5

Shark Bait

Krax led the way through the merchant district of Windshire. The mess at the docks now dealt with, many of them needed a good pick-me-up. Aviana had been unsuccessful in tracking down the man in dark leather. No one seemed to know who she was talking about either when she asked around.

Aviana and Krax conversed on several topics, catching up like the old friends they were. He told her how today’s attack wasn’t the only issue as of late. Trade had picked up these last few moons and the unsavory types in town had been moving extra things about, which explained the temple’s increased presence. She wished Siverath wouldn’t try to force their removal. As long as they weren’t dealing with illegal slave or animal trade, it was better to leave them be. And the more you tried to eradicate them, the more they’d grow until they did become an actual problem.

Aviana also understood there was some benefit to that kind of trade. Even she had a contact for when she needed something special, both here in Windshire and in Sandgil. Though the Sandgil contact was far more agreeable to work with.

Krax went on to discuss the movement of his clan. They were heading North, following a storm and a few good hunts. They’d lost a couple members, some young orcs who didn’t make it through their grueling coming of age trial. But they had a new birth, a welcomed good sign to her. The orcs were some of the toughest around. She couldn’t imagine living like the way they did, but she respected their ways, and celebrated their accomplishments when they came.

“How is your mother doing?” Aviana asked.

Krax chuckled. “She’s old and crotchety. Death won’t take her any time soon.”

Aviana laughed. “No, she’s too stubborn to die.”

Temperance looked up at her half-orc friend. “Mr. Krax, does your mom also hit people on the head?”

Krax grinned. “All the time.”

Her nose scrunched. “She’s like Miksha, then.”

Krax shot Aviana a questioning glance. She chuckled. “One of our elders. I told you about her before. Old, crotchety, and has a propensity to hit others over the head for her own amusement.”

Krax’s head flew back as he belted out a hearty laugh. “I think I want to meet this woman.”

“Maybe one day you could.” She hoped he could. Aviana wanted to find the answer to convincing her clan and her father to finally get along and open Starglade back up to the world. Hiding away was not doing them any good.

Tucked away in the merchant district, the group came upon a multi-level building with shingle roof. Ornate bronze trimming decorated the roof and windows and two large dragon statues were poised in front of the entrance. A metal sign hung over the door reading, Dragonwallow Inn.

Temperance squealed and ran over to the statues. “Look, Avi!”

Before Aviana could say anything, Temperance pulled out Kyanite and held him up to a statue. “Look, Kyanite, a dragon statue! He could be, like, your cousin or something. Maybe.”

Krax and Aviana glanced at each other, bemused smiles on their lips. She’d done this earlier while walking, showing Kyanite all the different happening in the district. So, Krax and the others with them learned that Temperance truly believed her toy was alive and could talk to her.

“Temperance,” Aviana said. “Let’s go inside.”

Her sister looked at her with big pleading eyes. “Avi, can I please stay out here for a moment? I promise I won’t wander off.”

Aviana worked her jaw. “I’m not comfortable leaving you out here by yourself. Not after what happened earlier.”

Temperance’s look did change. “I promise!”

Aviana took a deep breath. As hard as it was, she was going to have to learn to let Temperance out of the boundaries. She’d become so protective of her sister, this journey was as much of a learning experience for her sister as it was for Aviana. “Okay. I’m going to trust you this time.”

A grin spread across her sister’s face. “Good, cause I would have stayed out here regardless, right, Kyanite?”

Silence filled the air. Temperance’s brow furrowed. “No, I wouldn’t have listened to her if she told me to go inside. This dragon is more important, Kyanite.”

Everyone watched as she listened to her toy again. “No, that’s not true, Kyanite. And I could totally carry it away if no one was watching me.”

More waiting. “Yes I could!”

She stored her toy with a humph and went to ogling the dragon statue. Aviana received some questioning glances that rolled right off her. This was normal behavior for Temperance.

Wyatt pushed the tavern door open and gestured for her to enter. “After you, m’lady.”

Aviana smiled, her eyes lingering on him as she touched his face with a light hand for a moment before entering. Upon entering she was slammed with the loud banter of tavern patrons and the smell of sweaty men and women and their copious amount of drinks. Although only a few hours past mid-day, Aviana could see many patrons had gotten a little too carried away and were now slumped over on their chairs.

Aviana looked for the tavern owner. She spotted the burly, dark-skinned human man with short dark hair and facial hair in his late sixties on the other side of the bar cleaning a mug. “Erik!”

The man’s dark eyes snapped to her and a wide grin spread across his face, showing a few of his missing teeth. “Our lady savior Aviana has finally joined us!”

