Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
His smile twists. “Remember, I told you I would make it worth your while. We can talk payment after we get the eggs.”
Then he straightens up and looks around my cabin, his expression becoming more stern. “You should probably get changed into your armor and be ready to go in about ten minutes. Once we get through the wards, the ship will drop us off as close to the shore as possible. I know Toombs doesn’t want to anchor the boat within the wards—he’s paranoid about dragons roasting the mast and setting the ship on fire.”
I hadn’t even thought about that.
Andor leaves the cabin and it’s only when he’s shut the door that I let out a whimper and curl up into a ball on the berth again. I let myself deal with the pain and breathe through it for a few minutes, using breathing techniques Ellestra taught me, and try to stay focused on the real task at hand, which is getting back to her.
Even if Andor keeps his word, I can’t rely on that. From what I’ve learned about him over the last month, I don’t think he means me any harm, nor would he purposely let any harm come to me. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t use me for his own endeavors. His father has a strong hold on him, whether Andor knows it or not, and I’m just some girl he took to give his family a better hold on the black market. He’s driven, despite his nonchalant attitude, and I think he will do everything he can to succeed.
So I have to think about this egg raid in entirely different terms. I’ll help Andor get his eggs. But then Lemi and I will need to escape. Somehow. Maybe I can get my hands on the tranquilizing serum that Steiner made for the dragons. It saved us the last time. I just have to figure out how much to inject Andor with so that it either knocks him out or makes him easier to manipulate, and to do it somewhere where I’m not putting his life in danger. I want to be free, but if I can avoid killing him, I will.
Or…I could just leave him to the blooddrages. I’m sure he’d be able to fight them off eventually. We could use the opportunity to escape. Head back to the rowboat and start rowing along the coast. If the weather cooperates we could stay hidden in the volcanic fog, shielded from the sight of the dragons inside the wards and the ship outside the wards.
That’s as good a plan as any.
I get dressed in my armor—a formerly tedious process made much more efficient by all the hidden straps, ties, and buttons engineered by Steiner—then start strapping on the sheaths that go on my back. I braid my hair back tightly and knot it at the nape of my neck, then grab my ash-glass swords and slide them there. Then finally I pull on my leather breeches and boots. I know I should feel more powerful than I do in my new armor, but I don’t. If anything I’m slightly self-conscious over how my stomach is accentuated at the moment thanks to the war going on inside my womb, and the pain still throbs in the forefront, no matter how hard I try to ignore it.
Lemi looks at me, ears askew, and I attempt a smile.
“Silly things to be worried about,” I tell him. “I’ll be okay. I just need to be strong. I’ve done this before.”
At that I stand up, grab my overnight pack, and start taking what I might need for the journey back to the Dark City. I eye the dresses that the Kolbecks’ seamstress made for me and wish I could take them along, but I would stand out like a sore thumb in them. The high life was just a temporary world. All I really need is what I’m wearing, the poppy resin, and some food.
I leave my cabin and head into the galley without managing to see anyone. I go through the pantry, taking the lightest but most nutrient-rich food: almonds, dried sliced beef and strips of salted cod, and dried apples, and fill my canteen with water from the jug. Then I grab some fresh fish that was left on the counter and toss it to Lemi for good measure. He wolfs it down in seconds flat, leaving no evidence except fishy dog breath.
By the time I head up the stairs to the deck, we’re just passing through the wards, the familiar prickling sensation making the hair at the back of my neck stand on end. My mouth goes dry as adrenaline surges through me, my pulse quickening, my stomach doing flips. Even Lemi gives an impatient whine, his tail wagging at the prospect of doing his job again.