Ravi let them go without protest, as Nikki was clearly nervous about being in here much longer. And they knew better than Ravi how to time things in this messed up clan. He felt elated, though. An ally here changed things. And whether Ravi broke out first or his clan found him, he’d make sure to take Nikki with him.
Nikki and all those like them.
Damn the Jaeggi. Damn them to the ninth circle of hell and back. Greed surely had its limits. And they’d far surpassed it.
Nikki stared at the cuffs through narrowed eyes, chewing absently on their bottom lip. “This is really convoluted, what they’ve done. And you won’t believe the elements they’ve used to do it.”
The young mage had returned a short time later, after Thomas had stuck his face in the little window to glare at Ravi. The Jaeggi leader didn’t say anything but seemed to be checking on him as he turned over new, evil plots in his twisted brain.
Ravi was glad that he’d left again so quickly and Nikki was back. He still had a sense of Sora’s worry and pain, but also a hint he might be drawing closer. Ravi needed to be free before his clanmates finally discovered his location. He needed to help his clan fight.
“I might. It’s irritating my skin, and my dragon is seriously pissed off.”
“I’m seeing powder from a harpy’s eggshell, black sand from a wasteland, and shadow of an eclipse embedded in these cuffs.”
A shiver wracked Ravi from head to toe. “Ugh, disgusting. I’m not sure I wanted to know that.”
“You know what that means?”
“Five hundred years of living with mages, you pick up things. I’ve either guarded them on trips or helped them gather elements for most of my life. Don’t ask me to mix anything up, I’ve got no idea what I’m doing, but I can tell you good elements from bad.”
Ravi kind of regretted that knowledge in this moment.
But the curious part of it was not his own knowledge, but how Nikki knew all of this.
“I know I suggested you try to get me out of the cuffs, but you recognize the design?”
“Sorta. They never trained me, but I would pick up textbooks and read them. Past couple of years, I started reading more, trying to find spells that could help me get out of here. And deal with acne. You know, the vital stuff.”
“Ah.” That did make sense. Skin care was important, too. “So…can you get me out of these?”
Nikki relaxed, no longer standing on tiptoe, their mouth scrunched in a manner that didn’t indicate anything good. “So, here’s the thing. The cuffs are locked in such a way that it’ll take someone’s magical signature to unlock them.”
“They bio-coded them?”
“Basically. I think it’s only Thomas and maybe two others who can unlock you. It’s hard to tell from the design, but that’s my guess.” Nikki looked disheartened at this. And strangely determined. “I do have an idea, though.”
“Please tell me it doesn’t involve cutting off someone’s hand.”
Nikki made a face like they were considering it before they shook their head, allowing Ravi to breathe a little easier.
“I know a spell that can blow stuff up. I bet I can blow the cuffs off.” Off-handedly, Nikki added, “It might take your hands with it, though. You can grow those back, right?”
The casual way they suggested it alarmed Ravi. His nerves sent out panicked signals at the thought.
“I realize dragons look like overgrown lizards, but we’re not really in the same family. Absolutely nothing on me grows back when blown off. Let’s leave that for Option Z.”
Nikki shrugged, not bothered by Ravi’s rejection. “I don’t blame you. Really? Your hands don’t grow back?”
“Absolutely promise. And I’m rather attached to my hands.”
“Yeah, I guess I can understand that.” Nikki grinned, but it faded quickly as they looked at Ravi’s hands. “Your circulation is cut off, isn’t it? Your hands are looking not so good.”
“It’s reached that numb, tingling phase. I keep flipping upside down, and it helps, but…yeah. Pretty uncomfortable.”
That was the least of it. His shoulders were aching, he had a low-grade burn in his calves, his back ached, and he was still freezing despite the nice blanket draped over him. He’d really prefer to get out of here sooner rather than later.
Ravi didn’t want to ask this question, either. But felt that he’d rather know than to live in worry. “Have they given up on trying to force a bond on me?”
“Not really. It’s not like they tell me anything, but I’m good at sneaking around and eavesdropping. They’re trying to find a way to strip the bond first. Without killing you. They’d happily kill your mate if they knew where he was.” Nikki’s expression turned doubtful. “Is there a way to break a bond without killing the dragon?”
“No. And they’re stupid for even thinking about it.”
“They’re all really…I dunno how to say this. Really gleeful at the idea of breaking your bond. Like, they’re viciously excited to try it. They’re angry the way a woman would be if she found out her boyfriend was banging her sister. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Ravi could tell Nikki was fishing. He had no problem explaining this, as Nikki likely had only heard the Jaeggi version anyway.
“Hundreds of years ago, Kaiser Jaeggi fell in love with a dragon. He and the dragon were lovers, but it was more a matter of convenience and fun. It wasn’t supposed to be a serious relationship. The dragon was frank enough about the fact that Kaiser Jaeggi wasn’t his mate. And when the dragon found his true mate, he broke things off. Kaiser Jaeggi went insane. Perfectly, truly insane. He was inconsolable, and he decided to destroy what he couldn’t have. He started with the dragons. And then focused on the mages because he was jealous of the mage who had stolen his dragon from him. The war, believe it or not, was all because of one love affair gone wrong.”
Nikki stared back at him, eyes wide with surprise and disgust. “Seriously? We’re in this situation because one dude, five hundred years ago, got mad about some dick?”
“Basically.”
“Oh man, that’s so wrong. On so many levels, so wrong.” Nikki gripped their forehead as if it pained them.
“You think that’s bad, just wait. There’s more!”
“Please don’t make yourself sound like a bad infomercial,” Nikki whimpered. “I’ve got a headache as it is.”
“When Kaiser Jaeggi enacted the spell in order to destroy the mages, it was an anti-spell. We’re shy on details, but we believe it backfired and literally altered the genetics of the entire Jaeggi clan. The reason why their magical cores are so messed up? Because of one man.”
Nikki rubbed at both temples. “Oh, god. So why the hell aren’t they blaming him? Why blame the dragons?”
“Why, indeed. I can’t explain it. I think at this point, they just want to get even. They want their magic back. They find it easier to blame us because we’re living. We can offer them both an outlet and a solution. Kaiser Jaeggi’s long dead; there’s no use digging up his grave.” Ravi shook his head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to any of us. We know they’re like a cult at this point. They worship the ground Kaiser Jaeggi walks on, won’t hear one single word against him.”