I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or thrilled with their blossoming friendship, but I decided to avoid extra worries right now.

  “Let’s get the portal open.” I nodded to Alyona, who began the preparations for the spell.

  “Unless the princess would like to remain here with us, too?” Emma offered. “With the baby and all, it might be safer here.”

  I was torn.

  On one hand, Emma could be right. Hatra had the bunker, a dragon, and the Blue Tree Guild available to protect Alyona should anyone attack the city. On the other hand, the idea of letting my wife stay so far away from me, especially with my child growing inside her, made me slightly sick to my stomach.

  Luckily, Alyona didn’t give me a chance to make up my mind.

  “I’d much rather go help,” she said in a resolute voice. “I know it’s probably safer to stay, but I always feel safe with Lord Evan, and I know he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Besides, I know a thing or two about defending myself.”

  Images of enemies flying across rooms and getting wrapped up in magical binding spells flickered through my head, and I grinned.

  “Yeah, you’ve definitely handled your business,” I chuckled. “Anyway, it sounds like the hardest part about Yrosa will be figuring out who actually has the Noble Sword since Isabella said there really aren’t any warriors in the noble families.”

  “I can think of at least one way to smooth the introductions,” Isabella chimed in. “Nepins love gifts.”

  “Like what?” I wondered.

  “Anything we think is fancy.” She shrugged, and her silvery wings fluttered behind her shoulders. “Gold, jewelry, gems, stuff like that.”

  My mind drifted to the collection of such things I kept in my spatial storage. I had tons of those treasures stored safely in my magical lockbox, thanks to my dragon instinct to collect them. It was an insatiable desire, but the part of me that was raised as a human figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to take out a few things for the Nepins.

  My inner dragon roared in obvious disagreement, but while I was now a dragon, I started life as a human, and I knew this was the best course of action.

  “I can pull some things from my spatial storage,” I said. “A few things I don’t like as much.”

  “You’d give up your treasures?” Isabella’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought, ah, dragons didn’t really do that.”

  “I’m not a typical dragon,” I reminded her with a smirk. “If it’s what we have to do, it’s what we have to do. I can always find more.”

  “Maybe once this is all over, we can go on a big treasure hunt for you,” Laika offered. “I’ve heard of a few hidden treasures you might like.”

  “Ohhhh, that would be so fun!” Ravi chirped.

  “Yes, it would,” I agreed as my inner dragon preened himself in satisfaction. “I think that would make up for the few treasures I lose today.”

  “Then that’s our next adventure,” Alyona said with a grin. “Treasure hunting.”

  “I’m sure our little one will like it, too.” I winked at my wife, and she giggled as her hand grazed her small belly.

  “So, we’re all set?” Nike wondered.

  “I’ll get the jewels from my spatial storage when we’re ready,” I answered. “It won’t be a problem.”

  “Then we should get moving,” he replied. “It’s well into morning, and we might have to search all day for the sword.”

  “Yep, let’s do it,” I said. “Is the portal ready?”

  “Well, I was thinking we should just portal into the city,” Isabella said as she curled a silver hair around her finger. “We could get straight into my parents’ house and avoid any confrontations at the gate, just in case. The guards are likely to have dozens of questions, so we can just skip that step.”

  “You don’t think your parents will mind?” I asked uncertainly.

  “I think you could show up at the front door in your fanciest robes and a box of chocolates, and they would only be happy the sweets arrived.” Isabella rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “They’ll be fine.”

  “It’s not your parents he worries about,” Laika explained. “He’s concerned with one of us getting hurt, should we get attacked.”

  “Oh, gods, no!” the Nepin gasped, and her wide eyes turned to me. “My parents aren’t the attacking type at all. They’ll be much more worried than violent.”

  “I can handle worried.” I smirked as I led everyone outside. “I’m sure it’ll turn out well.”

  “I hope so,” she mumbled, and I knew she was back to worrying about her success in our mission.

