Chapter 74

  The Darke King

  The kicked-up pebbles Thorin stirred with his boots bounced along the dirt path, and he puffed out his cheeks before he turned to Haldir. “So, tell me that all the stories about Daniel Darke aren’t true. Tell me we’re not strolling directly into a slaughterhouse. I mean, he can’t be all that bad, right?”

  A sneaky smirk rose on the side of his mouth that Thorin couldn’t see as he pulled on his straps and stared down the path. “Daniel can be quite a scary man when he’s properly provoked.”

  His eyes followed the sinking feeling in his gut as Thorin groaned at the Viking’s vagueness. “He was kind to Imara, though. I mean, he was quite interested in bringing us all here.”

  The immortal human’s reddish-blonde brows furrowed as he shook his head and glanced over at Thorin. “Daniel is amassing an army. He’ll want Ben to join him, no doubt, but I don’t recall him asking for a retired lecturer.”