I smile and tousle the kid’s hair. Probably not the most polite way to interact with a little dude, but I can’t help myself. He’s adorable, and brave as hell.
“Yeah. Now I just need to find a way to get to Luther. I need to rescue him,” I say.
“So he can make you the potion.”
“Yes. That’s the plan, anyway. I don’t have much time, though.”
“How much time do you have?” Greg asks. His big eyes blink as he looks at me, patiently waiting for my answer.
“She was bitten a few days ago. The wizard where I live says she has, at most, one week to live. After that, even with the potion, she’ll be a goner.”
The thought makes my heart clench with sadness.
I do not want to lose my sister.
Not like this.
Not when she was bitten from trying to save someone.
It’s not a very fair way to die, is it? Doing something noble is supposed to get you rewarded: not hurt. It doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t seem like it should be the situation we’re in, but we are.
“Do you know where the wizard might be?” I ask Greg. He’s a friendly little boy. Perhaps I shouldn’t trust him, but I don’t get the vibe that he’s anything but what he says. He seems much too honest and straightforward to be sneaky. Then again, maybe he’s secretly working for Wyatt and he wants to lure me to danger. I don’t think so, though.
“Probably the dungeons,” he sighs. “That’s where
Wyatt takes everyone he captures.” Greg starts to dig a little hole in the dirt with the toe of his shoe. I know he’s thinking about his parents, and my heart goes out to the little guy. He hasn’t had an easy life. That much is obvious. In fact, he’s probably lost more than most people could ever even imagine.
“Hey,” I say, patting his hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
He looks up at me.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, swallowing hard. Now I know that I need to find Luther for more than just myself. I need to find him before it’s too late because Greg needs him. Luther is the only person Greg has left in the world, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let a little kid suffer. “I’m going to go find him, okay? I’ll do it. I’ll find Luther.”
Greg wraps his arms around me in a surprise hug.
“Thank you.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” I hug him back and when I release him, Greg is looking at me curiously.
“I can’t go with you,” he says.
“I know,” I agree. “The castle is no place for a kid. No offense, but I’m not about to let anything else happen to you. Do you have someone you can stay with?” I’m not exactly a fan of trying to break into dungeons, but if that’s what it takes, then I’ll do it.
“No,” he shakes his head. “That’s not why.”
“What is it?”
Greg reaches into his jacket and pulls out a tiny corked bottle. Without a word, I know exactly what it is.
“How did you get that?” I ask quietly.
“Luther makes me carry it,” he says. “Just in case. It’s my only one. I...I want your sister to have it.”
My eyes tear up but I push those tears right on back. This kid whom I’ve only known for like, twenty minutes, wants to save my sister. Brave little thing.
“You don’t have to do that.”