“Before you arrived in the central kingdom and practically announced to the world the star-maiden was back. I killed the Libertatem participant and took his place to be close to you and make sure you stayed alive, won, and found your key. I wasn’t sure what I would do with you afterward. Of course, Rainyte intervened and got to you before anyone else could—me, Auster, Drystan’s father. That was no surprise really.”
“So what do you want now? To gain a strong alliance with Auster by handing me in?”
Tarran’s eyes darkened on me, but he had no right to be insulted by the question given his convenient appearance here.
“Don’t you think you’d already be in chains heading to the castle by now if I was?”
“Not if there’s something else you hoped to gain before ratting us out,” Drystan said.
Tarran cast him a bored look. “What if I came to give you something instead?”
Drystan crushed the wanted poster of himself. “We don’t need souvenirs.”
The look they shared was daring, but the intensity accompanied by the slight delighted curve of Tarran’s mouth almost urged me to look away from their exchange.
“Auster has called the citizens of Vesitire to the castle tomorrow to hear his speech,” Tarran informed us.
“I already knew that,” I said.
Drystan swung me an accusatory look. “Anything else you know and haven’t shared?”
I shook my head with a sheepish wince.
Tarran said, “I assume you want your dragon back. What if I said I can help?”
“We don’t trust you,” Drystan said.
“I don’t have the time nor care to convince you to trust me,” Tarran said,bored as he reached for Drystan’s cup and took a drink. Setting it down with a casual sigh, he stood lazily. “Auster Nova is no fool. He won’t let his guard down for this. My advice? The only way to distract him enough is to give him what he wants more than anything.” His brown eyes landing on me sent a chill down my spine.
“I need to be the bait,” I said.
“Not happening,” Drystan rejected.
“My token of insight is that, while Astraea occupies everyone’s attention, I have those loyal to me posing in Auster’s vampire ranks. I can make sure they anticipate letting a lone shadow slip by into the side entrance of the library where a black celestial dragon is being cruelly shackled.”
My gut twisted at the image of Eltanin chained where Nyte once was. Alone and afraid.
“What do you have to gain from helping us?” Drystan asked bitterly.
He shrugged, looking off through the crowded inn. “What do I have to gain from helping Auster?”
With that, Tarran turned and made to leave.
“Tarran,” I dipped his name in darkness before he got one step. “You do anything that puts my friends in danger, I will kill you.”
His cold eyes sliced back to me.
“You’re good at killing, aren’t you? Auster’s words aren’t all lies about you, Maiden.”
“They’re twisted lies. Ruling isn’t without hard choices and living with blood on our hands.”
This had turned into a far more personal conversation. One brewed from a memory of the past that severed the bond we grew up with while being raised by the same people.
“You should have made sure the blood on yours didn’t leave vengeance in its wake.”
A tense silence left in Tarran’s shadow as he wove through the busy inn until I lost track of him. In truth, I didn’t know if we could trust him or if this was his wicked way of having his revenge on me.
“What happened between you two?” Drystan asked.
