“You waste no time, I see.” He smirked knowingly.
Catching his meaning, she replied, “Well, you have until the dance is over to do your business. I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.”
He laughed a rich baritone. “I assure you I can last quite a few songs.”
“Perhaps, but maybe I’ll be bored by then.”
He laughed more genuinely. “Ouch! My lady, I had no idea you had such wit, and so cruel, too. Perhaps your title of Lady Hope is a misnomer, as you’ve surely tried to dash mine.”
“But I haven’t succeeded, I see.”
“Well what kind of man would I be to give up on the first try?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
“Not really.” Cirion paused. “Perhaps you’ll be more amenable to other hopes of mine.”
“Ah. Here it comes.”
“Yes, you see, it’s been some time since you visited Honyn and you might benefit from a guide on your way to Castle Darlonon, not to mention inside.”
Her eyebrows arched. Was he a Dragon Cult member? “You’ve been inside?”
“Certainly. Not since the dragon returned, of course, but after your last visit.”
She noticed he didn’t say why. “And why did you go in? Didn’t you know we strictly forbade such entrances?” This was a little tidbit she’s picked up from Sonneri.
He smirked and ignored that. “I wanted to see this famed Dragon Gate, of course, but as you know, I couldn’t reach it.”
“Not man enough?” Anna asked, wanting him on the defensive as much as possible. Better him than her.
He grunted. “More like not wizard enough. I can cast a fair spell or two, but Soliander there can put up spells even an arch-wizard can’t get by.” He looked over at a young, red-robed wizard who was approaching Matt.
Curious what they’d encountered, Anna asked as if testing his truthfulness, “And what did you find there?”
Cirion seemed to catch her intention as he replied, “Well, for starters, the castle gate was unguarded, presumably to lure people to that courtyard, where the tiles burst into flames if you put your foot in the wrong place. Nasty trap, that one. We didn’t get much farther despite getting by the main doors. The stairs were clearly unwise unless you wanted to visit for a rather long time, but the way forward was no better. We spent two days in the maze beyond it before escaping. After that, we were rather tired of the whole affair.”
“Is that all it took to defeat you?” Anna asked, wondering how they would get past these defenses. “Why would you want to guide us? What’s in it for you?”
He smiled, pearly white teeth dazzling her. She knew that in medieval-like times, such fastidiousness was rare. “Aside from the pleasure of your company and wicked wit?” Cirion replied. “Why, to see you slay the dragon. Few have seen the legendary Ellorian Champions in action.”
Making up stuff, she replied, “We don’t generally allow spectators. They might get killed. You wouldn’t want that, surely?”
“Naturally not.”
“Then why do you really want to go?”
He paused. “As I mentioned, I’d like to see this Dragon Gate.”
“Why? For what purpose?”
Seeming put off, he sighed slightly. “Haven’t you ever admired something purely for its beauty?” He looked her up and down suggestively.
“Yes, but not when it might kill me,” she replied, giving her own suggestive look.
Smirking, Cirion replied sagely, “Without risk, there can be no reward.”
“And what reward do you expect?”
“Well,” he began expansively, “if you must know, being in the company of the famous champions when you seal the gate would allow me to say, and rightfully so, that I was partly responsible, and my improved reputation would allow me grander adventures of my own and all the subsequent fortune and happiness.” He smirked at her. “Surely you wouldn’t deny me this?”
Turning the tables, she pressed against him suggestively. “Don’t be so sure of what I’ll deny you. Why didn’t you just tell me this before?”
He leaned close. “I didn’t want to seem greedy,” he confessed.
Anna feigned surprise. “You?”
He smirked again. “I do have pride, my lady.”
“So I noticed.” She rolled her eyes, then decided to cut this short as the dance neared its end. She felt comfortable to make this decision without the guys. “I’m afraid I can’t allow you to come with us. We can’t be sure what we’ll face, and what risks we’d expose you to.” Cirion nodded his understanding, and when the song ended, excused himself, to her relief.
As Matt watched his friends from beside the dance floor, he sipped from a wine glass etched with dragons and ogres. He tried to look unapproachable because he’d never danced a step in his life, but he was in luck, for Soliander wasn’t the target of anyone’s fancy, and therefore neither was he. He’d noticed big men who were probably knights talking to Ryan and had noted in relief that there appeared to be few wizards in attendance, though he wasn’t sure. Were they required to dress like him? That made it easier to notice them, but if not, there could be more than he wanted. On one hand, he was eager to ask others about this, but he sensed Soliander was the one who’d get the questions, so he hoped to evade it altogether.
He fingered the ornate, mahogany staff in one hand, having sensed that leaving it behind was unwise, considering its nature and how powerful it could potentially be. Elegant gold script he couldn’t read flowed down it, a bluish-silver steel prong atop it holding a fist-sized diamond. In the cloth bag he’d arrived wearing over one shoulder, he’d found two tomes that had proven to be spell books. Inside his soft black robe, numerous hidden pockets held several vials, tiny bags, and oddly shaped items he couldn’t identify by touch and hadn’t had time to examine yet. Several rings, a bracelet, and