His deep voice boomed through the tavern, quieting it down. Several eyes in fell on her, though none of them were cold and dark. Not something she was used to due to what attention got her back home.

Erik came around the bar and the two embraced in a friendly hug.

“It’s good to see you, Erik,” Aviana said as she pulled away. “But lady savior? Hardly. I merely assisted with pushing those pirates back.”

Erik slipped behind the bar again. “Not from what I hear.” He winked. “You drove off a legion of pirates all on your own with the power of thunder and sky fire.”

She couldn’t deny that lavish story was impressive. “Tall tales already spread that fast?”

Erik gestured to a dark-haired, dark-skinned human man in the corner of the tavern, wearing ostentatious clothes and tuning a lute. “It’s about to get even more lavish with our new bard crafting up a song.”

Aviana laughed, her hand touching her chest. “A song? Are we really going to make this into that kind of spectacle? And why me? Use Krax, or Wyatt. They took out more pirates.”

“You flatter me, m’lady, but I do agree with their muse choice,” Wyatt said, a smile on his handsome face.

Krax grunted. “And I don’t want any silly songs or poems. War cry, sure.”

Aviana shook her head. “Well, I can’t really stop it, now can I?”

The bard winked an amber eye at her. “Don’t worry, Aviana, I’ll be sure to portray you in a light that matches your exquisite beauty, and a fighting style as deadly as a dragon.”

His compliment of her fighting technique sent a pulse of pride through her. A major compliment from an outsider who didn’t know her clan’s ways. A warm and alluring smile crossed Aviana’s lips, her eyes squinting a bit. “Well, I can’t possibly say no now with such high praise, can I? I look forward to this song.”

The bard winked at her again and when back to his lute work. Wyatt patted her on the back. “Be prepared, you might be decimating a legion of dragons at the end of this.”

Aviana shook her head. “I hope not.”

Erik grunted. “That would be a well sought after accomplishment for most.”

“But not my people.” Aviana shook her head again. “It’d be a great sin.”

Wyatt sat down at the bar. “High Commander Siverath mentioned once or twice you were from a clan called Shikala, is that correct?”

Aviana sat down next to him. “Yes.”

Krax took a seat beside her. “An elusive people from what Avi has told us.” He nudged her. “Not even she will divulge their secrets.”

Aviana looked down at her hands. “My people have their reasons. One day I hope those to go away and we can open our borders to outsiders again.”

“What can you tell us about your clan?” Wyatt leaned closer to her. “And yourself.”

A grin spread across Aviana’s face. Krax grunted. “I’m going back to work.”

Aviana laughed. “Erik, get him some ale on me before he goes.”

Erik nodded and poured a drink for Krax from an oak cask. Krax patted Aviana on the shoulder in thanks and left to stand at his post with his drink. Aviana focused on Wyatt again. “My people are a complicated lot with many deep customs and secrets. But what I can tell you is that dragons are quite important to us. Their very existence drives much of our culture.”

This drew the bard’s attention again. “Don’t worry, Aviana. I will be sure to paint your relationship with dragons in a great light. A dragon queen perhaps.”

Aviana laughed. The idea was appealing. “That might be a little too farfetched, but we’ll see how your skills prevail.”

The bard chuckled and played a light tune. It was a standard song bards played for atmosphere. She wondered how long it’d take this bard to come up with this unneeded tale about her.

Wyatt pulled her attention back. “And what about you? Are you as complicated as your people?”

Aviana leaned in, her fingers brushing his arm, and held eye contact with him. “You have no idea.”

His cheeks tinted and words failed him for a moment. When he did speak, he turned to Erik. “I think I need a round.”

Aviana pulled away, a bemused smile on her face, and Erik chuckled, pouring two mugs of ale. “You’ll need both of these to keep up with her, lad.”

Wyatt gave an awkward laugh and downed the first mug quick. Aviana couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t hard to see Wyatt lacked what she didn’t. Her people didn’t frown upon sexual freedom, and at her age, she’d acquired a great deal of experience. She had her reasons for never settling on anyone in particular, and the age gap between her and Wyatt wasn’t an issue in her mind. It wasn’t like she was a stranger to that. She gauged he’d be quite fun—if he didn’t shy away in the end. The day was still young. Anything could happen.

A cup was set down in front of her, the amber liquid steaming. She smiled at the older, heavyset woman in her late sixties with gray-black hair and tan weathered skin now standing next to Erik. “Thank you, Lily. It’s good to see you.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Avi.” Lily smiled. “And it looks like you’ve made it out of that skirmish with little wear and tear, which is relieving to see. My old heart couldn’t take knowing something happened to you.”

