“No, but I like it when you do it.”
I returned inside the villa and pulled on my boots and my jacket. Now that summer was at the end of its trajectory, the nights were starting to get crisp and chilly.
We walked together outside the gates that led to the castle, making small talk down the dirt pathway before we made it into the heart of the village. We picked a pub that I recommended, walked inside, and got a table in the corner.
“What’s good here?” Viper asked.
“Ale.”
He nodded, and then another busty, pretty barmaid came over to take our drink order, looking at Viper like she noticed all the same attributes I had noticed about him in the past. We ordered two ales then looked at each other as we waited.
“How are things with your brother?” I asked.
“A lot better now that I brought two dragons home. Seems to make up for my disobedience.”
“I’m glad my father found a solution for you.”
“We’re in a time of peace right now, so it’s mostly helpful for visiting our eldest brother, Aurelias.”
“Yeah, I remember him.”
“He lives so far away that it’s a two-week journey each way across the sea. With the dragons, we can make the journey in a fraction of the time, which is nice because he grows older every passing day. So we don’t have much time.”
“Do they have dragons in his kingdom?”
“There are a few,” he said. “Wild dragons.”
“If he fuses with one, he’ll be immortal like you.”
“Yes, I told Kingsnake about that. We’re going to discuss it with him when I return.”
The bar maiden came to the table and placed the two ales in front of us, took another look at Viper, and then walked away.
“She’s really hot,” I said after she had returned to the bar.
He smirked before he took a drink of his ale. “You think?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“I’m not interested in chasing tail when I’m spending time with a friend.”
“Chase much tail when you were home?”
He shook his head. “There’s not much chasing going on.” He took another drink of his ale and rested his arms on the table. “So…what was Callum’s secret? If you’re willing to share it with me.”
I took another drink from my tankard, depression returning like a seed that bloomed in my tummy. “He had made a deal with the leader of the Barbarians right before we crossed paths. So basically, the entire time he was helping me, he was also helping them.”
Viper was stunned into silence, going absolutely still with his hand on the handle of his mug. He didn’t seem to breathe, didn’t seem to react at all. It was a solid ten seconds before he could find the words. “Damn.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, eyes still stunned. “That’s really fucking shitty, Lily.”
“Yeah, it took me three days just to process it. All the consequences of that fact…”
“So, I brought three hundred ships to fight in a war that he was directly responsible for?” he asked incredulously.
“Yeah, I guess. He said the Barbarians needed a new home, and he recommended the land north of Riviana Star.”
All he did was slightly shake his head. “That’s…fucking treason.”
“It happened before we met?—”
