“What do you think?”Okab asked haltingly, like he was nervous Altair would go straight to Rigil to report him.And, he was ashamed to say, in a previous life he would have—brother or no.But now?
“I’m in.”
Chapter 32
Zane
EmmericandIyanafilledthe rest of them in the next morning about the news that Altair had killed Iyana’s grandmother.Zane understood the haunted look on her face.It had rocked him to his core when he’d learned that his own father had killed his mother.
But Iyana was riding with Emmeric again and the awkward tension between them had dissipated, so at least something good had come from the drama of the night before.Zane did feel bad about the scorched curtains, though.He wished he had enough coin to pay the innkeepers for the damage.
It was obvious that Emmeric and Iyana were using their silent communication more often.They would stare at each other silently, but their expressions changed as if they were having an actual conversation.On more than one occasion, Iyana would blush and turn away quickly.It was amusing, but also annoying because it would take multiple attempts to gain their attention.Talon at one point seemed like he was ready to slap Em in the face just to get him to answer a question.
Tal seemed like he was regressing slightly after they’d freed his parents.Before that, he had been smiling more often, his eyes sparkling as they did before, but now he’d crawled back into that cave and was hiding from everyone just like before.Zane couldn’t do anything except be there for him.But it broke his heart to see him this way again.
Even Kaz was uncharacteristically silent.Zane asked her if she was okay.
“I miss Yrza,” she said.
“The city or the goddess?”Talon asked with a smirk.
The shifter playfully slapped his thigh from where she sat in front of him on the horse.“The goddess, obviously.I love my home, but it’s not my entire world.”
“And a woman you spoke to for less than an hour is?”Zane asked.
Kaz frowned at him.“One, she’s a goddess, not a woman.And two, yes.Did youseethe way she kissed me?”She fanned her face.“Godsdamn, it was a good kiss.”
“Are we ever going to discuss you being the reincarnation of Gana?”asked Tal.
She shrugged.“What’s there to discuss?I still feel like me, and I don’t have any memories from before.So, really, it changes nothing.”
And they left it at that.Kaz obviously didn’t think it was an important revelation, so they dropped the subject.It took only a day from the inn to reach the Sea of Stars.They would be taking the ferry across instead of braving the Aula Pass—a fact that Iyana had mentioned she was extremely grateful for after encountering wolves there last time.
The ferry had already left for the day, so they found a run-down inn at the edge of the small town and bunked down for the night.The food offered was so unappealing that Zane and Talon opted to eat dried meat and fruit in their room instead.They had finished eating and were simply sitting in silence.Zane was about to propose climbing into bed and going to sleep when Talon spoke.
“Zane,” he began.Something about his tone made Zane’s heart beat faster, but he tried to keep an even expression.
“My soul?”
Talon heaved a deep sigh and picked at a loose thread on the bedspread.“I want to tell you about when I was in the Everlands.”
Zane’s breath stalled in his chest.“Okay,” he said slowly.“What do you need from me?Do you want me to only listen or offer comfort?”
Tal’s blue eyes were swimming with tears; they pierced Zane to his soul.
“Can you hold me while I do this?I think it’ll help ground me, and I don’t know if I can look at you while I tell it.”
“Of course,” Zane said immediately.He didn’t take it personally that Talon couldn’t look at him during the telling.It was bound to be a deeply personal and emotional tale, and any ‘wrong’ expression that crossed Zane’s face could shut him down in an instant.Zane was no stranger to difficult conversations and not wanting to be emotionally vulnerable to people.Uther had tried his hardest to beat the emotions and empathy out of his son but, luckily, he did not succeed.Zane once again thanked his mother for instilling a strong moral compass, even in the eight short years he’d had with her.
They climbed into the narrow bed, and Zane reeled Talon close, tucking him into his side.Tal’s head rested on his chest, and he surely could hear just how quickly Zane’s heart was beating, but he didn’t care.He was finally going to hear what had happened and how he could help.
After another deep breath, Talon began.“I woke up on the banks of a river…”
Then he proceeded to shatter Zane’s heart as he told him of all the people he’d killed and how he had kept count.How tired he’d been when he finally died.The boy he had killed before he understood how young he actually was, and that he’d financially supported the family for years to atone.How when Iyana had found him, he was ready to wade into that river and cross into Altea’s waiting embrace.But he had heard all their voices.He’d heard Zane crying out for him, telling him he had promised to never leave him.Altea had warned them of a cost to coming back, but it hadn’t mattered.
Zane had needed him.
“I couldn’t leave you here,” Tal continued.“I heard the raw hurt in your voice and at that point, the choice was easy.I would choose you every time, Zane.”