Aviana bit her tongue. Lily didn’t need to know the details of the battle. She took a sip of the tea and smiled. “It’s delicious.”

Lily smiled wide. “Shiah will be so glad to hear. She’s been working hard to understand the proper brewing of those leaves. We went through quite a bit, but at least she’s gotten it down now. Shiah and Ollie are out fetching supplies right now, but I’ll be sure to tell her once she returns.”

Shiah and Ollie were their two youngest children. They had five in total.

Aviana reached down for her travel bag. Rummaging around, she found a large sack she’d tucked away. She pulled it out and set it on the table. “I do have more for you. Should be enough to get you through for a while.”

Lily’s eyes lit up. “That’ll set us for months. Thank you, Avi.”

Aviana smiled. “Good. I’ll be gone for some time, so I didn’t want you running out while I was gone.”

Erik tilted his head. “Going on another trip?”

She nodded. “I’m showing my sister the continent. She needed to get out of the town and grow.”

His brow rose. “Sister?”

The door to the inn flew open and Temperance entered. “Avi, I’m hungry.”

Aviana smiled and patted the empty bar stool next to her. “Well, come and sit and I’ll see what can be fixed up for you.”

Temperance skipped over and sat down, staring at Erik and Lily. “Hi, I’m Temperance, Avi’s sister.”

The pair glanced at each other and smiled. Lily spoke. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Temperance. Your sister just started telling us about you. I’m Lily and this is my husband Erik.”

“You own this cool place?” Temperance asked.

“We do.”

“I like your dragons outside.”

Erik smiled. “Those were my idea.”

“Well you have good ideas.”

Erik grinned at Lily who rolled her eyes.

Temperance looked to Aviana. “Avi, when can I eat?”

“I’ll get you something, sweetie,” Lily said. “We have fresh cooked fish, cheese and bread.”

Temperance shrunk back, pulling Kyanite up to her face. “The fishies won’t stare at me, right?”

Lily gave a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll make sure they don’t.”

The red-head perked up. “Okay! That sounds yummy.”

Lily took the bag of tea leaves and slipped into the kitchen. Aviana looked to Erik as he poured Wyatt another drink. “So, how’s the family?”

“Good.” He passed the drink off. “Jace is still off training. Determined to be strong enough to protect us so the past doesn’t repeat.”

A pang hit her chest. Jace was Erik and Lily’s oldest son. His family had fallen victim of a bandit raid a few years back. Aviana herself had caught the tail end of it, and assisted where she could, but it’d been too late for Jace’s family. He’d vowed to never fail like that again and ran off to be part of the Knights of Order. They had no political or holy affiliations—merely worked for the people of Alaria to keep them safe.

“Syed”—Erik scowled—“who should be here, is off gallivanting with his sweetheart.”

Aviana grinned. “Same young lady as last time?”

Erik nodded. “This one may be the one that sticks around and keep him in line finally.”

Her brow rose. “In line? If that were the case, he’d be here working.”

Erik grunted. “I didn’t say she was perfect.”

Aviana snickered. “How is Scarlet?”

He smiled. “Also doing well. She’s excelling in her magic studies at the academy and she stops in every few months so we can see her and our grandson.”

“Any word on her husband?”

Erik shook his head. “Afraid not. But we’re not giving up hope we’ll find him.”

Aviana frowned. It’d been a few years since her husband had disappeared. Aviana doubted he’d be found at this point. “And Lily is keeping you in line of course.”

Erik went to speak, but Lily, who was coming out with a tray of food, beat him to it. “Of course I am.”

She placed the food down in front of Aviana and Temperance and punched her husband in the arm. “Shiah and Ollie have started helping too.”

Erik grumbled and cleaned more mugs. Aviana looked down at the food to find just what Lily promised, and she’d cut the heads off the fish for Temperance’s sake. Thank the gods for understanding mothers. Lily, of all women Aviana knew, wouldn’t have any trouble handling Temperance’s unusual behavior.

“So, Mister Barkeep,” Temperance said. “How do you know Avi? You act like you’re a friend of hers.”

Erik leaned on the bar. “Your sister and I have known each other for a very long time.”

Temperance bit into some cheese, cocking her head. “How long is that?”

The older man’s brow twisted. “Well, let’s see. We were in our early twenties when we met…”

Her sister’s eyes widened. “Avi, you left the town? Why didn’t you tell me? Why couldn’t I come?”

