Page 17 of Dragon’s Ending

Dominic glanced down at the papers, then back at me, as if weighing whether I was worth the effort.

“Come on,” he said.

I frowned. “Where?”

“You want older than this,” he said.

My attention sharpened despite myself. “What does that mean?”

He watched me for an instant, and I saw a flicker of satisfaction. He’d got me hooked, and he knew it.

“The castle.”

Phoebe had told me about it over supper. Only she’d said there was hardly anything left. “The ruins?” I checked.

“Unless you’ve found another one.”

“That land is disputed,” I said, but it lacked conviction. “If there are materials there—”

“There aren’t,” Dominic said. “Not like this. But there’s things you haven’t seen.”

“What things?”

He didn’t answer. Of course he didn’t.

“Your father—” I started.

“My father,” Dominic said, very mildly, “isn’t here.”

I hesitated. Rhodri didn’t like information shared without his consent.

“Come if you want,” he added, already turning towards the door. “Or don’t.”

Which was deeply irritating, because he knew I couldn’t resist. I closed my laptop with more force than necessary.

“If this turns out to be a waste of time—”

“You can come back and alphabetise something,” he said over his shoulder.

I stood up, because it was either that or hurl my laptop at his head.

Dominic didn’t wait. I caught up with him halfway down the landing, resisting the urge to say anything, if only to prove that I could. He didn’t look at me. Of course he didn’t. Just kept walking, unhurried, like he knew exactly how far ahead he could be without losing me.

“This had better be relevant,” I said at last, thinking of all the discoveries still waiting for me in the records room.

He gave no indication he’d heard.

We stepped out into the open air, and the change was immediate—warmer, brighter, the smell of damp earth and grass replacing dust and paper. I hadn’t realised quite how long I’d been inside until my eyes adjusted and the space seemed to open up around me.

Dominic didn’t slow. He cut across the grounds without hesitation, heading towards the rise beyond the house.

The path, if it could be called that, was uneven. I had to watch where I was placing my feet, which meant I couldn’t watch him. That was probably for the best.

“Are you going to tell me what I’m looking for,” I said, “or am I expected to simply know it when I see it?”

“You’ll know it.”

The certainty in his voice made me frown.