  “If Lord Evan is certain, you should be, too,” Naomi announced. “He’s made it through a lot of tough spots and always comes out on top.”

  “Okay,” Isabella agreed, and the waver in her voice had dissipated.

  “The portal is ready,” Alyona announced.

  So, after another quick round of goodbyes, we were ready to leave Hatra once again.

  Alyona moved her finger in a wide circle in front of us, and the sparking electricity of her pure white magic crackled through the air. Then the portal to Yrosa opened ever so slightly until it had finally reached the size large enough for each of us to walk through.

  As we walked through the portal, my boot landed on a floor made of thick, red wood, and I could smell the ocean less than a mile from where we now stood. I looked around the room, and I noticed it mostly contained boxes, trunks, and stacks of yellowing papers. It seemed like we’d landed in the attic Isabella’s parents used for storage.

  “Oh, wow,” Ravi breathed. “There are a lot of, uh, unique things here.”

  “Like this!” Miraya whispered as she held up a small box filled with vials that contained a smooth, blue liquid. “What is it?”

  “My father is the city’s shaman,” Isabella answered. “It could be one of many things he brewed for that purpose. Without magic, we can’t just heal each other.”

  “Fair enough,” I murmured. “Now, where are your parents?”

  “Mother is likely at the shelter,” the Nepin explained. “She spends most of her days there with the children who struggle at home. My father is probably at city hall to talk about the building bid for a new library. So, we can go downstairs with no problem before we hit the town.”

  “Great,” I said before a creak caught my attention. “What was that?”

  “I-I’m not sure,” Isabella answered in a soft voice, and she inched closer to my side. “It sounded like a footstep, but there shouldn’t be anyone else here.”

  “I’ll check it out,” I murmured. “Stay close.”

  I crept through the attic door and down the stairs to a second story. To my left was a hallway with at least four closed doors, and straight ahead were more stairs to continue to the first floor. Something told me to check the bedrooms, and I tiptoed down the hall with a hand on my sword.

  I pushed the first door open, and there was a gentle groan as the wood swayed open to reveal an empty bedroom. A single bed, a dresser, and a painting of the ocean made me think it was a guest room, and then I heard a thump from further down the hall.

  I motioned for everyone to follow me as I pushed through to the last door on the left. I pressed my ear to the wood, and I could hear a subtle thumping sound, followed by heavy breathing.

  Then I twisted the knob, and my mouth dropped open.

  Two Nepins were tied up in the corner.

  Chapter 2

  “Oh, my gods!” Isabella gasped as she rushed past me toward the couple on the floor. “Mother! Father!”

  “What happened?” I demanded and knelt beside the Nepin to free her parents. “Who did this to you?”

  Isabella’s mother’s eyes were wild as she yanked the cloth from her mouth and took a shaky breath.

  “Mother, please, we can help you,” Isabella begged. “Just tell us who did this.”

  “I don’t know who they were,” her mother finally answered, but her eyes darted over to me with suspicion. “They weren’t Nepins, and I haven’t heard them leave.”

  “Shit,” I muttered and looked over at Nike. “We need to check it out.”

  “Why would we let you roam our house?” Isabella’s father huffed. “For all we know, you’re with them.”

  “They’re not, Papa,” Isabella assured him. “I’ll explain everything once we’re safe.”

  Before they could argue any more, Nike and I unsheathed our swords and rushed out of the room. We checked the other rooms in the hall, but they were all empty.

  Then I heard a hushed whisper from downstairs, so we looked at each other and nodded. Whoever had broken in and tied up Isabella’s parents was down there, and we weren’t about to let them get away.

  We moved silently down the steps and gripped our blades, and as we rounded the bottom of the staircase, I caught a flash of movement. I stormed into what appeared to be the living room just as a robed intruder dropped a wooden box on the floor. The wood splintered as soon as it landed, and both of us looked down for a second before I swung my sword and aimed for his head.