Aviana broke into a loaf of bread. “Because you weren’t born yet.”

Temperance pursed her lips. “Oh, right. But what about after? If you left once, then you did again. How did you get permission? Why were you able to leave and I couldn’t? Tell me!”

The music the bard played changed, pulling her sister’s attention. “Oh, I like this music.”

The four of them laughed. Erik leaned in and whispered to her. “I see you made sure her Common was better than yours when you first came here.”

Aviana pushed him away. “I wasn’t that bad.”

Erik chuckled and winked. “Food weapons.”

Aviana sputtered a laugh. That had been one of her finer mess-ups back in the day, when asking for a utensil. Luckily Erik and his family helped her through the stumbling and in no time she had the language down. Learning something such as that spurred on her desire to learn many languages over the years.

Wyatt leaned closer to Aviana. “I noticed you didn’t want to answer your sister’s questions, and I am curious what your answer to them would be.”

Aviana rested her hand on his arm and leaned in closer, her lips almost touching his ear. “That’s a special kind of request. Are you sure you’re up to paying the cost?”

He visibly swallowed, his eyes wide as he glanced her way. Before he could respond, Temperance cut in with a gasp. “Avi, I know why I like this music!”

She paused, staring at the pair, confused. “Um, did I interrupt something?”

Wyatt cleared his throat and lifted his mug. “No. What did you want to tell your sister?”

Temperance, oblivious as ever, shrugged, and focused back on her topic. “The music reminds me of home. But it’s different somehow. What did he do to our music, Avi? How did he get our music?”

Aviana patted her sister’s hand and listened as the bard played his tune. “This isn’t Starglade music. It’s music you’d hear in Lakecross or Nardrul. It’s an interesting mix of music from Sandgil and Starglade.”

Her younger sister pursed her lips. “But how would they know what Starglade music sounds like?”

“Starglade’s music is ancient. And a long time ago we mingled with other towns.”

“Oh. Why did we stop?”

Aviana sipped her tea. “That’s a discussion for another time.”

Temperance didn’t like that answer and puffed out her cheeks. “Tell me!”

Aviana pointed to the plate of food. “Your fish is getting cold.”

Temperance gasped and ripped into her food.

Aviana let out a mental sigh. Sometimes it was easy to get her sister to let go of topics, while other times she proved a bit more difficult. Aviana wanted to tell her sister the truth—wanted to tell her many truths she was denied under her mother’s watchful gaze, but those discussions were to be had in private, not around outsiders. Some discussions may not be received well from those who didn’t understand. I hope Temperance can handle some of these truths. They’re not easy to believe.

Temperance’s fork clattered on the plate suddenly, her back straightening and her eyes going wide. “Avi, you should go dance!”

Erik cocked a brow as he filled a stein for a patron and Wyatt looked at her with interest; as did a few other tavern patrons. Aviana bit her lip. As much as she enjoyed dancing, she wasn’t a fan of being center of a crowd’s attention. Growing up, that was never a good thing for her. It usually resulted in some sort of pain…

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Tempy. I’m not that great of a dancer.”

“Nu-uh! You’re super great. Like, the greatest in all of Aecis!”

Erik chuckled. “That’s quite the high praise.”

Aviana sipped her tea. “She’s exaggerating.”

“I don’t know.” Wyatt grinned. “She doesn’t come off as they type that can lie easily.”

“Can too!” Temperance held her head high. “I just won’t with Avi because she deserves better.”

Aviana went to refuse again when a familiar male voice and an approaching lute song cut in. “I heard someone is interested in dancing.”

She turned to see the bard approaching. He smiled. “I’m happy to share the floor with a lovely beauty if she wishes she dance to my songs.”

Aviana relented. What was the harm? This wasn’t home. The people didn’t know what she was and were far friendlier because of it. “Okay, okay, I’ll dance.”

Temperance and the men cheered. Aviana undid the braids on the right side of her head, running her fingers through the golden strands to snag a couple untangled areas. The bard offered his hand to Aviana and she accepted the gesture, sliding off her barstool. He spun her slowly, strumming a few strings on his lute with one hand.

“I don’t think I caught your name,” Aviana said.

“Damion.”

Aviana gave an alluring smile. “Well, Damion, think you can keep up with me?”

A half smile curled up half his face, his amber eyes gleaming. “I’m confident I have the experience to.”

If she couldn’t tempt Wyatt enough, she may just be able to have her fun with this man. She didn’t want anything permanent. That wasn’t ever on the table for her. But a little fun never hurt anyone.

