“It’s just a flesh wound,” he said in a voice that was reminiscent of the black knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail .
Varian rolled his eyes. “You’re not funny.” He went to check on Merewyn.
“Not trying to be.” Blaise pushed himself up slowly before he wiped the blood away from his face with the back of his hand.
Varian quickly skimmed her body with his hands, but he didn’t feel anything that was broken. What he did feel were soft, warm curves that set fire to his blood and brought a wicked image of her naked and entwined around his body. A darkblush stained her cheeks as if she knew his exact thoughts. He felt the heat rise in his own.
He was blushing? Him?
Varian couldn’t recall a time in his life, ever, that he’d blushed, and it certainly wasn’t from touching a woman’s body. He’d always been certain and confident in those skills. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Is she all right?” Blaise asked, distracting him from his awkwardness.
“I think so. They hit her with stun darts.”
Blaise shook his head. “Damn dragons. They have no couth. I tried to get them to go toward Glastonbury, but they weren’t so stupid. They doubled back here to find you.”
Varian gave Blaise a measuring stare as he tried to understand him. “Why did you come back?”
He shrugged with an unwarranted nonchalance. With his actions, Blaise had signed his own death warrant. He would never be able to return to Camelot now. If any of Morgen’s corps ever caught sight of him again, they’d attack without question.
“I knew you two didn’t stand a chance without me.”
Varian felt a strange stab in his middle as unfamiliar feelings washed over him. He was so unused to kindness, and yet that had been all either Merewyn or Blaise had shown him. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how to respond. “Thank you” seemed extremely inadequate given the fact that the twoof them had just thrown their lives away to help him escape.
So he responded with what he knew best, an aggravated tone. “You know, you could have carried us all the way to the other side of the valley before you dropped us.”
Blaise snorted. “Yeah, not bloody likely.” He pointed up at the mandrakes in the sky who still hadn’t crossed the water to attack them. “ No dragon flies over this place. And now I know why. I slammed into something rock solid, which is why we’re all lying here now.”
“What do you mean?”
Blaise pointed up toward the other dragons who were hovering but making no attempt to come after them. “There’s something here. No one knows what. Popular belief says it’s a holdover from the magick that was used to create this prison. My guess is it’s intentional magick that keeps the valley’s inhabitants inside so that they’re trapped without any hope of escape.”
He let out a sound of disgust. “I would have taken you guys back the other way, but there were too many dragons and gargoyles for that. I’m good, but with the numbers they have, they’d have eaten us alive in a few minutes.”
Varian didn’t speak as he watched the gargoyles and dragons turn back even though they were in plain sight of them. He vaguely recalled when the valley had been created. Though Morgen denied it, this whole place had been created to confine theburgeoning sorceress. Instead, she’d escaped the trap Emrys Penmerlin had laid for her and had used it ever since as a punishment for those who irritated her.
He looked at Blaise. “Once they’re gone, you can fly us out of here, or at the very least turn into a dragon and jump back over the moat.”
“You would think so, wouldn’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Blaise pushed himself up from the ground. “I’m not in human form right now out of choice, V. Something made me change, and it’s hiding my light under a bushel so to speak. I was able to summon clothes, but I can’t shapeshift. It, whatever it is, won’t let me use that magick.”
That
Varian rolled his eyes. “You’re not funny.” He went to check on Merewyn.
“Not trying to be.” Blaise pushed himself up slowly before he wiped the blood away from his face with the back of his hand.
Varian quickly skimmed her body with his hands, but he didn’t feel anything that was broken. What he did feel were soft, warm curves that set fire to his blood and brought a wicked image of her naked and entwined around his body. A darkblush stained her cheeks as if she knew his exact thoughts. He felt the heat rise in his own.
He was blushing? Him?
Varian couldn’t recall a time in his life, ever, that he’d blushed, and it certainly wasn’t from touching a woman’s body. He’d always been certain and confident in those skills. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Is she all right?” Blaise asked, distracting him from his awkwardness.
“I think so. They hit her with stun darts.”
Blaise shook his head. “Damn dragons. They have no couth. I tried to get them to go toward Glastonbury, but they weren’t so stupid. They doubled back here to find you.”
Varian gave Blaise a measuring stare as he tried to understand him. “Why did you come back?”
He shrugged with an unwarranted nonchalance. With his actions, Blaise had signed his own death warrant. He would never be able to return to Camelot now. If any of Morgen’s corps ever caught sight of him again, they’d attack without question.
“I knew you two didn’t stand a chance without me.”
Varian felt a strange stab in his middle as unfamiliar feelings washed over him. He was so unused to kindness, and yet that had been all either Merewyn or Blaise had shown him. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how to respond. “Thank you” seemed extremely inadequate given the fact that the twoof them had just thrown their lives away to help him escape.
So he responded with what he knew best, an aggravated tone. “You know, you could have carried us all the way to the other side of the valley before you dropped us.”
Blaise snorted. “Yeah, not bloody likely.” He pointed up at the mandrakes in the sky who still hadn’t crossed the water to attack them. “ No dragon flies over this place. And now I know why. I slammed into something rock solid, which is why we’re all lying here now.”
“What do you mean?”
Blaise pointed up toward the other dragons who were hovering but making no attempt to come after them. “There’s something here. No one knows what. Popular belief says it’s a holdover from the magick that was used to create this prison. My guess is it’s intentional magick that keeps the valley’s inhabitants inside so that they’re trapped without any hope of escape.”
He let out a sound of disgust. “I would have taken you guys back the other way, but there were too many dragons and gargoyles for that. I’m good, but with the numbers they have, they’d have eaten us alive in a few minutes.”
Varian didn’t speak as he watched the gargoyles and dragons turn back even though they were in plain sight of them. He vaguely recalled when the valley had been created. Though Morgen denied it, this whole place had been created to confine theburgeoning sorceress. Instead, she’d escaped the trap Emrys Penmerlin had laid for her and had used it ever since as a punishment for those who irritated her.
He looked at Blaise. “Once they’re gone, you can fly us out of here, or at the very least turn into a dragon and jump back over the moat.”
“You would think so, wouldn’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Blaise pushed himself up from the ground. “I’m not in human form right now out of choice, V. Something made me change, and it’s hiding my light under a bushel so to speak. I was able to summon clothes, but I can’t shapeshift. It, whatever it is, won’t let me use that magick.”
That
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