Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
And now, as most of her other magic had manifested, when need arose, it came to her. She could instantly feel how taxing holding that spell was. But she couldn’t break it. If she did, she would lose everything.
She held her breath and waited to see who would enter.
When she saw the person, she nearly lost the illusion entirely.
Darby? she mouthed.
44
THE COLLECTOR
Darby had been her closest friend for years. They had lived together under the mountain. Been Dragon Blessed of the House of Dragons at the same time. Kerrigan had entrusted her with every secret. She just couldn’t fathom that Darby—innocent, lovely, beautiful Darby—could be involved in all of this. That Darby could be a Red Mask.
It was beyond reckoning.
And yet … Darby walked into the room as if she belonged. She wore Bryonican navy, cut specifically for her. Her onyx skin glowed in the candlelight she held in her hand. She’d never had an affinity for any magic other than healing. Her head was held high as she walked right over to the painting Kerrigan had looked at only moments ago and discarded.
She pulled it down, ran her hand down the face of the wall, and then seemed to press an invisible button. To Kerrigan’s shock, the wall popped open to reveal a compartment completely hidden by the painting. So, she had been right. She just hadn’t known where to look.
Darby withdrew a key from her pocket, wet her lips, and slid it into place. A click sounded, and the vault within popped open. Then, she hissed a glorious, “Fuck.”
Kerrigan’s eyes widened. Darby never cussed if she could help it.
Kerrigan leaned forward and looked inside the vault. She saw exactly what had made Darby use that word. The vault was empty.
Her heart dropped. So, she’d been sent here for nothing. Did that mean Valia had double-crossed her, or had she had false information?
“It’s not here,” Darby whispered with alarm. Her eyes darted around the room, and she wiped her palms on her dress. So, she wasn’t as cool and collected she appeared. She was sweating. “Where could it be?”
That was what Kerrigan wanted to know. Maybe Darby didn’t know, but Kerrigan wanted answers.
It was twice as hard to keep the illusion in place as she took a step behind Darby. But she only needed a second longer. She reached out and put her hand over Darby’s mouth, whispering, “Don’t scream.”
Then, the illusion popped, and she came back into focus.
Darby, to her credit, didn’t scream. But she went stiff as a board.
“I’m going to release you. Don’t raise the alarm.”
“K-Kerrigan?” Darby mumbled against her hand, obviously recognizing her voice.
“Do you agree?”
“Yes,” she mumbled.
Kerrigan released her, and when Darby didn’t immediately call for reinforcements, she took a step backward. Kerrigan reached deep within her chest and felt that lovely bond and tugged ever so lightly. All those dragon training lessons came back to her. Was this how easy it could be?
“What are you doing here?” Darby asked. She was trembling now.
“I’m going to ask the questions,” Kerrigan informed her.
Fordham jumped into the middle of the room a second later, and Darby clapped a hand over her mouth in fright. He looked like vengeance itself, prepared to slaughter his enemies. He had a knife in each hand, and his magic was coiled to strike.
Then, he saw Darby and relaxed a fraction. Confusion marred his features. “What is going on?”
“That is what I would like to know,” Kerrigan said. “Darby?”
Darby’s words came out shaky. “I … I … I don’t understand what you’re doing here.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
“Okay,” she said in confusion. Her eyes darted to the door. “I was going to tell you. I just … I wanted to get his stuff first. I wanted to get it done before I left him.”
“Left who?” Fordham demanded.
“Trask,” Darby said as if it made perfect sense.
“You’re leaving Trask?” Kerrigan asked.
Darby nodded. “I decided after I heard your speech. I knew he wasn’t … a good male. I knew that he didn’t care for me. But I wasn’t entirely sure until that night where his loyalties lay. I couldn’t be with someone like that, not when I was … well, when I loved someone else.”
“Clover,” Kerrigan said intuitively.
“Yes. He bragged about the people he worked for, but I never paid much attention. Then, I realized exactly who and what he was. I wanted to get proof for you to hand in to the Society. But the safe is empty.” Darby pointed at it uselessly.
“Wait, are you saying that this is Trask’s study?” Kerrigan asked.
“This is his home,” Darby said. “You didn’t know?”
Kerrigan shot Fordham a look. “That was left out. It was mentioned that he was a Bryonican noble of some note, but I wasn’t given a name.”
“On purpose?” Fordham asked.
Kerrigan bit her lip. Was Valia double-crossing her double cross? The Collector was missing. This was a problem.