Page 137 of The Last Dragon
“He can’t kill half of his army. He needs to be strategic about it now.”
“So he decided to pin everything on me.” I sigh. Fantastic.
“Good thing there’s soldiers coming in and out from the battlements, soaking wet, or you’d be the only one leaving the trail behind you.”
“Figured as much,” I comment.
“What are you doing here?” she asks again.
I dart my eyes between her and the empty hall over her shoulder. “Grogol took Nida,” I say.
Her eyes grow wide, and for a moment she eases her grip on the bow.
“Taken?” she repeats, gripping her bow. “How? Where?”
“He found us. In Valous’ tavern. It was a matter of time before he did, but I didn’t expect it to be so fast.”
Eryca waves her hand in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut as if what I’m saying is giving her a massive headache. She hates him more than anyone. “Wait, whoa. You were withValous?”
I give a quick nod.
“This is too much for me.” Her brows shoot in surprise, as if giving up on the idea of working with Valous again before it even started.
“Listen, Zel. You can’t stay here. You’re a target. If Grogol finds out, everyone—anyone tied to you, anyone walking the same halls as you—will end up dead.”
I turn to her, and that genuine concern on her face makes me doubt even coming here. Getting caught means letting them die. Letting Nida die. I can’t let that happen.
Think.Think.
“I need you to do something,” I say. One quick glance around. It’s just us. For now. “Gather everyone that is against Grogol—anyone that you can trust. Sam, Ilian. None of the Lieutenants or Scouts, they’re probably on Grogol’s side.”
“All scouts?” she questions, eyes squinting.
“I saw the map in Grogol’s quarters before the expedition. There was no pattern. I have a feeling they’re the ones that falsified dragon sightings.”
She nods. “Makes sense.”
“Can you find Sam?” I ask, my hand firmly on her shoulder. She swallows, biting the inside of her cheek, but after a moment, she gives me a quick nod. “Good.” I still have no solid plan, but this will have to do for now.
A rebellion.
Valous’ voice rings in my head, and the sneer he said it with is embedded in my eyelids. He’s right—this is the only way.
This could be a mistake. This could lead to thousands of people—innocent people—dead. But if I don’t do anything, if I let Grogol lie his way out of this, control others, the blood will remain on my hands, with even more people dead.
A shiver travels down my spine, as if someone or—something—is watching me. I can’t help but glance over my shoulder, expecting eyes staring back at me. But there’s nothing. Just a shadow dancing from the dying light cast by a single torch. A faint sound of a whisper.
“Are you alright?” Eryca’s voice breaks my trance.
I blink, unsure how long I’ve been staring at a wall. My hands feel cold. Empty. “I need a bow,” I say quickly. “There’s one in my room.”
“The broken one,” she states, her voice dripping with ridicule.
“Yes, the broken one.”
Eryca rolls her eyes. “And what are you going to do with abrokenbow?”
“It’s better than nothing. I need to get to my room.”
