“Sam,” he said with a sigh. “Something always happens when you’re involved.”
“That’s not even—okay. Yes. That’s pretty much true. I have nothing.”
“Sam, before we go, if I may.”
“Yes, Kevin.”
“I know your mother and I have ended our relationship.”
“I changed my mind. Stop.”
“And I know I’ve been a distant stepfather at best.”
“Oh my gods.”
“But son? That whole lightning thing? That was hot. I would just destroy you if you’d let me.”
“Oh my gods.”
“Remember when I used to hate your magic because wizards suck?”
“I wish that was still the case.”
“Well now I like it, and I hope wizards suck.”
“Why aren’t you defending my honor?” I asked Ryan, poking him in the chest.
He shrugged. “I don’t disagree with what he’s saying.”
“Useless. All of you. Since Ryan jinxed us, we should get moving before we get eaten or—”
From farther into the island came the deafening roar of an unmistakably large creature. It echoed through the cavern around the island until it finally faded.
“—or the dragon wakes up and knows we’re here,” I finished weakly. “Because holy fuck, it’s awake and knows we’re here.”
We all turned toward the dome, expecting to see it slithering toward us, teeth bared, ready to eat our legs and patellas, but there was nothing there.
But I could feel it. It wasn’t whispering to me in my head anymore, at least not in words. There was just that hook in my brain, jerking me forward, and all I could think was now, now, now.
“Well shit,” Gary said. “Sam’s got glowing eyes again. That will never not be freaky.”
“Kevin?” I asked without looking away from the dome. “Can you feel it?”
“Yes,” Kevin said, sounding dreamy. “He’s in there.”
“He?”
“Yes.”
“Can you talk to him?”
“No. It’s not…. I can just feel him. He’s awake. He’s waiting for us. He’s waiting for you.”
“Eh, maybe we should think about this,” Ryan said. “Since anytime we’ve rushed headfirst into anything without thinking it through, it’s never really worked out in our favor.”
“You rescued the Prince and landed the wizard without thinking it through,” Gary pointed out. “In fact, I don’t know that you ever think things through.”
He glared at Gary. “I think things through all the time. It’s not my fault I’m surrounded by all of you people.”
Gary narrowed his eyes. “And just what do you mean by you people?”
I ignored them. “Anything else we should know about Jekhipe before we go?”
Ruv was watching me with a look on his face that I couldn’t quite place. I didn’t know if my eyes were still doing their weirdness, but I thought they probably were. I didn’t think he was scared, but… wary? Cautious, probably. My little display had probably thrown him for a loop. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. Or what’d he’d say to Vadoma when we returned to Mashallaha.
“Just that he’s dangerous,” Ruv said finally. “A trickster. You cannot underestimate him.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t underestimate anything.”
“Um,” Gary said. “You do it all the time.”
“No one asked you, Gary!”
“Okay, you need to point those freaky eyes at someone else, Miss Thang. I don’t need your creepy hoodoo business all up in my shit.”
“I think they’re hot,” Ryan whispered to me.
“I know,” I said. “But you’re really weird, so.”
“It’s not weird.”
“What they whispering about?” Tiggy asked Gary.
“Probably something disgusting,” Gary said. “Remember when Sam was a virgin? I miss those days.”
“His precious flower,” Tiggy said mournfully.
“Team Sam, move out!” I announced.
Which, of course, everyone protested, because they were lame and wouldn’t know a good team name if it punched them in the throat.
THE RUINS were in far worse condition than they’d appeared from far away. Everything that still stood—the parapets, the battlements, the towers—looked to be on the verge of collapse. Great piles of stones littered the whole of the island. Everything was smooth and bleached, worn down by blowing sand and sun. There were vague shapes in the broken statues—feet here, an arm there. There was a stone hand that held a dagger lying on the ground near the remains of an archway.
The ruins felt dead.
And haunted.
“What was this place?” I asked Ruv, even as the dragon whispered unintelligibly in my head. “I’ve never heard of a castle this far out.”
Ruv stepped over a mound of stone. “The name of the castle has been lost in time. But the gypsy people call it Prikasa.”
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t even blink when he said, “Bad luck. A dark omen.”
“Of course that’s what it means,” I said. “Because you guys suck.”
He ignored me. “It’s supposed to be older than Verania itself. There was a man, or so it is said, a fierce warrior, who ruled over many lands. He and his army worked their way east, laying siege to everything in sight, taking it for himself. He was blinded by greed and power and the need to own all he could see. By rights, he was very good at what he did. He built himself castles for every new territory he consumed. This was said to be one of them.”
“What happened to him?”
“What happens to all men with great power,” he said. “Someone wanted it more and killed him for it.”
“I feel like you’re trying to tell me something.”
I didn’t miss the faint smile. “You are so wise, Sam of Wilds.”
“Now you’re mocking me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“How are we going to get this dragon on our side?” Ryan asked. “Are we just going to walk up to it and say, ‘Hey, dragon. Come be on Team Sam. It’s great.’”
“Yes,” I whispered reverently. “I knew Team Sam would be a thing.”
“We’re going to need to sell it better than that,” Gary said, rolling his eyes. “Give him some incentive.”
“Oh?” Kevin said. “And just what kind of incentive can you give? Is that how it’s going to be? Move on from one dragon to the next? For shame. For shame.”
“Well,” Gary said. “Once you go dragon, all the rest is laggin’.”
“Hey!” Kevin said, sufficiently outraged. “That’s my saying! You can’t weaponize it and use it to stab me in the heart!”
“They’re so in love,” Tiggy said to me. “Tiggy knows.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I told Ryan. “You gotta trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
He frowned. “I trust you, Sam. But you never know what you’re doing.”