Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

Cameron didn’t actually want to throw his friend under the bus and winced again. “Maybe?”

“Baldewin.” Alric straightened to full height, face set, practically radiating with angry tension. “I want Ravi beheaded the second he lands.”

Cameron started panicking. Now wait, wasn’t that a bit harsh?!

Baldewin, on the other hand, snorted. “I’ll have to catch him first.” He turned and yelled in German, “Da hast du dir schön was eingebrockt!”

A whine came back from Ravi. “Ich hatte keine Ahnung!”

Cameron couldn’t follow what they were saying and pleaded with Alric, “It might have been his idea, but I agreed to it.”

Alric rubbed at his temple like he was fighting off a headache. “I won’t actually kill him for this. He says he didn’t know about the altitude requirement either. Which I believe, as he’s never worn a parachute in his life. But please, the next time Ravi suggests something that sounds like a good idea, pass it by me first? He doesn’t really understand what danger means.”

That promise potentially got them both out of trouble. Cameron nodded vigorously. “Cross my heart. But how did you know we’re out here?”

“I have a secondary guard who shadows you if you leave the castle. Just in case. They reported it to me.” Alric had a strange quirk to his mouth. If Cameron didn’t know better, he would say the man was sardonically amused. “And please, for the sake of my heart, can you find something more peaceful to do for the rest of the day?”

“I can absolutely find something,” Cameron promised faithfully. He eyed Alric, wishing he could hug the dragon king. The man looked like he needed a hug. And it would be nice, snuggling into the man and enjoying that firm body for a few seconds. Or minutes.

But since he was the reason Alric was stressed out, he probably shouldn’t ask.

* * *

The shopping was put aside for the day as they went back to the castle. It didn’t seem the right time to go into town, considering it was semi-dangerous. Cameron didn’t actually want to give Alric heart failure. It could wait another day or two.

Ravi refused to get back into the vehicles, choosing instead to fly back. He likely realized Alric hadn’t relinquished the idea of beheading quite yet.

Cameron wasn’t sure what to do for the rest of the day, but he did still want to ask Gunter those questions. So when Alric went back inside the castle, he snagged Baldewin’s arm. “Hey, Baldewin.”

Baldewin stopped, turning to look at him. “Yes?”

“Can you introduce me to Gunter?”

Baldewin’s head canted a little. “You haven’t met Gunter yet?”

“I don’t remember doing that, no,” Cameron replied with a shrug. “Ravi and I were talking about mages, and how few of them were men, and that Gunter would know more about it. I kind of want to ask some questions.”

“Gunter is very much the person to ask,” Baldewin agreed readily. “And now that I think about it, I shouldn’t be surprised you haven’t met each other yet. He’s usually holed up with his research. Right now, he’s trying to pinpoint with the mages where those spells came from.”

Right, Lisette had said she was trying her own method of tracking down Cameron’s attackers. Hence not having a lesson today. “Then maybe I shouldn’t interrupt them?”

“I think an hour of not looking at the problem would do him good. He’s been staring at it too long at this point.” Baldewin indicated where to go, using one of the many side doors from the courtyard into the castle.

Cameron by no means had the castle layout down. But he was beginning to learn it—how the major hallways connected to each other, at least. This was one he’d used before, but Baldewin went right instead of left, and entered a whole new section Cameron hadn’t ventured into. It really made him wonder. Just how long would he need to stay here before he was as familiar with it as Baldewin? And could it be that his poor brain just had too many things to learn? Here he was trying to learn magic, a complicated castle layout, a new culture, and a new language to boot. His head spun most days and felt like mush by the end of it.

They descended two levels, and Cameron began to wonder if they had a dungeon in this castle. Because this very much felt like a dungeon. The coolness of the stones on either side of the stairs chilled his exposed skin. Cameron really had to invest in a hoodie or something. He’d be a human popsicle for the rest of his life at this rate.

Fortunately, the stairs ended at a door and, apparently, Gunter’s work room. Baldewin didn’t even knock, just barged in and called out, “Gunter!”

“Don’t interrupt me,” Gunter groaned in response. “I was on the verge of a thought.”