Page 31 of Of Blood and Banes
“And you’re scared I made the wrong decision?”
“No. But your choices affect more than just you, you know,” he murmurs, the tension in his expression softening.
That spark of anger inside of me glows. “Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I made the decisions I have for peopleotherthan myself?”
“That’s beside my point. What did you agree to?”
I glare at him, swallowing down the tension collecting in my throat.
“Please…” he whispers. “I only want to help you.”
His gentle tone breaks down part of my wall. I am no match for those warm amber eyes. “I…swore secrecy of any sensitive information he discloses. And that the squad doesn’t leave the Dragon Lands. And…to a curfew.”
Cole screws his nose up. “Of all things, he asked for a curfew?”
“Yes. In turn we get our own quarters, safety from the rebels, and?—”
I pause, uncertain if I should share the agreement Darian is to be released. To me. That I’m the one with the key to hismanacles. But at the end of the day…I’m done having to defend my decisions. “And Darian is to stay under my supervision.”
A flicker of tension resurfaces in his jaw at the mention of Darian’s name. “I’m thankful for our own beds and safety, but…Darian? Why?”
“I think he may know Aaric’s secrets. Secrets no one else would be keen to, and that may turn the tides in our favor.”
“Our favor? And now you’re fully siding with the rebels?”
I nod. “I am. I’ve seen and heard things you can’t even imagine. I always questioned King Aaric, and part of me pushed it to the back of my mind because I didn’t want to accept the cruel reality of it. But I don’t think the King is who he says he is, and I don’t think the rebels are the ones who’ve been setting the towns on fire.”
He flinches. “You don’t actually believe that…do you?”
“And what do you believe?”
“I…” He scans the streets around us with townspeople meandering by. Finally, he drags his gaze back to me, his voice low and serious, “If there’s anything in this world I believe in, it’s you.”
“Then believe I’ve made the right choice.”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Do you have a plan on how to get critical information out of someone like Darian?”
The question makes me flinch. I haven’t given it much thought, other than I’ll find a way. From a logical standpoint, I don’t know Darian, and he doesn’t know me. We aren’t friends. We aren’t…anything, really. What makes me think he’d be privy to sharing anything with me?
Cole waves the question away. “That doesn’t even matter right now. What’s most important is how are you planning to keep our squad here in the Dragon Lands? Why wouldn’t they just try to leave?”
“Because staying is the safest option for them. I made the pact with Sethan to ensure everyone’s safety. And if they do try to leave, they’ll kill them.”
CHAPTER 11
HAUNTING OF A PAST
Tawny leads me later in the night to the most northwestern part of Midkeep where there are rows of uninhabited stone buildings. She tells me that here in the Dragon Lands each town has a designated sector of buildings mostly fitted for dragon riders traveling through the realm. And at the heart of each sector is one singular building that’s always reserved for Cyrus.
She leads me to the most lavish stone building on the street. The face of which has two stone dragons sitting on the marbled steps leading up to it. The scaled creatures curl into pillars holding up the roof. Tawny swings open the door for me and ushers me inside, apologizing under her breath for any dust the attendants might have missed.
I step inside, my gaze sweeping across the room. A man neatly folds a plush red blanket on a massive bed near the farthest wall. The bed’s frame twists up into a convergence of multiple golden dragons, their brilliant sheen the focus of the room. Other splashes of red decorate the grand space: an ornate rug underneath the bed, curtains lining the windows on the wall opposite the bed, and glittering rubies set in the sconces lining the walls. The man preparing the bed bows before us and exits.
Tawny turns to me, murmuring, “This was Cyrus’s last residence before he died.”
“So…you know?” I ask as a shiver runs down my spine.
She nods, unsheathes a dagger from her belt, and hands it to me. “Sethan told me you were related to him, yes.”
