Warriors of Wind and Ash - Page 76

“So many gifts for the Prince, and none for me.” Meridian pouts, sauntering up to the servant. “You’ll bring me something, won’t you? I could use a drink. Maybe a fine, rich rum.”

I sip the tonic, grimacing at its sour smell and bitter flavor. “Something is wrong with this.”

“Does it taste like asshole?” Meridian inquires. “Not a fine, plump, clean asshole, but a crusty, unwashed asshole?”

“I suppose, yes.”

“Then it’s perfectly fine. Every herbal tonic I’ve ever taken has tasted like ass. You don’t have to drink it.”

“The healer requested that he drink it all,” the servant pipes up.

I take another swallow, but Meridian snatches the goblet out of my hand. “Lady Cathrain said he was quite healthy. We appreciate her concern, but the tonic is not needed.” He dumps the rest into a nearby vase.

“The healer will be most offended when I tell her what you have done,” the servant declares haughtily.

“So don’t tell her, there’s a good fellow,” replies Meridian. “I’ll give you a kiss if you promise not to say a word.”

The servant blushes deeply and beats a hasty retreat. Meridian closes the door behind him and runs a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. “Before all these interruptions, I was coming to speak with you, Ky. I’ve sent Kehanal and Odrash out of the city on an important errand.”

“Of course,” I growl. “That’s perfectly reasonable. It won’t look suspicious at all that Prince Gildas’s entire royal retinue has disappeared. First Hinarax and Aeris, and now Odrash and Kehanal.”

“Couldn’t be helped, mate. I needed two messengers to make this happen. Take heart! You still have me, and I’m worth at least a dozen men.” He flashes me an ingratiating smile. When I glare at him, he winces. “No? Come on, you must admit I’m worth at least six.”

“Two and a half. Maybe.” My mouth twitches in a half-smile in spite of myself.

“There’s the smile.” Meridian slaps my shoulder. “Trust me, if this plan of mine comes to fruition, our enemies will take themselves out of the fight. We’ll barely have to lift a finger—or a claw. Now you best head back into your room and be a dragon a while longer.”

“Delightful,” I mutter. “More hours I must spend squeezed into a room where I must be careful not to dislodge the curtains or splinter the delicate human furniture.”

But as I’m walking toward the bedroom, I hear an odd tapping sound, not from the suite door, but from the wall. With a frown, I pause, half-certain that I’m going mad.

“Do you hear that?” I ask Meridian.

“I do.” Gripping his walking stick, he moves closer to the source of the sound—a painting of a somber-looking gentleman and his pack of hunting dogs. The tapping sound is unmistakably coming from behind it.

“Open the painting,” says a muffled voice—a voice that makes my heart jump. “The image of the six-petaled flower on the frame, and the sunburst on the opposite side. Push both of them together.”

“Serylla?” I exclaim.

Meridian sets his stick against the wall and deftly presses the spots she described. With a sharp click, the painting pops slightly outward, and Meridian swings it open like a door. Behind it, in a dim, narrow passage, stands Serylla, looking rather dusty and hollow-eyed, but smiling all the same.

I reach for her, and she bounds out of the passage and into my arms. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you for the tea. I needed it so much.”

“I’ve owed you that tea for a while.” I kiss her forehead.

Meridian clears his throat. “Not that this isn’t adorable and romantic, but Princess… why are you here? You really shouldn’t be.”

“You’re in danger,” she says. “Not just you, as Kyreagan, but you as Prince Gildas. Rahzien told me he’s going to have you assassinated. In fact, he made it sound as if he’d come here and do it himself.”

“Why? Has he discovered what I am?”

“He doesn’t know you’re a dragon, but he’s very suspicious. He thinks you’re a spy. Please, you need to leave.”

“Not without you.”

She shakes her head, fondness and frustration mingling in her tone. “But you can’t take me with you, not yet. And I won’t let you stay here and die, Kyreagan.”

A reckless fury rolls through my chest. “If Rahzien comes here for a fight, he’ll get one. Maybe I can’t kill him, but I can at least damage him.”