Warwick St. George might not know who Amelrik is, but he knows who I am. He knows I’m Celeste’s sister, and if he asks her about me, if he mentions Amelrik at all, I don’t doubt she’ll give him up.
Prince Amelrik of Hawthorne clan. A dragon. One of the most wanted criminals in the five kingdoms.
And even if Warwick doesn’t talk to her, people have seen us around. They’ll figure it out.
“We need to get as far away from here as possible,” I tell Amelrik as we pause to catch our breath. The wind howls through the narrow side street we’re on, trying to blast through my coat and making my eyes sting. “Maybe we should follow the same plan as Cedric and Leif. Get to the other side of town, find an inn—”
“It won’t be that easy,” he says, his voice numb in a way that makes me want to kick him, because he sounds like he doesn’t care. “They wanted Cedric for questioning, for spreading rumors their boss didn’t like. But tracking down a killer…”
“Supposed killer.”
“They think they’ve found the murderer. A paladin is dead.”
“Because of Warwick.”
He turns his face away, but he doesn’t say anything to that. “And once they figure out who I am, it’ll just be that much worse. They’ll be checking all the inns. They’ll be checking everywhere. Virginia, you need—”
“Come on.” I grab his hand, not letting him finish whatever he was about to say, because I can already tell I wasn’t going to like it.
We come out at the other end of the street. Amelrik sees them first. I know because I feel him tense up beside me. When I glance over, there are paladins. Three of them, plus four of the town guard, talking to a worried-looking woman who frowns and points down the road, in the vague direction of Cedric’s house.
I back up and run into Amelrik. I turn and practically have to push him to keep moving, because it’s obvious we can’t go that way. “There was an alley that connected to this street. We can—”
“It was a dead end.”
“Fine, we’ll go back the way we came. We’ll go a different direction. Those paladins are probably headed to Cedric’s house, and they’re not going to be using these side streets. We’ve still got time.”
“Unless they saw us.”
“They didn’t!”
But right when I say that, I hear someone in the distance shout, “Over here!”
I grab Amelrik’s arm, my heart racing. I consider ducking down the alley to hide—it’s the fastest way to get out of sight, but we’d also be trapped, and it feels too risky. So we run to the next street. I’m not sure where all these roads go, and I didn’t bring the map. Not that it matters, because I wouldn’t have time to check it, anyway. I make a snap decision and turn right.
This street is more populated, with people tromping through the snow to the shops. We move as quickly as we can without drawing too much attention.
“They know who I am,” Amelrik whispers.
“No.” I shake my head, refusing to believe that. Not yet. Not already. “They were looking for Cedric.” They could have been. They look similar enough.
“They sent one paladin for him last time, not a whole group of them. Not the town guard. And they know where he lives. They wouldn’t have been asking someone.”
My heart pounds in my chest. I hate that what he’s saying makes sense, and even more than that, I hate the way he’s saying it—calm and matter-of-fact. Like he’s already resigned himself to this.
“Even if they do,” I tell him, keeping my voice down, “they’re not going to find you.” Not if I have anything to say about it.
“Virginia.”
“No.” My fingers dig into his palm, like if I just hold on hard enough, I won’t ever have to let go of him.
“They shouldn’t find you with me.”
“Stop assuming they’re going to find you and hurry up.” Maybe if he was moving faster, if he wasn’t dragging his feet, we’d be farther away already.
“I should have told you to go with Cedric, but I was being selfish.” He swallows. “I thought maybe—”
“Don’t talk like that. Don’t you dare talk like that.”
“I thought there was a chance, and I wanted you with me. And I…” His voice breaks. “I don’t know how to say good-bye to you.”
“Then don’t.” Tears fill my eyes. Desperation claws at my chest. I pick up the pace, trying to make him keep moving.
“They’re going to find me, one way or another. And they’re not going to take down the barrier until they do. Even if we get away right now, we won’t be able to hide forever. And Cedric and Leif can’t stay bound forever, either.”
Hot tears slide down my cheeks, turning bitterly cold in the wind. “Shut up. If you think for even a second that I’m going to just leave you—”
“I can’t get away, but you still can.”
There are more voices in the distance, and the sounds of tromping footsteps headed toward us.
“No.” It comes out choked, so that it hardly even sounds like a word. “You don’t deserve this. They’ll kill you! If Warwick doesn’t do something worse to you first!”
His eyes look wet. He closes them and wraps his arms around me, holding me tight. “You’ve been helping me. You’re a St. George who’s been helping a dragon. A wanted criminal. A—”
“You’re not a murderer.”
“Warwick already tried to kill you, Virginia. They won’t let you go if they catch you. Not even if Celeste tries to step in. It doesn’t make sense for us both to get caught.”
I want to pull away from him, to force him to keep going, but I can’t quite bring myself to do it, because part of me thinks this might be the last time I’ll ever feel his arms around me. So instead I hug him as tightly as I can, until our bones press together so hard it hurts. I sob into his chest, wanting to tell him this isn’t really happening, that he’s wrong and we can both still get away.
But if I really believed that, we’d be running right now instead of saying good-bye.
“Over there!” someone shouts.
