The Draykon Series (1-3)

Orlind: Chapter Nine

Ana brought Rikbeek's tiny body up close to her face and stared at him. 'Disgusting,' she spat. 'Why do you keep this thing around?'

Eva didn't reply. The sight of her poor Rikbeek shrieking and struggling in that woman's unsympathetic grip enraged her. Without pausing to think, she grabbed the hand that held Rikbeek and yanked, twisting it around behind Ana's back. She shoved it high, with almost enough force to break the bone. She was hoping for a scream, but Ana merely grunted.

'Drop him,' Eva snarled in her ear.

Ana's head turned and she shot Eva a sideways look of hate.

Eva upped the pressure on her arm. A look of acute pain crossed Ana's pale face and she gasped. Her fingers opened and Rikbeek shot into the air. The gwaystrel flew straight up, plastered himself to the ceiling and stayed there.

'Thank you.' Eva applied one last twist to Ana's arm for good measure, enjoying the squeal of pain this evoked. Then she released the woman and stepped back.

Tren was looking at her like she'd grown an extra head.

'Why are you here?' she said to Ana, ignoring him.

Ana flashed her a brilliant smile. 'No! I get to ask a question first. What are you two doing here?'

Tren caught her eye and shrugged, and she felt the illusion that disguised her fade away. He was right. If she'd been recognised anyway, there was no point in maintaining the pretence of being anything other than a partial Lokant.

Eva thought about lying. No easy lie was going to satisfy Ana. The last time she'd seen Tren and Eva, she had been in the process of waking - and trying to dominate - Pensould in his draykon form. She'd know that no coincidence had brought them to Indren's office.

No point lying, then.

'We're looking for a way to destroy your former master,' she said bluntly.

Ana blinked, then her eyes narrowed. Tren shifted uncomfortably, and Devary went still. Only Indren looked on, her expression unchanged.

Eva was gambling on Ana's probable feelings about Krays. In resurrecting the draykon she'd been disobeying Krays's orders, and both she and her husband had been punished for it. Krays had allowed her to think he'd let her injured husband die. Probably she still thought that. Those were some good reasons to hate a person.

'What do you know of my "master"?' Ana's voice was thick with suspicion.

'We're aware that he - Krays - was behind the draykon bone grab a couple of moons ago. You and Griel were in charge of that operation, but you put it to your own purposes instead. When Griel was injured, you took him back to Krays's Library; that's why you disappeared. You wanted him to heal your husband, but Krays was very angry with you. He said no. Am I right so far?'

Ana said nothing.

'Excellent. Krays shortened your leash somewhat after that, didn't he? You were last seen overseeing the removal of more draykon bone from Iskyr. Its ultimate destination was either Ullarn or Draetre. Krays has - or had - workshops in both places, experimenting with the creation of some very weird technologies. His devices combine mechanics with biological matter and draykon bone. We don't know what they're for, though we know he uses some of them as guards around his Library building. And you're tracered, so you're taking a huge risk coming here. Is that enough?'

Ana grinned. 'Why should I care about the risk? There's no other way to free myself. I'll either succeed or die.' She shrugged. 'Either way works for me.'

Eva hadn't realised how tense she was until the relief hit. Ana was looking for a way out. They could use that.

Maybe her plan would work after all.