Page 48 of Rune Assassin

“Nothing that can’t be explained later,” Tegan replied as he swept his eyes over the area. “But first, where’s Miles?”

A puzzled expression passed over Lusio’s face. “He hasn’t returned. Shouldn’t he be with you?”

“We need to find him,” Tegan insisted as he nodded at the servants who surrounded us. “Tell them to start searching for him.”

Our host’s mouth dropped open before he gathered himself and shook his head. “But it’s nearly time for my guests to arrive!”

Tegan shot him such a firm glare that the man cowered back. “If you care about your life then you’ll find him.”

Some of the color drained from Lusio’s face but he spun around toward his servants. “Find Miles immediately!” The servants once more scattered to the four winds, leaving us alone with our host, and Lusio’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t turn to us as he spoke in a low voice. “Now tell me what happened.”

“Miles used magic to trap us in Clara’s house,” Tegan revealed.

Lusio half-turned to us with a look of astonishment. “Magic? But Miles doesn’t know how to do magic.”

“He does now,” I quipped.

Our host clutched half his head in one hand and frowned at the ground. “How can this be? How could so much go wrong?” He lifted his curious eyes to Clara. “And how did an incompetent servant manage to trap you with magic?”

She scowled back at him. “The magic that trapped me wasn’t done by a buffoon, you fool. Whoever is behind this mess is a master at spells.”

“Sir!” someone shouted from far off and one of the servants popped up from the dunes in the direction of Clara’s hut. “I found him!”

“Then bring him here!” Lusio snapped back.

The man’s face paled and he shook his head. “T-there’s something not right with him, sir. You should see for yourself.”

“Damn all this,” Lusio muttered as he hurried toward the servant.

We followed, including Clara, and the servant led us over a few of the dunes before he stopped atop a rather large one. He pointed down as we joined him on the peak. “There, sir.”

The dune overlooked a hollow among the sand hills. Miles was in the center of the depression with his head clasped between his hands. He staggered to and fro with his face a twisted mask of terror and pain.

“I won’t go!” Miles shouted as he yanked himself in the direction of the house.

His body had other ideas, however, and he violently pulled himself in the direction of the beach. His face contorted and his legs shook so badly he collapsed onto his knees.

“Leave me be! I beg of you!” he pleaded as he bowed his head and shut his eyes. “Have you not done enough damage to me?”

“Miles!” Lusio shouted though Tegan grabbed his arm a second later.

Miles’ head shot up and his eyes widened. There was a brief moment of comprehension before a strange glossiness slipped over his pupils, distorting the color and creating the effect of a lifeless doll. That’s when he darted away from us and in the direction of the ocean.

“Stop him!” Clara shouted as she shuffled after the man. “He’ll throw himself into the waves!”

Tegan and I slid down the high dune and hit the ground running. The chase would have been comical, what with both parties skidding through the sand, had the stakes not been so dire. The lapping waves invited Miles and he hit the water without slowing down. The waves were up to his hips before we crashed in after him.

Tegan was the stronger swimmer and reached Miles just as the water came up to his neck. My dragon husband got another wide swing in with his fist and slammed his hand against the side of Miles’ head. The older gentleman crumpled like a paper doll and Tegan caught him.

The waves tried their hardest to drag both men out to sea but I managed to grab hold of one of Miles’ arms, giving Tegan enough of a break that he could dig his heels into the wet sand. Together we pulled Miles out of the waves and onto shore where we deposited him onto the sands.

I collapsed beside him and Tegan did the same on Miles’ other side. We were soon joined by our host and Clara, along with a dozen of the servants.

“What in the world is going on here?” Lusio exclaimed as he threw up his arms. “First the dart, then Clara going missing, and now Miles tries to kill himself? Why in all the hells would he even desire to do such a thing?”

“I don’t think he did,” Tegan countered as he sat up and looked the man over. He opened one of Miles’ eyelids and revealed normal eyes. “I think someone made him do everything he did today against his will.”

Lusio’s face drooped. “To try to make another attempt on my life?” His announcement was news to the servants around us.

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