Page 50 of His Greatest Treasure

He skidded to a halt in front of me and I shifted back to my human form in case he touched me.

I asked, “What are you doing all the way out here?”

“I came to see you, of course! Our bond went all funny. Like you were afraid. What frightened you? I can- I can protect you. You don’t need to be frightened.”

He had walked right up to me and I looked up at him, this young man with his slender frame and his smooth, pale skin and his large silver eyes that were so sincere. I knew he didn’t look like a warrior, but he was beautiful and it was sweet that he wanted to protect me.

“I’m okay,” I insisted. “I was just checking the border. I felt a dragon out there.”

Alfie looked alarmed, and I hurried to reassure him.

“It was Glimmer, I’m sure of it. It felt like him and the magic that he was using is the same he’sbeen using the whole time I’ve been here. I’m positive it was him.

Alfie relaxed, his shoulders slumping. “Phew, that’s okay then. I’m so glad he’s alive! We weren’t sure. Conley said he fought aridire, and we were afraid he’d been killed. I mean, we weren’t meant to care, actually, since he’d been, you know, banished, but I was worried. I didn’t want him hurt.”

“He was working magic,” I said.

Alfie nodded and took my hand, clasping it in his own slightly bigger one. He didn’t look at all worried about the fact Glimmer was working magic on his territory’s borders.

He asked, “Are you hungry? You feel hungry. Have you turned to flame a lot?”

I blinked at him, confused by the change in conversation. I checked with my stomach and realised I was ravenous. I’d just used a lot of energy in my flame form and hadn’t burned anything.

Before I answered that, though, I needed to make sure Alfie understood what I’d seen.

“Glimmer is out there, working magic.”

“Yes.”

He looked at me, obviously not seeing any problem with that.

“But he’s banished.”

“Yes, but—”

“But what?”

“But he’s our Guardian. I know Conley is meant to be our Guardian now but he doesn’t have a bond with everyone and his are… not as nice. Maybe he’ll grow a bond with everyone over time? The point is, Glimmer still has his bonds. He’s still our Guardian. He’ll be protecting us. He’s been making the boundaries stronger for months. You said so yourself.”

“He’s not meant to be doing that, though, is he?”

“Not really. Lord Somerville will be angry if he finds out.”

I kept my thoughts on Lord Somerville to myself. He hadn’t been down to the boundaries in months, as far as I could tell, not since Alfie was shot. He’d left it up to his Guardian.

Instead, I said, “There was somebody with him. There was a man working with Glimmer.”

“Really? Who?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard him before, and I don’t recognise his magic.”

Alfie shrugged. “If he’s working with Glimmer, that’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

He looked at me blankly again. “Of course. Glimmer won’t let anything bad happen to us. His bonds are still really strong and they feel… protective. If he’s letting this man help him, he must trust him.”

“Soyoutrust him?”

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