Page 27 of Elven Lies

Harkennr wanted them to share this meal with him, because even the smallest bite ensured both parties would hold to their previous arrangement of a truce, however temporary.

A truce that would end the second Rebecca, Maxwell, and Nyx stepped beyond the walls of this prison. But while they were here, it was enough to keep them safe from Harkennr, and vice versa.

Despite all the airs he put on, the warlock obviously didn’t trust her. She would have worried a lot more if he’d acted like he did.

Rebecca didn’t need to know why the laws of the old world worked the way they did, or how they maintained their power here when they weren’t even on Xahar’áhsh, but there was no point in questioning them. The result was the same.

Harkennr wanted to see that both Rebecca and her plus-one adhered to those old laws.

Or the shit would really hit the fan.

9

She must have looked particularly desperate as she gazed up at Maxwell and silently urged him to just do what she said. Their lives literally depended on it—hers, Maxwell’s, and Nyx’s.

Finally, with another light snort, he relented and popped half a strawberry into his mouth.

She didn’t see him chew once before he swallowed, but then it was done.

Harkennr heaved a long, airy, contented sigh. Whywouldn’the be pleased to have Rebecca eating from his hand, almost literally, before he refilled his crystal wine glass she could have sworn it was still half-full thirty seconds ago?

The warlock sniffed the wine, sipped, swirled a taste of it around in his mouth, then smacked his lips and sat back in his chair. “I suppose I’ve bored you enough with the overview of things. I imagine you may be particularly interested in the finer details. I’m quite eager to share those with you as well.”

“I can imagine,” Rebecca replied, gauging the right moment for offering a reply instead of sitting and smiling and nodding where appropriate.

If Harkennr didn’t feel the conversation could naturally progress on its own merit, he’d end up askingherquestions to keep them going.

Even worse, he might decide to ask Maxwell a few questions, in which case her ability to mitigate some of the worst outcomes during this meeting would be obliterated.

Not that she didn’t think Maxwell could handle himself. He’d already proven he could. But with Harkennr, a straight answer was never just a straight answer.

Whatever trials the warlock had endured, he’d always had the ability to read anyone like an open book during conversation. Even back when she thought she’d known him in Ryngivát.

She’d be an idiot to assume he hadn’t retained the skill.

Harkennr took another luxuriating sip of wine. “What I aim to achieve here in this world is, in my own humble opinion, merely a new extension of my previous work in the old world. Though, admittedly,somemay view it as a bit of an adulteration instead.”

Rebecca couldn’t help but look up at him when he paused, and she didn’t miss Harkennr’s raised eyebrow while he waited—a clear invitation for her to expound upon his statement, if she wanted.

Was he seriously looking for her thoughts on his mad-scientist nightmare prison inhercity?

No thanks. Rebecca wouldn’t bite.

She plucked a grape from the fruit platter instead and popped it into her mouth without tasting a thing.

“But they would be wrong,” Harkennr continued. “The first to judge are always the last to truly understand. That’s simply the way of it.

“Which is another reason I wanted to have you here, Roth-Da’al. The Commander of an organization like Shade, I imagine, is far less likely to come with her own set of preconceived notions about much of anything.”

Now he was just fishing.

Still, Rebecca held her tongue. This wasn’t about her and her opinions of his “work”. She knew that much. This was all about Harkennr. She just had to suffer through the rest of it until he’d finally satisfied himself.

“You strike me as someone who quickly and easily draws logical conclusions from the evidence provided,” he added. “Nevertheless, I can’t say I’m a particular fan of mixed messages.”

Lying bastard.

“So I’ll cut through the mystery here and get right down to it.” Harkennr set down his wine glass and leaned forward over his place setting, folding both hands atop the table and gazing at Rebecca more intently than ever. “Right here, in this very facility, I have successfully constructed the necessary technology and infrastructure for reappropriating certain types of magic and then, of course,repurposingthat magic for a variety of applications I find incredibly exciting.

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