“You have?” Kaelun asked.
I nodded.
“That’s why you asked Endymion to make sure he was okay,” Sidrick said, putting it together.
I nodded again.
“The moment my powers broke Tarrin’s bond to Thaddeus, he couldn’t control his commander anymore. Tarrin might not be able to remember, but I’d bet anything that Thaddeus did this—or at least ordered it like he did with my parents.” I sighed. “Honestly, a part of me wonders if his memory loss is from head trauma, or emotional.”
“As in, Tarrin doesn’twantto believe that Thaddeus would turn on him like that?” Sidrick asked.
“Yeah. I’m pissed at Tarrin, don’t get me wrong. And he has a lot to make up for. But could you imagine being linked to someone’s soul for half a millennium, only to have that person try to kill you? Especially because Tarrin was connected to the parts of Thaddeus that harbor love and hope. And I can’t ignore that when push came to shove, he protected me. I have to believe that my powers saved both of us for a reason.”
Sidrick nodded. “I agree, but you know Artton and Endymion will hate him until his dying breath.”
“Yeah, I gathered. I just don’t have the energy for measuring egos right now.”
“Is that why you butt heads with Artton so much?” Sidrick asked, and I didn’t miss the warning glance his younger brother threw him.
“Artton is… intense,” I hedged.
Kaelun let out a muffled laugh.
Iraised a brow. “What?” I asked.
“I mean, it’s just… you know that you’re intense too, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Kaelun, I’m actually a very calm person by nature. My life, on the other hand…”
“Fair enough,” he conceded.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“When I left,” Sidrick began, “Artton and Caius were asking Tarrin questions.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, I’m sure Artton was on his best behavior whileasking.”
Sidrick gave me a stiff, unapologetic smile, but stayed quiet.
“He didn’t hurt him, did he?”
“No,” Sidrick said, his voice solemn, “you’d already done all the breaking. There was no need.”
My shoulders sagged.
“Nothing you said was unkind or untrue,” Kaelun said, his unara picking up my guilt.
“Kaelun’s right. Tarrin is going to have to sit with what he’s done. That’s not for you to own.”
I nodded, knowing they were right. Though, it was hard to stop myself from wanting to shield those I cared about from being hurt, especially from me. I knew it was twisted. I also knew that I could never be accused of lacking compassion—unless it was for myself, I guess. And maybethatwas the issue.
Just realizing that Sidrick hadn’t joined us until quite a bit later, I said, “Did you just come for a visit, or…?”
“Caius wanted me to grab you; there’s something Tarrin told us that we need to discuss.”
Chapter 34
How Times Change
