Page 45 of Courting the Dragon Prince

A few minutes later, he strode through the corridors of the rooms that had been provided for his family. A few servants still stood on duty despite the hour. Luther paused.

“Can you send to the kitchens for some food? Just whatever they have on hand. And have a bath drawn in my room, please,” Luther said to one of the servants.

“Of course, Your Highness.” The servant bowed low and walked off to fulfil Luther’s orders.

Luther was about to head to his room when voices from the library drew him in.

Senta and Gerard sat on plush chairs, speaking to each other over goblets of wine. They paused when they saw him.

“You’re back. And you look terrible!” Gerard rose and walked over to an ornately carved side table. “Wine? How was the quest?” He grabbed a goblet, filled it, and handed it to Luther before returning to his chair.

“How were the giant snails?” Senta laughed. “Were they disgusting?”

Luther smiled, forcing the bad mood away. He laughed and dropped in a chair opposite them. “Very disgusting. I will never forget the putrid stench.” He took a deep gulp of wine and sighed.

Senta barked a laugh, and Gerard chuckled.

Luther leaned his head against the back of the chair, staring at the ceiling. Then he remembered his conversation with Onyx. “Did you know the giant snails were dangerous?”

“What do you mean?” Senta frowned.

“Well, we were in the cave. Then the snails were suddenly there. A lot of them, shooting acidic goo at us. I lost a boot! It disintegrated. I’d probably have lost a lot more if one of them hit me directly,” Luther mused.

Gerard and Senta shared a look. They both leaned towards him.

“You mean they were properly dangerous?” Gerard pressed. “Not just repulsive.”

“We managed it, of course.” Luther slid his finger along the metal stem of the goblet. “But yes. They could kill someone quite easily, I imagine.”

Senta shook her head. “We thought it amusing, you fighting giant snails. But we didn’t think that they might actually hurt you.”

“The White Monastery had received word about giant snails destroying crops and bothering the villagers. There’d been no mention of injuries or anything dangerous about them,” Gerard said. “We never actually saw them ourselves.”

Gerard glanced at Senta. “Warden Flint went to the location and set up the key in the cave. But from his report, he never actually interacted with or saw the snails.” He paused, frowning. “Perhaps we should have also gone to assess the situation.”

Luther waved a hand. “Nothing to fret over. We completed the task, and no one died or was even injured.” Luther smiled. “But it was a hell of a battle.” He took a slow sip of his wine, watching his siblings.

Their eyes glinted. Luther swirled his wine, waiting.

“Well! Are you going to actually tell us about it?” Senta asked with obvious eagerness. “Or are you just going to sit there drinking wine and leaving us in suspense?”

Luther laughed. He sat forward and launched once again into a retelling of their battle, his siblings hanging off his every word.

Gerard shook his head as Luther finished. “Bloody oath. That’s a hell of a fight.”

Senta nodded. “I’m jealous I wasn’t there! I wonder if there are more nests of giant snails around.”

Gerard’s lips quirked. “We can go searching and find out.”

Senta smiled, a playful glint in her eyes. “It sounds like you and Onyx worked together quite well. Is he back in his room resting after your skirmish with the snails?”

Luther’s smile died. “He is back at the inn.”

Their eyebrows rose.

“You left him?” Gerard asked.

Luther blew out a breath. “We have finished the quest.” He shrugged and tried to laugh. “And he was being so obnoxious and self-righteous. I couldn’t stand to be around him anymore. So I left.” He could hear the defensiveness in his voice.