The full name landed like a bombshell. He knew him, and Aster’s shoulders tensed because of it. Despite this, he met Theron’s stare without backing down.
“There are not many who infiltrate my domain and live to tell the tale,” Theron said. “I find myself uncertain whether I should be impressed by the audacity or amused by the foolishness of you coming here again.” His eyes gleamed as he leaned back, fingers tapping once against the arm of the throne. “Tell me, young bull,” he added, “do you wish to steal from me once more? Is that why you have dared journey here?”
Aster said nothing, as if he didn't want to show his hand too soon. Theron’s gaze slid briefly to me before returning to Aster.
“And who is this?” he continued. “Your apprentice this time, come to help you succeed where you failed before?”
“We have no intention of stealing from you,” Aster snapped finally, his voice tight with restraint.
Theron raised a brow.
“Of course not,” he said lightly. “After all, you are not accompanied by the young prince, and he did have so many talents… impressive really for such a young age.” A faint, knowing smile curved his mouth. “Tell me,” he added, “how is your King these days? Word is he has not been seen for quite some time.” The mockery was blatant, delivered with the ease of someone who already knew the answer.
I stayed silent, instinct telling me this was not the moment to speak, not while the tension between them crackled so sharply it felt like it might fracture the ground beneath us. We certainly didn’t want another rift forming.
Aster lifted his chin, meeting Theron’s gaze squarely.
“Our lands may be cut off from each other,” he said evenly, “but we are still neighbors. I would be a fool to believe you did not know what was happening beyond your borders.”
Theron’s grin deepened, defining his handsome features.
“Ah,” he said. “You speak of the darkness.” His eyes gleamed, flashing with interest for no longer than a heartbeat. “Those ravaging your lands.”
“And I see it hasn’t affected yours,” Aster shot back bitterly.
Theron shrugged, the motion careless.
“The darkness feels the supremacy in my land,” he replied with unhidden pride. “It has no power over my realm. Over my kingdom.” His gaze sharpened again. “Unfortunate, that I cannot say the same for yours,” he added calmly, and that was when I hit my limit and stepped forward.
The words spilled from me before I could second-guess myself, heat flaring in my chest as I clenched my fists at my sides.
“People are dying,” I said sharply. “There’s a war tearing through entire lands, and you think it’s amusing to mock the reason for it.” For the first time, Theron looked genuinely surprised. As if he never believed for a second I may have a backbone. His attention moved to me, that intense green gaze narrowing with new interest.
“Ah,” he murmured. “So the mortal speaks at last.”
“Yes,” I said, forcing my spine straight despite the way my heart thundered. “And this mortal has a lot to say.”
Aster glanced at me then, tension etched into every line of his face, before giving a small, reluctant nod. At this point, it felt like there was very little left to lose.
“I am intrigued,” Theron said, leaning forward. “Let us hear it.”
I drew in a steadying breath.
“We are not here to steal from you,” I said firmly. “And we would not be trespassing in your lands if we had any other choice. We are here because we need something.”
Theron’s expression remained unreadable, but something in his eyes changed, a knowing glint that sent a chill through me.
“I thought as much,” he said quietly before he rose from the throne once more, descending the steps with unhurried grace until he stood before us again, his presence pressing in close.
“And just what is it youthinkyou need from me?” The way he emphasized the Word ‘think’ as if he doubted we knew our own minds or the cause that drove us.
Aster shifted beside me as he drew in a breath to speak, tension coiled tight through every line of his body. I could feel it in the air, the instinctive need to protect, to explain, to take control of the moment before it could turn against us.
“We need…”
Theron lifted a hand, the words dying in Aster’s throat as surely as if he had been struck down. Theron’s attention never left me, not for a second, and I felt it like the closing of a vice.
“I do not need to hear it from you,” he said calmly. “No. I want to hear it from the mortal.”
