Page 94 of Of Scale and Blood

We still fight if no flame?

“Yes. I have arrows and I can get spears. Both will kill the Mareritt, as will your claws.”

Like this plan. Do.

I glanced at the younger drakkons. “Yara and Rua? Can I harness you?”

Both say yes.

“Thank you,” I said to them both.

I grabbed the harnesses from the hooks and carried them over. I started with Rua and worked my way around. By the time I’d finished Kaia, I was shaking with exhaustion and dripping with sweat.

So much for not doing anything too strenuous.

I gave all three drakkons an eye scratch, then finally left. I’d expected to be well behind the others but found them waiting for me near the exit onto the mountain path.

The Prioress looked me up and down, then sniffed. “You look like shit. Take this.”

She thrust a brown bottle at me. I accepted it somewhat dubiously. “What is it?”

“Strength potion, and you’ll be needing it. Trust me on that.”

I raised an eyebrow and gulped it down. It tasted like mud.Sourmud. I blanched, and the Prioress chuckled. “Has that effect on some, but it’s always a good sign. Means it’s likely to be more potent in your system.”

“Meaning it’s likely to be less so in mine because I didn’t react that way?” Hannity asked.

“Maybe. And maybe it just means your system needs less boosting.” The Prioress accepted the bottle back from me, then glanced at Kele. “Off your butt, young woman. We need to get moving again. I feel breakfast a-calling me.”

With a slight groan, Kele obeyed. The two younger witches followed her through the crooked exit, with Hannity behind them.

The Prioress didn’t follow, instead drawing a scribe quill and tablet from her pack and shoving them toward me. “Damon will have made arrangements with your father to have rooms ready for us all, but it would be best if you warn him we’re on our way and will brook no delay in reaching our accommodation. If he wants a report, we shall provide one once rested.”

And that was an order, not a suggestion. I raised my eyebrows but, as she followed the others, nevertheless obeyed.

Damon did say the Prioress would likely demand rest on arrival,came the response.Was the spell successful?

Unknown. I’ll explain when I get there.

No, you’ll explain once you’ve rested. Rion can wait.

Meaning it was Mom manning the scribe, not my father.Tell him the Mareritt are on the move, and if the dust was any indication, there’s a lot of them.

I will. I’ll also arrange for a meal and shamoke to be waiting for you in your room.

Thanks, Mom.I paused briefly.Is Damon there?

He went to rest after reporting to us last night. Haven’t seen him so far today.

Which, given it was still relatively early, wasn’t really surprising. And yet, that annoying spark of suspicion rose within me again. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was happening. That the witches, while they were definitely here to help us, were very much involved in whatever else Damon was doing.

If you do see him, tell him I’m on my way home.

But even as I wrote that, I knew she wouldn’t be seeing him.

And Vahree only knew how damn frustrating it was to be getting these snippets of suspicion without getting anything in the way of answers.

The cursor blinked out. I tucked the quill and tablet into a pocket and started after the others. It was a long and tiring journey down the mountain, made worse by the torrential rain that swept in when we were halfway down. By the time we reached the gates, I was soaking wet, freezing cold, and barely able to remain upright.

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