Razor joined Damien in his laughter, and I narrowed my eyes at them both. “Why’s he here anyway?”
“He’s part of the Allbright Faction and has been here at the coliseum since the beginning.” Damien leaned back in his chair.
He barely looked older than I was, so I was taken aback by the information. I knew this was due to my human upbringing. Reverie had explained to me how their aging slows down when an Aurathion bonds with their Nexus. Her parents had aged remarkably well and appeared to be in their late twenties, even though they were nearing their mid-forties.
Hayes and Damien were the Hawthorne's age yet seemed much older. Despite having no wrinkles on their faces, their eyes spoke of all they’d been through.
I sat next to Razor, but Hayes walked up to the third chair and remained standing, putting both hands on the back. He andDamien shared a look I didn’t understand, and then Damien began speaking again.
“Razor’s ability is strengthened by his Faction. They were one of the few allowed to remain whole.” Damien's face filled with sorrow.
I’m sure there was a story there, but for once, I kept my questions to myself.
“My Faction didn’t participate in the war. We were in the jungles of Nyberie, studying the ancient species of Draxon for several years. The area is extremely remote, and we didn’t learn about everything that happened until our return.” He smiled at me, “You might find them interesting after your display in the training yard. They’re where the Dragon myths originated in your world.”
“My world?” I narrowed my eyes at Hayes and Damien. “Did you tell him what we spoke about yesterday without my permission?” I felt my face get hot. I was pissed right the fuck off. If anything these bastards did endangers my Nexi, I’d kill every one of them.
“I did. When you discover the many ways he can help us, you’ll understand why we confided in him.” Damien explained, not even slightly repentant.
Razor continued, “I can help you with several of your problems, and with the strength of my Faction, the possibilities are almost limitless.”
“Why are you willing to help us? You’re a guard here, after all.” I asked him suspiciously.
“If it weren’t for Damien and Hayes, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Not to mention it’s because of them that my Faction was allowed to stay together.” He looked at both the men in gratitude.
“I’m glad you and your Faction missed the bulk of the war. Being considered neutral was the only thing that saved you.Well, that and keeping most of your ability secret,” Hayes said, his voice sounding hoarse.
He seemed off today, but I knew he wouldn’t take kindly to me questioning him about it. Maybe he was coming down with something. Though for an Aurathion, that would be highly unusual.
Damien turned to me, “You can also trust him because what we’re asking of him could harm his Faction and he’s agreed anyway.”
I knew that it would be on me no matter what happened from here on out. I just had to have faith that I put my trust in the right people. Putting Reverie’s life into anyone’s hands but mine was never going to sit well with me, no matter the circumstances.
“Your battle in the coliseum takes place tomorrow and I hope our chance to leave presents itself then. The plan is to leave before you’re forced to perform, but if not, directly after.” Damien explained.
“You still haven’t told me how he can help,” I said to Hayes, gesturing toward Razor.
Razor answered me himself, “We’ll explain everything, but I don’t think here is the safest place to do that.”
At that exact moment, we heard footsteps approaching from the hallway.
Damien said quickly, “We’ll meet in the armory after midnight.”
Before any of us could respond, a woman I had never seen before entered the room. She was beautiful, with blonde hair and blue eyes, but something about her gave me chills. My instincts were reinforced by the stiff posture displayed by the three men in the room at her entrance.
“Beatrice, what can we do for you?” Damien asked in a very formal tone.
She walked around the room slowly, casually running her finger over some of the furniture, stopping in front of the board and examining it without saying a single word or responding to Damien’s question.
I could feel the tension rising. I took my cues from the other men and stayed quiet.
She turned from the board, walked over and sat in the chair behind which Hayes was standing. I didn’t know how it was possible, but Hayes stiffened even more. No one spoke as she took her time straightening her dress and smoothing her hair.
Just when the tension in the room had reached code red, she crossed her legs and smiled at Damien.
“Selene wanted to meet the man who displayed such an incredible ability yesterday. Imagine my confusion when he wasn’t in the training yard and neither were you two.” She raised one eyebrow in Razor’s direction, “I really can’t think of any explanation as to why you’re here.”
“We were meeting about the performance tomorrow. This will be Nathan’s first and we thought Razor could help. Other than Hayes and myself, he’s been in the most battles.” Damien lied smoothly. “He’s also familiar with Nathan’s new talent.”
