Sol had heard about Emory.He knew what Carlyle had done to him and how Penley had managed to help him.He couldn’t even imagine what his life would be like if he couldn’t shift.He hadn’t done a lot of it lately, but now that he was feeling better, he was planning on taking advantage of the spells around the castle and the area where it was located to stretch his wings.
Emory hadn’t been able to do that until recently.He’d had a dragon and a mage, and he’d lost both to betrayal.It was a testament to how strong he was that he was still standing.
“You know where Carlyle is?”Emory asked after he nodded at Sol.
“If he hasn’t left the house where he kept me prisoner, I do.”
Emory pulled one of the empty chairs away from the table so he could sit.“We need to know everything about the house and how Carlyle uses it.”
“Graham can probably help with that.I was kept in a cell, so I didn’t see much of it.”
Emory frowned.“Graham?”
To Sol’s surprise, Graham raised his hand to catch Emory’s attention.“That would be me.”
“You work for Carlyle.”
Graham’s eyes widened, and he shook his head.“I don’t.I was forced into it, but I escaped as soon as I could, and I took Sol with me.The mages trust me.”
Tyne snorted, but he was the only one who reacted to Graham’s words.When Emory looked at Jarvis in confirmation, Jarvis nodded, and Graham relaxed.He’d been told the mages trusted him, but to see it had to be different.
“I didn’t come back alone,” Emory said.“I found allies.”
“We did this on our own last time,” Tyne pointed out.
“And people know what we had to deal with.They’re willing to help.They don’t want Carlyle to try to take their dragons or hurt their clan.Besides, they’re planning on being on standby.They won’t intervene in our fight against Carlyle unless we need them to.If something happens, they’ll be there to take over and hopefully defeat Carlyle.It’ll be easier if we weaken him.”
“You’re sure you want to do this?”Jarvis asked Emory.
Sol wondered the same thing.Carlyle had hurt Emory, but he was still Emory’s mage.Sol didn’t know if they still shared a bond, but even if they didn’t—if Carlyle had broken it so he could bond with Sol or before then—Carlyle and Emory had been together for years.They shared a bond that not many people had, even without considering the one between a mage and their dragon.
“He took my dragon,” Emory said in a hard tone.“I will never forgive him for that.I will never forgive him for using me and abandoning me.I’m sure this is what I want, Jarvis.You can’t order me to stay away, and if you do, I’ll find a way in.It’s your fight, but it’s also mine, and I won’t back down.”
Sol held his breath.Apart from Tyne, he’d never heard any of the mages or the dragons talk to Jarvis like that.Jarvis was their leader, even though it wasn’t official.Emory didn’t seem to have a problem with standing up to him, though.He looked Jarvis in the eyes and kept his expression neutral, but even though Sol barely knew him, he could tell that if Jarvis didn’t want Emory to be involved, he’d have a fight on his hands.
* * * *
DALLIN WAS GLAD TOsee that Emory was okay.He was worried about the dragon shifter, but it wasn’t his place to tell Emory that he couldn’t fight Carlyle.
It wouldn’t be easy for Emory, but he knew himself better than anyone.He was the only one who knew everything that Carlyle had done to him, and he was the only one who knew whether or not he could truly do this.If he thought he could, Dallin was all for allowing him to fight by their side.They’d need all the help they could get, and Emory knew Carlyle better than anyone, maybe even Jarvis.Jarvis had been Carlyle’s teacher, but Emory had been his dragon and his lover.
“We should go now,” Tyne said as he got to his feet.“Even if you decide we shouldn’t, Jarvis, I’m not waiting one more second.We know where Carlyle is, or rather, where he was.If we want a chance to surprise him, we should do so now.”
Dallin wasn’t looking forward to facing Carlyle, but he suspected they wouldn’t find anything at the house.Carlyle might be weaker now than he’d been in the past, and he might be frantically searching for more magic, but he’d never been an idiot.He had to know that the mages would come after him, which meant he would have left that house.
Dallin was disappointed, but he understood why Jarvis had decided they needed to wait to face Carlyle.They would be stronger if all of them had a dragon who could protect them, and until a few days ago, Sol had been too banged up to do a good job.Emory hadn’t been home, either, and facing Carlyle was important to him.
They might have lost Carlyle again, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing in the long run.Dallin wasn’t sure that Tyne would believe that, but that was a problem for the future.First, they needed to deal with Carlyle.
Jarvis got up and looked around the table.“As always, you don’t have to come with us if you don’t feel ready for this.”
None of them said anything.This was their fight, and they would all be there for it.It didn’t matter that they were scared or that they didn’t want to lose their dragon again.It didn’t matter that some of them might get hurtor, worse, die.They would never know peace until Carlyle was taken care of, and it was time to do just that.
If they could find him.
“You have fifteen minutes to get ready,” Jarvis continued when no one spoke up.“I’ll see you in the courtyard.”
Dallin needed to go to his office.He didn’t want to leave Sol on his own, but when he glanced at him, he found him talking to Parker and Bennett.The two of them knew how to protect their mages in a fight, so Sol was probably asking for pointers.
