The Promise of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book 3 (Complete - Editing)

Chapter Nineteen - Madeline

We only had two more days to complete the contest, and I wasn't sure it would be possible.  Because I was outside of the realm, I might not even be able to win, unless there was no one else.

My jaw clenched. There would have to be no one else if it meant that Joseph would get even an ounce of control once Zovria won.

It was early in the morning, far earlier than the sunrise, that Mike came back. I heard a quick steady drumming of a fist on the glass door, and his gruff voice yodeling for us to let him in.

We were ready for him. Dominic and I were taking turns at sleeping, waiting to see what Mike had prepared to doublecross us with. We both answered the door, ready to fight, and were suprised to see him standing there with bagels and coffee.

 He smiled when he saw us.  "Morning guys. Are you ready for this?" 

Dominic looked as shocked and wary as I was.

I opened the door wider as I gave a suspicious scan of the bag and cups in his hands. "Mike, where have you been?"

Mike held up the paper bag and shook it.  "I went to get breakfast, what else? Are you ready for some coffee and bagels?"

My stomach growled at the yeasty scent of the bagels. I could also smell melted cheese, which meant he had included my favorite -cheese bagels. I stepped back to let him in, hunger lowering my defenses as it always did.

"Sorry if I woke you." Mike said as he walked in.

"No, no," Dominic dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand, also eyeing the bagels like a starving child. "We were waiting for you to come back."

I sat on my chair, my legs stretched out and crossed, as Mike handed around our food. "Coffee with cream and sugar, right?" He asked.

I nodded as I took the paper cup, my voice growing taut with rising suspicion. "Yeah. That's what I usually have."

I stopped Dominic before he took a big bite of his bagel. "Wait. First I have to check something."

I held out my sap covered hand to Mike. "Please tell me that these are just bagels and coffee. There are no spells, potions, or poisons in them."

Mike eyed my hand with disgust. "Do I gotta?"

"You gotta," I snapped.

"Fine." He grabbed my shiny, oozing hand. "These are just bagels and coffee, nothing else. Geez."

I looked at my hand then breathed a sigh of relief as I gestured to Dom that he could eat the bagel. Dominic wasted no time in scarfing his down. 

Mike set down the rest of the bagels and wiped his hand off on some napkins. Then he took a sip from his own cup of coffee before speaking again.

"Alright, so I have news," he said.

Dominic and I shared looks. Here it was.

Mike continued, "The vampire issue might be solved without the sword."

"How?" I asked.

So, I've been talking with some people, and they've been doing work on something to solve the problem in Chicago. They have a bigger epidemic over there than they do in San Francisco. They've been working for the past couple of weeks on a spell. It takes some effort and energy to cast, but it might work."

I leaned forward. "When you say you've been talking to some people, does this mean you found my father, The Straif?"

He paused for a minute before saying, "It does."