Switched ~ a Fractured Fairytale

Chapter Twenty-Four ~ The Call to Arms

Blaise was dressed in shiny new armour, although his steel boots looked rather dusty. His blonde hair was longer than I remembered, and dangled in his bright blue eyes. When he saw me, he grabbed my arm and shoved me behind him.

'You know this person?' Soteria said, swinging her head to stare at me.

'Yes,' I said, sidestepping Blaise to stand beside Soteria.

'I here to rescue you,' Blaise said.

'Who told you I was captured?' I asked. 'I don't recall you being present at the wedding.'

Blaise paused and began tugging on his earlobe, his pale cheeks turning a faint pink. Things that had been bouncing around in my head for weeks finally clicked. The conversation Theo and I had overheard, Blaise's absence at the dinner, Duke Victor's odd behaviour at my wedding, all suddenly made sense. Before I could say anything, Alastair stepped forward and Blaise's jaw dropped.

'What you doing here?' he gasped. 'When you arrive?'

'I arrived two weeks ago,' Alastair said snappily. 'When the dragon captured me.'

'The dragon take you?' Blaise said, his blue eyes widening.

'Why, were you expecting someone else?'

Alastair's tone caught me off guard, I had never heard him so snarky. His time in the dragon's cave seemed to have changed him. As Alastair continued to interrogate Blaise, I pulled Killian aside.

'What do you think is going on?' he asked.

'I think Victor planned the attack and arranged for Blaise to rescue me.' I felt a bit silly saying it, but Killian nodded. 

'I don't trust him,' Killian said flatly. 'How do we know he didn't plan this too?'

'He definitely wasn't there that day,' I whispered. 'I think he left before the wedding.'

'Maybe, but how much involvement did he have?' Killian said, jerking his head at Blaise.

'Blaise doesn't seem the type to plot and scheme,' I said, frowning.

Killian grunted and we turned back to Alastair, who was glaring daggers at Blaise. After our exhausting journey and a nerve-racking morning, I was at my wit's end and the last thing I wanted to do was sort out what was going on and stop Alastair throttling Blaise, but I had to know the truth.

'When did you leave?' I asked Blaise. 'And please tell the truth, because I know you weren't there the day Lyessa attacked.'

Blaise paused, then said softly, 'Just before engagement feast.'

I nodded, not dropping my furious gaze from Blaise's face.

'What was the plan then? Get poor Lyessa to capture El, then stage a rescue?' Killian said.

'I wanted see you, warn you,' Blaise said beseechingly. 'But Father make me leave, make sure I rescue you first.'

'If you were supposed to rescue me, why did your father send spies after us?' I demanded.

'Spies?' Blaise said, puzzled.

'Victor must have sent them after,' Killian muttered to me. 'When the dragon took Allie and you followed.'

'Figures,' I muttered.

Back in the main cavern, Soteria explained the situation to Aletheia and I filled in the gaps that related to Blaise's involvement. Aletheia listened patiently, but I noticed faint trails of steam rising from her nostrils.

'Thank you,' she said. 'We will discuss this further.'

I smiled and headed to the hot pool we had sat at earlier, where Killian was rubbing Bear's ears as he answered more questions from the little golden dragon, Silas. Alastair was sitting opposite Blaise, glaring at the back of his head. I sat between Killian and Blaise as the dragons recommenced their debate.