The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 8

It was a nice change to wake up warm and comfortable. Iris shifted under the blanket as consciousness slowly returned to her, enjoying the thick fabric over her and the soft cushions beneath her. Kayla wasn't pestering her yet, so she thought it must still be early.

No, Kayla wasn't there at all.

This wasn't her bed. The blanket was too thick; the cushions were too soft.

And she was too alone.

"Morning."

Suddenly, she was wide awake, heart racing with fear as it all came rushing back. She wasn't alone. She was a prisoner to two dragons. This was their lair, and she didn't know what they wanted with her.

She kept her eyes shut and lay perfectly still. Maybe Char hadn't been talking to her.

He yawned, and then he asked, "She still asleep?"

She almost let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah." Rath's voice was much closer to her. "What a lightweight. One glass of wine, and she was out cold."

"She's been running since Sunday." Char's voice stretched as he spoke, as if he were physically stretching, and then he sighed contentedly. "Probably hasn't gotten much sleep since then. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Anybody but you to make it."

Char snorted. "As if you're any better at cooking. Come on. She isn't going anywhere."

They sounded like brothers, she realized, and they looked like brothers, too. And as she listened to their footsteps fade away, she thought they didn't sound so frightening this morning.

But then again, they didn't know she was awake.

She sat up carefully, tucking her hair behind her ear as she scanned the room. There were two lounge chairs across from her, separated by a coffee table from the sofa where she sat. Rath must have been sitting in one of those chairs, watching her.

A chill ran down her spine at the thought. They had been watching her all night, and she was sure they were discussing her right now.

She needed to get out of here.

Three doorways broke the smooth stone walls: two behind the lounge chairs, open and separated by a length of wall and a bookcase, and one off to her left, sealed with a large stone. That one was probably the exit, she thought with disappointment.

She twisted around to examine the rest of the room. There was another open doorway in the far end of the wall behind the sofa, and from it, she heard muted voices.

If she couldn't escape, maybe she could learn something useful.

She stood and crept quietly toward the door, hugging the stone wall. A savory aroma filled the air and made her stomach growl. Something was sizzling in a pan. This must be the kitchen.

"You dragged me into it, and I'd like to know what's going on before we report back and both get in trouble," Rath was saying. "It was supposed to be a simple mission. Scout things out, get back to us with the information, and then we attack. That's it. So, what went wrong? And no dancing around the truth anymore. I want a straight answer."

She heard an irritated sigh.

"The mage wasn't supposed to be there," Char said. "That changed everything."

"It didn't have to. We could have hit that night or the next morning before he got organized."

"He was staying in the middle of town. We were under orders to minimize civilian casualties, remember?"