Page 19 of Savage Crown
All the color drained from my face, but it was nothing compared to the flood of fury pulsing from Valkaryn. She flared hot at my hip, deep purple light rippling through the metal. Godric’s eyes widened.
‘I’ll cut the manhood from between his legs,’Val promised.
I nodded without hesitation. Rage burned low and steady.
“What if Val could protect me from his control?”
“Can she?” Godric sounded hopeful, desperate.
‘I’m not sure without seeing the magic at work. Possibly. But it would be constant work to fight that kind of spell. It would weaken you.’
Always back to my weak mortal flesh.
‘Fine, then I’ll get weak. I don’t care,’I challenged her.
Silence held for several seconds.
‘I want to help as much, if not more, than you do, but not at the cost of your life. Maelis wouldn’t want that either. Let’s practice and wait for more intel. We can find another way that doesn’t put you in danger.’
I growled under my breath, frustration boiling.
“What did she say?” Godric asked.
“She said I’ll get too weak. She wants me to train and wait for more information. Find another way.”
Godric tipped his chin, seeming calmer. “That’s the safest thing, and what Kaelric would want, too.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly. What did he know about what Kaelric would want for me?
“Want to go get lunch?” Godric asked suddenly.
I stared at him. “We barely had breakfast a little over an hour ago!”
He shrugged, unbothered. “I can always eat.”
“You remind me of Kaelric,” I teased, shaking my head.
He gave me a lopsided grin. “That’s a compliment in my book. No finer alpha, second to his father.”
We walked toward a food tent. Smoke curled from a long pit where wolves roasted meat. The smell was rich, warm, and strangely comforting.
“So his dad was alpha, and when he died, Kaelric automatically became one?” I asked.
Godric nodded. “The alpha power is a bit like Elite magic. It stays with the bloodline, makes them the strongest in the pack, gives them power to control wolves if necessary.”
Interesting.
“But Kaelric lost his father when he was young.” Ten, if I remembered correctly. Maybe eleven.
Godric nodded. “And so I carried on leadership duties as the eldest male in the family until he turned sixteen, but I was never an alpha.”
Sixteen. That was still so young. Too young. Why were we talking about him? I was supposed to be forgetting Kaelric.
“So he was alpha for one year before he entered the Arcane Trials for the first time?” I asked as Godric entered the food tent. His expression tightened, silently warning me not to continue this topic here.
People stared at me as I passed, curiosity sparking in their eyes. I made no move to hide Valkaryn, letting her remain visible at my hip.
Godric silently filled two plates with honey rolls, corn on the cob, and peppered beef before tipping his head toward the trees. I followed him to the tree line, where a large hand-carved bench sat among roots and underbrush.
