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I frowned at this before muttering,

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Then there be a merchant on his way now and he be missing a few coins at that, thanks to a royal flush I hit him with. But more than that, guess what else that Lickspittle dropped?” he said, and I swear I was ready to half throttle him/half kiss the cryptic bastard!

“What?!”

In response his smirk was more demonic than anything else, as he tipped up his hat and said,

“A map inside the castle.”

21

NIGHT AND DAY

ELLA

After this bombshell had been dropped on Garmr, he unleashed some of his own power over the army. A demonstration that ended up creating a green dragon that grew in size as it flew below over them all. This seemed enough to appease his people, because I noticed he made it look as if it had come from me. Which was when I had to question, would there have been a mutiny of some kind if he hadn’t given them what he had promised them?

I didn’t have too long to think on the answer, because he gripped me by the arm and walked me back into the hallway. This led straight back to the room I had first woken in, and I could see the doors still open. I could also see the arches in both sides that obviously led to different parts of the castle I was being kept in. But clearly, Garmr had only one place in mind for me, because he all but tossed me through the door to the room.

“Hey!” I complained as I stumbled to the bed, saving myself from falling. I flinched then when the door slammed shut, and the locks sliding into place were ones I could hear but not see. He then held his body against the door, with his palms flat to the wood and his head hung as if trying to get his temper under check before facing me.

“Now, you are going to tell me exactly what happened to your powers,” he said in a threatening voice, all niceties from earlier long gone as his dark tone shadowed all else.

“They were taken,” I stated, folding my arms because I didn’t want to show him how my hands shook. I honestly didn’t know what he might do now I was useless to him.

He swung his head around to face me with his stance remaining the same.

“How?”he seethed, looking back at me, making me swallow hard.

“I don’t know exactly…”

He moved, coming at me and making me take quick steps away from him, my hands out in front of me to protect myself.

“You don’t know?”he asked disbelievingly.

“Something took them, a creature,” I told him quickly.

“What creature?”he asked with barely contained anger, as he persistently followed me around the room, making me continue to try and keep my distance.

“I don’t know what it was called,” I admitted, making him growl.

“Try.”

“Look, I am not exactly up to date with my Ancient Greek, okay!” I snapped, unable to help myself, which was when he finally took a breath and started to calm slightly.

“Describe it to me,” he said after releasing another heavy sigh, finally pausing his chase of me.

“I don’t know, some creepy bird guy.”

He snarled, whipping his head to the side as if speaking to the door.

“Damn that bitch Persephone, meddling in my business again!” he yelled, now turning to punch a fist into the mirror that cracked on impact. One that, at least, didn’t shatter completely and remained in the frame.

“What exactly did it do to you?” he asked, his dark tone pulling it out of me because I didn’t exactly want to feel how that mirror had. So, I told him,

“I was asleep, my dreams were manipulated, he made me eat…”