Page 63 of Sky Shielder
“Not after what he’s done. What they’vealldone. You were there. You have to know even better than I the horrors.”
Syla closed her eyes, tears threatening as the words brought to mind her sister’s body and all the other dead she’d seen in the courtyard, the pure horror of the wyverns feeding on them.
Throat tight, she whispered, “I do.”
“I’m sorry,” Tibby said. “I know what you lost. Whatwelost. I just… This may be the only chance to get rid of him.”
Syla shook her head. “Even if I could, he doesn’t trust methatfully. He’s aware that I’m suspicious of him. I don’t know if he’ll even eat this.”
Was that true? Vorik’s eyes had lit up at the idea of a blackberry cobbler, and he had been so delighted to have found simple pears and other fruit in the orchard.
But he might even now be listening to them. If shehadbeen willing to do this, she should have done it on her own, without saying anything. Hell, she didn’t even know ifthinkingwas safe around those dragons.
“No,” she said and walked outside.
Her heart almost stopped when she found not only Vorik standing on the path in front of the porch but the red dragon waiting on the other side of the fence. Sweat broke out under her armpits, and she forced a smile.
“This is for you.” Syla handed the spoon and pan of cobbler to Vorik, forcing herself to meet his eyes, if only briefly, then hurried past him toward the gate. She half-expected Vorik to grab her and confront her about the discussion, but he didn’t, and she made it past the fence to stand in front of the stern-faced Wreylith. “I, uhm.” She held up the bowl of salve, like the offering Vorik had mentioned.
Of course, the dragon didn’t have thumbs and fingers and would struggle to apply such a thing.
Wreylith lifted her forelimb and spread her talons. The deep gouge that the fang had left was already healing, appearing less inflamed than it had that morning, but the flesh around it remained swollen and red. Despite the dragon’s words, Syla had no doubt that it continued to hurt.
Human concoctions can do nothing to aid dragons,Wreylith stated, though her foot remained raised.And dragons do not need slimy slop smeared on their toes. With our great power and stamina, we can regenerate from all but the greatest of wounds on our own.
“I’m certain that’s true.” Syla dipped her fingers in the salve—she would consider itunctuousrather than slimy—and gently coated the gouge.
The dragon stood so still, her wings and tail out rigid, that she might have been a statue. Tendrils of smoke wafted from her nostrils, and Syla swallowed, worried the pain of the application would cause fire to spontaneously flare from Wreylith’s maw.
When did my world become so insane? Syla wondered and smeared more salve.
A blurry shadow appearing to her side made her twitch. Vorik.He moved without making a sound, seeming to pop up out of nowhere. He wasn’t holding his sword, and he stopped a few feet back, but she sensed that he was letting Wreylith know he would fight to protect Syla if necessary.
The dragon gave no indication of being worried or even caring about him.
Syla decided not to look at him either—she didn’t want him to see that he’d startled her again—and finished applying the salve. Per Gerin’s suggestion, she’d mixed in some powdered tangtor grass. She knew nothing of lizards and what natural medicines they favored but doubted it would do anything to diminish the potency of the salve. Besides, it added a pleasant, almost minty, scent to it.
You have called upon me and made this offering as a bribe.Wreylith set her foot down.
Syla thought about feigning innocence—no,lying—to the dragon but doubted Wreylith would fall for that. If dragons could read minds, she definitely would not.
“I did hope for a favor,” she admitted.
I have not slain you despite you not once but twice impertinently and unwisely using the magic of that statuette to spy upon me.
“It was never my intent to spy.”
I know this, else you would already be dead. But you’ve invaded my privacy nonetheless.
“I apologize for that, especially the first time. That was an accident.”
But this time, you want something.
“For you to carry me to Harvest Island.”
“To carrytwoof us there,” Fel said.
He and Aunt Tibby stood side-by-side in front of the gate, not far behind Vorik.
