Maybe I’m seeing things. And by things, I mean Prescott strolling into an almost battleground with Acca. Just to be sure the headmaster’s really here, I pinch myself. Hard.
Aaaaaaaand… Nope.
Prescott’s still standing around.
Bleugh.
I eye the headmaster carefully. His usually pristine white shirt is streaked in filth. In his arms, he lovingly cradles what looks like a clump of dirt. Pure joy lights up his Ken-doll-style features.
This is such bad news.
Why? There’s only one reason Prescott would look super-happy about dirt. That clump of earth must hold Lucifer’s coin. Their dig was successful.
Prescott rushes up to Blaze. “There you are! I’ve found a cache of the most amazing angelic artifacts. You must come and see.”
“Headmaster Prescott!” Harper waves manically from her spot between the two Acca warriors. “Over here!” It’s not the smartest of moves, considering one of the warriors has a knife against her throat. Harper could stab herself in the jugular by mistake.
“Whoa there, Harper. Let me get his attention for you.” I make a circle with my thumb and pointer finger, jam the shape into my mouth, and whistle super-loudly.
“What?” asks Prescott.
“Harper is here.”
He’s still not looking at her, though. He stares between Lincoln and me. “Why aren’t both of you in class?”
“Because Harper has a knife against her throat.” It’s also why I’m standing here versus kicking ass, but there’s no point overloading Prescott with details. The man is so obsessed with his Lady there’s hardly room in his brain for much else.
At last, Prescott spots Harper and gasps. “What’s all this?”
Blaze speaks without breaking his eye-lock with Lincoln. “You need to leave, Headmaster.”
“Absolutely not.” Prescott wags his finger at Blaze. “We had a clear understanding. I would search for the coin while you stayed on your side of the island. No interfering with my students. Blast it all, I even hid your silly codex for you. I’ve more than kept up my side of the bargain. Now, tell your men to set Harper loose.”
My eyes widen with surprise. So far, I haven’t exactly been a huge fan of Prescott. That said, I’m pleased that he’s trying to do the right thing here. At least so far.
“No.” Blaze snaps his fingers. “Secure her.”
Instantly, the Acca warriors get busy tying Harper to a tree. My muscles flinch as I look for a break where that damned knife is away from Harper’s throat. When it comes to battle, Lincoln and I don’t need much of an attack window. That said, we do need one.
Unfortunately, Acca warriors are really good at tying Harper to a tree while keeping a knife right at her jugular. It’s almost beyond belief. All they need is a train track, long mustaches, and a cry of mwah-hah-hah. With that, their scene of evil would be complete.
Prescott stomps his loafer-clad foot. “I said to release her, not tie her up.” He wags his finger at the warrior with the knife. “And take that dagger away from her throat.”
The Acca fighter simply shakes his head no. Seems like Blaze is the chatterbox of the team.
Blaze now does a total dick move. Taking advantage of the fact that Prescott’s back is turned away from him and toward Harper, he starts going in for a kill. Quick as a whip, Blaze hunches over to pull a dagger from the sheath on his leg. Prescott keeps up his foot-stomping routine, totally oblivious to the danger, his back a perfect target for Blaze.
Wow. What humans don’t know about battle is a lot.
Lincoln sees the move, same as I do. My guy lunges forward. With a graceful swoop of his arm, Lincoln grabs Blaze’s wrist and prevents him from unsheathing the weapon. We can’t stop the knife-wielding thrax who’s threatening Harper, but at least we can do this.
“I thought we were discussing a possible alliance.” The lines of Lincoln’s face are tight with fury. “I don’t negotiate with thrax who kill humans.”
Blaze features turn tense with rage. “You don’t want this kind of trouble, man of Gurith. I’ve killed Furor dragons in hand-to-hand combat.” The weapon wobbles in Blaze’s grasp. It doesn’t fall, though. “You know what that means. I’ve battled fully grown dragon demons with wings. Think I can’t take you?”
When Lincoln speaks, his voice comes out deep and deadly. “I know you can’t.”
A lead weight of worry settles into my stomach. Furor dragons are badass. I should know—I have a small part of their DNA rolling around in me. Anyone who can kill a Furor dragon is dangerous with a capital D. My guy’s a great warrior and all. Even so, I’ve also seen how quickly someone can end up dead in a battle. All it takes is a moment and a mistake. I simply can’t lose Lincoln. He’s my heart.
Jumping forward, I land right by Lincoln’s side. I glare at Blaze for all I’m worth. “Fuck with him, and you’re in for a world of pain, my friend.”