Adrian smiled at the trio and shook his head. There really was nothing better in this world than a woman with years of hatred and bitterness stored up. When he’d whispered to Mio that he was sneaking into the Takahashi prison to free Drayce right from under their noses, she’d produced notes on the location of the prison as well as the best way to knock the guards out quickly.
As soon as all three guards were unconscious, he searched them for the keys to the cells. With the metal ring in his hand, he ran down the long hall. The sleeping draft would last at least thirty minutes and he needed to give Drayce as much of a head start as possible. If Drayce flew from Zastrad to here, then flying to Stormbreak Point couldn’t be too difficult for him.
At the end of the corridor, he finally located the cell with Drayce sitting on the cold stones, huddled with his arms around his legs. He lifted his head, eyes going wide at the sight of Adrian.
“What the…” Drayce breathed, scrambling to his feet.
Adrian started jamming keys into the lock, searching for the one that would set his friend free. “You didn’t think we’d just leave you in here.”
“Caelan mentioned you were here, but I was sure my mind had made that up,” Drayce replied. His voice was low and rough. It might have been from a cold, but the red-rimmed eyes and pale cheeks indicated the raw throat was likely from something else entirely.
“Nope. I’m a fill-in until we can get you in the quartet again,” Adrian said with a jaunty grin. “And trust me, you can have them. The king and your other friends are fucking crazy. I’ll be glad to get back to Stormbreak, where things are quiet and normal.”
Okay, not the entire truth. Caelan, Rayne, and Eno were definitely crazy, but other than the brief New Rosanthe occupation in Stormbreak, things were too damn quiet. At least he was seeing more of the world, experiencing an interesting new culture. Yes, dragons were scary, but he’d also gotten to brush off his old thieving skills.
“Yes!” he hissed when the lock finally turned. He shoved the keys into his pocket and pulled the door open with a loud metallic squeal. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve got us a clear path for at least the next few minutes.”
To his shock, Drayce actually backpedaled several steps away from the opening and shook his head. “I can’t.”
“What?” Adrian took a step forward, debating whether he could chuck Drayce over his shoulder and carry him out. The guy was both shorter and thinner than him. He’d be a manageable enough weight. “In case you’re not getting this, I sneaked in here to break you out. This is a jailbreak. You know, where you should now be running for the exit.”
“I know. I can’t go.”
“They’re going to fucking kill you!” Adrian shouted, forgetting that they needed to stay quiet.
“I know.” The two words were so soft Adrian barely heard them. Drayce walked over and dropped down on a small pallet of straw. He wrapped his arms around his legs and set his chin on his knees.
“You want to die?”
Drayce threw him a dark look, but what was Adrian supposed to think? He wasn’t making a mad dash for the exit like he’d expected.
“I can’t leave. It’s a matter of honor. I broke the rules, broke my oath. I must face the consequences set forth by my clan.”
Adrian swore softly and stomped into the cell so he could stand in front of Drayce. “It’s bullshit and you know it. Your dad is a fucking asshole, and his entire purpose in executing you is to get you out of his way. Everyone knows it.”
Drayce flinched at Adrian’s words, but Adrian ignored the answering ache from his heart. He liked Drayce. Ignoring the entire dragon thing, Adrian had always thought Drayce to be a good, lighthearted kid who truly wanted nothing more from Caelan than to be his friend. He didn’t deserve this shit even if he did have an ulterior motive of protecting the prince.
“It doesn’t matter,” Drayce murmured.
“It does. You don’t deserve to die for this asshole or this clan. From what I’ve seen, they’re not worth a tenth of you.”
The glare Drayce directed at him had only a flicker of the fire he’d was hoping to stoke in the man. He needed to get angry about this. He needed to fight back, but Adrian hadn’t found the right button yet.
“I can’t leave,” Drayce snapped. “What happens when I’m found missing? They’re going to know you helped me escape. The clan leader is going to blame Caelan and start a war with Erya. I might be a dragon, but Erya is my home. We’re still recovering from the attack on Stormbreak, and the Empire has not been defeated. I will not let my home be harmed by dragons.”