Von

The Second Lord of Stormkeep stood outside in the rain, longsword against the ground. His rapier was at the blacksmith for adjustments but it would not do to meet a guest unarmed. A rather fine rain was falling, less a proper storm and more a greasy mist, and Von had ordered the guards as well as his brother to remain inside. It would not do if the defenders or rulers of the Stormlands fell ill. Hesitantly, they all obeyed him. Talla watched him from beneath the arch, partially protected from the rain. It was the most he could hope from her, after their discussion.

“Come inside. It makes no difference if you are waiting for her or not, their pride will not be injured if you shelter yourself from rain,” Talla had insisted. “You will know when they have arrived, there is no need to stay here. No one will know or care how long you have been outside in the rain.”

Von had shaken his head and said, “The Storm Gods will. A Redgrave must stand at the gates.”

She had left it at that, the two having an unspoken agreement not to prod further when their faith demanded action, but to say Talla was unhappy at it would have been understating the matter. He appreciated this, in a way, and was thankful when distant horns announced the end of “Open the gates!” Von thundered. At this note a group hurried to the wheels and spun them rapidly.

A single rider came through the gates and he nodded curtly at them, his gaze fixated on the gates still awaiting the carriage and honor guard. He was perplexed when he heard guards announcing that the gates be closed once more and his heart raced when he understood his mistake. “My lady, forgive me,” he said, rushing to the single rider, “I did not realize you came here alone.”

He extended his hand at her and she gracefully took it before vaulting off her horse. Taking my hand makes it harder to jump off the horse, if anything, but tradition must be followed. Her hand was not delicate but nor was it hardened. There was resolve there, but exhaustion caused her to tremble slightly. There were protocols to follow, but a few other things needed to be taken care of first. “I am Von of Redgrave,” he told her. “Stormkeep welcomes you as its guest.”

She nodded weakly, but her red eyes gazed intently into his. “Thank you, my lord. I am Alayne of Milvidas.” Rain fell over the two of them, and both would have liked nothing more than to retreat inside, especially the demon. Yet there were matters to settle first.

“Does your escort lag behind, my fair lady?” Von asked, still holding her hand within his. “Are they harmed?”

“No,” Alayne replied quickly. “I came here without an escort, my lord.” There was a touch of shame in her voice that prevented Von from voicing his thoughts. You through the Waterfalls unaccompanied? He was outraged at the idea of making a noble lady partake in such travels alone, but he could at once sense the reason and he knew bringing more attention to it would only heighten her embarrassment. They lack the coin for it. That’s why they were willing to send their daughter to a human lord. Still, to risk her life in this manner… “Forgive my attire, my lord,” Alayne said, looking down, “I meant to stop in Stormhelm and change to a more adequate attire before meeting you, but the weather being what it was—my horse—I did not want her…”

She was wearing clothes well-suited for a traveler, clad in dark trousers and a similarly shaded long-sleeved shirt, with a wintersheep-made coat wrapped around her. Were it not for her long red hair that went down to her back, he doubted many would have marked her as a foreigner. Likely her intention.

Von found himself smiling. “Were you to put your appearance over your horse’s well-being, my fair lady, then you would need to ask me for forgiveness. Not so for this.” He turned his neck round to the horse, a tall, darker mare with a touch of white near her nuzzle. Taller than most Storemener stallions, this one, he thought. “May I?” he asked, gesturing at the horse.

Alayne hesitated, but nodded when she noticed the sugar cube on his hand she relaxed slightly. He opened his palm flat and allowed the horse to take it from his hand, after which he reached for her neck and patted her gently. “I usually like to make sure the horses are well taken care of after long trips like this,” Von confessed, smiling guiltily. “Usually my brother is the one handling visitors, so I retreat with the horses to the stables and help the stablemaster with…” He shook his head. I am acting as a lord now. I should not be speaking of this. But Alayne appeared more relaxed now. “It still rains, my lady. Let us get inside.”

“But Pella—” Her horse’s name, no doubt.

“I swear to you, the stablemaster will see to it that she is the most well cared for horse in our stables,” Von promised her, and he meant it. “Let us unload your luggage first, though—I imagine you will need it.”

The demon nodded weakly. “My clothes and belongings are there, I would rather have them with me if it is at all possible, my lord. If—if it troubles you, I may come grab them later,” she added quickly, and Von noticed the fear in her eyes, and he felt his heart tighten. She means to make a good impression, because her family needs the coin. There is so much fear and nervousness in her eyes. He had come with a heart to confront her as an enemy, and here he felt guilty.