  The intruder ducked the blow and rolled to my right before he murmured a few words under his breath. Suddenly, a thick, white fog filled the room like he’d set off a smoke bomb, and I grunted as I tried to wave it out of my vision.

  “I can’t see the other one!” Nike called out, and I felt the movement in the air as he entered the foggy room.

  “Me, either,” I growled as I wracked my brain for a solution. “Can you use your sword to get rid of it?”

  “I think so,” he murmured. “Close your eyes.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut as a burst of light lit up the room, and even through my eyelids, I could tell the light was as bright as the sun and felt just as warm. As soon as the light was gone, I opened my eyes to see the fog had almost dissipated in the heat of his sword’s light. The room wasn’t very big, but it had high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that made it look even bigger. I could see all of it better without the fog, though I didn’t see the little bastards who had thrown the magical smoke bomb.

  “Nice,” I remarked as I looked around. “But where did they go?”

  “Right here!” a voice hissed from behind us.

  We whirled around to see a pair of intruders, and one of them had a small satchel wrapped around his chest.

  “Ah, thanks for making it a little easier on us.” I smirked. “You can surrender now or deal with whatever we give you. Which one is it going to be?”

  “We have magic!” one of the men warned.

  “You think you’re the only ones?” I chuckled. “Think again.”

  Before they could utter another word, we charged.

  I thrust my sword forward and nicked my target’s arm as he shimmied out of my path. I didn’t stop moving, and I swung the blade around to take him at the knees. He jumped over my sword and landed on wobbly legs as he tried for a jab to my ribs, but I easily blocked the shot with my left hand and brought the handle of the sword up into his gut.

  The masked intruder sucked in a gasping breath as the handle connected with his solar plexus, and I followed the blow with a quick burst of petrification magic to his face.

  He immediately stiffened and fell to the side in a petrified heap, and I turned to see Nike had taken on the mage. He dodged everything the bandit threw at him, but he couldn’t get close enough to strike back with the Sword of Light.

  By now, we’d made our way into the dining room, and the mage leaped up onto the table as he continued to toss a series of magical orbs at Nike. The noble slashed his sword through them before they connected, and I started to help him out when a crash back behind us caught my attention.

  “Go!” Nike yelled. “I got this!”

  I furrowed my brow before I whirled around and sprinted back into the living room. A third intruder had thrown aside several things from the family’s bookshelf, and now, he held up a metal disk and examined it in the light. He looked no bigger than the dwarves I’d met in Colaruma, though he was just as stocky.

  “Hey!” I bellowed as I lowered my shoulder and tackled the man.

  “What the--!” he grunted.

  We rolled across the floor, and I felt my sword start to slip out of my hand as he grabbed one of my wrists. I shoved back, and he dropped the metal disk. It clattered across the wooden floor, and the man’s eyes widened as he searched the room for his prize. I took advantage of the distraction and ripped my arm from his grasp before I brought my elbow down onto his nose. I heard the distinct crack of breaking cartilage, and he howled in pain.

  I rolled away, and I jumped to my feet as he tried to crawl away from me with blood dripping out from under his mask. I realized he was making his way to the disk on the floor, and I swung my leg back and kicked him square in the ribs with the toe of my boot. His hands and knees left the ground for a second, and he landed with another groan.

  “That’s not yours,” I growled before I stepped over his back and squatted low enough to wrap my arm around his neck. “Tell me why you’re here.”

  “N… Never,” he choked out.

  “You’ll regret it.” I smirked as I tightened my grip until I felt his body go limp underneath me.

  I reached down and picked up the metal disk he’d found and tucked it into my pocket. I wasn’t sure what it was or why he wanted it, but I’d soon find out.

  It seemed only one of the three men had magic, and it sounded like Nike was still dealing with the bastard in the dining room. I dragged the unconscious wannabe burglar into the room just in time to duck under a bright yellow orb that sailed across the room and crashed against the living room wall behind me.

