Legacy

20. A Snowy Situation

"How did you do that?"

They had been escorted through the forest to the foot of the mountains where Mal and her ring of thieves based their operations. Raina was sure it had once been its own peaceful town, but Mal and her thugs had chased the locals out. Now, the place was full of dilapidated houses and tents, seeming to be a shell of what it once was. Men scurried about, their backs stiffening as Mal strode by them on her horse. They were brought into the a tall, stone building that ominously loomed over them as they entered. A steeple stretched into the sky, and arches and windows were scattered all across the outside. It had no doubt been a church at some point, but the building was devoid of religious symbols. After all, how could religion survive in a place where the worst of sinners roamed?

Raina and Reggie were locked inside a heavily furnished room while hushed voices echoed through the cracks of the thick wooden door. Ari was curled into a ball on the floor by the fireplace, her chest slowly rising and falling.

Reggie was pacing back and forth across the blood red carpet, his eyes darting from the clock, to the wooden door, and every once in a while to Raina. Upon hearing her question, he stopped in his tracks, his mouth twitching.

"What are you referring to?"

Raina frowned. "How did you break the connection between Ari and the dragon?"

"I didn't."

"But I saw you-"

"The stone did," stated Reggie. The room went silent as Raina waited for more explanation, but Reggie just went back to pacing.

"Would you stop that?" Raina quipped. "It's making me nervous."

"Is there any reason you shouldn't be?" Reggie's mouth twitched. "We are subject to the whims of a very powerful, very psychotic woman who, from my understanding, has made it very clear that she does not like you."

Raina thought back to the many times Mal had glared at her on their trip to the abandoned town. "Yeah, I wouldn't call us the best of friends, but I don't need any more reminders of the trouble we're in. Pacing isn't going to help anything."

"I'm sorry to hear that you don't think so, but in my case, pacing helps me think clearly. And in order to come up with a plan for our escape, I need to think clearly," explained Reggie as he glanced at the door again.

"We don't need a plan. Lance will fix everything with Mal when he wakes up."

Reggie's sapphire-blue eyes darted to Raina. "If he wakes up."

The words hung in the air, and Raina allowed herself to imagine the worst before quickly shoving the thoughts from her mind.

"When he wakes up," Raina shot back. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Indeed?"

Raina stood up abruptly, blocking Reggie's path back across the room. "Indeed."

Reggie's face remained impassive except for the small twitch of his eyebrow. "I won't stop pacing."

"Not that question!" Raina yelled in frustration. "How did you do that thing with the stone?"

"What thing?"

Raina wanted to strangle him. "You know! The thing!"

Reggie's sapphire-blue eyes seemed to sparkle with victory at Raina's words. "No, I do not know what 'the thing' is."

Raina groaned as Reggie turned away from her and began to pace the half of the room Raina wasn't blocking.

"You have the lily flower symbol!" Raina said and pointed to his arm. "So you're like Ari. You have magic!"