Page 96 of Consumed By Fire
“General! General!” There is a commotion from the hallway.
His head snaps up. “What is it? Can’t you see that I am in an interview?” he barks at the guard who just blustered in behind me.
“The prince…your brother…Prince Ice!” he shouts. His mask is skewed, and he is breathing heavily.
“Spit it out already. And this had better be important.” The general gets to his feet.
“The prisoner…the Draiger has taken Prince Ice hostage.” The male gestures with his hands as he talks. “The Draig Dragon is demanding that we take the female to him. He is threatening to slice Prince Ice’s throat if we don’t comply. What should we do?” his eyes are huge behind the mask. He can barely stand still.
The general hits the table so hard that it cracks. My heart is pounding so loudly that I hear it ringing in my ears. What now? How can this ever end well? I clutch my trembling hands together, hearing my shackles rattle.
I need to trust in Octane. I’m sure he has a plan.
30
Octane
I grip the male a little tighter. “I’m not interested in a deal. I need to see Trinity, and then the two of us are leaving Mistveil. You’re not going to try to stop me. In fact, you are our ticket out of here.”
“That’s risky. Have you thought this through?”
No!
Using the prince is the only thing I can think of, though. It’s the only thing that just might work. I need to get Trinity off this island as a matter of urgency. We’ll figure the rest out. If we stay, it won’t end well for either of us. I’m sure I’ll end up dead, and I just have no way of knowing what kind of recourse there will be for Trinity. I can’t risk it. I won’t!
“It’s the only way out of this that I can see,” I tell the Red. “If you cooperate, you—”
“Here’s the thing. Your plan… Well…it’s a big risk for all three of us. There’s a good chance I could get killed in the crossfire. I can’t have that.” He shakes his head.
“Tough shit! I’m sure you’re used to having your every wish obeyed, seeing that you’re a prince and all, but unfortunately, that’s not going to happen this time. If your people follow my every instruction, you will get out of this unscathed.”
“My brother – the general – he can be a loose cannon and a hothead. I don’t fully trust him to handle this with the care and the finesse required. We don’t have too much time; hear me out. I’ll give you another option. One that is far less risky. One that will make better sense.”
I sigh. “Fine, I’m all ears.” He’s wasting his breath, but we may as well pass the time.
“We could do with someone like you on our team,” he says.
What?
It’s the last thing I expected to hear from him. It puts my back right up.
“Go on,” I say when he doesn’t do so of his own accord.
“My brother, the king, wants to forge peace with your people. It is his vision for the future. It’s his dream to see all dragon shifters reunited and living in harmony.”
His vision.
His dream.
His!
I note that he doesn’t include himself as being a part of this vision.
“But you don’t agree?” I ask.
“Can we talk about this face to face?” he asks me in a smooth-as-silk voice.
“No!” I growl. “Stay right where you are.”