There was a long, tense silence before Alric spoke again. And even then, his voice was flat and disbelieving.
“You want me to send you Cassie?” Alric inquired.
“Yes.”
“Cassie Burkhard? Cameron’s twin sister? That Cassie?”
Baldewin dropped his head back against the headrest and sighed heavily. “Yes, that Cassie. I don’t believe we have any other Cassies in the castle. I haven’t been gone that long.”
“What does she have on you?”
“Alric!” Baldewin snapped.
Tori winced, but it disappeared under the sound of the king’s raucous laughter. He clearly wasn’t disturbed by Baldewin’s tone or the man’s use of his name.
“I know you, my friend, and I know my new little sister. Cassie is quite wonderful, but she has a knack for driving you crazy, which is quite the feat. I can only imagine she must have some interesting little bit of information on you if you are putting her name at the top of the list to help you.” Alric’s voice was full of warm teasing and laughter. Not at all what Tori would expect from such a leader, and he found that he liked it. He was actually starting to look forward to meeting this Alric.
“Cassie has been a great help in terms of locating Tori, and I know she would very much like to see more of Europe with her mate,” Baldewin said. There was no missing that the dragon was carefully choosing his words. “And in all honesty, I do believe Cassie will help put Tori more at ease about Burkhard. As…excitable as she is, everyone does instantly like the woman.”
“Assuming she isn’t threatening you with her baseball bat, Cheryl,” Warin interjected.
Baldewin twisted in his seat to look back at Warin. He didn’t look pleased, but his friend only laughed. Yes, now Tori wanted to ask about this Cheryl, but now wasn’t the time.
“I’m not thrilled with the idea of two mages being protected by only three dragons, but they are also three of my fiercest fighters. Plus, it sounds as if Tori is quite accomplished in spell casting. I’ll send Cassie with Sasha if she wishes to join you,” Alric agreed.
Warin snorted and lifted his voice. “I doubt Cassie is going to turn down this offer.”
“No, it’s not likely. Where should they meet you?”
Warin grabbed the back of Baldewin and Tori’s seats, pulling himself forward so he could lean closer to where Baldewin held the phone. Releasing Baldewin’s seat, he looked at his own phone. “We’re not far from Riga. The next major town on our current route is Kaunas, Lithuania. We’re a little more than three hours away.”
“Is it big enough to catch a direct train from there to Munich?” Alric asked.
“It looks like it. I would need to double check.”
“Do you wish us to switch from the car?” Baldewin said.
“It might be for the best to further cover your trail. The masking spell will help, but they may still be looking for you on the road. It’s at least an option I would like you to explore.”
“We will, Hoheit.”
“Tori’s safety is our main priority. If this does not work and Tori is unwilling to fly, then my only option left is to send more dragons in your direction. I will not allow the Jaeggi to harm him or any mage,” Alric warned in a dark voice that left no room for argument. Tori appreciated that the man was willing to accommodate him this much.
“I appreciate your patience…er…Your Majesty,” Tori awkwardly tacked on. The dragons had been calling him Hoheit, but he wasn’t sure what that meant and if it was a term he was supposed to be using when speaking to the king. Baldewin grinned at him, looking supportive.
“I know you’ve not had a lot of reasons to trust us, Tori, but we really do want you safe, regardless of whether you choose to stay in Burkhard or leave the next day.”
Surprisingly, Tori believed the dragon king. Sincerity filled his voice like a warm blanket wrapping around Tori in the car. He couldn’t remember ever feeling that kind of concern from anyone he’d grown up with, not even his parents. It was an odd thing to feel valued, yet sad over what he’d been missing his entire life.
Fortunately, he wasn’t given much of a chance to ponder it.
“Oh good! Lisette is here now,” Alric announced, a new lightness or maybe relief entering his voice. “Now you can speak mage to mage about this spell.”
Oh hell.
To say that Tori was nervous about speaking with an experienced mage, one a king deferred to, was a vast understatement. Right up there with saying Finland got a little chilly. He was all panic and no disco but kept his eyes on the road. Nervous was one thing; dead via car accident another.
Lisette’s voice was warm, with a slight roughness to it. It reminded him strangely of how a predator cat would sound if it could speak. “Hello, Tori. I am Lisette Burkhard, head mage of the clan.”