“Of course, my lady. Allow me—”

“There—there is no need my lord, I could not ask you to—I can—”

Stormener pride would not allow him to leave this matter to someone else. He offloaded the bags attached to her horse, and once the stablemaster guided the animal inside he gestured with his head at Alayne to follow him. She did so, but not before only one last hesitant glance at her horse. The demon nearly jumped when she noticed Talla following them silently, and Von whispered, “That is my guest, Talla of Bosque—do not take her quietness for rudeness. She does not know what the formalities are when two lords meet, and wishes to be accommodating.”

Alayne nodded, but her concern was understandable as Talla’s intense gaze did not leave them for a while. The demon appeared, if not relaxed, then at least distracted by the soothing sensation of warmth as they entered the castle. Her kind was not made for the cold, he thought. What is her family thinking, sending her here? He knew the answer, and he did not like it. There were no guards or servants standing in any hallway leading to the room chosen for her, a spacious room in the eastern tower, and this had been by design. Stormeners in the castle had not seen a demon in years and he did not want the attention to drown the poor woman.

“Is that—a fire bed?” Alayne could not keep the surprise out of her voice when they reached her room. She set down her bags on the floor, and touched the metal grate with a nostalgic wonder before inspecting the wood beneath. “It is in perfect order,” she said aloud, voice full of awe. Realizing what it could be misconstrued as, she turned around and added quickly, “I—I did not doubt your ability as a host, my lord, I simply am surprised that—”

Von laughed and waved off the apologies. “No, it is a fair concern. We don’t share a border with you, it is rare for us to have visitors of your kind. But my father, the late Ven of Redgrave, was close friends with Lafel of Redriver, and before their unfortunate deaths they would visit each other’s castles quite frequently. He had this room built specifically for him—hence the stone. Hardly any wood here, so as not to interfere with the fire bed, and wide windows to the courtyard so the smoke does not trouble you at night, should the fire rise too high.”

Alayne nodded at all of this in silence, but a moment later when she had processed it all her face flushed. “You mean—Lord Lafel used to stay in this room?”

“Aye, my lady.”

There was horror on her face, and her hands trembled slightly. At first Von thought the late lord or his house had offended her family somehow, but then he heard her mutter, “I do not deserve this,” and he stayed quiet. He did not think the exhausted lady realized what she had said, and he meant not to give her chance to realize it. “You need not worry about meeting my lord brother, the prince of the storms, tonight. You had a long journey, surely you need rest. And I imagined you did not have a fire bed during your journey.”

She shook her head. “No, my lord. I slept over my bonfire, once, but it rose too high and it was rather uncomfortable. Not to mention it attracts too much attention. Bandits—” Alayne caught herself speaking too plainly and shook her head. “I am most thankful for the fire bed, truly. I did not expect to see one while in the Stormlands.”

“You need fire to live, it would be remiss of your hosts not to provide it for you.”

“Perhaps,” she admitted, “but I expected a less…efficient way of delivering it. You and the Prince have my thanks, which I will personally give in the morning.”

Von shook his head. “You need not worry about breaking fast with us.”

“My lord, I—”

“—You need more sleep, no?” Von insisted. “We can see you at lunch.” Here he remembered something. “Ah, the Master of Knives was instructed about your diets, so you will not be bothered with meals unless you request them. When you need an animal slaughtered, it will be brought to your quarters discreetly. You may join us for regular meals for the social aspect, of course.”

The demon’s face again relaxed slightly, and there was a sort of hesitant pleasantry in her smile. “Again, thank you, my lord. I had feared how that matter would be handled.”

“Will you require any animal to be slaughtered tonight?”

She shook her head. “I killed a cow just before leaving, my body would not need to kill another for nearly a year from now.”

Von nodded, then walked toward the window, gesturing at her to glance at the courtyard beneath them. “The courtyard you see is usually used during the brief summer we have,” he told her as she joined him, “but we keep it sealed for now. Servants cannot get to it. Bloody Ice, we call that courtyard.” He paused and confirmed the history in his head before saying it. “Long ago, when the Icefolk ruled as Kings in the Storm, this courtyard was used for their gladiatorial games. You will note that the only windows facing it come from this tower and the one opposing it—the rest is flat stone, with nary a glance into it. It was done so that the bloody combat would not be visible to the rest of the castle that might be more fainthearted about it. The western tower is where my quarters are located, and my curtains will remain closed the entire time—other rooms with windows facing this particular courtyard have been sealed as well.”

