Then Death was gone.
We were silent for a few minutes, then Keltyr asked, “Do you think he really is a god?”
“No,” I said. “The Goddess said he isn't, and I trust her.Shemade me immortal. Death has helped me, but he can't compete with that.”
The men nodded.
“We will tread carefully with this entity,” Rath concluded.
Then Kel asked, “Hey, how did your lunch with Taroc go?”
“Oh!” I said excitedly. “He took me on a carriage ride in the sky!”
“What?” Rath asked.
“I guess it's a Tytra thing,” I said. “We went to this place where dragons flew around, carrying open boxes with glass walls, and people dined inside those boxes. We dined inside one. Thankfully, the floor wasn't glass. I think that would have made me queasy, but with the walls glass and chest high, we had a great view.”
“Wait, hold on,” Xae said, extending a hand. “Are you saying that a Tytra in his dragon form carried you and Taroc in a glass box and flew you around?”
“Yup! While we ate lunch at this fancy table that was stuck to the floor!”
The men blinked.
Xae looked at Rath and said, “Well, fuck.”
Rath nodded. “Impressive for a first date. The man is determined.”
“Maybe I should start taking Ember on dates,” Xae muttered.
“Damn it,” Keltyr pouted. “He's already outdone me.”
“Kel.” I went over to him and leaned down to kiss him. “You've already got me.”
He grinned up at me and sprawled back in his seat. “That's right. I do.”
“You all have got me.” I looked at Rath and Xae. “You don't have to take me dragon flying to impress me. I love you.”
“We love you too,” Xae said with a soft smile.
“I'm glad you had a good time, Ember,” Rath said. “But how do you feel about him?”
I shrugged. “I like Taroc. It's nice to get to know more about him. He had a lot to say, surprisingly. Interesting things. We even talked about Jathalion.”
My guys exchanged a wary look.
“No, it was good,” I said. “He helped me see things differently. I don't feel bad about Jathalion's trainees anymore.”
“Fuck,” Xae huffed. “Finally.”
“What did he say that made such a difference?” Rath asked.
“Yeah, when we've been telling you to let it go for weeks,” Keltyr added.
“He told me about the fail rate, for one thing,” I said grimly. “I had no idea it was so high.”
“Indeed. It is a great risk to attempt the starfruit, even after training,” Rath said.
“He also said that . . .” I grimaced. “This is harsh, but it really helped me.”
