“Stop cowering like a child, Marcellious,” he ordered. “Come out and face me—man to man.”
Behind him, Tristan loomed, his gaze flicking between us like a dull-witted fool trying to piece together an oversized puzzle.
Marcellious swallowed hard, then, with clear reluctance, stepped away from the crowd.
A few men cocked their heads, intrigued, sensing the promise of a good show.
I had no intention of giving them one.
But the air between us had thickened, charged with dark energy, coiling tighter with each passing second. A demonic war would erupt if I didn’t figure out an escape—fast.
I took a stepforward, keeping my tone even. “Leave my brother alone, Balthazar. We’re just trying to live our lives—we want no trouble.”
Balthazar barely spared me a glance, his sneer deepening.
Costa, however, suddenly straightened, eyes narrowing with suspicion. “How do you know each other?” he demanded, pushing up from his seat. “I thought they were explorers. I was trying to recruit them—to aid in my mission to eradicate the world of Timebornes and Timebounds.”
Balthazar chuckled darkly.
“Oh, Raul… you’ve been duped.” He turned, fixing Costa with an amused, almost pitying look. “You, of all people, should have known—these two? They’re Timebornes.”
The effect was immediate.
Costa’s entire body went rigid, his nostrils flaring as his gaze returned to us.
His eyes bulged, veins stretching along his forehead as he snarled, “You’re Timebornes? You fucking lied to my face!”
Right.
We’d willingly announce our identities to a Timehunter.
I braced myself, subtly shifting my weight.
This was about to get very, very ugly.
“We don’t want any trouble,” I said again, keeping my tone calm and measured. “We know you’re bloodthirsty and want to kill us all. But I beg you to make an exception—leave us be.”
As if that would ever happen.
What the hell was I thinking?
Costa took a step closer, invading my space. The stench of sweat, tobacco, and stale alcohol radiated off him, thick and oppressive.
“And why should I do that?” he sneered, his breath hot against my face.
The crowd hushed, shifting toward us like vultures circling carrion, eager for the violence to erupt.
Then—
Balthazar lifted his hand.
The air crackled. A pulse of raw energy rippled through the room, thick with unseen power.
Then, in a booming voice reverberating through the rafters, Balthazar roared, “Get out! All of you! Leave before I do something regrettable!”
A supernatural wind erupted from nowhere, whipping his coat around him in a wild frenzy.
Chaos exploded.
