Page 110 of Draekora

Where are you?Niyx asked.

Top of the cliffs, Alex answered, knowing he wouldn’t need any more information, since where she was standing was the place where she’d Claimed him.

There’s no way Aven will want company right now, but I’m guessing you could use it, Niyx said.Stay where you are, I’ll be there in a minute.

She was grateful for his support, even if right then she didn’t feel as if she deserved it. Not when she’d just brought so much distress to his best friend.I’m sorry, Niyx. I stuffed everything up.

Shut up, Aeylia, he said.Just tell me you at least acted grateful when he told you about his surprise gift?

That gave Alex pause.His what?

His gift—His present for you.When Alex remained silent, Niyx added,Didn’t he tell you about his surprise? Why he was missing all day? The favour he asked me?

I have no idea what you’re talking about, Alex said, though she did recall Aven mentioning before they’d left the ballroom balcony that he had a surprise for her.

Niyx made a frustrated sound, though whether it was aimed towards her or Aven, she wasn’t sure.Then you don’t know about the mortals.

Putting the pieces together, Alex replied,Actually, I do.He told me he’s giving up his Rebel cause.

Despite knowing that it wouldn’t last, it still meant a lot to her that Aven had been willing to see reason because of her encouragement.

No, Aeylia, that’s not—I’m not talking about his change of beliefs, though it’s good to see you helped him see reason.

His response surprised Alex, since they’d never before discussed the depth of his affiliation with theGarseth—she’d deliberately avoided the issue given what she knew of his future.

Someone had to open his eyes to how ridiculous he was being, and light knows he wasn’t listening to me, Niyx continued.I don’t know what you said to him, but you did well on that one.

Alex wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to say ‘thank you’, but before she could figure it out, Niyx spoke again.

But that’s not what I meant when I said you don’t know about the mortals. I’m talking about the ones who are here in the city tonight.

Alex jerked violently and mentally whispered,What?

Aven spent all day searching for them, Niyx continued.A small group of traders he thought you’d like to see again, or so he told me when he pulled me aside and asked me to keep an eye on them until you returned. Their invitation was his gift to you—a gesture of his intent to end his rebellion against his father’s policies. It was his way of showing you that you mean more to him than any plan for what he considers justice.

Alex felt as if the ground had just been torn out from underneath her. Black dots blurred at the edges of her vision as words screamed across her memory, words spoken to her months ago from the dungeon where D.C. had briefed her on the history of Meya:‘The next time a human trading delegation entered the city, they killed them. All of them.’

Aeylia?Niyx called, at the same time as Xiraxus, with the draekon having sensed her distress. She didn’t answer either of them, so lost in her panic as she was.

“Aeylia?”

This time the words were spoken aloud, Niyx having now arrived on the cliffs beside her.

She turned woodenly to him and opened her mouth, unable to respond, let alone get her thoughts together.

He reached out a hand, touching his fingers to the space just beneath her eye, right near the edge of her mask. “Stars, what happened to your face?”

Lost in her panic, Alex barely heard his question.

“Wait, is this…” Niyx trailed off, frowning in concentration. “In your memories…” His face paled. “Aeylia, is this where the branch hit you?”

Numb with fear, she struggled to draw air into her tight chest. “It’s nothing, Niyx,” she wheezed. “We have a much bigger problem right now.”

It didn’t matter if the humans weren’t in the city tonight to trade—they were still a trading delegation who had entered the city. D.C.’s history report may have been wrong with its implication, but the horror of the remembered words struck Alex much worse than the sting of any branch to her face. If that version of history was correct, Aven’sGarsethwere going to massacre the humans—tonight.

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Alex said out loud, her eyes remaining unfocused even when Niyx whispered her name in a strangled sounding voice.

Ignoring Aven’s recent change of beliefs, there had been no evidence as of yet that he exhibited any desire to kill mortals—just to end the trade agreement. There was no way he was going to take off on a murderous rampage tonight that would see D.C.’s words come true. For that to happen, he would need something impossibly drastic to push him over the edge. Something that—

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