“I can’t believe you pulled that one over on me!”
Rath was blocking the doorway to Char’s room, his arms crossed over his chest and his blue eyes flashing, but Char didn’t want to talk about Iris. He didn’t even want to think about her. He just wanted to go to sleep.
“Get out of my way.”
“We’ve never kept secrets from each other, Char. What else are you hiding from me?”
“Nothing. Move.”
“I don’t even understand how I missed it.”
Char turned away and went to the liquor cabinet, grabbing a bottle at random and taking it to the sofa. Rath wouldn’t drop this until he was satisfied. Maybe getting drunk would help.
“I mean, you were so convincing. I really thought you hated her as much as I did.”
Char had only taken one swig before Rath took the bottle from him.
“Use a glass like a civilized person.”
Char exhaled a single loud, irritated breath and dropped his right arm to the cushions as Rath retrieved a pair of glasses. He watched his brother pour, sloshing the clear liquid against the walls of each glass, and he contemplated picking up one of those glasses and throwing the alcohol in his brother’s face. Or snatching the bottle away and smashing it over his head. Rath had a thick enough skull to take it.
But then Char would have to face their mother.
He grabbed his glass and knocked it back in a single swallow. “Maybe if you’d stopped talking about killing her for two seconds, I would have told you.”
Rath watched him with a raised eyebrow. “This is really bothering you.”
Char slammed the glass down so hard it shattered and cut his hand. He swore and licked the blood from his finger. “I made a mistake. It’s over and done with. Can we just drop it?”
“You really don’t want to talk about this.”
“Finally figured that out?” Char grabbed the bottle this time and took a long swig. His finger was still bleeding. He didn’t care.
“What did you even see in her, anyway?” Rath asked, refusing to drop it. “She’s pretty and everything, but she was just a frightened little mouse.”
“She wasn’t like that before.”
“What was she like?”
Char shot Rath a venomous glare. “It doesn’t matter what she was like, and it doesn’t matter what I saw in her, because she doesn’t matter. Got it?”
Rath scowled at him. “If she doesn’t matter, why are you getting so worked up about this?”
“Because my brother is an idiot who won’t leave me alone.”
“Well, my brother is an idiot who goes off falling in love with random women and then doesn’t even have the courtesy to tell me. Women who are also the enemy, I might add.”
“I’m not in love with her,” Char ground out through gritted teeth.
“You always risk your life for a crush?”
“Kelnor wouldn’t kill me.”
“Kelnor was ready to fry you to a crisp and trample you underfoot until you were just a pile of ashes not even an hour ago.”
“I’m done with this.” Char slammed the bottle down and stood, storming into his room and hoping for once in his life, his brother would leave him alone.
He was not so fortunate.
“It doesn’t bother you that the mage took her?” Rath persisted. “You know what they’ll do to her at the magic school, right?”
Char rounded on his brother, clenching his fists at his sides. “Of course, it bothers me. She’s a sweet girl who never said a harsh word to anybody. She should be back with that priest and the other orphans, smiling at everyone she sees and working random odd jobs around town to make ends meet. I didn’t want that mage getting his hands on her, and I don’t want our mage working her over, either, but we’re at war. What I want doesn’t matter. She doesn’t matter. So drop it and leave me alone.”
Rath stood still, his cool blue eyes holding Char’s sharp green in a steady gaze. “She sounds really nice. For a human.”
“She is really nice.” Char turned around and pulled his shirt off. “For a human or a dragon. And she’s scared to death because her whole world just got turned upside down, and nothing I’ve done has helped her one bit.” He yanked back the covers and crawled into bed. “So if you don’t mind, I’d like to go to sleep and try to forget about how badly I messed this up for everybody.”
“Char—”
“Go away.”
Rath sighed. “Good night, Char.”
Char didn’t reply. Rath’s footsteps retreated, and silence fell.
Char suddenly hated the silence.
He wasn’t drunk enough. His brain was still working, and he was still thinking about her. About everything he’d done wrong since he met her.
Her white face when she came out of the mage’s room at the inn. He could have stopped her from going in there.
And the next night. He could have intervened before those soldiers grabbed her and dragged her across the bar. It had been obvious they were up to no good. He didn’t have to wait until they threw her to the ground.
At least he’d pulled her out of there, he told himself.
The reminder gave him little comfort. Especially since that was another lie he’d told Rath.
He’d lied about the mage. Char hadn’t thought about him once during that incident. Just her, the innocent young woman who hadn’t deserved to be treated like that. He’d known the innkeeper saw what was happening, and the regulars saw, too, and they were all rushing to her aid, but he couldn’t stand by and watch anymore.
She had been trembling when he pulled her off that floor and into the back alley. Terrified. Her vivacious, confident façade had been gone.
He’d hated seeing her like that.
And then the mage had cast that spell to stop the fight, and she’d sensed it. Before it happened.
Why did she have to do that?
Why did that priest have to give her that amulet?
Why did she have to be a mage?
Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?
He could see those wide, frightened brown eyes staring up at him, and he knew she’d have that same look in her eyes when she regained consciousness in the magic school’s prison. This time, he wouldn’t be there to help her.
If he’d helped her at all.
He climbed out of bed and went to the living room. Rath had cleaned up the broken glass and gone to bed, but he’d left the bottle on the coffee table. Char drained it and went back to bed. He tossed and turned for the rest of the night.
Morning came, and he rolled out of bed, his own groan too loud in his ears. They were flying out today for another battle. No scouting in advance this time. They had the report from the second team, and that was it. Going in blind.
