doesn’t really matter how many there are,” she said. “The second we drop our bubbles they will send for the rest. And then what? We can’t fight the Shadow and Dralazar.” If what Niall had said were true, they would be lucky to set eyes on the Shadow and live, let alone survive a battle.
Alcander’s head snapped up as if she had spoken something brilliant. “No, they will send for the rest if you drop your bubble. If I drop my bubble, they will come for me instead.”
“They would disobey an order from the Shadow?” Drustan asked.
Kiora thought she understood where Alcander was going. “It wouldn’t be disobeying an order if I wasn’t here.”
“Exactly. And if they are here, the price on my head should be tempting enough to draw them out.”
“How high a price?” Kiora asked.
Alcander crossed his arms. “They could probably buy their way into the new royal family.”
“And if they are not here?” Drustan questioned. “We lose the element of surprise.”
Kiora looked at the Manor. “The risk is worth it. Besides, the worst that happens if the scouts aren’t here is Dralazar comes out for Alcander. I can unbubble, and the battle happens regardless. Dralazar will not let Emane go without a fight.”
“And what about the giant dragon sleeping behind the Manor?” Drustan reminded them. “Do you think he will just let Alcander stand there while we wait to see if the unknown scouts appear?”
“He’s right,” Alcander admitted.
Kiora put her finger to her lip, tapping it as she thought. “Drustan,” she said, trying to project more confidence than she felt. “If you deal with Soolan while Alcander unbubbles, it will keep Alcander open. I can stay by him to help with the scouts. If they are here, we can stop them from delivering the message. If not, then Alcander and I will go in after Emane.” She looked to Drustan and then to Alcander. Both looked grim but nodded their approval.
As they moved closer to the manor, they sent Drustan out first. Shifting back into a dragon, he leapt out of the bubble, launching an attack on Soolan before the other dragon even woke. Soolan snarled and bellowed through the clearing as the two dragons rose into the air. Next, Alcander stepped out of the bubble. Kiora could feel movement within the manor. Dralazar was aware of them. A moment later two Taveans dropped their bubble at the tree line, grinning like red-eyed wolves. Both had long black hair, although one still had blond tips at the very end.
Alcander spun towards them, dropping into a crouch with his hands out.
“Well, well, well,” one yelled across the clearing. “What do we have here?”
Alcander turned his head slightly to the side, the shake of his head almost imperceptible. He didn’t want her to drop her bubble, not yet.
“Since when does the mighty Prince Alcander travel with Shifters?” the other asked as the two strolled across the grassy expanse.
“Lomay sent me after the Witow,” Alcander announced, still crouched. “It looks like you are here for the same.”
“If we wanted him, we would have taken him days ago,” the first said, stopping within a few feet of Alcander.
Alcander was pumping them for information. Kiora didn’t like it. The tension was crackling her nerves. Movement at a window of the Manor caught her attention as Layla pulled back the curtains to peek out.
“We are looking for something else,” the second one said, “but now we found you.”
He laughed. “If you think you can take me, then why are we all standing here?”
The two Taveans glanced at each other. He makes them nervous, Kiora realized. They aren’t sure what to do.
“The others will be here soon enough,” one said.
Alcander scoffed. “You haven’t called them, not when you could take me in all by yourselves. I have heard the reward is quite substantial.” Kiora saw what Alcander was looking for—confirmation in their eyes. They had not called anyone.
The two Taveans dropped low to match his stance, magic flickering across their fingers. “It is two against one, my prince,” the first one mocked. “Alive or dead, it makes no matter to us.”
“If I couldn’t win against two, I would have been dead a long time ago,” Alcander said. His wrist flicked, the other hand throwing a shield. The first shot sent one Tavean to his knees, while the other attack bounced off Alcander’s shield. Alcander leapt into the air, straddling the Tavean he had knocked down. Swiftly reaching down, he grabbed the Tavean’s head with