Page 92 of The Mad King and the False Queen

“Did you make a friend?” Magda shook her head with a laugh before unlatching the golden dog’s cage. It leapt out and raced around Odie, both of them playing for a brief moment.

Magda noticed Ravi out of the corner of her eye, reaching for a different cage. Something stirred inside her, and a terror paralyzed her body.

“Not that one!” Magda yelled towards Ravi, noticing his hand on the cage of a hound. The cage was massive—big enough for a full-grown adult to stand inside. The mysterious animal was unlike anything Magda had ever seen before. Its heaving breaths revealed shiny, violet scales on the bottom of its stomach. The hound’s figure consumed the entire space of the cage with its muscular body, and bloody drool pooled in a pile under its sharp teeth. It slinked at the back of the cage, pacing back and forth.

“Shhhh...,” Ravi quieted her. Magda stepped closer to him, hoping to pull Ravi back away from the cage. If the hound decided to pounce, surely it could break the lock with enough force if it wanted to.

When Magda stepped forward, the hound’s eyes met hers, revealing glowing irises.

Odie and the new dog suddenly jumped up, positioning themselves in front of Magda and Ravi for protection as they snarled at the hound.

With a force that reverberated the entire wall of cages, the hound shot forward, its teeth smashing into the metal gate.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ravi yelled.

Suddenly a voice sounded at the end of the cellar. Four men were descending the stairs, pointing right at the pair.

“They’re the ones letting out the dogs! Get them!” one yelled. One by one, they came barreling towards Magda and Ravi, holding hatchets and sprinting across the length of the wine cellar

“Do you trust me?” Magda asked.

“What’s your plan?”

“Do you trust me?!” Magda shouted louder this time over the barking animals.

Ravi nodded.

“Get behind me,” Magda said, and she reached forward toward the hound’s cage.

“You’re crazy!”

Magda opened the latch, and swung the cage door toward her, opening it all the way on its hinges so that both she and Ravi were smashed behind the bars.

The hound jumped out as soon as the four henchmen reached the cages.

In an instant, the hound was upon the men, biting at their feet and ankles, and ripping their flesh. The men retaliated, throwing hatches and daggers at the hound, but the animal was fierce and unwavering.

While the men were distracted, Magda yelled, “Quick, in here!”

She darted into the hound’s empty cage, pulling Ravi behind her. Quickly, Odie and his new dog friend followed them inside, and Magda pulled the cage shut. For now, they were safe.

The hound made quick work of the henchman, and they crumpled to the ground, bloodied and bruised. Then the beast snapped its teeth back towards its cage. It leaped up onto the metal grate, threatening to yank it open.

“Help me!” Magda yelled, pulling back on the iron bars. She was careful not to get her fingers in the way of the hound’s snarling teeth.

Odie and the other dog jumped forward, barking and snarling at the hound. They continued barking at each other until the hound seemed to still, calming down. Then, all of the sudden, it backed down, stepping away from the cage, as if something had passed between all three animals. Finally, it darted out into the wine cellar and through the barrels.

Magda let out a sigh of relief.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Ravi asked beside her.

“I think so,” Magda said, observing Odie. His tail was wagging again, and he was no longer on the defense.

She pushed open the cage, exiting first. Sure enough, the hound was nowhere to be seen. They stepped into the wine cellar, relief flooding through their bodies.

Magda let out a squeal of excitement, jumping up in the air. “We did it!” she yelled, turning to Ravi. In her excitement, she leapt onto him, encircling her arms around his neck in a playful but intimate embrace. He hugged her back, wrapping his strong arms around her until her feet dangled off the ground. For a moment, it was just the two of them, and she was distinctly aware of her body pressed against his and the closeness of his lips to hers.

Then Odie began to snarl, alerting them that their happiness was short lived.

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