Dragon's Storm (Legion Of Angels #4)(33)

I smiled through the bone-crushing creak of his embrace. “Thanks. But Captain Somerset doesn’t think so.”

He grunted. “Captain Somerset is a killjoy. The woman needs to learn to loosen up. Speaking of loosening up…”

If this was his smooth transition to propositioning me, I was going to punch him.

“The Dragons have a ceremony tonight,” he said, grinning. “So we’re all planning on taking advantage of the early evening. We’re going to the Tranquility Pools for a bit of food and games. You should join us.” He glanced at Nerissa. “Both of you.”

“I could use a little down time. I’m in,” said Nerissa. “Leda?”

I peeled my eyes off the scoreboard. “If I get out of here tonight, I’ll try.”

“You can do it!” Nerissa said brightly.

“You were right,” I told her. “The unwavering optimism is annoying.”

“Come on, Leda. Promise you’ll join the party.”

“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

“You could just come naked,” Morrows suggested.

“In your dreams.”

“Oh, yes.” His eyes lit up. “You have played key roles in my dreams. Especially after our trip across the Black Ruins. The way you handled that cannon.” He winked at me.

“Actually, it was Claudia Vance who shot the cannon,” I reminded him.

“In my dreams, you all get to shoot the cannon.”

My mouth dropped. He did not just say that.

Nerissa pushed him away. “Don’t mind him, Leda. And don’t let him scare you away from the party. You simply must come. You can buy a bathing suit from one of the castle’s shops.”

“Wait, what? The castle has shops?” I gasped.

“Of course,” she replied. “Where do you think the people living here buy things?”

Good point.

“So, you’re coming to the party?” she asked.

“I’ll try. That’s the most I can promise. I have a sinking suspicion I’ll be stuck in that obstacle course all night.”

Nerissa smiled. “Let me put it a different way: drinks and pizza and scantily-clothed soldiers by the poolside.” Her brows lifted. “That should be motivation enough.”



Getting out of the repeating elemental hell loop was more motivating than the promise of food and half-naked soldiers at the end. I managed to beat Jace’s time after only an hour. I’d figured out his trick. If you stood on the underwater platform at just the right spot, it shot you past the plain of tremors.

I’d like to think I was clever for figuring that out, but I only stumbled upon the answer by mistake when a shark decided to chase me through the water tunnel and I crashed into the platform at an awkward angle.

Technically, skipping a section of the course was cheating, but I wasn’t feeling too torn up about it. Firstly, Jace had cheated too. And secondly, Captain Somerset hadn’t said anything about cheating being disallowed. No, not cheating. Outsmarting the system. That sounded much better.

I beat Jace’s time by under two seconds—a narrow lead, but a lead just the same. I smiled at the scoreboard as I left the gym. It felt good to see my name at the top for once. I guess I was competitive too.

I stopped by the castle shops on the way back to my room in the Sea Tower. There were a surprisingly large number of shops in Storm Castle. Or maybe not so surprising. There were no towns or shopping malls way out here. The castle shops had everything you could ever need—for twice the price you ever wanted to pay. I was stuck at the wrong end of a supply-and-demand problem. The only swimwear I’d brought to Storm Castle was a wetsuit, and I was pretty sure that wasn’t suitable for a poolside party. So I forked over the money for a bathing suit, trying not to think about it. It was either overpay or go naked to the party. And I was not going naked, no matter how much Morrows would approve.

My only consolation was the outfit I’d found was cute: a bikini under a zipper top and a little hip-hugging skirt. I changed in my room, completing the set with my running shoes. It was not a good idea to walk barefoot in a medieval castle.

On the way to the pool, I passed the armory. The smell of metal, smoke, and fire filled the air, mixing with a strange magical perfume. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but it was potent. Despite the late hour, the castle’s master magic smith was still working. I’d been meaning to speak with him since my arrival at Storm Castle, but I’d finished every day since then too tired to pay him a visit.

A magic smith was like an artist, bending the elements to his will to create magic weapons. They lived and worked here at Storm Castle, the place on Earth where elemental magic was at its strongest. The master magic smith was the most talented of all the smiths—and he was also the most knowledgeable. He was rumored to know the history of every notable weapon and piece of armor ever made. I hoped that was more than a rumor.

“Master Smith,” I said.

He looked up from the whip he was braiding. Lightning sparks danced across his fingers, blending into the black strands of the whip. The master smith looked twenty, but his dark eyes were so much older. They were the eyes of someone who’d seen the end of the world—and lived to tell the tale.

He set down his whip. “You are the one they call Pandora.”