Page 69 of Redeeming the Dragon

“One can only fight magic with magic,” Kidron replied gravely.

“You are a dragon. Can you not—”

He shook his head, cutting me off. “She keeps me in an underground cave during the day. Bound by magical chains. I am merely permitted into the keep at night, in my human form.”

That was discouraging.

“I’ve an idea,” Kidron announced. I swung my legs out of the way so he could climb off the bed. He rushed to the corner of the room, where sat a pack, not much different than my own. Kneeling before it, he rummaged a moment, then withdrew a familiar shirt.

“I asked the Scraggen to fetch a few of my belongings from the cave,” he said. “Luckily, she complied, using her magic. We have this.”

I studied it closely, trying to ascertain why it was familiar.

“You do not recall?” Rising to his feet, he stepped closer, shaking it out and holding it up. My sight fell on a familiar stain. Drips of candle wax.

“Is that—”

“Aye. The shirt I wore the night you kissed and awakened me.”

“Oh, Kidron,” I said, feeling a bit mortified. “Why do you still have that? Of what use is it to us?”

“Don’t you see?” As he stepped closer, still holding up the shirt, I could see his countenance change. Excitement had taken hold. His golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight drifting in through the window. He spoke rapidly in hushed tones. “We can use this to foil the Scraggen. The shirt is imbued with magic. Your kiss and the candle wax shattered our chance at liberty. Now, the candle wax can be used to undo the spell. We fight magic with magic. We unseal the curse by the same items with which it was sealed.”

“I fear I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head.

“Then let me explain.”

We spent that night going over and over our plan. As we did, I dithered between hopefulness and despair. It seemed so simple. Hope would spring. Nay, it was too easy. Too simple. How could magic as potent as the Scraggen’s be foiled by something so simplistic? Despair would take hold. Throughout it all, Kidron remained steadfast. He believed it would work.

“You are my mate,” he reassured me, sliding an arm about my shoulders and nestling me into his side. We sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, passing what remained of the night in each other’s arms. “We share an unbreakable bond. It brought me to you in the beginning. It will not fail at the end.”

I wished I had his certainty. Eventually, I relaxed enough that my head drifted onto the dragon prince’s shoulder. My eyelids slid closed. I slept until a sound outside the room roused me, along with Kidron’s voice saying gently, “Lorna, Atora is here. We must feign that I never wakened.”

He was right. By the time the Scraggen’s daughter had entered the bedchamber, Kidron had slid down onto the bed, resting on his back. I scooted away, lying alongside him without touching him. I kept my eyes closed as Atora traipsed into the room, lifting my eyelids only when she shook my shoulder insisting, “Time to awake, Peddler.”

Sitting up, I pretended to wipe away sleep, yawning and stretching my arms.

“Morning already?” I asked.

“Hssst,” she shushed. “Aye, morning already. My mother is in this part of the keep today. We must make haste. If she catches either of us…”

“Say no more.”

I bolted out of bed, gathered my pack, and followed her out the door without so much as a backward glance at Kidron, pretending that I wasn’t full of fear that I’d never seen him again. Either in the flesh, as a human, or even in his dragon form.

Farewell, my love.

I dared only think it, not say it. The door closed behind us, cutting him off. I prayed the soft click of the latch did not spell our ultimate doom.

Chapter 40

“Peddler? Where are you? Peddler?”

I’d not known for certain who would come to fetch me, or who would call me. I heard at least two or three unfamiliar male voices shouting the title Atora had given me.

“Peddler? Where is she? Atora said she might be hereabouts.”

“Here, you take the east trail and I’ll take the west. M’lady says we must search till she’s found.”

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