Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“No, actually. I was exploring the Fortress and I just—”
His eyebrows raise. “You stumbled into my domain.”
“Something like that.”
“Casually through that ten-inch-thick steel door behind you? The one with the fancy security?”
“Uh—” I grin awkwardly. “Yes?”
His eyes narrow. I’m totally screwed. He can see right through me. Now that he’s coming awake, I can tell he’s much sharper than he seemed at first. Clearly physically weak and ailing based on the way he doesn’t move much and how thin he is, but his mind is still solid.
“What’s your name?”
“Allie, sir.”
He smiles at that. “Call me Elias, not sir. You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“Very new.” I laugh awkwardly. “Can I be honest with you?”
“Please.”
“I thought someone in here was in trouble.”
His grin gets bigger. “Now why would you think that?”
“Well, I mean, Mass—” I pause, not sure how to explain it without mentioning the phone. “I heard sounds coming from this room and I was told I wasn’t allowed in here, so I just—”
He nods knowingly. “You just assumed the big, bad Dragon was torturing me for information.”
“Kind of, yeah.”
“You’re not far off, actually.” He waves a hand at a chair set beside his bed. “Come sit down. I don’t get many visitors. How’d you make it through the door?”
I drift closer. Elias doesn’t seem like he’s a threat. The old man is clearly sick somehow, and Mass has gone out of his way to make his room comfortable. “I’m kind of Mass’s wife,” I admit, taking the indicated chair.
Elias brightens. “Are you really? I thought that might be you. He was just talking about you the last time he was here. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
“You too, but honestly…” I trail off.
“He never mentioned me.” Elias looks thoughtful. “No, he wouldn’t. He’s a smart man.”
I look around the room. The place looks genuinely nice. “Are you a prisoner in here?”
Elias seems to find that very funny. “Yes and no.”
“That’s not a great answer.”
“Let’s say that I am… but not because Mass wants to keep me.”
“Sounds like there’s a story.”
His eyes twinkle. “There’s always a story, my dear. Would you like to hear it? I’ll give you the short version. If I told you the whole thing, Mass would have to kill you.”
I honestly can’t tell if he’s joking. “Better edit out the bad stuff then.”
“The big picture is this: I met Mass a long time ago. We became friends after a while, or at least as close to friends as men like us would ever be. But we live a hard life, and one day an old enemy of mine attacked and nearly finished me off. He would have too if it weren’t for Mass. I was saved, but I paid a heavy price.” He gestures at himself. “I’m afraid I’m not the man I used to be.” With a flourish, he leans forward and pats the blankets.
Which shows his lack of legs from the knees down.
I try not to stare, but it’s difficult. He seems amused, though.
“I’m really sorry to hear all that. Was your enemy Medved, by any chance? I keep hearing that name.”
“The one and only. Let’s pray Medved remains only a name for you, my dear. Although God doesn’t listen to me often these days. Otherwise, my legs would have regrown and I’d be twenty years younger.”
“Only twenty?”
He barks a laugh, grinning savagely. “I like you.”
“How come you’re here? And in a locked room?”
“The lock is for my own protection. I’m not as mobile as I used to be, and if the people who listen to my orders ever realized how frail I’ve become, they might stop doing what I tell them to do. That would be very bad for everyone. And so all this—” He gestures around him. “This is a secret.”
Something clicks inside my head. A little piece of gossip and news I remember my father talking about back in the day. “You’re a Dragon, aren’t you?”
“Until the day I die.”
“You’re the missing Dragon… the fifth Dragon. The one that never shows his face.”
“And now you see why. I was cursed with terminal ugliness.”
“Mass has been hiding you for years.”
“That’s right. Otherwise, Medved would’ve smoked me out and ended me by now, or I would’ve been usurped in some other coup, or a thousand other ways my current situation could’ve gone wrong. But enough about my misery. I want to hear more about you.” He leans forward eagerly. “Tell me about the girl who caught Massimo’s heart.”
I laugh awkwardly, but Elias clearly isn’t kidding. “I don’t think I caught anything of his.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
That makes me uncomfortable, but it also sparks some excitement in my chest. “I’m nothing special. My last name’s Russo. My dad’s in the life. My brothers are too. We lived out on Long Island, and I was going to marry someone else until I ended up here.”