Page 121 of The Divide that Binds Us

Rio stares at Alice, both their face covered in blood with the Guards groaning in the background still stiffly lying on the ground.

“I think that’s all of them,” he says.His chest collapses with a heavy sigh.“I’m so sorry.”He runs a shaky hand through his soaked hair.“Mildred threatened my mom’s life; she made it impossible to refuse her requests.I went to Master Cedric for help, but he saw this as my mess I needed to fix.”

Alice blinks.“No.Apology not accepted.”She turns to Fae.“You need to get out of here.If more Guards show up, I won’t have the energy to protect you.I’ll handle Mildred.”

“I-I’m coming with you!”Rio interjects.Alice stares at Fae, but the twitch of annoyance is visible on her bloody face.

“Mildred has a warehouse on Sapphire Island, that’s where she’s holding a ton of dragons,” Fae explains.Her stomach flips from the thought of Mildred mass sacrificing all the dragons at once.

Alice tenses and slowly looks down at her leg.Fae and Rio look at the bulky ankle monitor strapped with a furiously blinking red light.“I...I can’t leave this island.They’ll arrest me.I’m technically not even supposed to be outside the base.”

Rio’s teal eyes burn with intensity.“Alice, this is our chance to stop Mildred after all the crap she’s done and will continue to do to this world.They can’t arrest you if there’s no Zeala left to arrest you on, because I sure as hell can’t do this without you.”

They need to leave before more Guards arrive, especially if they’re tracking Alice’s monitor.

“Please, Alice,” Fae begs.“We need you.”

Poppy huffs and whines as she bumps her snout against Fae’s back.

Alice backs away, but points to Rio.“I am NOT working with him.”

Rio curses under his breath, takes one stride forward, and blasts lightning right at Alice’s monitor before her shield hazily surfaces.The shattered bits of the monitor lie in the bloody grass.

“What the hell, man?They track me with this and they’re gonna find me here!”

“No, they won’t because you’re coming with us.You literally have no choice now but to just flee and carry out what we’re meant to do.I said I was sorry, and you saved my life, I...I think I can at least pay you back by offering my help.”

Alice frowns as the rain dies down into a light drizzle.She trembles like she had red paint dumped on her.

Fae fiddles with her shirt and bites her lip.“Please Alice, just let him help.”

“Fine.But we should split up,” Alice suggests.“We need to show Mildred we aren’t together and on the same page.”

“We need to move fast then.There are A LOT of dragons in that warehouse and the fact she hasn’t killed them all scares me because she easily could and get what she wants,” Fae urges.

Alice and Rio nod in unison.Fae isn’t sure what beef existed between them, but she’s relieved they have a common enemy to help her save the dragons.

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