothing.
Not even a fly.
Ten minutes later, I stood in the courtyard with my arms crossed, glaring at the sky while Miss Ann remained near the entrance of the inn, watching me with an expression that was becoming increasingly difficult to decipher.
The only sounds around us were the occasional chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves deep within the forest.
I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time.
"That pathetic dipshit of a reptile," I muttered, flaring my nostrils. "I knew he was a scammer."
Miss Ann glanced at me.
I continued, deliberately imitating Pyrethrus's deep, grand voice.
"'Summon me when the time is right, and I shall come.'"
I rolled my eyes.
"Useless lizard."
"Are you sure he'll come?" Miss Ann asked. "Pyrethrus was known for being rather mischievous."
I uncrossed my arms, allowing my shoulders to slump.
"He said he would come."
I glanced toward the forest.
"Apparently, he was lying."
Miss Ann studied me for a moment.
"Are you certain you summoned him correctly?"
I slowly turned toward her.
"What other way is there to summon him? Voodoo?"
I groaned, threw my head back, and dragged both hands down my face.
"All right. I'm trying this again. The Cassiane way!"
I straightened and glared toward the trees.
"Toasty! I give you thirty seconds to appear in front of me!"
I pointed dramatically toward the forest.
"Otherwise, I'll drag you here by the tail and swirl you all the way back to that wretched cave!"
A voice suddenly came from above me.
"Jeez, woman! You've got a nasty temper."
I froze.
Slowly, I looked up.
A chameleon was lazily lounging on a branch above the courtyard, staring down at me with an expression that somehow managed to look annoyed despite being a chameleon.
It tilted its head.
Then, as though disappointed by what it saw, it shook its head and casually leaped from the branch.
Halfway down, its body shifted.
The tiny reptile stretched and transformed in midair before landing gracefully on four paws as a fluffy black cat.
The cat looked at me, gave an almost casual shrug, and said, "What's up?"
I stared at him.
"Toasty?"
"Yep."
"How?"
"Shape-shifting."
He gave himself an approving glance.
"Pretty cool, right?"
I blinked several times.
"What happened to you? And what's with the accent?" I demanded. "More importantly, why didn't you answer me the first time I called you?"
He shrugged.
"It's the new fad. I've been travelling through different realms, and the accent I picked up on Earth was pretty dope."
I stared at him.
"You can travel through realms?"
"Yep. Pretty much."
He paused to casually scratch behind one ear.
"Oh, and I go by Toasty now. Goes with the trend."
He flashed me a completely unapologetic grin.
"Also, I heard you the first time. It was fun watching you get annoyed."
Then he glanced toward Miss Ann.
"Ssup?"
Miss Ann stared at him with such a deeply cringed expression that I was almost impressed.
Toasty turned his attention back to me.
"You called, bud?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Now you want to talk? Very well. I want you to do something for me."
He scoffed.
"I can pretty much do anything. I'm a dragon, remember?"
"Really?"
I folded my arms.
"Then where were you when I was fighting for my life?"
His confidence faltered.
"Umm... that's different."
"Okay, fine. You can pretty much do anything, right?"
I pointed at him.
"Then go, defeat the Veiled Thorn, defeat the King of Varynthar, and bring back the Heartforge."
"Nope. Can't do that."
I stared at him.
"Dipshit."
"Hey! I heard that."
"I don't care."
"Will you two please stop fighting?"
Miss Ann interrupted, rubbing her forehead.
She looked at me.
"Cassie, there is something you need to understand. Dragons are not simply free to interfere wherever they please, especially when it comes to human affairs. That is the ultimate law of the dragons. He cannot just simply attack a human."
I gave her an amused laugh.
"Did you even see how this guy charged at us in that chamber?"
Miss Ann sighed before continuing.
"That was different. He was bound to the Ardentian relics as their guardian. When you and Rhaevan entered the chamber, he was compelled to defend what he had been entrusted with. That was the purpose of his binding."
I glanced at Toasty.
"So you're telling me he was basically stuck there?"
"Not exactly stuck," Miss Ann said, glancing at Toasty. "More like cursed. If he was imprisoned in that cave to guard a relic, then he must have defied the absolute law by interfering in a human war. Am I right, dragon?"
Toasty rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Hey, that curse was unfair. Those evil humans had pissed me off. What was I supposed to do? Clap?"
I stared at him.
"So, basically, you're a useless dragon. Great."
Toasty immediately raised a paw.
"First of all, those stupid dark magic users hurt my family. And secondly..."
He paused, apparently searching for the right justification.
"It was fun watching them run around trying to escape my attacks."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"What kind of fire-spitting buffoon am I stuck with?"
Toasty scoffed, puffing out a tiny flame.
"Back at you, woman! That boneless tongue of yours-"
"All right, that's enough!"
Miss Ann stepped between us before either of us could blast the other with magic. She let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Cassiane, we have a lot at stake. Remember?"
"And Pyrethrus-"
"Toasty."
"Oh, for the heavens' sake. Behave, dragon!"
"Fine!"
Miss Ann pinched the bridge of her nose before turning back to me.
"Cassiane, go on."
I shook my head and turned toward Toasty.
"All right. I have a task for you."
I crouched slightly until we were at eye level.
"Can you get into Varynthar without being detected?"
Toasty's eyes gleamed.
"Yep."
"Good. Find out what the current situation is and find us a way into the kingdom. And while at it, can you also look for Rhaevan?"
"Who?"
I rolled my eyes.
"My boyfriend. The guy who was with me. You've met him."
Toasty's eyes widened.
"Ohhh... that hottie."
He gave a slow, approving nod.
"Sure. Will do. Anything else?"
"That's all. I'll deal with the rest."
Toasty nodded.
Before I could say anything else, his body began to shift once more.
The black fur disappeared beneath a spreading layer of feathers as his body stretched and reshaped itself. Within seconds, the cat was gone, replaced by a magnificent eagle.
He gave us one last look before launching himself into the sky and disappearing beyond the trees.
I watched him go.
For several seconds, I remained silent.
Eventually, Miss Ann came to stand beside me.
"Do you trust him?"
I sighed.
"I trust that he's annoying enough to survive almost anything."
Miss Ann laughed.
And somehow, despite everything that had happened, I found myself smiling too.
For the first time since waking up, I felt something dangerously close to hope.
I had no idea what awaited us in Varynthar, or whether Toasty would actually manage to accomplish anything without getting himself into trouble. But for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn't simply waiting for something to happen to me.
I was going to make something happen myself.
Miss Ann turned toward me.
"What next?"
I smiled.
"Our next recruit is a little farther away. He's living in a secluded cottage."
"Benedict?" she asked.
I nodded.
"Hmm."
I glanced toward the forest where Toasty had disappeared.
"The journey will take a while."
Miss Ann looked at me with an almost amused expression.
"Not when I'm here."
Before I could ask what she meant, she lifted one hand.
Magic gathered effortlessly around her fingers, twisting together until a shimmering portal opened before us.
I stared at it.
Then I looked at her.
"You can open portals?"
She shrugged as though she had just demonstrated how to boil water.
I looked between her and the portal.
"Since when?"
She gave me an innocent smile.
I narrowed my eyes.
Then something clicked.
"Wait."
I pointed at the portal.
"Were you the one who opened the portal for Rhaevan?"
Her smile widened.
She didn't answer.
"Come along."
She simply stepped through the portal.
I remained where I was for another second, staring after her.
That woman was hiding far too many secrets.
With a sigh, I followed her through.