Katya turned to him in confusion, but Julius was already searching through his phone. “Estella can seeyourdecisions,” he said, pulling a whole cluster of travel booking services into the glowing field of his AR. “But I’m Bob’s brother, which means she can’t seemine. Give me five cities you want to go to, and I’ll pick one at random and buy the ticket. We’ll do it all by flight numbers, that way you won’t even have to know where you’re going until you’re actually boarding the plane.”
Julius was pretty proud of that plan, but Katya was staring at him like he’d just suggested they go to the moon. “Why?”
“Because you don’t make any decisions this way,” he explained. “I mean, obviously you’ll know where you’re going once you get to the airport, but all the actual choices will be mine instead of yours, which means there should be no way for Estella to look into your future and see what you’re up to until it’s too late.”
“No, I understand that part,” she said. “I meant, why are you doing this forme? I’m not even your clan. Doing this puts you directly into Estella’s line of fire. Why would you take that risk for me?”
“Because you’re my friend,” Julius said without hesitation. “And because it’s the right thing to do. I’ve been bullied by more than my fair share of dragons, but Estella’s stolen your entirelife. I don’t want her to get away with that. Also, I really do think this will work. Whatever Estella’s planning, the most likely time for her to do it will be at the mating flight tomorrow night. My mother thinks so, too, which is why she’s planning a trap for that same—”
“Julius!” Justin roared. “Don’t tell her that!”
“Why not?” he said. “Katya’s not dumb. Attacking while Estella is guaranteed to be on her home turf is obviously Bethesda’s best move. Estella has to know that, too, and I’m betting she already has a counter plan in place for every one of Bethesda’s traps. But what she’d never expect is for the Heartstriker to have help from the other Daughters of the Three Sisters.”
“Wait,” Katya said, eyes wide. “You wantmeto go to mysistersand convince them to help Bethesda the Broodmare take on Estella?”
“Pretty much,” Julius said with a grin. “It’s the next logical step. Svena wanted peace between our clans, but she was in a bad position to push for it while Estella was in hiding since, without your own seer to balance things, the Heartstriker clan’s size advantage gave Bethesda the power in any negotiation.But,if your family comes in at the last second to rescue her, my mother will owe all of you her life. That’s a much more even starting point for a negotiation between our clans. If you can convince your sisters to help us, there’s a good chance we can stop Estella, save my clan, save Svena,andget a fair peace treaty all in one swoop. That’s a win-win for everyone.”
“Everyone except Estella,” Katya said. She wasn’t smiling yet, but there was a hardness in her voice that Julius liked a lot more than the defeat he’d heard earlier. “You do realize this is an extreme long shot? Even if I could convince one or more of my sisters to show up at the mating flight, there’s zero chance I could get them to attack. And if things start looking bad for the Heartstriker, they might even join in and help Estella take Bethesda down just to prove they were on her side all along.”
Justin was growling by the time Katya finished, but Julius refused to let him ruin this. “That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly. “I don’t know your sisters like you do, but I’ve never met a dragon who would attack an outside threat before punishing a traitor, and a traitor is exactly what Estella became when she turned on you and Svena. If your sisters could see what you’ve seen, do you think they’d side with Estella?”
Katya shook her head.
“Then you have to try,” Julius finished. “Even if you get out there, and they say no, it’s not like your situation with Estella can get worse.”
“Things canalwaysget worse,” Katya said bitterly. “But if I can save Svena, it’s worth it. She’s the one who’s protected me from the others since I was small. I owe it to her to help now, before Estella drags us all down forever.”
Julius grinned. “So you’ll let me get you a flight?”
She nodded, her face growing determined. “I will, and I swear on all three of my mothers that I will repay you. No one can offer two life debts, but—”
“You don’t owe me a thing,” Julius said firmly. “Like I said, you’re my friend, and doing this helps us as much as it helps you. I won’t accept a debt.”
Katya shook her head wildly. “No! I can’t let it be so uneven. I already owe you my life, and that was before I ran to you. The debt between us—”
“Is all in your head,” he finished with a smile. “I told you back in the diner: I don’t play dragon power games. I’m helping you because it’s right, I want to, it could very well prevent a war, and it makes me happy. End of story. Now,” he glanced down as his phone. “Where do you want to fly?”
Katya didn’t answer for a long time. She just sat there, staring, and then she ducked her head. “Thank you,” she whispered, furtively wiping her eyes.
Julius answered just as quietly. “You’re welcome,” he said, stepping back to lean on the counter again, giving Katya her space until, at last, she began naming cities.
Fifteen minutes later, Katya’s flight was booked and she was on her way out the door. Julius had also gotten her a cab and some money to cover food and other expenses. It was more than he could really afford, especially given what he’d spent this month already, but helping Katya was more important than money, and he’d made sure to take it out of his personal account so Marci wouldn’t suffer. Marci herself had already gone up to her attic workshop to get started on the curse, and Justin had refused to take part in any of this, which meant Julius and Katya were alone when the auto-cab arrived to take her to the airport.
“I know you won’t accept it,” Katya said as the tiny, automated car pulled up. “But I swear I will repay you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I do,” she said sternly, looking him up and down. “You are a very nice dragon, Julius Heartstriker, but you are still a dragon. You hide your cunning under the guise of kindness because it differentiates you from those who tried to crush you, but tonight proved that you are every bit as clever and conniving as any Heartstriker, and I am proud to call you my ally.” She smiled. “That being true, though, you said yourself that alliances should always be fair and equal, which is why, assuming I get out of this alive, I’m going to repay you whether you like it or not.”
She put her hand out as she finished, and Julius, unsure what else to say, took it. “Youreallydon’t have to.”
Katya laughed. “Andyoureally have to learn to stop throwing away people’s gratitude.” She released him and climbed into the cab. “I’ll call you if I get news. Good luck.”
“You, too,” he said, stepping back as the little taxi took off into the night. He was watching the last glimmer of its taillights vanish around the bend when something behind him growled.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
Julius sighed. “Did what?” he asked, turning to face his brother, who was waiting on the porch.
