Page 56 of Sky Shielder
Like Syla, he’d been up all night, but something told her he was awake and much more alert than the position implied. Indeed, as they looked down at Vorik, one of his eyes opened, and he looked right at her.
She kept herself from jumping, but how had he known? He had magic, too, she reminded herself, and she didn’t know what all it allowed him to do. As she’d been thinking earlier, he was dangerous. Very dangerous.
“That body in the chamber didn’t have any blood around it,” Tibby said. “Did you notice?”
Syla’s first thought was that Tibby meant Venia’s body, and she looked at her aunt in confusion. Therehadbeen blood around her.
“The body of the assassin that your ally supposedly killed,” Tibby clarified.
“Oh.” Syla had taken a good look at that area since the man had died on the sarcophagus lid, and she’d wanted to put it back on, but she hadn’t been thinking of blood—or a lack of it. Her aunt must have had something else on her mind when she’d witnessed that moment in her thoughts. “You’re right,” Syla said slowly, mulling over her memory. “I saw Vorik run him through, but…”
“There should have been blood if he’dreallyrun that man through. As a healer, you of all people should have thought of that.”
Syla’s cheeks flushed. “I had something else on my mind.”
Maybe she should have said that the mancouldhave died without spilling a lot of blood, that if the cut had been clean and straight through the heart, only some might have seeped out on the back side, but she felt flustered and didn’t get that out before her aunt replied.
“Was it how handsome that rider is?” Tibby pointed at Vorik, who’d let his eyelid shut again. “That smile he gave me could have melted the ice off a frost harpy.”
“That’snotwhat was on my mind.” Syla’s cheeks heated further. It wasn’t a lie. At least, she hadn’t considered that in the chamber. Later, when he’d rescued her from the riders and had his arms around her on his dragon… By the eyes of the moon, she didn’t, on some subconscious level, want to ride with him again so they could relive that moment, did she?
No. She wasn’t a fool. She didn’t trust Vorik—or his smile.
“If it’s true that Venia fell for a handsome stormer spy and all these people died because of it…” Tibby waved toward the capital and the castle. “The last thing you want is to repeat that mistake.”
“I know. And I won’t. I want to use Vorik for transportation. That’s all. Besides, as you pointed out, his dragon wouldn’t be able to fly to the island with us. Onlyhecould swim after us. And without his mount, Captain Vorik is…”
Tibby raised her eyebrows as Syla trailed off.
“Still dangerous,” Syla admitted.
“I’m glad you see that. I only glimpsed some of his athleticism through our link, but he’s bonded with that dragon; I’m sure of it. That makes him powerful.”
“I’m aware,” Syla said.
Down by the road, Vorik’s eyes opened again, and he gazed at her. A little shiver went through Syla as she wondered what exactly his powers entailed. Was he, even now, able to hear everything they said? Did he know Tibby suspected his story? Suspectedhim?
And did Syla also suspect him? Yes. But…
“Vorik,” she called.
“Yes?” he answered promptly.
“Is your dragon willing and capable of giving us a ride to Harvest Island?”
There wasn’t any surprise on Vorik’s face. Maybe hehadbeen able to hear their conversation. Or had some other way of monitoring enemies from afar.
“Dragons are very strong,” he called, “but one of Agrevlari’s size would only be able to carry two riders such a distance.”
The words were issued matter-of-factly and without any smirk or hint of smugness of plans falling into place. Even so, Syla had a feeling that Vorik liked relaying that particular information, that hewantedto go on this journey alone with her.
“That’s not going to work. Unless the dragon is willing to take the two of us and leavehimhere.” A hint of thoughtful speculation entered Tibby’s eyes as she imagined the scenario.
“A dragon will only accept humans on his back if one of them is his chosen rider,” Vorik said.
Tibby hadn’t spoken loudly. Vorik’s response verified what Syla had been worrying about. He either had extremely keen hearing, or hedidhave another way of monitoring conversations from afar.
“You’re not going off alone with him,” Tibby said.