  The mage now floated above the dining table, and he continued to launch various-colored orbs at Nike before he realized I was back. He threw one at me, and I activated my fire shield to block the shot. The orange ball crashed into my shield, and I expected to have to hold back its power, but it fizzled and melted to the floor with a plop.

  Okay, so this guy really didn’t have a lot of power, just a lot of colors. Time to educate the rainbow boy.

  I called back the fire shield and summoned my web magic. Then I shot two webs at the mage’s feet, and the webbing wrapped around his boots and pinned them to the ceiling. The rest of his body flipped to hang upside down, and his brow furrowed in anger.

  “Hey!” he shrieked as he tugged at his feet and tried to release the webs’ hold. “Let me down!”

  “Not a chance,” I retorted. “I might just roast you instead, actually.”

  “Roast me?” the intruder gasped.

  “Yep, melt that mask right onto your face.” I shrugged as I climbed up onto the table below him. “Then you won’t have to worry about finding a new one for your little heists.”

  “Y-You don’t h-have to,” he stammered.

  “Oh, I like it,” I whispered as I put my palm against the side of his head and let the heat warm my skin. “Now, one of you is going to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here. And you have about five minutes to decide which one.”

  I grabbed the mask, ripped it off his face, and tossed it to the ground. My captive looked like a young snake Demi-Human, and his yellow eyes darted around the room as he searched for an exit before they landed on his friends who laid petrified and unconscious on the floor. I hopped off the table and let him watch me grab the satchel from his buddy. Then I opened it, but I wasn’t sure what to think when I realized it was empty.

  I started to walk toward the stairs to give everyone the all-clear when Naomi peeked her head around the corner.

  “Looks like you handled them,” she observed with a grin as she looked up at the snake dangling above us.

  “Yeah, just need the other two tied up,” I said. “Do you mind?”

  “Sure,” the lizard mage agreed.

  With the flick of her wrist, black coils of magic wrapped around the other two burglars as I pulled out two of the dining chairs. Then Naomi guided the two men into the chairs and tied the magical coils around them. I pulled off the other men’s masks, and I was slightly surprised to see the purple hair and black eyes of a Mesic.

  The only other Mesic I’d met was Cia, one of the girls who worked in the fields back in Hatra. She’d been quiet and kind, and I realized I didn’t know much about their race.

  The other bandit was human, and he also looked young. I felt like I was looking at a group of teenagers that had tied up this poor couple and tried to rob them blind.

  I healed the petrified human, and he shook himself awake to open his startled green eyes.

  “Oh, gods,” he groaned. “Oh, we’re dead. Soooo dead.”

  “It’s still a distinct possibility,” I growled. “I’ll give you the same deal I gave your buddy. You have five-- well, make that four-- minutes to tell me what I want to know before I get it out of you myself.”

  I turned my back to the bandits and faced Isabella and her parents with my lovers right behind them.

  “W-Who are they?” Isabella’s mother asked as she gnawed her fingernails. “I’ve never seen any of them before. Oh, gods, is that a Mesic?”

  “I believe so.” I nodded. “But you’re certain neither of you know them?”

  “Not at all,” her father replied with a frown. “We never leave Yrosa, and only Nepins live here. We wouldn’t know them from anywhere else.”

  “And why would they even want to rob us?” her mother wondered. “We don’t have money or gold. We lost the dowry we did have.”

  She shot a glaring look at Isabella, who dropped her head to her chest. That must be the husband she decided she didn’t want to marry.

  “So, you have absolutely nothing of value in your home?” I pressed. “They trashed all the rooms down here to look for things, which seems a little odd given you aren’t a noble family or have any treasures.”

  “I agree,” Isabella’s father boomed. “Perhaps they had the wrong information about a house to rob since they obviously aren’t from here.”

  “Oh, that would make sense,” his wife agreed. “There are just so many things going on. I’m feeling very overwhelmed.”

 

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