Damion plucked the strings of his lute, creating a perfect tune to get Aviana’s feet moving. Her arms extended and twisted and her body moved in rhythm of the music—jerking, flowing, spinning. The tempo built her movements becoming more sensual and pulling her farther into the room. The dance roused their audience. They cheered, whistled, and clapped along with the music.

Krax helped lift her up onto a table, her movements never faulting. She lost herself in the music, her hips and body swaying to the mixed beat, the dance a combination of what she’d learned in Sandgil and what she knew at home. It all came to her as she went, nothing pre-trained, and while it wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t stumbling over her feet.

She wasn’t the best blade dancer in Starglade, but the form called to her regardless. She’d trained hard on her own to understand the dance and fighting style. She learned how to incorporate many beats to inspire her movements, if there was a beat at all. And even without her blades drawn, she drew from this practice, finding herself more adept than she once thought.

The tavern door swung open and the giggling of young woman caught Aviana’s ear. Holding strong with her dance, she let her eyes wander, her gaze falling to the sandy-haired, tan-skinned muscular half-elf with strong facial features wandering inside. A gaggle of girls hung off and followed him. Looks like you decided to finally join the party, Xalanath.

Aviana’s blue eyes met his green for a brief moment before her dance pulled her away. Xalanath continued into the building, heading for the stairs leading to an upper level. He spoke quietly to the ladies with him, getting them to giggle and swoon over him. Their eyes met a second time as he ascended the stairs. Xalanath smirked at her before going back to impressing his company. You never change.

As Aviana twirled, she noticed Temperance’s interest in the group for a moment. The way her sister stared, it was as if she were trying to piece something together. Oh, right, yet another aspect of life I’m going to have to explain because Calypso refused. She didn’t understand the older woman. She didn’t act like anyone else in the town, like she was some outsider wearing a Shikala skin.

Calypso had always made Aviana uneasy, even before her actions that day in the temple when breaking the news about this planned trip. Calypso always seemed to have hated her the most back home before Temperance came around, and even after Temperance’s birth, there was more of a tentative truce than anything between them. There was just something off about the woman, who had no family, few friends, and stuck to protecting and recording the clan’s history collection from sun up to sun down. Really, why did Father pick her?

The song came to an end and Aviana bowed. Her captive audience clapped, cheered, and whistled. She then gestured to Damion who also bowed and then helped her off the table. He collected the money their joint performance accrued and he split it between them. While he did, she twisted her hair back into her half side braids.

“Thank you for playing, Damion,” Aviana said, her hand lingering an extra moment before pulling her hand away with her payment. “That was fun. I look forward to hearing the new song.”

A smirk slid up the side of his face. “Pleasure was all mine. I hope the new song will get you to dance again.”

Aviana’s eyes lingered on him before she turned and went back to the bar. Temperance nibbled on the remaining food from their shared plate and Wyatt watched her, smiling. “Your sister was right. That was lovely to watch, Lady Aviana.”

Aviana returned the smile and slipped onto her barstool. “Thank you.”

He pushed his empty mug toward Erik. “Unfortunately I must be going.”

Aviana tilted her head and leaned on the bar. She made sure her arms framed her chest just right. “So soon?”

Wyatt’s eyes widened and it took him a moment to respond. “Y–yes, I’m afraid I need to report in.”

Aviana played with her tea cup and then looked at him again. “Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, Wyatt. When I finish my letter, you wouldn’t mind personally ensuring Siverath receives it, right? That is, if you’re one of the several heading back to Natamere.”

“O–of course not, m’lady.” He bowed. “I’d be quite honored.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

He excused himself and left, a few more paladins exiting with him. Erik chuckled. “Missed on that one.”

Aviana shrugged and pushed her tea cup forward. “Some need a little more convincing. And sometimes it doesn’t work out. It happens. I don’t take it personally.”

Erik shook his head. “Well, just keep your hands off Shiah.”

Aviana sighed. “Fine, but only because it’s you. She’s a fine young lady.”

He waged a finger at her. “And she’s going to stay a lady, and not be tempted by your heathen ways.”

Aviana placed her fingers on her chest, faking hurt. “Oh, Erik, you wound me.”

The two then laughed. While many in this town didn’t agree with her antics, Erik had come to accept them. It didn’t hurt that he’d learned a few decades ago just how hard it was to resist her.

Temperance looked between then, eyes innocent. “What are you two talking about?”

Aviana patted the younger woman on the head. “I’ll explain later.”

“Okay.” Temperance went to eating the last of the cheese.

