“I can hear you,” Lucien called back. “At least if you’re going to talk about my imminent demise, come do it near me so that I have some company.”
“It’s more that he’s surprised you haven’t already met your demise,” I explained as I walked into the room. The torches normally burned during the daytime were off. I tried to start the torches burning, but I couldn’t kindle them. Their magic blocked mine, I supposed.
Caldren stared from me to Lucien and back. “Lucien. You’re alive.”
“Unfortunately,” Lucien said.
“Don’t say unfortunately, Alina is counting on you, waiting for you.” She’d been so excited to learn Lucien was alive. It must be amazing to lose someone, then think you had a second chance together. I do anything to have more time with my parents.
Caldren winced. I thought Lucien needed to hear that though. Lucien had lost hope but maybe when he couldn’t be strong for himself anymore, he’d find strength trying to be strong for someone.
“Why are they keeping you alive?” Caldren asked Lucien. He glanced at me. “What if they’re keeping Lucien in case they want to replace you at some point?”
“Lucien’s not a dragon,” I said.
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if they plant Lucien’s corpse.”
A shiver ran down my spine. Maybe I’d end up buried under some mildewing castle like Lucien.
“Joachim also just loves to torture people,” Lucien reminded us.
Caldren winced as if those words had raised some memory for him. I wanted to know why, but this was certainly not the time to prompt him in front of someone else.
“I’m sure he has more than one reason,” I said. “The Elders always have three different plans in motion and all of them are villainous.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Caldren said. “As much as I despise Jaik, if our father was pure evil, I don’t think Jaik would stand by his side. I think he might finally join me. Things are just complicated enough that my brother stays on the wrong side.”
“The Olds do a lot of good,” I had to admit. “I don’t know how we would fight the Scourge without the academy. Protecting the kingdom is important even if I don’t always like the means.”
Lucien leaned against the bars. “Tell me more about not liking the means.”
“We have to find a way to free you,” I said. “Alina still loves you, Lucien.”
“I don’t know how you’re going to free me,” he said. “Only Joachim has the key to open this enchanted lock. His gaze fell to the door, which I had already tried to lockpick. I’d failed miserably. Even my skills were no match for the enchanted lock.
“No one else has a key?” I demanded. “What if there’s a fire or something? It doesn’t make sense to have a lock but no key.”
“If there’s a fire, well then, I suppose I burn, but I’m not sure I’d die even then.” Those words were chilling. He went on, “I don’t think he’s that worried about what happens to me, Honor.”
My stomach bottomed out at the thought of Lucien trapped down here, burning. “I need to know something, Lucien. Did you put a spell on Alina? Or did someone else do that?”
“I did.” He sounded impatient. “I already told you.”
“You forced her to love you against her will?” I demanded.
For a second, his face appeared disgusted at the thought. Then he shrugged. “That’s what I said.”
“Alina says she fell in love with you.” And you’re also apparently a terrible song-writer.
“I’m not going to go back on what I said, Honor,” Lucien said impatiently.
“You don’t understand. Even if you put a spell on her, if it’s harmless, if you just wanted to protect Alina from Joachim… Branok and Lynx won’t have any reason to hate you.”
Lucien shrugged. The damned man didn’t trust me.
I turned to Caldren. “Do you know how to make a truth potion? I saw it in one of the books when I was trying to figure out how to break these spells.”
“I won’t take it,” Lucien said.
“It’s for me,” I snapped. “I’ll take it. Then you’ll know I don’t intend to hurt Alina. I just want to know if I should try to set you free. Once I’ve proven to you I’m not trying to hurt you or Alina, you’ll tell me?”
“Sure.” Lucien leaned against the bars. “I’m not sure why you’d care so much about me.”
“I’ve come to love your face,” I said, just because I saw it in the mirror every day. I was apparently more invested in Lucien’s survival at this point than he was. “Caldren, will you keep Lucien company? I’m going to run up and get the book of enchantments from the library.”
I was willing to bet whatever ingredients I needed were behind the locked door to Lucien and Branok’s workshop.
Caldren looked unexcited to spend the night with Lucien, especially as Lucien picked up his fiddle and began to absently pick what sounded like the Alina, Alina song. But he nodded.
I started up the stairs. Caldren followed me, “Honor. Are you worried about what Branok and Lynx think of Lucien for Lucien’s sake, or is it because you want to clear your name, since you’re trapped as Lucien Finn?”
I turned on the stairs. “I don’t care what Branok and Lynx think of me.”
“Oh bullshit,” Caldren said. “As someone who bullshits myself on the regular, I can recognize it in someone else and it’s not a good look for you, Honor.”
“Of course I want Branok and Lynx to like me,” I admitted. “The six of us are bound together.”
I didn’t say because we’re dragons. But Caldren winced.
“If anyone doesn’t like you, that’s because they’re a moron. And you can’t stop people from being morons. People are very dedicated to their craft.”
Caldren made me smile. “I’m glad you’re on my side, Cal. It’s good to have someone who knows the truth about what I am.”
He scoffed a laugh. “It’s obvious that you feel guilt stricken about not telling the royals, even though you have no choice, but you don’t owe anyone your secrets. If they deserve you, they’ll understand when they learn the truth.”
“What if I’m afraid that they won’t understand?” I asked softly, then added, “What if I’m afraid those assholes don’t deserve me?”
Caldren gazed at me intently. “I imagine they’ll wake up for you, Honor. You deserve every good thing. Even my asshole brother, if he can manage to reform and be good enough for you.”
“Thank you.” I leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. His arm wrapped around my waist lightly, but he didn’t hold me there. His face brightened with a smile. “I’m sorry I make everything complicated for you.”
“You’re worth it,” he promised me. “I’ll take stolen dungeon kisses and complications. So what are you going to do now?”
“I have a plan to save Lucien. Once I know what his spell was.”
“Is it a good plan or a bad plan?”
“It’s probably a terrible plan.” I admitted, “but it’s the plan I’ve got. If I can change into Lucien Finn, I can change into one of Joachim’s servants and get close enough to steal the key.”
“You’re going to steal from one of the dragon elders.”