Page 17 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
‘No?’
Drue shifted. ‘Not anymore.’
Good, Talemir almost said aloud. The fragile-egoed boy was no match for the woman before him. Slowly, he watched another realisation dawn on that devastating face.
‘You were sent here to kill me…’
Talemir flinched at those words. As soon as he’d discovered she was his target, it hadn’t sat right with him. He’d seen her hatred of the shadow wraiths firsthand, more than once now. How likely was it that someone with that much rage towards them would jeopardise their demise by sabotaging the Naarvian steel source?
‘I was,’ he allowed. ‘But I have a different proposition for you.’
‘I don’t make deals with monsters.’
‘Perhaps not, but hear what I have to say first…’
She waited for him to speak. That was permission enough to forge ahead with the madness that was forming in his head.
‘If you’re not responsible for the weakening steel source, I need to investigate it myself. I need to find out more about what’s making the wraiths stronger and more resistant to our blades.’
‘Why? You’re one of them. You’re more evolved, even. You’re probably their fucking leader, about to infiltrate the one safe place Naarvians have left. For all I know, it’syoucausing the chaos.’
‘It’s not,’ Talemir bit out, trying to tame his rising anger. Gods, this woman knew how to rile him. ‘I’m doing everything I can to rid myself of this part of me. So if it’s not you tampering with the steel source and it’s not me leading the army of dark servants, then what’s happening? Tell me what you know from your travels, from your time as a ranger. What have you seen?’
She seemed to debate with herself, a muscle in her jaw twitching as she clenched and unclenched her teeth.
Talemir forged on. ‘If you want to find your missing people and hunt wraiths so much, then use me. I have a connection to them. I assume you wish to locate their lair? You haven’t been able to find it all this time, have you? But where your trail goes dead, perhaps I can help you. And before you start – I have more reason than anyone to hate them, more reason than anyone to want to end them. You now know that better than anyone.’
‘You’re suggesting we work together…’ she chewed out slowly.
‘At last, we’re on the same page.’
‘Hardly. I’m a wraith hunter, you’re a wraith. We’ll never be on the same fucking page.’
Talemir threw his hands up in frustration, but Drue continued.
‘If we are to work together, there will be rules,’ she told him.
‘Go on…’
‘Regardless of your current form, you’re a danger. You will stay by me at all times. If I truly am the only one who knows this secret, then you are my responsibility. I’m putting my people in harm’s way by welcoming a monster into the fold.’
‘Some welcome,’ Talemir muttered. ‘You think I’d prey upon innocents? I’m a Warsword of Thezmarr.’
‘You’re a shadow wraith.’
‘Have I not proven —’
‘You’ve proven nothing except the fact that you can’t control your temper,’ Drue snapped. ‘Darkness still floods your veins.’
Talemir paced the length of the room in an effort to cool the inferno raging within. ‘What do you suggest, then?’ he asked through gritted teeth.
‘I’ll show you the steel source, so you know once and for all that I am no threat to it. Along the way, we can track the missing Naarvians, and see for ourselves what your kind is up to.’
‘They’re not my kind.’
‘The shadows don’t lie, Warsword.’
Talemir tensed. ‘And you? What is it you get?’