Erik’s eyes cut to the stairs. “I suppose you’re planning on conversing with our favorite whorehound sometime today, yes? I know his entrance didn’t escape you.”

Aviana laughed. “You know he’s not actually doing anything with those women. It’s all for show.”

He grunted and filled three steins for Lily to deliver. “Real or not, those ladies think it was, and it’s bad for my business’ reputation.”

She shook her head and slipped off the stool. “You and I know it’s all magic and your business is unaffected, because he was doing this even when your father ran the place.”

Erik grunted and pulled out a key from his shirt pocket. “Since you’re going upstairs, might as well take your room key. I doubt you want to lug your possessions around.”

Aviana accepted the metal object and then tapped Temperance’s shoulder. “C’mon, you. We’re going upstairs.”

Temperance cocked her head. “Why?”

Of course she hadn’t paid attention. “We’re going to meet someone and settle into our room for the night.”

Her eyes lit up. “Okay! Thanks for the food, Mister Barkeep.”

Temperance snatched her bag and Kyanite, and followed Aviana up the stairs and down the hall. Unlike the downstairs living quarters, which were cheap and looked it, this area was well decorated and kept up for the higher paying patrons that came in and out of town.

The laughter of one man and several women echoed through the narrow hall. Temperance cocked her head. “Avi…”

She knew what was going on his her younger sister’s mind. “Don’t worry. It’s not that kind of place.”

Temperance’s nose scrunched. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

Her sister held Kyanite close and spoke to him, her voice slightly hushed as if she were whispering, but she wasn’t. “Kyanite, I think Avi is trying to pull a fast one on me.”

Silence.

“Yes, of course I think it’s one of those places momma told me to never go to.”

Silence.

“Of course I’ve seen a naked man. They walk around Starglade! But she said them walking around and being in those forbidden places was different.”

Aviana’s brow rose. Her sister’s antics were a source of entertainment sometimes.

“No, I don’t know why Momma claims it’s different. She’s weird like that. She acts strange whenever she sees someone not wearing a lot of clothes when no one else cares.”

Temperance nodded to something Kyanite “said.” “Of course I don’t agree with her! Avi poses for me all the time for my paintings.” Temperance looked to Aviana. “You make for a great model, Avi.”

Aviana smiled at her sister. “Thank you. I’m glad you think so.”

“Do you know why Momma acts so weird about naked people and our clothing style?”

Aviana patted her sister’s head. “I’m not sure. But everyone has a reason they do or say something.”

“Okay.” Temperance shrugged. “So this guy isn’t naked?”

“I highly doubt he is.” It’d be a miracle if those women got the chance to remove his shirt.

Her sister skipped ahead. “Okay.”

The mirth grew louder and the sisters came to a large common room decorated in various dragon memorabilia from portraits on the wall to more statues like the ones outside, as well as ornate decorative weapons and objects. Temperance gasped and immediately ran over to a large painting depicting a dragon with a large frilled crest, lithe body, enormous forward curling horns, and golden scales reading in a dense library. Aviana found the image rather ironic, as most gold dragons were war focused these days, but she supposed there were a few out there that still focused on learning. Either way, golds were the most obsessive color out there, never doing things by halves.

On the other side of the room, Xalanath lounged in a luxurious and ornately designed seat. His female companions surrounded and fawned over him as he told some sort of story. From what she could tell, he was embellishing the fight down at the beach, making him sound like the savior of the town. Yep, you never change. It was time to break up his little party.

“Are you sure that’s how it went, Sparky?” She grinned as all eyes fell on her. “Because I remember it quite differently.”

Xalanath’s green eyes flashed and then a sly grin spread across his face as he held his arms to the side. “Well, it’s about time you joined the real party, Shark Bait. I was beginning to worry you didn’t have any taste.”

Aviana’s eyes swept over the congregated women. One of them she recognized on a… friendly level—Olivia. The young brunette of darker complexion smiled at her. “Oh, I have taste”—her eyes snapped back to Xalanath—“don’t you worry about that.”

Aviana shifted her gaze to her sister. “Temperance, we need to put our stuff away.”

“But Avi—”

“We’ll come right back.”

Her sister hesitated and then turned to face Aviana, but stopped when she spotted Xalanath. Here we go. “Hey, I know you.”

Aviana’s brow spiked. That wasn’t what she expected out of the young woman’s mouth.

Xalanath smiled at Temperance. “I see you found your sister. I’m glad.”

Aviana glanced between them before crossing her arms. “I think an explanation is in order.”

Xalanath smirked at her. “I saved her from a pirate.”

