Hidden Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon Book 7) by Genevieve Jack (best book club books .txt) 📕

Sylas narrowed his eyes, clearly spotting the uniforms among the trees. “They’re much too close for comfort.”

“I know.” She frowned. “Let’s get out of here.”

He hastened into the tent and emerged moments later with their two packs. She took one and slung it onto her back. The faintest green glow shone through the zipper on the side of his bag. Good, he’d packed the orb.

“How do they know?” Tobias broke down the tent at record speed and stuffed it into his pack while Sabrina snored on the ground beside him.

“Mother had spies watching Aeaea. Whoever it was likely saw the four of us arrive in port,” Sylas said.

Dianthe frowned. “One of the guards in my vision said that the seer was very specific—a metal box under the ash. They must be talking about Aborella. What other seer has ever helped Eleanor?”

“But it doesn’t make any sense.” Tobias donned both his and Sabrina’s packs and then lifted her into his arms. “There is no metal box, is there?”

Sylas shook his head. “No. No one in the rebellion is looking for anything in the ash. We didn’t keep a single thing of importance in our Everfield home.”

Dianthe shrugged. “I can’t explain it. Nothing in my vision explains it.”

“Maybe Aborella misinterpreted a vision about the orbs. You did retrieve the orb from a type of dark prison. Maybe she envisioned it as a box and the water as ash.”

“It’s possible. The Empyrean Wood is crawling with guards. I propose we thank the stars that she got it wrong and make for Grimtwist.”

“Agreed.” They hiked the short distance to the Nochtbend border and paused outside the line of dark, twisting trees that demarcated the edge of the Grimtwist Forest. Mist curled off the forest floor and crept across the ground toward their toes. The dense canopy of leaves blocked out all light, making it impossible to see far into its unwelcoming interior. Dianthe gulped. As if she hadn’t had enough chilling darkness the night before.

Dianthe had never been to Nochtbend—it wasn’t exactly a vacation destination—but she had heard stories. The vampires lived belowground during the day, only coming topside to hunt at night. It was said that vicious monsters of unimaginable size roamed their lands, put in place by the master vampire himself to protect the kingdom. Master Demidicus had ruled Nochtbend for centuries from an underground palace called Nightfall. She’d heard horrific stories about the things that went on in that palace. It was said that prisoners of all species were kept alive in cold, dark cells, only to be periodically drained of their blood to feed the vampires. She suppressed a shiver.

“Any idea where the second orb might be?” Tobias asked.

They were all still standing at the border, staring into the woods. No one seemed overly motivated to take the next step. Dianthe knew he meant the question for her.

She shook her head. “I tried. The vision didn’t come to me. Sometimes I can’t force it.”

Sabrina rubbed her face and yawned. “Where does the master of the largest coven in this kingdom live?”

“There is only one coven and only one master. Master Demidicus,” Dianthe said. “And he lives in Nightfall. It’s a subterranean palace along the northern border.”

“Take me there. He’ll have the orb,” Sabrina said with absolute certainty before snuggling into Tobias’s chest and closing her eyes again.

“How do you know?” Dianthe looked at her curiously.

“Because I sat next to that thing all night.” Without opening her eyes, she pointed in the general direction of Sylas’s pack. “The power coming off of it made my skin tingle. If there is one thing that vampires love, especially powerful ones, it’s skin-tingling magic. I’m willing to bet that not only does Demidicus have the orb of Nochtbend, but he also likely keeps it close to his person.”

“I don’t know the way,” Dianthe said. “I’ve heard where it is in general, but—”

“I do,” Sylas said. “I’ve met with rebels in Nightfall, although I didn’t come from this direction. Before, I followed the river halfway to Paragon before cutting through Grimtwist. Still, I’m sure I can get us there.” He darted a glance between them.

No words were spoken, but an agreement was made. Together, they crossed into Nochtbend.

Chapter Fifteen

Dragons could see in the dark. They were born in the heart of the mountain, after all. Designed for cave living. Still, Sylas preferred the light. More importantly, he preferred to see his wife smiling in the sunlight, brought alive by the two suns that daily crossed Ouros’s sky.

The darkness in Grimtwist Woods was almost absolute. Just inside the tree line, he reached out to lead Dianthe. Not only could she not see in the dark, she hated it with a passion. But instead of accepting his offered hand, she squeezed and then released it before she spread her wings and glowed. “I know I’m the only one who needs this, but I’d prefer to be able to see where I’m going.”

Tobias raised his eyebrows. “That’s a neat trick. How long can you keep it up?”

She grinned. “Fairies are naturally phosphorescent when they want to be. As long as we get enough sun during the day, we can glow all night.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t attract anything… unpleasant.” Sylas searched the darkness for the beasts of legend that roamed these woods.

“It isn’t practical for me to hold your hand the entire time.”

Beside them, Sabrina gave a snort and then resumed her snoring. Tobias shifted her in his arms but kept on walking. A pang of something suspiciously like jealousy shot through Sylas’s heart. Would Dianthe ever let him carry her like that? She wouldn’t even let him lead her by the hand. Why was it suddenly a sin for him to want to care for his mate?

Sylas took the lead, heading in the general direction of the Palace of Nightfall. Dianthe dropped behind, off to the side of Tobias and Sabrina. He found himself distracted by her distance. If