Alayne looked at him hesitantly, as if unsure what to make of that story. I don’t blame you. I didn’t know why brother insisted I knew it either at first. “Lord Father had the same arrangement done, sealing the other rooms,” he said to her, “so that Lord Lafel and his retinue could stretch their wings in private. I was quite young when he visited, but he told me that keeping them hidden felt heavy and painful after a while.” He looked at her apologetically. “I am terribly sorry if this is a private matter I should not speak of aloud, but it seemed more prudent of me to mention it and less rude than having a servant tell you as much.”

“Once more, my lord, your kindness surprises me.” Alayne looked over at the courtyard. “That will be more than enough space for me to fly slightly.”

“In complete privacy,” Von repeated. “I will keep my curtains drawn at all times during your visit. I swear it.”

She hesitated, more than slightly. There was an internal struggle there, but she forced herself to smile and tried to say as naturally as she could, “You need not make such oath, my lord. It would not bother me if you were to witness my wings.” Von felt guilty at seeing the fear in her eyes once more. She is trying to be strong. “If you have never seen a demon’s wings before, I am a little fatigued, but I—I could—right now—”

Alayne stopped, blushing heavily. At first, Von thought she had simply pushed herself too hard, but then he remembered that Talla had been waiting by the doorway watching the two in silence with her arms crossed. It was then that Von too started blushing. “Forgive me, Lady of Bosque,” she said, walking up to her. “I did not mean to say such crude things in front of you.” Crude?

“Pay it no mind,” Talla replied. It was the first thing she had said to the demon. “And I am no lady, so do not feel the need to give me a title. I am but a common elf.”

“Ah,” Alayne replied, and stopped there. It wasn’t that her lack of title bothered her, but it appeared to leave her speechless. She has no idea what to say or how to address her.

Von stepped up. “Talla is Champion of Bosque,” Von offered, and he glared at Talla to avoid having her object to that manner of address with technicalities as well. You are, by the Storm Gods, until you abdicate the title. It matters not if you felled your Elder. “She earned the title recently.”

To both their surprises, here Alayne smiled broadly and forcibly uncrossed Talla’s arms, taking both her hands within hers and shaking them in an animated fashion. “That is amazing!” she exclaimed. “I have not heard of a woman champion aside from Ellara the Giant! I always dreamed of being Champion of the Valley, but my lord father would not allow me to take up the sword.”

“O—oh,” Talla replied, her face blank and her eyes wide. She looked at Von for help, but he only shrugged in response. “It is…it is a small feat.”

“If that is a small feat for you, I cannot wait to see what you accomplish, Champion Talla,” she said excitedly. “That is quite amazing!” An urge of curiosity appeared to take over her, and even from afar Von could see the demon’s eyes pointed at Talla’s ears. “My eyes rarely have the chance to lay on elves,” Alayne admitted, “Humans come to the Valley often enough, the Ironlands are our biggest trading partner. But elves rarely leave...” Her voice trailed off but her red eyes remained fixated on her ears.

“Would…you like to touch them?” Talla offered, hesitantly.

“Can I?” Alayne nearly shouted, and waited only for a hesitant nod before reaching for her ears and massaging them gently. Talla shot a desperate look at Von, who again only shrugged and suppressed an amused smile. Well, she seems more at ease around you, at least. Nearly a minute later she let go of Talla’s ears, and her smile had widened. At once, reason seemed to return to her, and she appeared greatly embarrassed by the whole ordeal—if not terrified, when she looked at Von.

She is afraid of having ruined her chances with the marriage alliance. She is worried about her family. Von did not mean to marry the woman, but he wanted her to feel at ease, so he smiled and said, “I am pleased to see you two get along well.”

Alayne blushed, but Von maintained a wide, gentle smile that he hoped soothed her. Judging by how her shoulders slumped, if only slightly he felt as though it took some of the pressure off the woman. “My apologies for my behavior,” Alayne said to them both, “I have not slept well in a long while, and certainly not in a fire. I hope you can forgive my indiscretion and…mayhap not mention it to the prince?” she asked, hesitantly.

