better supported and less likely to cause the stairs to give him away. When he reached the top and turned the corner, the stairs behind him creaked loudly. It was everything he could do not to vent his anger and frustration on Grunt. The man was an incompetent oaf.
In his rage, Agger missed the telltale signs of a loose board in the hallway. When his boots landed on the slight impression in the carpet, it groaned.
"What are you doing out of bed, boy?"
The man's voice sent a sharp chill through Agger. Footsteps behind him indicated Grunt had abandoned stealth. Charging into the room, he said nothing. After a thud and a few grunts, he returned.
Agger just looked at him in pure astonishment.
"It's a good thing I was here," Grunt said. "I probably just saved your life."
No words left Agger's lips. He stood in incredulous silence.
"Come on," Grunt said. "We don't want to just wait around here and gape. Let's get the boy and go."
Someday Agger would find a way to repay Grunt for his help. At that moment, though, he followed the thickheaded man to a closed door two doors down from where the man Agger assumed was the boy's father had been sleeping.
Grunt opened the door with exaggerated slowness but managed to do so quietly. Within, Destin Brightwood slept. Grunt grabbed him and slung him over his shoulder.
"What? Hey?" Destin said.
"Keep your mouth shut, and I won't kill you," Grunt said. "I got the kid. Let's go."
Agger just shook his head. The boy looked at him with terror-filled eyes. Agger just gave him a sad smile back. "I'll try not to kill you either. Just be a good boy, and everything will be fine."
Getting the kid back over the wall and up the rock face proved difficult, but eventually they hauled him up like a sack of potatoes. To his credit, the kid remained silent the entire time. Grunt proved to be excellent motivation.
Moving in the darkness was dangerous and time consuming. Now Agger was grateful for the short distance they needed to cover. He cursed it again when they peeked back into the small valley. At least a dozen lanterns moved in close proximity of the plane they had stolen and left there. So much for their backup plan. She had better not leave them there.
"I'll kill her if she doesn't show," Grunt said as if reading his mind. That alone was a scary thought.
When ropes suddenly appeared in the meadow before them, Agger could hardly believe it. Hovering above them in near silence was an airship, Casta Mett staring down at him.
Grunt shoved the kid up onto a rope. "Climb or die, kid."
Destin climbed. Agger grabbed the rope closest to him and left the ground with familiar reticence. Power and control were no longer his. Now he was simply a passenger. In that moment, the people below spotted the airship and ran toward the ropes. The crew moved with alacrity, and the humming above grew louder. Within moments, they moved out over the cliffs. Agger Dan tried not to look down.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mercy is a sure sign of weakness.
—Casta Mett, Al'Zjhon
* * *
After days in the air, no one smiled much. Places to land were few and tended to be clustered together, which was less useful for Riette's current purposes. Deep, blackish blue waves in every direction became monotonous, making it feel as if they were stuck in one place and would never reach their destination. Riette began to question if any of them even knew where they were going. Only the dragon's innate senses allayed her fears. The dragon read the wind and danced with it. Her flight was graceful and largely uneventful, contrary to how airplane flight was often described. There were indeed advantages to dragons. Tuck pointed and Riette expected to see some tiny rock sticking up out of the waves or a narrow strip of sand. These had been their only refuges during the journey, and Riette hoped never to need them again. Knowing it was inevitable did nothing to quell the knots in her gut. Seeing the faint outline of the largest mountain
In his rage, Agger missed the telltale signs of a loose board in the hallway. When his boots landed on the slight impression in the carpet, it groaned.
"What are you doing out of bed, boy?"
The man's voice sent a sharp chill through Agger. Footsteps behind him indicated Grunt had abandoned stealth. Charging into the room, he said nothing. After a thud and a few grunts, he returned.
Agger just looked at him in pure astonishment.
"It's a good thing I was here," Grunt said. "I probably just saved your life."
No words left Agger's lips. He stood in incredulous silence.
"Come on," Grunt said. "We don't want to just wait around here and gape. Let's get the boy and go."
Someday Agger would find a way to repay Grunt for his help. At that moment, though, he followed the thickheaded man to a closed door two doors down from where the man Agger assumed was the boy's father had been sleeping.
Grunt opened the door with exaggerated slowness but managed to do so quietly. Within, Destin Brightwood slept. Grunt grabbed him and slung him over his shoulder.
"What? Hey?" Destin said.
"Keep your mouth shut, and I won't kill you," Grunt said. "I got the kid. Let's go."
Agger just shook his head. The boy looked at him with terror-filled eyes. Agger just gave him a sad smile back. "I'll try not to kill you either. Just be a good boy, and everything will be fine."
Getting the kid back over the wall and up the rock face proved difficult, but eventually they hauled him up like a sack of potatoes. To his credit, the kid remained silent the entire time. Grunt proved to be excellent motivation.
Moving in the darkness was dangerous and time consuming. Now Agger was grateful for the short distance they needed to cover. He cursed it again when they peeked back into the small valley. At least a dozen lanterns moved in close proximity of the plane they had stolen and left there. So much for their backup plan. She had better not leave them there.
"I'll kill her if she doesn't show," Grunt said as if reading his mind. That alone was a scary thought.
When ropes suddenly appeared in the meadow before them, Agger could hardly believe it. Hovering above them in near silence was an airship, Casta Mett staring down at him.
Grunt shoved the kid up onto a rope. "Climb or die, kid."
Destin climbed. Agger grabbed the rope closest to him and left the ground with familiar reticence. Power and control were no longer his. Now he was simply a passenger. In that moment, the people below spotted the airship and ran toward the ropes. The crew moved with alacrity, and the humming above grew louder. Within moments, they moved out over the cliffs. Agger Dan tried not to look down.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mercy is a sure sign of weakness.
—Casta Mett, Al'Zjhon
* * *
After days in the air, no one smiled much. Places to land were few and tended to be clustered together, which was less useful for Riette's current purposes. Deep, blackish blue waves in every direction became monotonous, making it feel as if they were stuck in one place and would never reach their destination. Riette began to question if any of them even knew where they were going. Only the dragon's innate senses allayed her fears. The dragon read the wind and danced with it. Her flight was graceful and largely uneventful, contrary to how airplane flight was often described. There were indeed advantages to dragons. Tuck pointed and Riette expected to see some tiny rock sticking up out of the waves or a narrow strip of sand. These had been their only refuges during the journey, and Riette hoped never to need them again. Knowing it was inevitable did nothing to quell the knots in her gut. Seeing the faint outline of the largest mountain
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