Chương 44: 044

I offered Dominicus a tired smile.

"Good to know I'm not the only one thrown ass-over-teakettle into this mess. We'll have to talk later. For now, there's work to do. The resistance army is on its way, and they need to know the king is dead." Maya's face flashed through my mind, sharp and urgent.

"The leader's daughter is being held somewhere in the castle. She needs to be reunited with him as soon as possible." Dominicus nodded, then hesitated.

"Ah. We never properly introduced ourselves. I am Dominicus. And you are?" He didn't offer his hand. Neither did I.

"Nikolas. Nice to meet you." Dura, who I'd nearly forgotten was still there, looked between us, her gaze cool and appraising, lacking the spark she'd aimed at me earlier.

"Dura. Do you know where the kid's being kept?" Dominicus gestured down the corridor.

"Likely with the other prisoners, in the dungeon." That was all Dura needed. She took off without hesitation.

"I'll guard her. Make sure none of that asshole's guards get any bright ideas." She paused, glancing back at me.

"You coming?" I nearly said yes. The idea of seeing Maya safe with my own eyes tugged hard. But I shook my head, grounding myself.

"I'll catch up. I need to dig through king bastard's things and see what I can find." Preferably apocalypse blueprints. Or at least notes explaining what the hell he summoned. Dura's mouth curved at my nickname for Silas, but before she could comment, Dominicus hummed thoughtfully.

"A wise decision. If your offer of cooperation still stands, I would not be averse. We share a goal, and achieving it may prove simpler together." I grunted.

"Works for me." I turned to leave—only for Dura to speak again, that lopsided grin firmly back in place.

"Got room for one more in that party? If king bastard was plotting something big, I want to help stop it." Her gaze flicked over me, slow and deliberate.

"And the eye candy doesn't hurt." I was going to need time to adjust to that. Dominicus didn't even blink. I smiled despite myself and nodded.

"The more the merrier." She beamed, then turned away, waving over her shoulder.

"Don't die before I find you again, Nikolas. I'd be real disappointed." I watched her go, noting the deliberate sway of her hips. When she vanished around the corner, I huffed inwardly. She's going to be a handful. Time chuckled. I once thought the same of Karma. Heat crept up my neck. I mentally slapped the thought aside and refocused.

"I'm going to poke around." I barely turned before Dominicus caught my arm. His frown was sharp.

"Be careful. Not all of the guards were under Silas's thrall. Once they realize what's happened, the castle will be on high alert." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Right, right. I'd forgotten about that whole 'in the middle of the enemy fortress' thing.

"Then I'll need somewhere to stash these." I eyed the corridor, counting doors.

"Mind helping me hide the bodies?" He nodded without hesitation.

"Of course." Luck favored us, for once. The first room we checked was an empty guest chamber. Ten minutes later, every unconscious guard was piled inside. Silas's corpse was folded neatly into the wardrobe, the stench of withered flesh clawing at the back of my throat. I shut the door and breathed through my mouth.

"Thanks." Dominicus nodded and took hold of the rabbit beastfolk's arm.

"I'll free her from the thrall and update her. From what I gathered, she was a leading official in Dawnmoor. She may be useful when I speak with the resistance leader. With his army present, we can safely separate those still enthralled from those who are not."

"Perfect." I dusted my hands off.

"Meet us in the dungeon with Dura." He hummed his agreement and left, the rabbit woman still staring blankly as he guided her away. Once they were gone, I dragged a hand through my hair. So many things to do and not nearly enough time to do them. … Well, no use whining. Time remained suspiciously silent as I slipped through the halls, hugging shadows and alcoves. I wasn't about to question the reprieve, especially after our earlier argument, but the quiet crawled under my skin.

So far, the guards I passed were dazed or too low-level to notice me. Still, carelessness would get me killed now. After several minutes, a familiar set of doors loomed ahead. The summoning chamber. My skin prickled just looking at it. I turned to skirt around. Investigate that room. Time's voice cut in so sharply I nearly jumped. The energy emanating from it is… wrong. Damn it. He wasn't wrong, but I'd already been in there, and it had been empty. Did I really want to deal with that oily, crawling sensation again?

Yes. His impatience rang clear. Last time, you were alone. Now you are not. Go. I scowled. Demanding, aren't you? A 'please' wouldn't kill you. I could practically hear him draw a steadying breath. I am not your patron. But we are reluctant partners. Until Karma wakes, cooperation, and civility, are required. I snorted inwardly. I am being civil. You're the one getting twisted over a technicality. I can't exactly tell Dominicus I've got a second spirit freeloading in my head. That would have gone… poorly.

Time sighed. What I said was not a slight against you, nor was I angry at your lie. I was merely ensuring you understood what this partnership is not. When Karma wakes, I will withdraw to the Inbetween. I will remove Fast Forward, and you will take your rightful place as her Chosen. I am not your patron. I stared at the doors, letting the irritation drain away. I know. But there's no good word for what you are that won't raise questions. What should I call you if he asks where my information comes from? A pause.

Then, begrudgingly: You may refer to me as your patron until my wife returns. Do not tell anyone who I am. I bit back a laugh. Wasn't planning to. Now let's go admire the empty room again, yeah? The moment my hands touched the handles, the wrongness slammed into me, thicker and sharper than before. Every hair on my arms stood on end. I swallowed, shoved the feeling down, and pulled the doors open. Then stopped dead.

"I swear," I muttered, "this wasn't here last time." It had to be new. I would have remembered a summoning circle carved in blood across the floor. Even without that? I definitely would have remembered the pile of bodies stacked against the wall.