Page 27 of The Oracle of Dusk

“As you wish…Phaedra,” he replied, his voice deepening as he said her name. It sent a shiver down her spine.

What the fuck was that?Best to ignore it.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice your distinct lack of promises not to kill me,Silvanus.”

“Hmm, I didn’t think you knew my name.” She could swear she heard a smile in his tone.

“I knew your name. I chose not to use it.”

“How very genteel of you,Phaedra.”

“That’s me. Genteel. A true paragon.” Phaedra breathed through the next wave of pain. Damn it. She’d told him not to make her laugh.

They were quiet for a time. She tried to focus on something other than the horror of her physical reality.

“Distract me. That’s an order,” she whispered.

“What do you want to discuss?”

“Anything.”

He was quiet, considering. Sweat trickled down her forehead and into her cuts. She hissed.

“I could tell you about how I keep Neptune’s coat glossy.”

“If you’re going to kill me, at least make it fast and painless.”

Silvanus chuckled.

“Why don’t you tell me how you made it into the mountain? I was sure you’d…”

“Gotten melted?”

“Mmm.”

Phaedra sighed, closing her eyes.

“You were there. It was hopeless. Drakon was toying with us, killing us one by one. I saw the paladins behind me die in that cursed purple fire. I knew we were next. And then…I don’t know. Everything around me stopped.”

“Everything?”

“Everything. I saw that blast of fire above me. Could feel the heat of it, but it was stuck. The monstrosities were still as statues. I tried to make our loper move, tried to tell that paladin woman to ride while we could, but they were both suspended. I didn’t know how long my reprieve would be, so I fought my way off the saddle and ran for Aurora. Too soon, everything started moving again. The blast threw me up into the air and I saw the two of you disappear into that entrance. I used the last of my strength to blast myself inside while I could. What happened after I don’t recall. Clearly, I made it inside.”

Her heart hammered against her chest. She shouldn’t have tried to speak so much. Deeper breaths only meant greater pain.Hewas supposed to distracther, not the other way around. Silvanus returned to her side, his eyes like eerie jewels. Instinctively, she recoiled. He placed his hand on her forehead again, dulling the pain. Why?

“I felt Aurora’s magic, like a flash, gone in a moment. I had no idea she had such potential,” Silvanus said.

Phaedra squeezed Aurora’s hand. Guess she was a proper hero after all. There would be no protecting her now.Don’t think about it.

“What, your divine eyes didn’t tell you everything about her?”

When his eyes returned to normal, he groaned, gritting his teeth as he gripped the side of the cart.

“Contrary to your fairy tales, I don’t use my wild magic so recklessly. In any case, this changes things. Shedoeshave the power to defeat Drakon, I just need to help her control it. If she can freeze time long enough…”

“Even if she could stop time again, how would you defeat Drakon? It can literally throw flaming boulders from the sky, melt anything its breath touches, oh,andit’s a great flying serpent. How would you even get to it?”

Silvanus sighed, limping back to the loper’s side.

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