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“She might die before we can save her.” Noah tapped on his phone, crafting a message to his aunt. No courier pigeons or magic required. Amazing. He wanted a phone. Perhaps it was a technological magic he’d be able to use.

Perhaps the other gods would also acquire one so they could discuss how best to fix this world before the humans and mythological beings fucked it up further. While he loved to place bets, he didn’t know who was going to make the biggest mess. And he didn’t want to be the only god fixing it.

Pan cast a closer eye over the dragon. While she was dehydrated, dragons didn’t eat every day, so the lack of food probably wasn’t hurting her. Nor was there any fresh blood around her. “Dragons are hardy.”

And no doubt the reason for all the burned grass was because she’d threatened the centaurs, who while not willing to kill her, were quite happy to hasten her demise.

Noah gave him a concerned look, as if he didn’t believe any living creature could survive having their wings impaled by a tree and then not eating for several days.

Pan turned to Beard and spoke in Tarikian. “Where is the nearest water source?”

“There is a river not far.” He jerked his head in the direction.

“Excellent. Then I suggest you find a very large bucket and start filling it so the dragon can have a drink.” He should’ve ordered that last night. And if the centaurs had been honest and told him she was impaled and unable to move, he might have thought of it. Instead, they’d led him to believe she couldn’t fly or walk.

“We have completed the end of our deal. Now we wait for our tents.”

Pan growled and stalked over to the much larger being. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

However, he had not made sure one of the requirements of the deal was that the dragon should be alive. This was why he shouldn’t be in charge of a city. He wasn’t good at negotiations. And truthfully, he’d been more concerned about getting him and Noah away from the camp.

“This is your city’s dragon. How do you think her mate will feel when he finds out that you were too lazy to fetch her water and left her to die?”

Beard lifted his chin and tapped his spear on the ground, but didn’t seem as confident. “You will not tell him. He will attack us and then there will be war.”

“I don’t need to say anything. The humans will. They are not bound by our treaties and rules.” He indicated to Noah’s friends and watched as Beard did the same calculations that he had done far too many times over the last couple of days.

Who was lying, who was telling the truth, and what might the cost be? Was it a chance he was willing to take or a risk that should be mitigated? There was no right answer. There was no clarity anymore, and he hated it with every fiber of his being.

He drew in a breath, wanting nothing more than to go back to how things had been. If he could go back, he swore he would visit the human world more frequently. Perhaps it was the gods ignoring this world that had contributed to the loss of magic.

But all the gods, with all their magic, lacked the power to recreate an entire world. That kind of magic belonged to the old ones and if they existed, they were sleeping or otherwise occupied, and he was not about to do anything that might attract their attention. They might consider ending this world to eliminate any additional problems.

Beard gave the water orders to three centaurs. They bowed and cantered away.

It was about fucking time someone started listening to him.

“The vet…doctor…is almost here. She’s got a local farmer with a tractor and…oh never mind.” Noah shook his head. “The farmer is going to help transport the dragon into town. His land backs onto this park. Forest.”

“Thank you…though how will she locate us?”

Noah waved his phone. “It has a map, and I sent our location. We should head downhill toward the farm, and get out from under the trees, so they can find us more easily.”

Pan glanced at Web and Liam. They would be the least useful with the dragon and if something happened, they’d talk. “Send them. Tell them to speak to Linda and Lord Feryn if we are not back in town by tomorrow.” He doubted the vampire would do anything, but Linda would. Though if the centaurs betrayed them, Pan did not expect to live.

Noah hesitated for a couple of heartbeats, as if he wanted to ask questions, but after studying Pan’s expression, he turned and walked away. Pan did not like this frost between them, but he did not know what he had done wrong, or what he should’ve done differently.

He’d worshipped Noah like a god and shown him how to touch magic—that it still existed had been a blessed relief. Most people would be grateful for the opportunity. Most people would’ve been thanking him for both the pleasure and the magic. He watched Web and Liam skirt the edge of the clearing, and head in the direction Noah pointed.

Web most definitely would’vethankedhim. But showing magic to Web was like trying to teach a mermaid to paint. Pointless and painful for everyone, though mostly him.

The dragon called to Pan, and he walked around until she saw him. “There are thin skins coming to help.”

‘Human’ in Dragon was ‘thin skin’.

“You will help, sun eyes?”

Pan gave her a sad smile. “I am wounded. No magic.”