Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“They are and they’re not.” I toggled my hand back and forth. “Dave is solidly on my crew. The others have made a trade with me—they can live in my wood in exchange for protecting my territory. I don’t use commands with them, though. Except maybe not to kill anyone. I want them to feel at home, because that makes it more likely they’ll want to protect that home. Besides, if you get too pushy, they are liable to take offense, and then they might try to snatch off your head and kick it around. Literally. But ultimately, they have not made any sort of alliance with us. I think it would take their lead basandere to do that.”
Austin moved to get out of the car and Tristan followed quickly, opening my door for me.
“I see,” he murmured, keeping pace with me as I headed over to Edgar.
“Ready, Miss Jessie? Uncle Austin?” Edgar practically bounced from one foot to the other in excited anticipation.
“Uncle?” Ulric asked with a wide smile. He started laughing, and Nessa slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from joining in. She elbowed Sebastian, who shook his head, not wanting to get involved.
“Ready,” I replied with a laugh, slipping my hand into Austin’s. His bewilderment rang through the bonds.
“The gates don’t officially open for…some amount of time,” Edgar said, heading to a side gate. “But I wanted to show you my display before the judging.”
“An hour, Edgar,” Mr. Tom said. “Honestly, do you know how to tell time?”
“Since when has he needed ta, like?” Niamh asked. “He just farts around the garden all day until we tell him to head into battle.”
“It’s a peaceful existence,” Edgar said pleasantly. “Until battle, of course. And then it is heart-clutchingly scary.”
Nessa glanced at Sebastian with a gleeful smile, reveling in Edgar’s oddness.
“I really shouldn’t be bringing this many people,” Edgar continued, mostly just muttering to himself now, it seemed. “I told them I was inviting the queen, though, and she would need her bodyguards. And also my sisters and brothers from the house. K-list celebrities are not to be sneezed at, I told them. It would bring honor to all the lands.”
“K-list?” Ulric glanced back at Nessa with raised eyebrows. “Honor to the lands? You’re getting a little out of hand.”
She bent over laughing as she walked. Niamh, who loved playing jokes on Edgar, laughed alongside her.
“After a while they relented,” Edgar continued, apparently not noticing the chatter around him.
We approached the side gate. A heavyset guy in a bright construction vest sat on a metal folding chair with a walkie-talkie.
He looked at our group in mild disinterest, his head already starting to shake, before he caught sight of Dave in the middle. It wasn’t hard. He topped our heights by several feet, had a hairy head and body, and wore a kilt he’d possibly borrowed from Phil, Niamh’s basajaun drinking buddy. The man’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
“We need that potion, Sabby,” Nessa said immediately, digging through the crossbody bag resting on Sebastian’s chest. “I told Dave they’d notice him, but he didn’t believe me.”
“Yes,” Dave replied as Nessa pulled out a little vial and pushed through the crowd to get to him. “This Dick seems very observant.”
Austin braced himself, about to step forward, but hesitated. He’d clearly meant what he’d said about letting Tristan take point.
Thankfully Tristan recognized it and pushed through the group, stopping in front of the stunned guard as Nessa lifted the vial up, trying to feed it to Dave.
“I have it,” Dave said, gingerly taking it from her with his massive hand.
“What’s the hold-up?” Tristan demanded, and everyone looked his way with suddenly tense bodies. Something in his tone suggested nightmares not yet realized, unspeakable horrors about to unfold. The cadence of his speech—and the dangerous intent behind it—seemed to lazily curl through the air, slithering along my skin and making me shiver. It didn’t seep in, though. It felt like it could crawl along my bones and splice into my muscles, but it didn’t, instead leaving a strange haunting residue in its wake.
“Well, I’ll be,” Niamh murmured softly, her eyes slightly narrowing.
“What is it?” I whispered as Austin took one step forward, half blocking me from Tristan even though we were a few paces away.
“It’s another clue, is what it is,” Sebastian muttered, taking a step closer and moving his fingers. Meanwhile, the potion kicked in and Dave disappeared from sight. “Another facet of his type of magic.”
Tristan glanced back at Dave, and I knew he could see him. The magic Niamh was talking about was blood magic, and in addition to whatever it was he’d just done, it also helped shield him from mage magic. Or, in this case, helped him see through invisibility potions.
Tristan nodded and took a step back, bending quickly to grab the walkie-talkie falling from suddenly loose fingers.