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Will studied my face a moment longer as though memorizing it before he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to my lips. I would have wanted a longer encouragement but a call came from the front door.
“The carriage is here!” Helen shouted at us.
I took a deep breath. “Well, here goes.”
We joined the others at the door and Will slipped my coat on my shoulders while Alex gave instructions to Raines. “You will travel slow enough that we may follow on foot. Veer into the loneliest side street you find and arrest your pace even further so as to catch the attention of any followers.”
Raines nodded. “As you wish, sir.”
A thought struck me and I looked up at Will. “What about Folcred? He would want to know about this.”
Will smiled as he led me down the stone path to the awaiting carriage. “I will alert him.” He waved a hand above his head.
I followed his gaze and beheld a tramp lying on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. The vagabond didn’t twitch a muscle at Will’s hail.
“You think that’s him?” I wondered.
“A vagrant wouldn’t dare sleep on the ground in this neighborhood without knowing he would be able to fend off efforts to shoo him away,” Will explained to me as we reached the carriage. “A proper badge would fend off any objections.”
Alex opened the door for Helen as Raines climbed into the box. The other dragon lord helped his bride inside and reluctantly released his hold on her. Mine was much the same as Will assisted me into the cab but kept a grip on my hand.
“You have to let go,” I teased.
“I hope for only this once,” he whispered.
He released me and shut the door. I couldn’t deny feeling more than a little fear as the carriage rolled forward. Helen pushed the side of her arm against mine. “Courage, Rose. Nothing will happen to us so long as our dragons are near.”
“But what about them?” I countered as I twisted around to look out through the rear window. The pair had already vanished.
Helen set a hand on my shoulder. “They will be fine. We must focus on our own role in this charade.”
The carriage leisurely rolled through the darkened streets of the capital. The crowds of the day had vanished and people now loitered around in groups singing in drunken tones ballads of yesteryear. Others flitted under the streetlamps toward the well-lit restaurants and those few shops that remained open after sunset.
I grabbed the leather strap above my head as the carriage turned and rolled onto a particularly bumpy road. The close-built walls on either side loomed close to the windows and the wheels occasionally scraped the bricks, forcing the carriage to hop up before crashing back down to the hard cobblestones.
My heart beat loudly in my chest as tension rose in the carriage. Even Helen sat stiffly and with one hand grasping her leather strap.
Our vehicle had bounced halfway down the alley when something dropped onto the roof. I slammed my back against the seat as Raines gave a shout. The next moment, a sharp bladecut through the cloth and wood of the ceiling, and the roof was peeled back.
We found ourselves staring up at a man in a black cloak. The bottom half of his face was covered by a handkerchief and his black-gloved hands held matching short sabers. Raines stood behind him with his whip in hand and our driver cracked the weapon over the man’s head.
The attacker turned and sliced Raines’ whip in twain before he lunged forward to impale our driver. Raines stumbled back and fell backward onto the carriage box. A single word came from his lips.
“Lentaa!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The horses must have understoodwhat he meant because they whinnied and dashed forward. The sudden surge of speed made our attacker lose his balance. He dropped to his knees and grabbed hold of either side of the hole he’d created. The man’s blazing green eyes fell on us and he tucked a sword into its sheath before he reached down for us.
The carriage rolled out into the main road and two shadows dropped onto the roof, causing the weakened structure to give a half a foot inward. Helen and I ducked down as we watched the newcomers surround the swordsman.
Will and Alex did not look happy with our attacker.
The man twisted around and sliced the air with the sword he still held. His wild wavings forced our dragon men back and the man rolled across the roof to disappear over the edge. Alex and Will followed and vanished from our view. The carriage came to a stop and Helen and I lunged at the door. We swung it open and viewed the three squaring off. The man had drawn his other sword and swung the pair around showing off his skills.
Alex leapt at him and the man used his swords to fend off the dragon’s sharp talons. The pair performed a dance of battle around the street as bystanders congregated around us. One ofthem was the vagrant we’d seen earlier who watched the fight with keen interest.
I jumped when Helen cried out as she was dragged from the vehicle. A large man had come from behind the carriage and now tugged her back in that direction. She kicked and slapped at him, but his muscles meant all her blows were nothing to him.