“That’s him!”
I hear them coming, but I can’t bring myself to move, no matter what Amelrik said.
He kisses me on the forehead—the last kiss he’ll ever give me—and then turns and runs toward them.
25
A VICIOUS MONSTER
I watch them take Amelrik away. I watch them beat him even though he came willingly, and then I watch them take him away. And maybe we were far enough from them that nobody noticed him hugging me before he ran off, or maybe they just don’t care, now that they’ve caught him, because nobody comes for me, even though I can’t bring myself to run.
The only thing I seem to be able to do is sit in the snow and sob into my knees. Harsh, ragged sobs that feel like they’re going to break me. People wandering by on the street give me a wide berth. I hear a child point me out to his mother, who quickly shushes him and makes him cross the street.
But I don’t care how crazy I look, because Amelrik’s gone, and it’s like my heart’s been ripped out. And I know I have to get up. I have to, because I don’t know what Warwick has planned for him, but I know it’s not good. And I know it only ends one way.
Which means I have to go back to the manor house. I have to risk running into Warwick again. Just the thought makes me shudder. I don’t know what he’ll do if he sees me. Have me arrested? Have me killed? And if either of those things happen, Amelrik’s doomed, if he isn’t already.
A sick feeling twists my stomach. I tell myself he’s okay, even though I know it’s not true. He wasn’t okay even before they captured him, and now…
I push the thought away and get to my feet, even though the tears are still coming. Even though all I want to do is sit there in the snow and drown in everything I’m feeling. Or freeze to death. Whichever comes first. But I’ve already avoided both those things—what, only twenty-four hours ago?—and I’m not going to just sit here and die.
&nb
sp; And I’m sure as hell not just going to sit here and let Amelrik die, either.
Even if the thought of going back to Rosewood Manor makes my skin crawl and my legs feel wobbly. Though I’m not sure if it’s the manor house itself or the fact that Warwick St. George is lurking inside it. A man who already tried to kill me and who I have no doubts would do it again. Except this time, Amelrik won’t be there to save me.
No one will, because I’m alone. Celeste’s abandoned me, Amelrik’s been taken, and I have no way of contacting Cedric and Leif. Not that there’s anything they could do, anyway. They’re dragons—the manor’s the last place they should be—and like Amelrik pointed out, Leif’s got obvious signs of magic sickness from the dragon ring. Cedric’s not nearly as bad off, but he still doesn’t look great, and either way, I’m not dragging them into this. Amelrik wanted Cedric to be safe, so that’s what he’s going to be.
Of course, he wanted the same thing for me, and I’m not exactly honoring that.
But there’s no one else to save him. No one else who can walk into paladin headquarters and hopefully not just be immediately kicked out. Or arrested. Or… worse.
I scrub my face with my hands, knowing my skin is puffy and probably red from crying. I probably look horrible right now. I grab a handful of snow and press it against my eyes, hoping it will help. I don’t think it does. Which means anyone who sees me is going to know something’s wrong, even if they don’t know what. And I feel so empty right now, so hollowed out, that I’m not sure I have it in me to pretend to be a maid or to claim I’m a paladin.
My footsteps feel impossibly slow as I make my way through town. No matter how fast I tell myself to move, it’s like I’m battling through sludge. Like my body’s twice as heavy as normal and I forgot how to walk.
The wind kicks up, blowing bits of snow down from the roofs and pushing hard against me, like even the weather itself is telling me to stay away.
But I can’t.
I have no idea how I’m going to save Amelrik or if it’s even possible, only that I have to try.
When I get to Rosewood, it’s clear that this isn’t going to be easy. Not that I thought it was going to be, but it’s worse than that. There’s almost a constant stream of people coming in and out—official-looking people who probably work for the government, and people in fancy dress who might be friends of the Rosewoods. Inside, various servants are hurrying through the house, rushing to carry out orders. I can almost taste the excitement in the air, and the word “dragon” is on everyone’s lips. And of course there are paladins. Three of them are huddled together, gossiping in the main hallway when I come in, and my heart speeds up a little, but thankfully none of them is Celeste.
Then one of them pulls away from the others, like he recognizes me, and I see that it’s Char, Celeste’s boyfriend. My nerves tingle and my thoughts start racing, wishing I’d taken the side entrance instead. Of course this place is busy. Of course someone would notice me just barging in through the front door.
He starts to smile at me, until he sees the state of my face, and then he falters. “Um, Vee, right?”
I nod. There’s no point in lying, even if he’s probably going to tell me to get out of here. That’s what they seem to be doing—turning away all the nobles and officials who’ve come in hopes of seeing the dragon.
“Are you…” He seems unsure about what to say, like he’s afraid to acknowledge the fact that I’ve obviously been crying. But then he shakes his head and says, “Are you okay?”
I should lie—I know I should—but I can’t. “No. I’m—”
“We caught the dragon.” There’s no mistaking the excitement in his voice. “So if you’re worried about that, you should know that it’s the real thing this time. Well, the boss says it is.” He says that quietly and glances over his shoulder afterward, double checking that no one overheard. “He says it’s some kind of half-dragon freak. But I’ve never heard of a half dragon before. I didn’t even think it was possible. To think of one of them forcing themselves on…” He shudders and makes a disgusted face. “But no one would ever do that willingly. Not with a dragon.”
