Page 61 of Adversary to the Villain

Sage whistled, patting Gideon’s back. “Tough luck.”

Gideon was unamused. “Thank you very much.”

Sage pinched his cheek. “Here for you.”

“What about me?” Alexander said more quietly, clearly uncomfortable, rubbing his throat again.

Trystan sighed. “I’m loath to leave you alone, Kingsley, but there’s no guarantee you won’t turn back into a frog. I’m not sure if you want to be vulnerable out in the open when that happens.”

Kingsley appeared grateful. “I’ll come.”

He clapped a hand over his friend’s shoulder, still in disbelief that he could do so.

And now the final hurdle.

“Sage, we’ll need you, too.” Trystan addressed her earnestly. “I know you wanted to wait for Lyssa to return, but your magic would be invaluable in this.”

Her light eyes glanced down, and she appeared to collect herself before she looked back at him, this time in hapless wonder. Amusement shone through her when she said quietly, “You had me at ‘we’ll need you.’”

Lionel chimed in. “And what should I do?”

Trystan ushered the group toward the doors to make for the stables.

“Leave my home and, by the deadlands, please never return.”

Chapter 28

Gideon

Gideon found himself standing in front of a place filled with some of the most dangerous characters the world had ever known.

But in all fairness, that’s what most would find within Rennedawn’s public library.

He tugged his hood up over his head, peering around at the empty woodland road. There weren’t many who’d recognize him, but he couldn’t take the chance. He’d been dubbed a knight deserter and thus was a target. Once inside, he approached the front desk, nodding politely at the older woman who was sitting there. Her gray hair was poking out of her pins, and her large glasses were perched on her nose, her hawkish attention immobilizing him.

Clearing his throat, he remembered that there had once been a time when a majority of women found him charming. “Good morning, my lady.” Gideon swept into a bow, smiling, tugging his hood down. “How is a lovely woman such as yourself on this fine afternoon?”

The woman smiled warmly at him, her face transforming from foreboding to lovely. “Oh my. Whatever you need must be a tall order for you to be giving this old woman such attention.”

Gideon felt an odd twinge in the vicinity of his heart. “I can say with utmost sincerity that I meant every word, ma’am.”

There was something very warm in the woman’s demeanor; her face was lined with the moments of her life, and she carried them with pride. “Is this one yours, Keeley?”

“Not even if he begged.” The captain’s voice drifted over his shoulder, and at the sound, both frustration and joy rioted against each other in his brain. He didn’t want her here. “He’s my stable boy.”

The audacity of the woman!

Gideon had a retort locked and loaded, but it died a fiery death when he saw her.

Not an inch of red leather in sight.

No. She wouldn’t be in her uniform in public. She had to blend in.

Though the uniform would have been significantly less distracting.

Her long mass of golden waves was loose, falling down her sides, framing her face in strands that softened her appearance. Her body was draped in a silk day gown that floated off her shoulders. There was no adornment to the dress, just soft green, breezy and loose.

Who in the deadlands was this stranger?