Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,127
train with us, Malcolm might have discorporated on the spot.
Like Lucy, who changed with the quickness and efficiency of a trained soldier, Ronan stripped down to his shorts in record time, despite his layers of clothing and gear. His body was all muscle and covered with scars, neither of which was a surprise. Bounty hunting was a dangerous occupation.
I was fairly certain he was aware I was watching. Something about his posture made me think he was smiling to himself and taking his time re-dressing, the gorgeous bastard.
The fact our clothes fit us each perfectly didn’t surprise me in the least. As the others arranged their weapons under their robes, which appeared to have strategically placed slits allowing blades to be drawn quickly and easily, I stashed a few items of my own on my person and in the robe. My clothes seemed to have been designed for a mage, who would need to have various blades and objects close at hand.
“Thanks, Charon,” I murmured.
The train made a tiny jostle. I liked to think that was Charon saying, You’re welcome.
By the time the train slowed on approach to the rocky beach and a section of the wall out of sight of the main gate—and the dragon perched nearby, thankfully—we were all redressed.
Ronan took his magic rope from his bag. “There are no wolves in Edis,” he said to Daisy. “Certainly none wandering alone. But if you appear to be my property, you will gain less attention.”
Daisy curled her lip to show teeth.
I didn’t like the idea of Ronan tying that rope around my wolf, especially when I didn’t know what it could do, or what he was. “Can’t she be my property?” I asked. “Why yours?”
“I’m somewhat known in Edis, and my aura is clearly not human,” he said. “Most of the inhabitants of the city won’t want to start trouble with me. You and Lucy can avoid being noticed with masking and Look Away spells, but if you’ve got a wolf on a leash, you will attract attention—especially the kind we don’t want. I give you my word Daisy can escape the rope if she chooses to do so.”
“How the hell did you know I have masking and Look Away spells?” I demanded.
“The same way I knew everything else,” he said, which wasn’t exactly an answer. “Yes or no on the rope?”
Damn it. “Daisy, it’s up to you,” I told my wolf. “Do you trust him to do this?”
Her lip still curled so we knew she wasn’t happy, Daisy went to Ronan’s side and allowed him to tie the rope around her front legs and shoulders again. The rope transformed into a brown leather harness with nasty-looking spikes on the shoulders and a long leash that looped around Ronan’s arm.
“Where did you get that rope?” I asked him.
“Bought it from a fae,” he said. It could have been true.
“What about Esme?” I picked up my cat-dragon and settled her on my shoulder.
“Dragons of all kinds are not unusual here.” Ronan put his bag on his shoulders and sheathed his sword on his back. “A pūķis is less common than her larger cousins, but no one will question that you have one. They will know she’s bound to you as your protector.”
A thought occurred to me. “Will we get to take the train back to the doorway when it’s all said and done?”
Ronan glanced toward the front of the train. “I certainly hope that is the case. I will then owe our ferryman a favor.”
The car jostled slightly again. I hoped that was an acknowledgement from Charon.
We were now close to the wall. From a distance, Edis had appeared enormous. Up close, the walls seemed to reach the sky. The city could not look more forbidding if it tried.
The train slowed to a crawl as it snaked along the rocky beach, then stopped. The door slid open. A blast of heat nearly took my breath away. No way in hell we’d be able to cross that lava plain without someone’s help. I put those concerns aside for now. One hurdle at a time.
Ronan and Daisy got out first. With my pack on my back and Esme balanced on my shoulder, I let Ronan give me a hand to step out onto the rocky beach. Lucy disembarked last.
We made our way carefully up the steep incline toward the wall. I started sweating immediately. Daisy panted. Lucy coughed. Ronan alone seemed unaffected by the extreme heat.