Unsure of what just happened, Airess rose to her feet and watched the woman hobble away.
“What the hell was that?” Taryn demanded, talking with his hands. His face was twisted with confusion, mouth parted open before he closed it again. “What does that mean,The Vulture preys on the owl?”
Airess bristled at the thought. Mara had said many things, most of which didn't make sense, but Airess knew better than to brush it off. She was surprised, however, how invested Taryn had suddenly become.
“You seem quite interested for someone so skeptical,” Airess teased, but when his eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t name, she pivoted her body towards him.
“What is it?” Airess asked.
He stared after Mara as she melted into the crowd of the bustling street, clearly grappling with something she had said. Airess grabbed Taryn’s wrist softly. His head swiveled to hers, their gazes meeting. There was an urgency she wasn’t able to decipher in his eyes.
“Taryn, what’s wrong?”
He glanced at her hand, and his expression softened. She watched his face closely as it shifted– first soft, then hardening–-until he wore his usual sarcastic grin.
“It was probably just another part of her theatrics. Don’t let it bother you.” He said matter-of-factly, brushing off her concern.
“I suppose,” Airess commented, wanting to say more, but the growl from her stomach pulled her from her thoughts. She brought a hand to her abdomen. Taryn glanced at her hand, not missing the movement.
“Are you hungry?”
She nodded sheepishly, remembering he could hear far better than she could. Hungry was an understatement. She wasstarving.
Taryn smirked. “I know just the place.”
He led her down the street towards the food vendors, guiding them forward with his hand in hers. It was a subtle action, but his touch ignited something within her, heating her entire body. She craned her neck to look at the side of his face as they trekked forward, and couldn’t shake the feeling that Taryn was hiding something.
And he had lied about it.
Chapter 22
‘I’ve seen it. When the wall breaks, it is only the beginning. The prophecy will unfold. It is only a matter of when.’
— Written entry from Paulyr Moros’ personal journal
Taryn
“I’ll have ale, please,” Airess said to the barmaid and took a bite out of the sourdough bread that was left on the table. Taryn ordered the same and popped a piece of bread in his mouth, chewing as he scanned the tavern.
The crackling hearth cast dim, flickering light across the space. The low murmur of conversation hummed beneath the occasional burst of drunken laughter. The tavern seemed harmless enough, but Airess still wore her headscarf and Taryn his cloak. He didn’t want to take any chances on risking them getting caught.
So far, so good.
“What did you think about what Mara said?” Airess asked, her gaze pinned on him, brows creased in determination.
Right. The fortune teller.
It was a completely bizarre encounter. Taryn didn’t know what to make of it, but he recognized the words instantly.
A stolen Death. A touch of Fyre.
Those were the words the Elve had said while Taryn killed him in the alleyway. And what Mara had said about The Vulturepreyingon the Owl? He couldn’t shake the words out of his head. He knew it meant something, but he didn’t know how they connected.
Who was The Vulture?
The question was eating at him. Taryn couldn’t tell Airess. How could he possibly explain it without her thinking he was crazy? What would she think of him if he told her? Perhaps it wouldn’t matter. Perhaps everything Mara said had been a sham. Taryn tried to rationalize it, tried to make sense of it, but he couldn’t. He refused to believe it meant anything at all.
But deep inside, he knew he was lying to himself. He didn’twantto know or make sense of it.
