been out for ages.”
“Yeah, but best of all I know what I need to do.”
“Really?”
“Yep, we’ve been best friends since forever. We’ve always been there for each other. When we were six, we made the promise to stick together. We even shook on it.”
She gasped. “The slide. The puddle.”
“That’s the one. From then on, we’ve always had each other’s back.”
“But how does that memory fix the problem? You and me sticking together isn’t anything new.”
“Think about it. We’ve always stuck together, and where it counts.” This was why she needed my help, and I couldn’t let her down. “Dralion is where the problem exists, and Dralion is where it counts. We haven’t stuck together there.”
“Are you saying—” She jerked back. “No. There isn’t a chance— I won’t expose you to Donaldo. You’re not stepping one foot on Dralion soil.”
“I don’t like the idea either, but—”
“No. I said, no!”
“We had a deal.”
“One we brokered as children.”
“You want to cancel it?”
“No, but you can’t ask this of me.”
“I think I already did.” I held out my hand. “Let’s shake on it again. Deal?”
7
“I can’t believe this.” Hope staggered to her feet. “No Peacian is allowed in Dralion. It just can’t happen with the dome blocking them.”
Guy shifted underneath me. “I never thought this would be your answer. If I had, I wouldn’t have spelled you.”
“It’s the only answer.” Why would no one listen to me?
“You can’t go to Dralion. Like Faith, I won’t allow it.”
“You don’t have a choice. I’m the key, and no one else.”
“It’s too dangerous for you. In fact, I’ll fix this now.” His enchanter eyes swirled to life.
“Don’t you dare.” He was going to turn back time, or something else to make me forget. I clamped a hand over his face. “You are not allowed to enchant me in order to get your own way.”
He plucked my fingers free and glared. “It’s my right to protect you, and if I believe you’re about to do something to bring harm to yourself, I’ll change the course of events.”
“You have no right to, not when you gave your rights away.”
“Then I’ll take them back.”
“Whoa. No, you won’t.” I had to get out of here before he acted on those irrational thoughts. I shuffled off his lap and onto my feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.” I grabbed Faith’s hand. “Please, take me out of here before he does something idiotic. We stick together, even if you don’t like it.”
“Argh. I might just cancel that deal after all.” She struck a look at Hope. “Sorry, I’ve gotta get her home. We’ll chat later, okay?”
“Later.”
Guy stepped up to me. “You’ll stay out of trouble, or I will follow.”
“Faith, now.” I needed distance from him.
She edged between us. “Guy, let’s all take a breather. I’ll talk to her, I promise. I’m not brokering a new deal.” She flashed us away.
We arrived in my bedroom, and thankfully Guy didn’t follow. “Phew. He’s too persistent for his own good.”
“I know you said he’s driven by the bond to see to your welfare, and I don’t argue against that, but there’s more. While you were out of it, I saw how much he cared and that emotion goes deeper than what you realize.”
“It’s still the bond. He wanted to spell me so his part in all this was done.”
“You don’t want to be with him?”
“I can’t. We’d never be able to make it work. He’s a warrior.” And his first instinct was to let me go. He had, and we’d released each other.
“It’ll be okay.” She hugged me. “Take some time to calm down, and by the way, you have to come up with another way to solve my problem, one that doesn’t involve you going to Dralion. That won’t work for any of us.”
“All roads lead to Dralion. Wincrest creates the problem, and he’s the one who needs to be swayed. I can’t do that from
“Yeah, but best of all I know what I need to do.”
“Really?”
“Yep, we’ve been best friends since forever. We’ve always been there for each other. When we were six, we made the promise to stick together. We even shook on it.”
She gasped. “The slide. The puddle.”
“That’s the one. From then on, we’ve always had each other’s back.”
“But how does that memory fix the problem? You and me sticking together isn’t anything new.”
“Think about it. We’ve always stuck together, and where it counts.” This was why she needed my help, and I couldn’t let her down. “Dralion is where the problem exists, and Dralion is where it counts. We haven’t stuck together there.”
“Are you saying—” She jerked back. “No. There isn’t a chance— I won’t expose you to Donaldo. You’re not stepping one foot on Dralion soil.”
“I don’t like the idea either, but—”
“No. I said, no!”
“We had a deal.”
“One we brokered as children.”
“You want to cancel it?”
“No, but you can’t ask this of me.”
“I think I already did.” I held out my hand. “Let’s shake on it again. Deal?”
7
“I can’t believe this.” Hope staggered to her feet. “No Peacian is allowed in Dralion. It just can’t happen with the dome blocking them.”
Guy shifted underneath me. “I never thought this would be your answer. If I had, I wouldn’t have spelled you.”
“It’s the only answer.” Why would no one listen to me?
“You can’t go to Dralion. Like Faith, I won’t allow it.”
“You don’t have a choice. I’m the key, and no one else.”
“It’s too dangerous for you. In fact, I’ll fix this now.” His enchanter eyes swirled to life.
“Don’t you dare.” He was going to turn back time, or something else to make me forget. I clamped a hand over his face. “You are not allowed to enchant me in order to get your own way.”
He plucked my fingers free and glared. “It’s my right to protect you, and if I believe you’re about to do something to bring harm to yourself, I’ll change the course of events.”
“You have no right to, not when you gave your rights away.”
“Then I’ll take them back.”
“Whoa. No, you won’t.” I had to get out of here before he acted on those irrational thoughts. I shuffled off his lap and onto my feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.” I grabbed Faith’s hand. “Please, take me out of here before he does something idiotic. We stick together, even if you don’t like it.”
“Argh. I might just cancel that deal after all.” She struck a look at Hope. “Sorry, I’ve gotta get her home. We’ll chat later, okay?”
“Later.”
Guy stepped up to me. “You’ll stay out of trouble, or I will follow.”
“Faith, now.” I needed distance from him.
She edged between us. “Guy, let’s all take a breather. I’ll talk to her, I promise. I’m not brokering a new deal.” She flashed us away.
We arrived in my bedroom, and thankfully Guy didn’t follow. “Phew. He’s too persistent for his own good.”
“I know you said he’s driven by the bond to see to your welfare, and I don’t argue against that, but there’s more. While you were out of it, I saw how much he cared and that emotion goes deeper than what you realize.”
“It’s still the bond. He wanted to spell me so his part in all this was done.”
“You don’t want to be with him?”
“I can’t. We’d never be able to make it work. He’s a warrior.” And his first instinct was to let me go. He had, and we’d released each other.
“It’ll be okay.” She hugged me. “Take some time to calm down, and by the way, you have to come up with another way to solve my problem, one that doesn’t involve you going to Dralion. That won’t work for any of us.”
“All roads lead to Dralion. Wincrest creates the problem, and he’s the one who needs to be swayed. I can’t do that from
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