“I would never,” Von said.

“I have not exchanged private words with him since our first meeting,” Talla offered bluntly.

Both answers seemed to help her a little. “The only other elf I ever saw,” she said, “was this sullen young man in the Greytower.”

Kai.

They both froze at this mention, but the demon did not pick up on it. “He wasn’t there for long. I was sent to the Greytower to study, but he was sent there to adapt after his injuries. His mind was clouded with anger at the time, and he did not want to talk to many there.”

Von watched Talla carefully and noted her solemn expression. “Maybe he wasn’t always like that,” Talla offered. “Maybe he was a kind man, once. Maybe it wasn’t his injuries that broke him, but the weight of expectations he was placed under.”

“It would not surprise me,” Alayne replied, with a lowered voice as if to invite discretion. “The Greytower is a fantastic place, but it stretches itself thin sometimes. There was aid and an offer of friendship, yes, but I believe he needed more than that. It is unfortunate he left after the incident—I voted against it, but my vote mattered for little.”

“That is very kind of you,” Talla said, and the air seemed to feel lighter.

Vance

For a moment, it was as if his mother hadn’t heard. She showed no approval or distaste at his news and only looked out the window thoughtfully. Pellena of Redgrave looked out the window as if searching for something for a long while. “You think this wise?” she asked finally. “To marry Von to a demon?”

“Our family had a close bond with a demon, once,” he said, hiding a smile. Father would be happy to know we are continuing them. “You did not object to Father’s friendship with Lafel of Redriver.”

“And I was rewarded with a dead husband in a distant land,” she muttered. “He sailed off to defend his friend’s honor and died by demon fangs.”

“Not Lafel’s,” Vance said, in a heavy tone. “It was the Darfogos who felled them, and Lafel’s son avenged my lord father as well as his own when he slew the pretenders and took back the title.” Would it only that I had been strong enough to make it there. Vance had been injured at the steps in Dragon’s Hearth, right before Teyfel of Redriver managed to kill him. This regret would haunt him to his dying day. I killed him, Teyfel had said, in a feverish tone, sword-hand shaking, I killed the usurper. He had not sounded happy. “Demons felled father, but demons avenged him.”

His mother turned sharp eyes at him. “And will that blood bring my husband back? Will it keep me company on cold nights? Will it raise my youngest into proper Redgraves?”

“No to most, yes to the last. A Stormener avenged may enter Storm’s Gates up above.” This did not suffice, and he knew. Pellena of Redgrave had been born in the Ironlands, and it was the Chain and the Fire she prayed to, not the Storm Gods. “Father died well. His memory guides his sons.”

“Does it?” she demanded. “Remember what I have lost, my son, because of demons.”

He paused. “You allowed Vila to marry without complaint.”

“She married a human.”

She married a southerner, Vance thought angrily. Someone who tore down storm shrines in his lands. It was not his place to say it, and it never would be the time. Vila was happy, as far as he could tell, and it was pettiness on his part. “Mother, Von’s future means a great deal to our house. Stormener honor is to—”

“Storemener honor,” she began, “cost me Veren, when my own husband put him to the sword. Cost me my husband, when he became a shield to his friend. Cost me Nelle, when…he was banished.” The unspoken hung heavily. When I banished him, you want to say. “How much more of my family must Stormener honor take from me before the Storm Gods are satisfied?”

“Von is not being taken anywhere. The woman is of a lesser house, if she were to wed him, he would remain in our lands—”

“Until demons get into another war,” his mother cut him off, “and he is called to defend his woman’s honor. Do you expect this peace to last? They have had more civil wars than tournaments in their lands in the last ten years!”

“That they had.” Vance spoke as if he grudged every word. “But her house is minor, Von would not be required to fight for her.”

His mother could only laugh bitterly at this. “Required? Was Ven required to fight for Lafel? Is Von required to fight for Talla?” It did not escape him that she referred to the elf by name. “Honor is a heavy chain on every Redgrave, one that tightens around their neck every time they are faced with a choice.”

“That it might,” the prince conceded. Then, he smiled sadly. “It is our way, my lady mother. Forgive us for being foolish.”

“I will not,” she contested. There were tears in her eyes, but her voice did not drop or raise. “I will always love you. But I will never forgive you.”

“I know,” he muttered, embracing his mother. “And I will always be sorry.”

