Chapter 26

Aldric's POV

I don’t need much. I came here with the clothes on my back. Simone has even less. All we need is the potion and Vesper’s instructions and we can be on our way.

Vesper doesn’t allow anyone to go into his alchemy room, so we wait for him in the kitchen, listening as everyone rushes around to get their things packed.

I take up position by the door, placing myself between Simone and any possible danger, while she sits on the kitchen table with her legs tucked in under her rump. She’s so incredibly vulnerable right now, and she doesn’t even know.

“I am going to miss this place,” my young bride says.

A week ago, she told me that she wanted to leave here. Maybe I just asked her at the wrong time, but it’s all moot now. We have to go anyway. “We’ll be able to come back. Eventually, Baron will lose interest in Vesper.”

“Why does Baron care about your brother so much anyway?”

“He thinks Vesper wants to overthrow him.”

“Does he?”

“Oh yeah,” I say with a little laugh. “But he doesn’t