"Here, have some," Stryg offered Tauri a whole roasted chicken on a spit. The stall in front of them would roast a dozen chickens at a time until they were nice and juicy. Then he'd sell pieces of them to customers walking by. This was one of the few instances Stryg was happy to have money to spend. He could buy as many whole chickens as he wanted. Back in the Blood Fang village, such a luxury was unheard of.

Tauri, however, did not appreciate the marvel of easy to come by food. "I'm good, thanks." Her voice was despondent and her eyes stared elsewhere into nothingness.

Stryg glanced at Gale and offered the roast chicken.

"I already ate." Gale politely shook her head. She had spent enough time with Stryg to know he'd continue to offer one food until they declined. Her lord didn't seem to understand that not everyone shared a titan's appetite.

"More for me." Stryg shrugged at the two of them and began to wolf down the roast chicken.

Tauri walked off into the merchant street, wandering from one stall to the next, without particularly looking at anything. Stryg followed behind her, silently enjoying his meal. Gale followed behind both of them, keeping an eye out for any threats.

It didn't take long for Stryg to finish devouring his meal. He licked his fingers and lamented not having bought another.

"There is a winery not too far from here that sells delicious bloodwine if you're interested, my lord," Gale said.

"That sounds nice. Tauri, do you want some blood—, I mean, do you want some regular wine?"

"No thanks," Tauri said without any emotion.

Stryg frowned. He stepped into her path and she almost bumped into him by accident. Where once he had been a head shorter than her, now they were about the same height. Though she was never tall, especially in comparison to most of her family, it was still strange for Stryg to have matched her height. He pushed that thought away for now.

"Tauri, what's going on with you?"

"Huh?" She blinked and refocused her gaze, then frowned. "I'm fine."

"You've been distant. What's wrong?"

"I said I'm fine." She sidestepped him and kept walking.

Stryg followed. "You didn't take a single bite of the chicken."

"Not everyone likes simple street food. You realize I grew up with cooks preparing fine meals for me every day, right? Gale's no different."

Gale shrugged in silent agreement.

"You always eat when we come to the Commoner District." Stryg slipped his hand into Tauri's.

Tauri interlaced her scarlet fingers with his blue without slowing down her pace. "That's because you like the food here and I'm a good partner."

"What does that mean?" Stryg asked.

"It means she humors you and your eating habits, my lord," Gale said.

"Okay, so you don't like the food. That still doesn't explain why you're acting this way," Stryg said.

"What way? I told you I'm fine," Tauri said.

"Okay. I could just find out for myself." Stryg raised his free hand and wiggled his fingers. Purple strands of light extend from each finger tip.

Tauri stopped in her steps and glared at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"Read your mind? Nah. Cast a simple mind spell to tell if you're lying to me or not about being okay? Most definitely, yes." Stryg matched her glare with a smirk.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"I've been told I'm a genius, actually."

"A prodigy," Tauri corrected. "A prodigy is someone with extraordinary talent. A genius is a person with superior intelligence. You are the former, not the latter. In other words, you're still an idiot."

"People have still called me a genius."

"So you're happy to be complimented incorrectly by the ignorant?" Tauri cocked an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what you nobles do?"

Tauri narrowed her eyes, but she couldn't help but crack a small grin. "Fair enough."

Stryg smiled and bumped shoulders with her. "So, wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"It's my brother, Lucas," she admitted with a sigh.

"We're still going to send a team to go and find him. You don't have to worry."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"How? Half the ships were damaged when Lunae raised her frozen fleet from the Dire River. And the rest of the ships have been cut off from leaving the docks because of all the broken boats blocking the port. It'll take days, maybe even weeks, before the blue mages can clear it all out."

"We can get a ship out onto the river, I can make sure of that." Stryg glanced at Gale, who nodded in reassurance.

"Even if you did, no captain worth their salt would sail towards Murkton after Lunae's display," Tauri said.

"I'm sure we can find someone. Gold has a way of swaying people," Gale said.

"Even if it does, what then?" Tauri asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Stryg.

"Say you gather a party and Beatrix doesn't betray them. Say you manage to commandeer a ship and her crew. If by some miracle they manage to slip past the Sylvan lines and into the city, how are they going to get Lucas out of the city safely? If the orcs don't catch them, the goblins will."

"The Sylvan wouldn't hurt your brother," Stryg said.