She laughed against his chest. “That is the least you can, you ungrateful son.” She paused. “What about the elf? Von seems to like Talla, I would think.”

“She is not of noble blood.”

“Even better,” his mother said, laughing again as she let go of him. “The less land to defend, the less likely he gets himself killed.”

If only you knew, mother. Something sparked inside of him, and he muttered words he would regret, “If my tongue were to loosen knowledge not meant for Von and Talla’s ears…”

To his surprise, his mother nodded and said, “Then mine would be eternally silent before them.” She smiled at his reaction. “My children’s safety comes first, and your reaction tells me this is related.”

“I received a raven earlier,” Vance admitted, “from the self-styled Lord Cywin of Goldenoak. The elf asks us for mercenaries.”

His mother’s eyes went wide. “He means to overthrow the Elders? Truly?”

“And soon. This letter is a test as well. If we report this information back to the Elders, he will know that the Stormlands are not to be trusted.” That he would dare to play with such an idea showed how little fear he had of reprisal, however. The elven army must be in bad shape, or ready to betray the Elders. “It is effectively asking us to take sides.”

“You cannot,” his mother insisted. “That would be to gamble on which side of a war we fall on.”

“Aye, it would be. I wrote back that he must send an envoy to personally discuss the matter, to buy us some time.” And find out what the dwarves have said. If they ally themselves with Cywin, this is no gamble at all, and we should make a show of friendship. It bothered him that Cywin had not approached Von while he was in Bosque, but that would have perhaps been too bold a move even for him. “You may not like my methods, mother, but I promise you this—I will make sure Von is safe.”

Talla

After leaving the demon alone to get some rest, the two did not speak of the experience until they found sufficient privacy, Von’s quarters appearing to be the safest spot. Upon arriving, there was much to say, but it all became unimportant when she saw Von’s sullen expression. “What is wrong?”

“Alayne seemed so afraid of me,” Von muttered, “it makes me wonder if she knew of my reputation before I lost my memories.”

The Second Lord had been doing so well lately she had nearly forgotten. This was not a weight easily lifted off his mind. “I thought you had found peace with the matter,” she tried, carefully, “after speaking with Master Cycle.”

He nodded. “Peace is never permanent.” Von sat on his bed and rested his thoughtful chin on intertwined fingers. “Mistake me not, I learned much from there. If nothing else, I know that there was not a special path I took to become the Von of the Past. There was nothing that made me stop being the person I hated so much. But…I still do not know who I became. Who I was. Who everyone expects me to be. I understand!” Von added in a harsh tone, before Talla could interrupt him. “I understand that there is nothing that can be done about that. I understand that I am doing what I can, and that even if someone hates me because of who I used to be or because I no longer am that person…there’s nothing that can be done.” He laughed weakly, and let his back fall against the bed, his frustrated hands over his face. “But sometimes it feels like it’s too much.”

“My lord?” Talla hesitated. “May I sit beside you?”

Von sat up immediately, gesturing at his bed as if surprised she hadn’t felt comfortable doing it without asking. When she did, he waited for her to speak first. “Von, I can’t tell you why she seemed afraid of you. It might just be her situation. You know her circumstances, those would make most fear the worst.”

“Aye,” he acknowledged. “They would.” This seemed to worsen his mood.

There didn't seem to be much that could help him, but the man could still be distracted. “Well—my lord, I must ask, are you sullen because you were hoping to impress the lady?”

It was such an outrageous question that she had scarcely expected a reaction from him, but the lord’s eyes widened, his brows furrowed, and he stuttered out, “I—I was not!” It hardly seemed like the same man who could be such a commanding lord or ferocious fighter at times.

Talla had to laugh at this. “It is so hard to remember that you are not used to this. Your name…was a common suggestion in the locker room after a tournament, if you understand my meaning.” Von blushed and diverted his gaze from her, prompting her to only go further. “I never had the pleasure, but from everything I have heard you were quite popular.”

Von gazed at the window. “Would it be optimistic to hope that I could create my own grave if I jumped out of this window at full speed?” he asked in deadpan.

“Come on now, what did you think of your possible bride?” Talla had asked the question teasingly, but she was truly curious. “Did you like her?”

He frowned as only men of the storm could. Stormeners appeared to be eternally brooding, even when smiling. “She seemed like a pleasant person, but I do not wish to marry just yet.”

“Yet you will have to, at some point.”

