Page 94 of The Storm of the Empire

“If it lead me to Alora’s egg or to rescue Kol, I would do those things,” I admitted, and I had no shame in it either. I would do whatever it took to see those wrongs righted.

“Did you tip them off at the base?” she asked, finally voicing what she had clearly been thinking all along.

“No! How could you even think that?” I stepped forward this time only for her to step back.

She held up her hands. “You act like you’re with us, but your actions tell me you’re playing both sides.”

“Nyx chose me because I’m good at this. Because I can fit in with them. An army needs both types of fae.” I wouldn’t apologize for being who I was. “You should know me. Especially after all we’ve been through.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. My mind is playing tricks on me, and you feel so close yet so distant. It’s impossible to tell.”

I grabbed her hand and put it to my heart. “I’m on your side. I’ve always been on your side.”

“Then come with me.”

“I can’t. I know I need to stay here.” I begged her with my eyes not to give up on me.

“Neither of you is going anywhere.” Octavian’s icy voice startled us.

Hazel’s hand went to her sword, but I moved in front of her, guarding her with my body. How much did he hear? I wasn’t sure he would recognize me, but I was certain he would know Hazel. I had to get her out of here.

“Of course not. Not until the ship arrives.” I slipped back into my persona, fear half closing off my throat.

Octavian laughed, his face contouring weirdly, and it made my stomach turn. “Is that what you’re here for? Nothing else?”

“What else would we be doing?” I said, somehow keeping my cool.

“Snooping around where you shouldn’t be. Do you think I don’t remember you two? I know both your faces. She may not be half the dragon her mother is, but I knew all the cogs in my machine. And you—you’ve been causing problems all over my supply lines. Believe me, I’m intimately aware of both of you, and now I know you’re working together.”

“If you’ve been listening, you’ll know she doesn’t trust me because I’ve been working for you all along.” I hated to think what this would do to my relationship with Hazel, but if it kept her alive…

Maybe it wasn’t worth surviving this. Could my purpose be to give my life for this? To die for a cause that would outlive me?I didn’t want to think these thoughts, but I knew I would give my life for Hazel. She had to make it out of here. The Storm Kingdom needed more dragons on the hunt with Alora’s egg missing.

“No one should trust a rat. Because if they’ll talk about you, they’ll talk about everyone else.” Octavian took pride in saying it. He enjoyed the crushing blow.

He gestured, and guards stepped around him to grab us both. I was relieved Hazel didn’t try to fight back as they disarmed us. I knew she had the skill, but Octavian was an unknown, and I wasn’t willing to risk fighting our way out until we knew more.

We were taken to a cell and thrown in, sending us sprawling onto the stone floor. I caught myself on my hands and my knees, skin scraping open, knees bruised. But I pushed the pain aside, willing myself to keep going for Hazel.

“How are you even alive? We all thought you dead?” I asked pushing myself off the damp floor and taking in our surroundings hoping to find anything I could exploit or turn back on Octavian.

“It is a gift from the Goddess.”

“Still looking for a way to squirm your way out? You’re done. Nothing you do can stop me now. You haven’t even seen a sliver of what I have coming,” he spat.

“I don’t care what you do to the kingdoms. I only wanted Alora’s egg back.”

“What are you talking about?” Octavian studied me. “You’re chasing ghosts, kid.”

“I was never spying on you, nor was I chasing you. I was tracking dragon eggs.” I figured if we were going to die anyway, I might as well try to convince him to believe me. I felt Hazel’s eyes burning into the side of my face. “Please just trust me,” I said to myself, more like a prayer than anything else.

“Rest assured I wouldn’t harm dragon eggs. We need more dragons, not less.”

“I know.” I searched my memory for something that would piss him off or at least get him to do something with us instead of leaving us in this cell. “So you’re one of the undead then? There’s someone controlling you?”

Octavian scowled. “No one could control me.”

“But you are dead, right, or I guess…undead?” I wrinkled my nose, acting disgusted. It wasn’t a stretch those things were creepy.

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