Page 36 of Whispers of Ruin
If this man knew where there was crudue vine, Brokk would do everything it took to get the knowledge from him. At least it didn’t seem like these immortals would kill them, but Ryker was after something; Brokk was sure of it.
“Now,” Ryker said, “tell me about the new queen of Dragonia. Thearachqueen.”
Brokk crossed his arms over his chest as he studied the man. Whatever Ryker wanted from them, it had something to do with Lexi and his brother; Kaylia hadn’t revealed much, but it was enough to intrigue this man.
Kaylia clasped her hands in her lap as she stared at the vine before looking at Ryker again. “I can do that if you promise to tell us where there is more crudue vine.”
“No,” Brokk interjected. “He’ll give usthatvine. I don’t care if they need it or not.”
Ryker twisted the vine in his hand as he contemplated this.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kaylia said. “That piece may be enough for the ophidians’ venom but not for the noxus scorpion. We need more… unless you have it somewhere?”
“That’s the last of it,” Allegra said. “We were planning to gather more again soon.”
Kaylia’s shoulders fell.
“Not only will I tell you where there’s more.” Ryker set the vine on the table, clasped his hands on it, and leaned toward Kaylia, “but if I like what you say, I’ll take you to it.”
“Why would you do that?” Brokk inquired.
“For your help. Your brother is the king of the dark fae, and you”—Ryker pinned Kaylia with his steely gaze—“if you were near enough to this new arach queen to save her from the sting of a noxus scorpion, then that means you’re close to her.” His silver eyes shifted to Brokk. “And if your brother is engaged to her, then you’re practically family.”
Kaylia lifted her chin. “Lexi is a queen, not a pawn.”
“Lexi, is it? Not Queen Lexi, her Majesty, or any other term indicating you’re nothing more than just one of her subjects. I doubt I could get away with calling her Lexi.”
“You are now,” Kaylia bit out through her teeth.
“But I wouldn’t do it to her face. I suspectyouwould.”
The creatures of the jungle called, squawked, and screamed as they hunted and killed in the night. Brokk eyed the man across from them as he tried to decide if he was someone worth trusting or an obstacle to destroy.
Guards surrounded them, but he would find a way to get him and Kaylia out of here if necessary. The shadows beckoned to him as they danced in the glow of the lantern sitting on a table beside the cot.
“Like you, I call my king by a nickname. When we aren’t in a formal setting, I call him Leo because he’s my friendandmy ruler, and we have fought many battles together. I won’t leave here until he’s free.”
Kaylia remained rigid, but Brokk saw what Ryker was angling toward. If he helped them get the crudue vine, he expected help in saving his king.
It was a fair enough trade and mutually beneficial. “You’ve met their king, Kaylia. Is he worth saving?”
She turned in the chair to look at him as she pondered this. “I knew him as a fair man. That could have changed?—”
“It hasn’t,” Ryker interjected.
“That is true,” Allegra murmured. “King Leonidas is a great man and ruler.”
A murmur of agreement went through the guards. Kaylia’s pewter eyes held his while she spoke and thrust her thumb over her shoulder at Ryker. “That doesn’t mean we can trusthim.”
“General Ryker is a good man,” one of the guards grumbled, and a murmur of agreement and irritation ran through the others.
“We don’t need them,” another growled.
When Ryker held up his hand, silence descended over those in the hut. Brokk wasn’t entirely sure about this man, but his followers were as they came to attention.
Brokk studied the stony faces of the men and women surrounding them. He still wasn’t sure about Ryker or the rest of them, but Ryker and his followers hadn’t tried to kill them, and they could have.
If it helped save Lexi, then he would give this man a little to get what they sought. He glanced at the thorny crudue vine before striding forward, pulling out the other chair, and settling next to Kaylia.
