The Dreamer's Curse (Book 2) by Honor Raconteur Page A

second before it
almost audibly clicked. “You call Prince Bellomi, Bel?! ”
    “You know, that’s almost his reaction precisely when I said
I’d call him that.” Although he’d gotten used to it with astonishing speed.
    After spluttering for a few seconds, Decker broke down into
a low chuckle. “Well, I can see why he was so friendly with you now. It didn’t
make much sense when I saw him greet you, but you truly do treat him as a
friend, don’t you?”
    “Don’t get any strange ideas, Hunter,” she retorted
acerbically. “I am not huggable.”
    Decker laughed outright at that. “The prince feels
otherwise.”
    “He’s brain damaged. He got hit in the head too many times
while training.”
    “If you say so,” Decker responded, tone rich with laughter.
Clearly, he didn’t believe her.
    Well, fine, that was his prerogative. But if he thought he
could hug her and get away with it, he’d best be prepared to lose an arm or
two. She meant what she said. She was not huggable. Bel only got by with
it because he ambushed her.
    She gave him a quick glance over her shoulder. Decker seemed…less
strained than when she’d first met him. Probably because the man had actually
gotten some sleep last night. With her charms on everyone, he no longer had the
fear and worry of their safety hanging over his head. This was the first time
she’d seen him truly smile, too. “Decker, tell me something.”
    “Hmm?”
    “Why are you always hanging around me?”
    “Oh. That.”
    “Yes,” she drawled. “That.”
    “Well, everyone made a unanimous decision and voted that I
be available to you while you’re here. Sort of like an assistant or a guide.
There’s a lot that you don’t know about this area, after all, and we want to
help you in whatever way we can.”
    So her suspicions were right. He had been put in
charge of her. Well, this didn’t bother her much. Decker reminded her strangely
of Sarsen for some reason. Perhaps because the two men were rather similar in
personality. She found it easy to get along with him and easy to boss him, so
she had no objections to him sticking around.
    “Errr, I’m not getting in your way, am I?”
    Sevana snorted, amused at the concern in his voice. “I’ll
tell you when you do.”
    It was Decker’s turn to snort. “Somehow, I didn’t doubt
that.”
    They kept up this banter over the next few hours as Sevana
scanned every section of the ruins. She found a few symbols carved into the
stones, most of them weathered almost beyond recognition, but she took several
closer scans of them and hoped for the best. The day had waned into late
afternoon before she finished. Fortunately, it didn’t take more than a short
hike to return to Chastain. No wonder the villagers used this place as a stone
quarry of sorts, with it being so conveniently located.
    Once they returned, Sevana waved Decker off so he could find
dinner and she retreated back to her temporary workroom. But hunger soon drove
her out again and she repeated her earlier actions of that morning as she went
from one place to another and bought any food that tempted her stomach.
    By sunset, she had returned to the evil fountain and sat
there on the cobblestones, nursing a tankard of hot mulled cider. What she had
told Decker and Krause earlier had been the truth. She couldn’t make any plans
until she knew exactly what she was dealing with. But that said, she didn’t
need to know details at this point to know when she had gotten in well over her
head.
    Letting out a disgruntled sigh, she took a healthy swallow
of her cider and let the warmth flow through her. Mmm, good cider. She’d have
to remember where she’d bought it and get more tomorrow.
    Alright, what to do? She truly couldn’t leave the villagers
until other magicians arrived that could go out and fetch them home again. But
sitting on her hands waiting idly didn’t suit her. She couldn’t go see Jacen—he
lived a full day’s travel from here. It put her too