I want to tell him I would, and that no, it’s not possible. Dragons and humans can’t crossbreed like that. What happened to Amelrik isn’t a result of his genetics and instead has everything to do with Warwick St. George and the cruelty he inflicted on Amelrik’s mother. But I don’t say any of that. Instead, I stay silent, waiting for him to hurry up and kick me out so I can sneak over to the side entrance like I should have done in the first place.
“Anyway, I can’t prove anything, but…” He glances over his shoulder again, then motions for me to lean closer. “I’m not supposed to do this, but you look like you could use some cheering up, and I… I really like Celeste.” He can’t help grinning when he says that.
She must not have told him anything about me. Of course not. There’s no way in hell she’d tell him about my connection to Amelrik. And apparently she didn’t tell him she’s done with me, either. I should probably let him know that doing something nice for me, whatever it is, isn’t going to earn him any points with her.
But then he says, “I can show you the dragon,” and any thoughts I had of setting him straight go right out the window.
“You can?”
“Yeah. Just don’t tell anyone. We’re supposed to be turning away random gawkers. Er, not that you’re random, exactly, but you’re not authorized.”
“Let me see him.” I think I say that a little too forcefully—or maybe just too desperately—because Char gets an uncertain look on his face, like maybe he’s worried he made the wrong choice.
But then he motions for me to follow him and leads me toward the cellar.
“Nobody’s actually seen it transform yet,” he says, filling the silence between us.
“Him,” I say, correcting him without thinking about it. I probably shouldn’t be saying things like that. Or at least not until after he takes me to the cellar and lets me see Amelrik. And then I don’t know what I’m going to do.
“Right. Well, Joanna’s going to work her magic, and then we’ll know for sure. But Warwick wants it to be a big spectacle. Out in front of the whole town.”
My chest tightens. A big spectacle. In front of everybody. So he can prove a human-sized dragon really exists and stamp out any doubts that the killer might be an actual human, or that the rumors about Warwick being a psychopath might be true.
“Seems risky to me,” Char goes on. “If he’s wrong, he’ll have an awful lot of angry people to deal with. All gathered in one place.” He exhales loudly, blowing a few strands of hair out of his face. “Not looking forward to being on duty for that. But,” he adds, suddenly glancing over at me, “he wouldn’t be doing it if he wasn’t sure. I mean, we’ve definitely caught the dragon this time. No worries.”
“You don’t believe him, though.”
“No, no, of course I… Actually, I’m not sure. He’s been acting kind of weird lately. Warwick, that is. And even more so after he came back this morning with that crazy story about a half dragon being the murderer. I mean, it’s not my place to doubt him. It just seems like… Well, I’m not sure I can believe it until I see it.”
The hallway’s starting to look familiar. My heart pounds as we get nearer to the cellar.
Then we turn a corner and Char’s expression brightens. I glance up and see Celeste. She starts to smile at him until she realizes I’m here, too, and then her mouth twists into this sour look.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I don’t have it in me to make up an excuse. Not that she’d believe it, anyway. We both know exactly what I’m doing.
“Er,” Char says, seeming surprised by Celeste’s anger, “I was just taking her to see the dragon.”
“She’s not on the list.”
He tilts his head, his smile conspiratorial. “She’s your sister. I thought—”
“No.�
�� Celeste’s voice is firm. “Get her out of here.”
Wow. Not even going to deal with me herself? I glare at her. “Great. That’ll give me time to get to know Char a little better. I was just about to tell him all about my betrothal.”
Celeste’s jaw tightens. She glares right back at me.
Char glances between us. “Your betrothal? Celeste didn’t tell me you were… Well, she didn’t tell me much at all, now that I think about it.”
“She didn’t tell you I’m engaged to a prince? And that I’ve been living in his kingdom with his family for the past six months? That seems like a huge oversight.”
“A prince?” he says, his eyes widening in curiosity.
“Vee,” Celeste warns.
I shrug. “Well, it’s true. I just think it’s strange that it hasn’t come up at all. I mean, I’m your sister, and you barely—”
“Char.” She turns to him. “Give us a minute. I’ll escort Vee out of here myself.”
“But you’ve got more important things to do. It’s on the way, and I want to hear about—” He shuts up when he sees the look she’s giving him. “I mean, yeah, sure, of course.”
He ducks back down the hallway.
I barely wait for him to be out of hearing range before I say, “I need to see Amelrik. Now.” I try to move past her. I can probably find my way to the cellar from here on my own.
She blocks me. “You know I can’t let you do that.”
“Celeste, he’s—”
“He’s a murderer, Vee!” Her face is red, and she sounds like she actually believes that.
My throat goes tight, like I’m going to start crying again, even though it shouldn’t be a surprise that she’d believe Warwick over me. And all she really knows about Amelrik is that he’s gotten a lot of paladins killed, even if he also saved her life. “He’s not.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you see what he is?! There were claw marks—I saw them.”
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