he gave her a nod. That was fine by him.
Alric very rarely had anyone fly him anywhere. It was too painful and a little humiliating. But right now, his feelings didn’t matter. Getting to Cameron as swiftly as possible, that was the priority. And there was nothing faster than Ravi. A car could never keep up with his speed.
His phone rang, and Alric answered it before it could finish the first ring. Baldewin. “Where?”
“He’s in Sonthofen, in the Ordensburg. They’re not precisely sure what building.”
The choice made sense. The Ordensburg had been built back in the Third Reich, a military barracks meant for training. It was a highly defensible compound, as it had five buildings formed up around a very large courtyard—a kill box, in other words. It was a good defensive position for the Jaeggi to take, and smart of them to use something readily at hand. They had to have known they couldn’t get far before Alric would be on top of them.
But Alric had already fought through a war, and he was not stupid about tactics. A kill box only worked if one went into it.
And Alric had no intention of doing so. He turned his head and called out, “The Ordensburg! But do not land in the center courtyard, it is sure to be filled with traps.”
A roar of acknowledgement, and then the dragons were off, their wings beating hard against the air, sending currents swirling in all directions. Ravi shifted quickly, almost roughly, he pushed his dragon so hard. He was barely settled when Alric went directly to his chest, situating there against Ravi’s hand. His jokester bodyguard for once had no wisecrack on his lips. He held Alric carefully, and close, as he launched hard into the sky. Alric found himself praying as Ravi’s wings lifted them.
Be alright, Cameron. Be alright and hang on. With that thought, he sent every emotion toward Cameron, wanting him to feel loved. To feel secure with the knowledge Alric was coming for him. With their magical connection, he prayed those feelings came across strongly enough that Cameron felt them.
It must have worked, as he felt Cameron in return. And the draw as Cameron pulled on his life force, working magic. A feral smile graced Alric’s mouth. His mage wasn’t going down without a fight. Who knew what that clever mind had come up with. Alric fed him more power and hoped it was enough for whatever Cameron was doing.
Despite everyone else having a head start on Ravi, the wind dragon caught up to the lead quickly and then pulled ahead. Alric was always amazed at his speed but right now he blessed it. Every second away from Cameron in this dangerous, volatile situation was a second too long. It tore at Alric that he couldn’t immediately lay hands on Cameron. He just knew he’d have nightmares of this day for years to come.
The people of Sonthofen no doubt spied a thunder of dragons soaring overhead, but Alric wouldn’t worry about it. He wouldn’t think of how the fallout of this would work. He couldn’t find the headspace for that worry just now. A mantra beat through his head like a living thing. Cameron, Cameron, Cameron.
He saw the tall, six story main building first jutting into the sky, then the spread of the compound that branched off it. The grey stone looked stark against the green backdrop of the land around it. The Ordensburg had been turned into a historical site some years ago; no one should have been in it. Likely why the Jaeggi felt they could use it freely. But it was clearly occupied now, with multiple vehicles parked at one end of the parking lot and spotlights manning every possible vantage point. He saw people scrambling back and forth, no doubt getting to battle stations.
What was their game plan? Alric wished desperately for an answer. What did they want with his mage? Why attempt to take the mages to begin with? Why do it again when Cameron was clearly under the protection of the Burkhard clan?
And why did this whole thing feel like a giant trap with Cameron as the bait?
Alric chose to listen to his instincts—they hadn’t failed him yet—and bellowed out the order, “Come in from the sides! Surround the Ordensburg!”
His thunder of dragons obeyed, swirling around in a living stream of red scales and fury, swarming around the compound. The Jaeggi there hopped around, ducking in anticipation of an attack.
“Hoheit!” Ravi called down