Octavian shook his head, but his eyes flicked to either side as if making sure no one else overheard. “Rumors and legend—”
“Are sometimes true.” She released him, propping her hands on her hips and looking him up and down. “And there are those who wish to help you.”
Octavian was still as rigid as a rake, and I half expected him to whip out his sword even now, or at least barrel over her and escape through the crowd. But when I looked up into his face, there was more confusion than concern in his expression.
“I know you don’t have any reason to trust me,” the girl said. “But I can take you to someone I know youwilltrust. Someone you used to know quite well.”
“Who?” Octavian demanded in his deep avalanche of a voice.
Her smile widened, and she leaned closer again. “Talon.”
The shift in Octavian was immediate. “Talon is here?”
“Well, nothere,” the young woman said, indicating their immediate surroundings. “But he’s close. I can take you there.”
Octavian looked down at me. I could see his hesitation, but I wasn’t sure whether it was on my behalf or because everything about this encounter felt entirely too coincidental. Clearly, though, that name—Talon—meant something to him.
“I pose no threat to you,” the girl pointed out to Octavian. “You could crush me like a bug if you wanted to.”
“Only a fool would discount someone because of their size,” he replied.
Her grin practically reached her ears, which boasted three studs on one side and four on the other, each with a different colored stone.
“You’re funny,” she said. “And smart. I knew you would be.” She cocked her head thoughtfully, still gazing up at him with nothing short of admiration. “What will it take for you to trust me? Or to believe that I’m no match for you? I could bring Talon to you, of course, but there’s nowhere in town as secure as his hideaway.”
Octavian’s face was a mask, perfectly unreadable as he considered the situation. I had a sneaking suspicion that, had I not been with him, he would have absolutely taken the risk of accepting the girl’s offer without a second thought. His reaction to the nameTalon—the hope and joy that had flashed briefly in his eyes—was all the evidence I needed.
I squeezed his arm, drawing his attention back down to me. And I offered him my most reassuring smile as I gave a small nod.
I trust you, I tried to convey with my eyes.
And apparently that was all the push he needed, because his shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit more as he turned back to the girl.
“Very well,” he said. “Take us to him.”
The girl grinned, clasping her fingers together in barely restrained glee. “Wonderful. This way.” She beckoned for us to follow her.
And we did, falling in behind her as she skillfully wove her way through the crowded market. People didn’t fall out of her way like they did for Octavian, but she navigated the streets like a pro, swerving and threading a path for herself through the throng—which made me wonder how “accidental” our collision had been.
I leaned close to Octavian as we walked after her through the crowds of people.
“Who’s Talon?” I whispered.
“An old friend.” He kept his voice low so the young woman wouldn’t overhear. “And hopefully a current friend, too.”
“Do you think we can trust this girl?”
“I don’t trust anyone,” he replied. “But if Talon is alive, and he’s here, then it’s worth the risk.” His azure eyes gazed down at me, and he squeezed my arm. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
“I know.”
He responded with a smile that warmed me from the inside out, and something fluttered in my chest, making it temporarily hard to breathe. This man had a way of completely disarming me with a single look, of making me want to offer up everything—my life, my body, my heart—to his protection.
Even after he told you his heart belonged to someone else?a little voice in my head reminded me.Be careful, Goldie. That’s how you end up getting your soul crushed.There was also the added complication of Radven, and of the fact that there were things trying to kill me everywhere I turned, and I refused to be the sort of girl who got herself murdered because she was too distracted by hard muscles and dreamy eyes.
I didn’t have much time to linger on that thought, though, because suddenly the street we were on opened up into a huge square—and what I assumed was one of Ring-Around-the-Hill’s four markets.
This place made the rest of the town looksubdued.Everywhere I looked there was an explosion of colors and sounds and smells. Vividly hued stalls were spread in every direction, extending from physical storefronts and spilling down every street and alleyway within view. They were selling everything from brightly dyed cloth to dried spices to crates of giant yellow squash. I spotted one man with a booth full of little wooden figurines carved to look like animals, and the woman next to him had fresh sausages hung up in long chains. A girl who looked no older than ten was luring people to her table covered in beaded necklaces, while the couple opposite her had attracted a small crowd to their baskets of what appeared to be knobby blue potatoes.
