Breath (Scales 'n' Spells 2)

“We spoke, but the things he said…I…I’m struggling to even wrap my mind around it.” Baldewin stopped and shook his head before meeting Warin’s gaze. “He thinks dragons started the war. That we are the reason mages were slaughtered. That we are betrayers.”

“What?” Warin shouted. His face turned bright red, and he stepped closer to Baldewin, his body practically vibrating with rage. “Who? Who has told him these lies? I will string their entrails on the trees like twinkling Christmas lights!”

Baldewin rolled his eyes and grabbed Warin’s shoulder, leading them through the park and away from other people before he could draw more attention to them. “Lower your voice. It seems his entire clan believes this. Lies that have been handed down as fact for generations. But he indicated that his clan had at one time been close to the Jaeggi Clan, which would explain where they got their faulty information.”

“Scheiße,” Warin muttered, and Baldewin couldn’t argue. The dragon stopped and looked at Baldewin, his eyes wide. “You don’t think his clan is aligned with the Jaeggi now, do you? Do you think he could be working with them?”

Baldewin chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before finally shaking his head. “I don’t think so. He seemed surprised that mages were being kidnapped, and I believe his reaction was genuine. If his clan is working with the Jaeggi, then he is not part of it. However, I did not mention that the Jaeggi were the ones behind the kidnappings.”

Warin shoved his hands into his pockets. “Wise. Considering how little he thinks of us now, it wouldn’t do us any favors to disparage the name of the clan he believed he could trust.”

“He conducted a search on my phone and confirmed what I told him was the reason for the start of the war, but it wasn’t enough to sway him that we can be trusted.”

Warin kicked a stone off the path and into the grass. “Thousands of deaths and five hundred years, and the Jaeggi are still making our lives hell.”

“For now, we must focus on Tori and pray the Jaeggi don’t know about him yet.”

“True.” Warin shoved a hand through his long hair and blew out a heavy breath. “I had hoped for better news, but it is a positive step if he was at least willing to talk to you.”

Baldewin grunted. “I would not call it willing. I had to bribe him to spend an hour with me.”

“What?”

“I had to give him five hundred euros. I also bought him a meal at the café.”

“Five hundred euros! What were you thinking?” Warin exploded.

“What—”

“He could be anywhere now. He could have gone straight to a bus station or a train station. That’s more than enough to buy a ticket to the ferry running to Tallinn, or Stockholm, or even St. Petersburg.”

“Oh Scheiße,” Baldewin whispered. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that the man might use it to run.

From the moment he’d spotted Tori seated in the park several days ago, Baldewin’s thoughts had felt scattered to the wind. His only drive had become about making sure the man was fed, warm, and safe. He needed to talk to him, convince him that he could be trusted. When Tori had agreed to converse, Baldewin’s only thought was relief that he was getting to talk and ensuring he had money to eat. He definitely wasn’t thinking clearly where Tori was concerned, and it was becoming more than a little disturbing.

Warin swung back in the direction they’d come from as if he could see through the trees to the café. There was no doubt Tori was long gone now. Maybe not from Helsinki, but he wouldn’t have lingered at the café with a pocket full of money and a belly full of food.

“We can call Cassie,” Warin said suddenly. He whipped toward Baldewin, his eyes wide and voice excited. “She can do the seeking spell just as easily as Lisette now. She can keep an eye on him for us. Make sure he doesn’t leave the city.”

Baldewin frowned. “But the seeking spell just barely reached Helsinki. If he moves north or east, we’re going to lose him.”

“Do you think he’d return to his clan in the north?”

Baldewin immediately shook his head. “There is little to no chance of that. It is clear he hates his clan almost as much as he hates dragons.”

“Then we only have to worry about him going east.”

With a small nod, Baldewin grabbed his phone and dialed Cassie’s number. He didn’t think she’d have a problem doing this favor for them, but she wasn’t going to make it easy, either.

The call rang only twice before Cassie’s joyful voice rose through the phone. “Hey Big B! How goes the mage hunt? Do you have him? Convinced him to come hang with the coolest dragons in all the world?”