XIV

Yoreno rushed through the corridors as fast as he could back toward where he had found Yorinius, almost without a care if the killer ambushed him in these halls.

With Dantera at his side, he was confident they could take him, especially if Yorinius managed to wound him on his own.

They came to the spot where Yorinius had lain and Yoreno’s heart thundered inside his chest when he spotted the short blade he had carried with him.

“That’s his sword,” Dantera said.

“I know,” Yoreno said and he picked it up. Inspecting it, he found a small droplet of blood on the edge, still wet, but mostly congealed.

With his forefinger, he wiped it up and dropped the blade. He handed Dantera the potion and told her to unstop it.

Yoreno took the cork from her and transferred the drop of congealed blood onto the bottom. Then he put the stopper back on and shook it vigorously.

“Last time we did this, Sorika made us wait for a time,” he said.

Dantera nodded as they quietly waited in the hallway. “I cannot believe that killer defeated Yorinius.”

“I’m going to be the one to drink the potion,” Yoreno declared.

“No,” Dantera said. “Why?”

“Because I’m going with you.”

She smiled at him. “Very tricky, Yoreno. But you are too weak to fight this foe.”

“And so was Yorinius!”

“And I am more powerful than Yorinius,” she said. “I will go alone.”

“No you won’t. I’m coming with you.”

“I said no.”

“Listen,” Yoreno said in protest. “Yoronius failed. We don’t even know what kind of a wound he put on the killer. What if he should defeat you as well? Then the rest of us are doomed. He can sneak about the castle unhindered and kill whomever he wishes. Are we going to risk that?”

She took a deep breath and then sighed. “You are so stubborn.”

“I can help,” he insisted.

Looking at him, he could tell she was debating the matter inside her head. Yoreno kept eye contact with her, expecting her to make the right call, not because it was what he wanted, but because he was willing to take the risk—too ensure that they killed their target.

Even if Yoreno could only serve as a distraction while Dantera did all the heavy lifting, which was probably what would happen if they managed to find the killer’s trail and track him to wherever he was hiding.

“All right, Yoreno,” she finally said. “You win. But I take the lead.”

“Okay.”

“You are there to assist me and to do what I say—even if you disagree.” She pointed a finger at him.

Nodding, he said, “I understand.”

Then footsteps sounded on the carpet to their left.

“And I’m coming too,” Mai said.

“We all are,” Sir Cedryk added.

Dantera’s eyes widened in surprise at their sudden arrival. “What is this, a mutiny? You will only slow us down.”

“Then don’t wait for us,” Mai said. Track your target. We will follow. If we can.”

Dantera turned to Yoreno and quirked a wry smile. “Look what you’ve done, Yoreno.”

“We’re adventurers,” he said. “Danger is our profession.”

“And adventure,” Mai said.

“That goes without saying,” Dantera counter. “I will not wait for you. Yoreno and I will go ahead and find our target. If I should be killed or wounded, you must warn the king—do you understand?”

Mai and Captain Cedryk both nodded. He had seven guardsmen at his back.

“Are you ready?” Yoreno asked.

Dantera and the others nodded.

“We’re ready,” Mai said.

“All right,” Yoreno said. “I think the potion is finished. He unstopped the cork and downed the vial of liquid.

Somehow he had forgotten how bad it tasted.

“Gods!”

“You should know by now how bad it is,” Mai said.

“Not helpful.”