Lord Red ensured Deneve’s safety from the canyon. He knew she wasn’t lying about not having the Symbol-Engraved Black Bead, but she did know where it was.

Sighing, he walked into the tent he called home. Lord Red wondered why it did not occur to him to wring the information out of her like he would have anyone else.

He felt sure of himself until he saw her again. Why did this woman’s mere presence make him question himself and make him feel unsure of his goals?

Her anger was new. Did he strike a nerve with her about the weaklings she associated with? Perhaps she cared for them.

The man she was treating seemed to be special to her. For some reason, that bothered him.

Lord Red smiled at her creative use of words. They meant nothing, but it was amusing. Okay, maybe the use of the phrase foul magus was a bit hurtful. He had never seen Deneve show anger before, and that alone made him think she wasn’t as meek as he assumed she was.

No matter, he would catch up to her again and get the black bead. A dragon army to summon at his fingertips would be a significant power boost.

Although he still needed to figure out exactly how Deneve communed with the creatures in this world, all his attempts had failed. The first step would be to get the black bead. Then he could force the leader of the dragons into submission.