“No you didn’t.” All eyes fell on Temperance. Her nose scrunched, showing her displeasure, and she held out her toy dragon. “Kyanite saved me.”

The women around Xalanath exchanged amused glances.

Temperance continued. “The pirate was afraid of a dragon. He even said so. And you, mister, are no dragon.”

Aviana pressed her lips together. Xalanath, of all people, stared at the young woman, rendered speechless. The women hanging on him giggled. Wow, way to go Temperance. It wasn’t every day this man couldn’t make some sort of witty comeback.

Xalanath finally nodded once and smiled, chuckling a little. “You’re quite right, young lady. I am no dragon. My deepest apologies for taking the credit from your… little dragon.”

There it is. Temperance stuck up her nose and stalked over to Aviana. Aviana placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder and guided her down another hall, though at a rather slow pace to eaves drop on the conversation starting up around Xalanath.

“Who was the woman?” one lady asked.

Another giggled. Aviana knew it belonged to Olivia. “That’s Aviana. She’s the talk of the town with all the help she gave during the battle.”

Another woman scoffed. “She can’t be that amazing, can she?”

“They say she took out three legions of pirates on her own,” Olivia said. Now it’s three legions? “My cousin is even writing a song about her as we speak.”

Was she really Damion’s cousin? Or was she using it for leverage later? Would be interesting if it were true.

“Xalanath, love, didn’t you say you took out three legions on your own?” another woman asked. “There’s no way six legions of pirates made into the bay. So what’s the truth?”

Xalanath chuckled. “The answer is quite simple, dear. Her story is far exaggerated.”

Aviana projected her voice. “No it’s not, you credit-stealing, freeloading, magic inept, wannabe wizard.”

“Sorcerer, thank you, Shark Bait.”

The women around him laughed, as did she, since he only corrected that part. He hated when she called him a wizard. The cocky bastard was a skilled arcane magic user. And truthfully, she’d only met two other arcane users who could possibly outmatch him, Calypso and her father. And because of Xalanath’s skill, he thought little of wizards who had to remain studious to the arcane to keep their connection to the arcane magics, unlike the innate affinity sorcerers had. Though, he wasn’t the only one to act this way.

Aviana rarely met a sorcerer who didn’t have an ego. She tended to like wizards more because of it. Plus, most of them were scholars and had fun information to share.

Aviana unlocked the room door and ushered her sister in. Temperance gazed around the room with double bed and private wash room. “Wow, Avi, it’s so big!”

She ran over to the bed and jumped on it. “The bed isn’t as nice as back home, but it’s better than sleeping on the ground.” Her blue eyes gazed at Aviana. “Avi, how come these humans don’t build their homes in trees like us?”

Aviana set her bag down. “Well, that’s because they prefer to build their homes on the ground. It’s the most common way to build a home outside of Starglade.”

Temperance looked around some more. “So strange. I like it.”

Aviana chuckled and then pulled out a round bottle with decorative metal in the shape of waves accenting it. Clear liquid and one kelp leaf sloshed around inside. Bubbles floated and popped in a particular pattern, the movement of the liquid never ruining it. She inserted the bottle into a special holster and secured it to her hip. There were still hours left to the day, and she didn’t want to waste it when there was still time to allow her sister to experience the city and decompress after what she’d gone through today. “Temperance, put your stuff down so we can head out.”

Temperance cocked her head. “Go where?”

Aviana smiled. “It’s a surprise.”

“Am I still going to be able to look at the dragon stuff?”

Aviana nodded. “Of course.”

Excitement burst through the younger woman. She snatched up Kyanite and bolted out the door. Aviana shook her head and followed, locking the room behind her. By the time she reentered the common room, Temperance found a new painting to ogle, this time one of a dragon with blue scales, frills along the limbs and bulky body, and four back-curving black horns with a slight twist to them, battling with a bronze dragon. Magic flew about on the blue dragon’s side, while the bronze dragon, face twisted with rage, fought with strength alone.

Aviana knew the battle this painting depicted all too well. Her mother told her the story many times so she’d one day come up with a plan to right this wrong. But as the decades passed, that idea became more of a dream for the stars than a possible reality.

Her eyes drifted to Xalanath. He’d gone back to telling yet another farfetched tale. “Sorry to break up your story time, Sparky, but I’m going to have to steal you away from your little fan club for a bit.”

He gave her a quizzical look. “Do you now? I’d much prefer to finish my story.”

Aviana crossed her arms. “We have official business to discuss. You can finish your thrilling tale when we return.” She grinned. “You might just find a way to make it more farfetched and entertaining while you’re away.”