And he had a massive hangover.
“You look awful,” Rath commented when Char stumbled out of his bedroom.
“Thanks.”
“Gonna be able to keep breakfast down?”
“I’ll manage.”
The nice thing about being home was that neither of them had to cook. They had a kitchen, but it was better off unused. Rath could burn water, and Char was only marginally better. The army food was at least edible. Nothing like their mother’s food, of course. Nobody could cook like their mother.
Char felt a pang of guilt at the thought of her. If he hadn’t delayed their return, they could have stopped in to see her before flying out again.
And Iris wouldn’t be in her second prison in as many days.
“Hey, Srot, you’re looking great!” Rath called when they entered the mess hall.
Char winced.
“What’s up with him?” Srot asked, pointing his loaded fork at Char.
“Hangover,” Rath explained. “So, how’s it feel to be alive?”
“Not bad. I asked about Iris, but they say she hasn’t woken up yet.”
Srot was waving his fork around as he talked. Watching it made Char dizzy. He collapsed onto the bench across from his teammate and put his head in his hands.
“Don’t puke.” Rath patted his shoulder. “I’ll get food for both of us.”
Char didn’t respond. He was in no condition to fly, let alone fight, and the hour or two he had to recuperate before they left wouldn’t be enough.
“You worried about her?” Srot asked.
“No,” Char mumbled through his hands.
“You should be. They aren’t gonna teach her anything. They’re gonna study her.”
“I know that.”
“So,” Srot dropped his voice conspiratorially, “wanna bust her out of there?”
Char lifted his head to glare at Srot, but then Rath returned and set a plate of food in front of him, and suddenly Char had to double down on fighting a wave of nausea.
“Did I hear that right?” Rath asked in a bright voice. “Are we breaking into the magic school?”
Char didn’t trust himself to speak, let alone open his mouth, but he wanted to chew his brother out. When did he start caring about Iris?
Rath shoved a glass of water in front of him. “Drink this.”
Char grabbed the glass and chugged it.
“Well, that’s the kinda thing you two do, isn’t it?” Srot asked, grinning at them. “Go off the rails, mess things up a little?”
Char wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “No.”
“Yes,” Rath spoke over Char, slinging his arm around his shoulders.
Char shoved his arm away. “Shut up and eat. We’re flying out soon.”
Rath stabbed at his food and shoved a forkful in his mouth. Char’s stomach turned, and he looked down at his own plate. That didn’t help.
“I got a girl who works there,” Srot volunteered.
“Kara?” Rath asked through a mouthful of food. “Thought you dumped her.”
“Who’s uncivilized now?” Char taunted him.
Rath shot Char a glare.
“I did, but she’d do anything to get me to take her back,” Srot said, smirking.
Rath nudged Char’s shoulder just as he took his first bite of food. “So?”
Char clapped his hand over his mouth.
“If he pukes, I’m outta here,” Srot said.
“I’m fine,” Char croaked out.
Srot didn’t look convinced, but he continued. “So, what if I ask her to keep an eye on Iris while we’re gone?”
“Will that make you feel better?” Rath asked Char.
“I don’t care.”
“It’ll make him feel better,” Rath said, turning back to Srot and nodding.
“And when we get back, she can probably help us get Iris out of there.”
Char sighed. “What part of I don’t care do you two not get?”
“The part where you drank a whole bottle of vodka by yourself,” Rath replied.
“Is that what that was?” Char moaned.
“You didn’t even know what you were drinking?”
“He was too busy not caring to notice,” Rath said, smirking. “Uh oh, Kelnor incoming.”
Just what Char needed. It wouldn’t take Kelnor long to notice Char’s hangover, and then he’d get chewed out all over again. He gritted his teeth and picked up his fork. Time to fake feeling good. He’d done it more than once.
“Srot, good to see you looking so good,” Kelnor said, his voice unusually chipper.
Char would have almost bet Kelnor was giving Srot one of his rare smiles. He didn’t dare look up to confirm.
“Good to be back. Hey, mind if I see my girl before we go? Had a lot of time to think while I was busy dying, and, you know.”
“Well, normally I wouldn’t do this, but I guess I can make an exception this one time. We leave in one hour.”
Yeah, Kelnor was definitely smiling. Char wasn’t sure he’d ever heard their commanding officer sound so cheerful.
“One hour. Got it.” Srot jumped to his feet and took off out of the dining hall.
Char glanced after him. Fortunately, Kelnor was already walking away, too. He set his fork down and pushed his plate away. The bites of food he’d forced down were threatening to make a reappearance.
“Guess that’s what it’s like to be the good one,” Rath muttered. “How’s your stomach?”
“Still there.”
“Good. Kelnor’ll kill you if you’re too hungover to fly.”
“I’ll fly just fine.”
“We have to see Mother when we get back.”
“Yeah.”
Rath dropped his fork onto his plate. The unnecessary clatter made Char wince again.
“Think she can cook?”
Char snorted. “Are you serious?”
“I mean Iris. Of course I know Mother can cook, idiot. If we’re gonna be on the run, I don’t want to eat your cooking the whole time.”
“We won’t be on the run, and you’re the idiot for thinking about breaking the law to save a girl you wanted to kill yesterday.”
“Fair.” Rath grabbed Char’s plate and pulled it over in front of himself. “Looks like you’re done with this.”
“Have at it.” Char crossed his arms on the table and lay his head down on them.
Vodka. Why hadn’t he noticed it was vodka?14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeiy8K9dRJ
