Offering Dominicus a tired smile, I said, “It’s good to know I’m not the only one thrown ass over tea kettle into this world. We’ll have to find time to chat later. For now, there are things to be done. The resistance army is on their way, and they need to know the king is gone.”
A flash of Maya crossed my mind, and I added, “The leader’s daughter is being held here somewhere. She needs to be reunited with him as quickly as possible.”
Dominicus nodded but then paused. “Ah, we never introduced ourselves properly. “I am Dominicus, and you are?”
He didn’t offer a hand, so I didn’t either. “Nikolas, and it’s nice to meet you. Do you know where that kid is being held?”
He nodded and gestured down the corridor. “She’s with the other prisoners. I’ll return her to her father and explain the situation. I have…many things to discuss with him. What will you do in the meantime?”
I glanced at Silas and grimaced, “Snoop through king bastard’s stuff and see what I can find. Something tells me he had big plans, and whatever they were, Karma would want me to put a stop to them.”
Dominicus’s lips twitched upward before his face slid back into a neutral mask. “If your offer of teaming up is still available, I wouldn’t be adverse. We have a common goal, and achieving it could be easier with the two of us.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll meet you back here later–.”
I went to turn, but he grabbed my arm with a frown. “You need to be careful wandering around. While some of the guards were under Silas’s thrall, many were not. Once they realize what happened here, the castle will be on high alert.”
Right, right. I’d forgotten about that whole ‘in the middle of the enemy fortress’ thing. “I’ll just have to find somewhere to stash him then.” I considered the long hallway and the suits of armor that hadn’t reacted. “I’d say it's safe to assume they’re thralled. We can snap them out of it later, once we have information.” All the guards suddenly abandoning their posts would definitely draw too much attention.
Dominicus nodded and grabbed the rabbit beastfolk’s arm. “I’ll snap this one out of it and update her. From what I picked up, she was one of the leading officials in the town king Silas took, so she may be of help when I talk to the resistance leader. With his army, we can safely find those who were thralled and those that weren’t.”
I knelt next to Silas and wrapped his cloak around him, hiding the damage. “Great, we’ll meet back here once we’re done.”
Dominicus hummed his agreement and set off, the rabbit lady still staring into the distance as he went. Once they were gone, I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
So many things to do and not nearly enough time to do them. Looking at Silas, I hardened my resolve and picked him up. First things first, I needed to hide him and then I could gather information.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Time stayed suspiciously quiet as I stalked through the halls, keeping to the shadows. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially not after our earlier spat, but it was…unnerving.
Shaking that aside, I stopped outside a door and opened it a crack. An over-the-top guest room greeted me, the sheets made up without a hint of someone staying in it. Perfect. Treading to the closet, I threw the king in and shut the door.
With any luck, that would buy me some time to investigate.
Slipping out of the room, I continued down the hall, keeping an eye out for anyone who might see through my stealth. Thankfully, the guards were either dazed or low enough level to not see me, but I couldn’t afford to be careless now that I’d made it this far.
After a few minutes of walking, a familiar set of doors came into sight, and I grimaced. The summoning room. Even from here, I could feel my skin crawling again. I turned to go around, only for Time to cut in, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
Investigate that room. The energy coming off it is sinister.
Damn it, he wasn’t wrong, but I’d been in there earlier and there was nothing. Did I really have to deal with the slimy feeling on my skin again?
Yes, because last time you were alone, and now you are not. Now go. His voice rang with impatience, and I scowled.
Demanding, aren’t you? You could throw in a please, you know. It wouldn’t kill you.
I could practically hear him take a deep breath before he responded. I am not your patron, but we are reluctant partners in this mess. We will need to work together until Karma is able to step in again, which means we need to be civil.
I huffed. I was being civil, teasing but civil. You’re the one getting your panties in a twist over me lying about you being my patron. It wasn’t like I could very well tell Dominicus that I had a second spirit who wasn’t my patron helping me.
That wouldn’t have gone over well, and even I, with my limited knowledge, knew that.
Time heaved a sigh. What I said wasn’t a slight against you, nor was I angry at your lie. I was merely ensuring you understood what this partnership is not. When Karma awakes, I will leave you in her hands and rest in the Inbetween. At that point, I will remove Fast Forward and you will take your place as her Chosen, as you should have from the start. I am not your patron.
Staring at the double doors, I let my earlier irritation go. I know that, but there’s no good word for what you are that won’t raise a bunch of questions. How else should I refer to you, if he asks where I get information?
He reluctantly conceded the point. Fine, you may refer to me as your patron until my wife is available, but do not tell anyone who I am.
I barely bit back a snort. Wasn’t planning to, now let’s go see the empty room again, shall we?
The hair on my arms stood up as I gripped the handles and the earlier stomach-churning wrongness hit again, sharper this time. I pushed it aside and opened the doors.
Only to stop and stare at the not empty room in front of me.
“This …wasn’t here last time.”
No, I would have noticed the summoning circle drawn on the floor. Not to mention the pile of bodies stacked to one side of the room.