Page 19
Story: This Vicious Dream
I roll my eyes. “Clearly you survived. Who was the woman?”
“Her name is Prisca. And she’s the queen of the hybrid kingdom.”
Prisca.I mouth the name. “How did I know her?”
“I’m not entirely sure. You were with her when I met her, already unlikely friends.”
“Unlikely?”
He angles his head. “I don’t know Prisca well, but I know enough about her to know shelikespeople. And people tend to like her.”
His tone is pointed, and I curl my lip at him, ignoring the way his words slice into me.
Since neither of us are going to get any more sleep, I roll to my feet, stalking to the small stream to splash water on my face. I can feel Calysian’s eyes on me.
The strange power calls to me, rocking through my body and leaving my head ringing until I’m dizzy.
Calysian is suddenly standing in front of me. “What was that?”
I give him a withering look, and he clamps his huge hands on my shoulders. “Answer me.”
He tenses, and I know he can feel my blade at his balls. “Ask nicely,” I purr, shifting my knife closer. I found it in my mare’s saddlebag, along with a few rations and a change of clothes.
A glint of something I don’t recognize enters Calysian’s eyes. “Ah,” he says. “So you are in there after all, Madinia Farrow.”
His words remind me of the way he has kept silent about my past. About having met me before.
He leans close, ignoring my knife. His eyes burn into mine, and another memory explodes in my mind’s eye.
I open my eyes and jolt. A man has taken the empty seat in front of me, and I hadn’t even noticed. My hands warm, and the man grins at me. This is the man who’d escaped Regner’s dungeon with Prisca. Calysian.
He’s shaved his beard, and his eyes glint with wicked humor. He’s a handsome bastard, that’s for sure. Handsome and far too large. What exactly is he doing here?
“Tired?” he asks.
“What do you want?”
“I did a little research about you, Madinia Farrow,” he says.
“Did you? Then you know I could turn your insides to kindling.”
Calysian laughs. “Relax, beautiful woman. I’m here to help you.”
I force a bored expression onto my face. “And why would you do that?”
“I owe your friend a life debt. Since she didn’t seem inclined to let me pay it before we went our separate ways, and she told me to give it to you, it’s yours.”
“I don’t need a life debt.”
“Too bad. Where I come from, a man’s honor rests on his word. Who do you need killed? Or perhaps you have someone who wants to kill you? Name the time and the place, and I’ll be there to protect you.”
His expression is serious, his words solemn. But I don’t trust strange men.
“I can protect myself.”
“Something else, then.”
My hands cool, and I lean forward slightly. “What is it you think you could help me with?”
“Her name is Prisca. And she’s the queen of the hybrid kingdom.”
Prisca.I mouth the name. “How did I know her?”
“I’m not entirely sure. You were with her when I met her, already unlikely friends.”
“Unlikely?”
He angles his head. “I don’t know Prisca well, but I know enough about her to know shelikespeople. And people tend to like her.”
His tone is pointed, and I curl my lip at him, ignoring the way his words slice into me.
Since neither of us are going to get any more sleep, I roll to my feet, stalking to the small stream to splash water on my face. I can feel Calysian’s eyes on me.
The strange power calls to me, rocking through my body and leaving my head ringing until I’m dizzy.
Calysian is suddenly standing in front of me. “What was that?”
I give him a withering look, and he clamps his huge hands on my shoulders. “Answer me.”
He tenses, and I know he can feel my blade at his balls. “Ask nicely,” I purr, shifting my knife closer. I found it in my mare’s saddlebag, along with a few rations and a change of clothes.
A glint of something I don’t recognize enters Calysian’s eyes. “Ah,” he says. “So you are in there after all, Madinia Farrow.”
His words remind me of the way he has kept silent about my past. About having met me before.
He leans close, ignoring my knife. His eyes burn into mine, and another memory explodes in my mind’s eye.
I open my eyes and jolt. A man has taken the empty seat in front of me, and I hadn’t even noticed. My hands warm, and the man grins at me. This is the man who’d escaped Regner’s dungeon with Prisca. Calysian.
He’s shaved his beard, and his eyes glint with wicked humor. He’s a handsome bastard, that’s for sure. Handsome and far too large. What exactly is he doing here?
“Tired?” he asks.
“What do you want?”
“I did a little research about you, Madinia Farrow,” he says.
“Did you? Then you know I could turn your insides to kindling.”
Calysian laughs. “Relax, beautiful woman. I’m here to help you.”
I force a bored expression onto my face. “And why would you do that?”
“I owe your friend a life debt. Since she didn’t seem inclined to let me pay it before we went our separate ways, and she told me to give it to you, it’s yours.”
“I don’t need a life debt.”
“Too bad. Where I come from, a man’s honor rests on his word. Who do you need killed? Or perhaps you have someone who wants to kill you? Name the time and the place, and I’ll be there to protect you.”
His expression is serious, his words solemn. But I don’t trust strange men.
“I can protect myself.”
“Something else, then.”
My hands cool, and I lean forward slightly. “What is it you think you could help me with?”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159