A few of the women giggled, while the others didn’t care for Aviana’s jest. Xalanath sat up. “Fine, fine. I’m afraid, ladies, I have a nuisance to deal with.”

“Nuisance?” Aviana scoffed. “I’ll be sure to write that in my report to your father.”

Xalanath’s eyes narrowed. He always hated when she told Siverath about his less than pleasant behavior around her. Mostly because it meant he would get at least an hour long lecture.

Olivia, amused by Aviana’s and Xalanath’s interactions, giggled and then rose to her feet when whimsical music lofted up the stairs. She took Aviana’s hand and pulled her into a slow twirling dance.

“You haven’t lost your step, Olivia,” Aviana said, pulling the woman closer.

“I had a good teacher.” Olivia winked. “Will I get to see you dance more while you’re here?”

“Perhaps.” Aviana grinned. “It all depends if your cousin finishes that song for me or not. Or depending on my mood, it won’t need to be a requirement.”

“I see.” Olivia pulled away and headed for the stairs, giving Aviana a knowing glance. “I’ll let him know it’ll be important to finish tonight.”

Aviana blew the young woman a kiss. “I’d appreciate it.”

Olivia waved for the other women to follow. “Ladies, I think it’s time to introduce you to my cousin. He’s quite handy with a lute.”

The women hanging off Xalanath begrudgingly extracted themselves from him when he gave them an urging nod. He didn’t speak to her until they’d all left. And when he did, he sighed and leaned on his legs first. “Must you?”

Aviana feigned innocence. “Must I what?”

“Get in my way.” He gestured to the stairs. “Steal my women.”

She shrugged. “Look, it’s not my fault you’re not skilled enough to keep them. Why else craft magic spells to make them believe they’ve shared your bed?”

Xalanath scoffed. “I don’t require such cowardly measures. My prowess brings in all the ladies.”

Aviana strolled up to him and leaned forward, a faint whiff of blood surrounding Xalanath catching her nose. Xalanath swallowed hard and pulled back, his eyes darting away from the sight she presented. A grin spread across Aviana’s lips. “You can’t fool me of all people, Xal. We both know you’d faint if you ever laid eyes on a naked woman.”

She reached out and grabbed his pointed ear, giving a good tug. “Now let’s go.”

He verbally protested, but didn’t fight her grip. Aviana threw her voice to her sister. “Temperance, come along, we’re leaving for a bit.”

“But… but, Avi. Dragons!”

She smiled at her younger sister. “We’re going back down the beach.”

Temperance’s eyes went wide and shone bright. “Can I go swimming?”

Aviana tapped her holstered potion bottle. “I wouldn’t be that mean to you.”

Temperance danced in a circle and then skipped for the stairs, her red curls bouncing about her shoulders. Aviana followed, dragging Xalanath with her. At this point he did fight against her grip.

“Will you let go?” he demanded when his struggle fail and resulted in Aviana digging her nails into his skin.

She gave him an innocent smile. “Now, why would I do that, when this is so much fun for me?”

Xalanath narrowed his eyes at her and something sparked her hand from his ear, as if she had grabbed metal after rubbing her feet against a carpet. Aviana instinctively let go. He grinned and she narrowed her eyes at him. Not amused by his little trick, Aviana reached for his arm, and a surge of electrical energy that was even more natural and innate than the energy she used to caster her spells, flowed through her fingertips. Xalanath jumped, but laughed it off as if it had no effect on him.

Aviana didn’t expect any other response. Lightning didn’t affect him like it did others. A perk of his heritage.

“Now, this is fun an all, but I’m curious what we need to speak about at the beach.” He stroked his chin and a sly grin spread across his lips. “Unless you just want to get me alone.”

Aviana scoffed. “Not in a million years. I have real business to discuss with you, and the water will keep Temperance out of our hair.”

Her sister, hearing her name, turned around. “Why do you want me out of your hair, Avi? How would I even get in your hair? I know it’s long, but I’m not small enough to hide in it.”

Xalanath tossed Aviana a quizzical glance while she chuckled. “It’s an expression, Temperance. What Xalanath and I plan to talk about will bore you, so I want you have something fun to do.”

Temperance’s lips spread into a thin line as she scrutinized her older sister. Before she could say something, a loud crash downstairs caught her attention. Temperance cocked her head. “Avi, what was that?”

“Probably Krax showing off his artistic skills.”

Her sister’s brow furrowed and then ran off to investigate this claim. Aviana and Xalanath passed each other a glance before following. This would be interesting.