“Yet I will have to,” he repeated, then emphasized, “at some point.”

Talla was amused. “Perhaps I should apologize for intruding—she was speaking of showing you her wings until she realized I was there. Ah, Von, if you had little memory of your late night misadventures perhaps I deprived you of something you dream of, no?”

“She was only speaking of showing me her wings.” Von narrowed his eyes. “Is there a cultural significance to this I am not aware of? Do demons show each other wings when—”

Talla had to laugh at this. “Von, you are thinking too deep. She was not wearing a shirt with wing holes, it would have been necessary to take it off.”

“Oh,” he said. He nodded a few times, considering it, then said, in a more significant tone, “Oh.”

She laughed again, this time louder than the last, and would have felt about it if not for Von’s resigned, annoyed smile as he blushed. “I would not have allowed it, regardless,” he said, in a serious tone. “The woman comes here in desperation for her house’s sake—am I to exploit that and shame her?” He shook his head. “She comes to me with a request—with fear in her eyes when she looked at me. Do you think I could ever look at a woman pleading for help and allow her to show me her body? I have more honor than that. Allowing it would have been little more than blackmail.”

“No,” Talla said quickly. “My apologies, Von. I did not mean it seriously. I know you better than that.”

There was a long, uncomfortable silence after this, and she cursed herself for trying this topic. She had pushed him too far there, and did not feel good about it. “Von, I—”

“Regardless, my fair lady,” Von began, in a pompous tone, “I believe she was more interested in you than me.”

It was Talla’s turn to stutter, though in her case it was from pure confusion. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh, come on now, you saw how she held your hands—and how she behaved when she saw you,” Von said, grinning. “She seemed quite fond of you.”

Talla drew a deep breath and allowed Von to laugh at her blush. Fairness must be mutual, she told herself, I must welcome what I give. “Lady Alayne was merely curious and excited,” Talla said.

Von raised an eyebrow. “My lady, she played with your ears.”

“That doesn’t mean much,” she snapped. “At all! People ask that of elves all the time!” When they are not scared they can catch the curse from us, that is, she thought, somewhat bitterly. But she managed not to say it aloud.

“Well, I have never asked to touch your ears,” he shot back. Upon noticing the tone of his words, he said, “That—I mean I don’t know what elven—I mean that is not—”

This was not an opportunity she would allow herself to miss. Von was serious too often, and he appeared entirely out of his element right now after meeting the woman. Can’t blame him, she was very pretty. “Oh? Forgive me, my lord. Were you jealous?”

Von’s face flushed further, but his tone was even and almost lordly, which just made Talla want to laugh more. “I was merely curious, but never felt proper to ask that of you, that is—”

Talla pointed at her ears. “Come on, my lord. Grab them.”

He shook his head fiercely. “First of all, it becomes so much worse when you call me my lord,” he cried out, “second of all, it…isn’t proper. You are my guest and your situation being what it is…” He hesitated. “I do not wish to make any requests you feel you cannot turn down. Minor as they might be.”

You think about so many things…but sometimes I wish you thought a bit less. “I have never felt a human’s ears,” she told him. Truthfully, she was mildly curious about that. “Let us make it a trade.”

“My lady, that is most definitely not—”

She did not allow him the time to be reasonable. Almost like an attack, she pushed him against the bed, at first nearly on top of him, then rolling to his side, and gently holding one of his ears. He appeared torn between confused and outraged, but at her smile, he relented, and smiled too, before reaching for her ear. “This is rather stupid,” Von muttered, both of them still holding an ear of the other with one hand. “I agree.”

Then, they both laughed.

It lasted for a long time, and it was the most genuine laugh either had in many months. For that moment, they both forgot about everything. Von's responsibilities as lord, the Deathless Curse, the upcoming tournament - nothing mattered. That neither had let go of the other’s ear only made them laugh harder, and when they eventually settled, they found themselves smiling at each other and not knowing what to say. He had an interesting pair of eyes. How long do humans live for? Talla couldn’t remember the last time she looked someone in the eye for that long. She found herself reaching for the underside of her shirt and fiddling with it. “I asked you to slay Vandyr for me,’ didn’t I?”

He smiled, confused. “Yes, why?”

“I am pondering how much I really care about the Deathless Curse,” she said, “and for some reason, right here, right now…it’s not a lot.”

Von didn’t understand, and that was fine.

For now.