Page 21 of Captured By the Scaled Outlaw
Lowell curiously pulls away, closing his maw until it’s only slightly ajar. He appears intrigued by my stupid, reckless idea. I quickly continue to fill his silence, convinced that if I keep talking, he won’t rip my face off. “I know that Gaia 4 has explosives, and we can use those to destroy the man-made barricade that covers the pass and lure the Orageist Giant through it. The Giant is a roaming beast and willmove into any area within the radius of its cave, including our target area.” I suck in another breath, my chest tight. “Once it’s lured out, I can report back to the Nilsan Government that the Orageist Giant’s domain has expanded, and the construction project will be canceled. They will not be able to restore the barrier below the Pass since the Giant has grown much larger since the barricade’s initial construction. It has a rumored weather ability as well, making it a greater danger to any construction crew. No sane person would work with that creature roaming the area.”
Lowell’s eyes flick up and down from my mouth to my eyes, taking in my spout of information. Finally, he places a finger to his chin and replies, “I have a question.”
I bite down on my lower lip, nervous. “Yes…?”
He blows air into my face and I cringe.
“Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?” Lowell asks.
Yes.
“No?” I reply.
“Well, you certainly do, considering you just proposed that my crew and I lure out one of the most dangerous creatures on the continent while you scurry back off to Nilsan to ‘report’ the findings.” His grip around my wrist remains tight as he tilts his head inquisitively. “You’re baiting me into a death trap while you make your escape back to Nilsan. Howdareyou prey on my desperation.”
I can’t believe Lowell is entertaining this idea, even if he’s poking holes in it. I should have known that a stupid plan would intrigue such a stupid man.
I have to convince him to accept, somehow.
I lick my lips, saliva building as bile rises in my throat. “You misunderstand — I wouldn’t be reporting the findings untilafterthe Orageist Giant is lured out.” I lock my gaze with his, unblinking. “BecauseI’mgoing to lure it.”
Chapter 8
Lowell releases my wrists, falling lazily to his side. He bellows a hearty laugh, his face amused.
“You?A little human?” His tongues fall from his mouth as his head shakes back and forth. “Was the death I promised not good enough? You’d rather be torn to shreds by a Giant?”
Pushing myself onto my bottom, I’m relieved to no longer be a hairsbreadth away from razor-sharp fangs for the second time. I turn to face Lowell, who lies with his head propped up in his hand, his other arm resting casually over his stomach.
My cheeks flush crimson at how Lowell sees me as zero threat, his body language relaxed and prone.
“I’m more capable than you think I am,” I whisper, crossing my arms. “Even for a ‘little human.’”
Lowell raises an eyebrow, his smile crooked. “You’re clever despite your humanity, I’ll give you that. But capable?” He shakes his head again in disagreement. “I pinned you with only a sixteenth of my strength. Any more and your bones would have snapped. How do you suppose you’ll fare against a horde of desert bandits, let alone a mythical Giant?”
He has a point, but it’s not as if he’d fare better himself. Lizardfolk are not all-powerful, even if he claims that “his species” is.
I scowl. “If I’d had a weapon, our fight would have ended muchdifferently. I can hold my own in combat against anymonster,” I emphasize, pressing a hand to my chest. My heartbeat is steadily slowing, but the tingling in my body remains.
Lowell narrows his eyes. “I saw that little crossbow my hunting team brought in alongside you. You had Lizardfolk piercing bolts — aren’t those illegal?”
I flex my fingers into fists at the mention of Grandma’s crossbow.
“Yes, they are illegal.”
Rotating his wrist in circles, Lowell’s gaze is expectant. “Yeah? So why does some lowly government devotee like you have them?”
I wince at the dehumanizing words he uses to describe me. But then again, that’s his point.
“They’re from my personal collection, in case of emergencies,” I reply curtly.
Lizardfolk-piercing bullets and bolts have long been outlawed, but many humans still hoard them due to their glaring biological inferiority. It would take only seconds for a Lizardfolk to rip a human in half, but it would be three or four bolts before a Lizardfolk would even bend a knee.
Lowell snorts, wiggling his brows. “Those would have been pretty useful moments ago, huh?” he teases.
I don’t make a face at his jest.
Rolling his eyes at my lack of reaction, he continues. “Alright, well, how about you tell me why the hell you know so much about the Orageist Giant? No one has ever seen it. It’s practically a myth.”
