Chapter Seventeen
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When adversity comes, receive it head on.
“I hate to break up the party, but we gotta hustle.”
At Morgan and Wolfe’s startled blinks, Ere amended, “Make haste, people! Walk and talk. Better yet, jog and talk.”
As the five of them lurched into action, setting off at a brisk trot from the lake through the forest, Ere noticed Wolfe physically shaking himself out of his mindfuck before picking up the pace of his strides.
Ere had jumped in for that very purpose—the man looked like he was about to succumb to shock.
And also, they needed to end this tonight.
If Ere’s calculations were right, Guinevere and her minions had too many tricks up their sleeves for the final battle tomorrow. It was a set up. No one would survive, not the dragon and not the fighters. They could attempt a Hail Mary and wish for the best, but the chances of success were slim to none.
At least, not as they were—trapped in their human forms with sporadic Gifts at their disposal.
Or, they could do what Ere rounded up the group to do tonight: steal the Eye, free the dragon (unless it tried to kill them and couldn’t be subdued; in which case, Plan B, kill the dragon), escape through the portal that led back to the present (assuming the sands of time would cooperate), and Arthur, Morgan, Wolfe, Tristan, and whoever else were left, could clean up the mess they left behind.
That seemed a bit harsh, but Ere couldn’t mitigate all of the potential collateral damage.
As he learned the hard way through millennia of scheming and plotting, even the best laid plans could go awry. He could only focus on one overarching goal at a time. And if he was lucky, he could accomplish more. But not everything.
He was the last person anyone should count on to save the world.
He and Sorin had been busy while Rui was fighting in the tournament and mooning over her big, scarred, hulking swain.
Honestly, they were so predictable.
Like clockwork, they came to the lake to slake their lust.
So predictable, Ere had to time his excursions to the same lake with Sorin carefully so that they didn’t cross paths. Anyone who paid any attention to Rui and Wolfe would have noticed the palpable tension between them. So, Ere worked extra hard to create diversions and cover their tracks.
Thankfully, people in the Dark Ages didn’t prioritize personal hygiene. There were very few instances where Ere was required to turn away contestants from washing away the day’s grime in the lake. Also coincidentally, the lake was too frigid to attract more leisurely dips. And the lordly spectators bided their time at the castle, not at camp.
Nevertheless, Ere felt like a madame at an exclusive bordello turning away patrons so that the beefy dragon-slayer could deflower one silver-headed truffle dragon.
Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Rui was the one riding her warrior into the sunset.
In any case, the treasure dragon owed him. Ere didn’t go to such lengths for just anyone.
While he was not keeping an eye on the two unlikely lovebirds, Ere had gathered plenty of intel, enough to get a pretty accurate read of all of the players—Arthur, Guinevere, Morgan, Lancelot, Modred, and Gawain.
But he hadn’t known about Merlin. He was still processing that reveal as he huffed and puffed during the brisk run back through the forest.
Gods save him from physical exertion!
He was badass in his dragon form, but he’d never been remotely athletic in his human form. His brain was what got the most exercise. (And maybe his mouth, hands, and ass when Sorin was near.) He absolutely abhorred other physical activity. It was difficult to think and run at the same time.
While Ere had been busy doing what he did best—being sneaky and conniving, Sorin scouted out the castle, both from outside and within.
It felt like Ere was holding his breath every time Sorin disappeared inside. He knew his Mate could take care of himself, but he was human. He was mortal. Ere couldn’t bear for anything to happen to him. Not after all they’d been through to find each other again.
But.
Sorin was his own male. He would roll his eyes at Ere’s protectiveness. He would understand and empathize, but then he would become exasperated and resentful. They could not live their lives tethered to each other. They were who they were. And unfortunately, being who they were tended to attract danger, intrigue, and situations in which they risked their lives.