"How do you know that? He is an orc. They won't think twice about killing him on sight," Tauri said.

"Not if I'm there—"

"But you won't be there, will you?"

Stryg stopped in his steps. "I promised Lunae I wouldn't go…"

"That's my point. If you're not there, who will stop the Sylvan from attacking my brother and the rest of the party? A Gale vampire?" Tauri said.

"I could send Uncle Jahn." Stryg knew it was a flimsy idea when he said it. Jahn was the chieftain of a tribe, but he wasn't a high-ranking member in the Sylvan army. The warriors outside his tribe would have no reason to listen to him. "My mother could do it. She is still Lunae's favoured. The tribes respect her."

"Didn't you say Lunae exiled her from Vulture Woods and forbade her from joining the Sylvan army?" Tauri recalled.

Stryg winced, he had almost forgotten.

"Tauri is right, my lord. Lady Aurelia will not go to Murkton no matter what you tell her," Gale said.

"Then Uncle Gian."

"Gian is Aurelia's Shadow now. He would never travel so far away from her, not when she has a target on her back now that every noble in the city knows that she is an Ebon Lord," Gale said.

"There is no one in this city but you, Stryg, who can ensure the Sylvan do not kill my brother when he leaves the city," Tauri said. "And if he doesn't leave, then the Sylvan will kill him anyway when they attack. If you don't go, Lucas will die."

"I promised Lunae …" Stryg muttered.

Tauri pulled him to her and stared into his pale eyes. "Stryg I always go along with all your antics."

"Antics?" Stryg asked.

"Like all the biting, especially you know where," Tauri gave him a knowing look.

"Oh."

"Spare me the details, please," Gale said dryly.

"My point is, this time I'm asking you for help, Stryg," Tauri said.

"You're asking me to break a promise to a goddess," Stryg said.

"Did you make a divine oath to her?" Tauri asked.

"Well, no, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't suffer her divine wrath."

"You're a god, you'll be fine," Tauri said.

"Will I, though? Lunae pushed me off a cliff once and I almost died, and that was her being nice."

"Since when were you a coward?" Tauri scowled.

"I'm not a coward. I just know Lunae can quite literally see everything I do whenever she wants and that she keeps an eye on me. If I go, she'll probably have a battalion of warriors waiting for me when we get there. The plan will fail even before it begins."

"So you're saying it's hopeless?" Tauri's shoulders drooped.

"No. I'll ask my nephew to help," Stryg said.

"Your nephew?" Tauri asked.

"Atlas Holoson. He is a demigod. He's currently staying with the Noirs. If anyone can safely get your brother out of Murkton, it's him."

"And what if he decides not to help?" Tauri asked.

Stryg scratched his cheek. "I'll find a way…"

"I'm going with the rescue party," Tauri said.

"What?" He blinked. "You can't. It's dangerous."

"You don't get to make that decision for me," Tauri pulled away and walked off.

Stryg chased after her. "Tauri, wait—"

"Get down!" Gale shouted and tackled Stryg to the ground.

An arrow zipped past Stryg's head and thunked into a stall behind him. The arrow sizzled on the wood and scorched it a sickly dark green. Gale had already drawn her sword and was searching for the assassin.

"Tauri!" Stryg yelled as he scrambled to his feet.

Tauri had spun around at Gale's warning and was taking cover behind a stall. "I'm fine!"

"We can't stay out in the open," Gale said without taking her eyes off the nearby roofs.

"We stand and fight," Stryg growled. Yellow mana surged into his body and covered his skin in translucent, protective scales.

"No. That arrow isn't normal. We don't know who or what we're dealing with. We need to move, now," Gale said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Someone screamed in the crowd and people began to run as several more arrows flew past, taking down several bystanders. A few came close to Stryg, but Gale cut them down with her sword in a flash of steel. "I said move, Stryg!"

He cursed under his breath and ran towards the stall where Tauri was taking cover. Gale was close behind.

~~~

"So, how was your day? I hope your rooms are comfortable," Calantha said over the dinner table.

"They're nice, thank you, cousin. It beats sleeping on a ship, that's for sure." Sylvie smiled and took a bite out of her steak.

"I'm glad to hear it. Is the food to your liking?"

"It's delicious, as always. Your cooks are incredible."

"Good, good… I'm sorry, it's just, you seem a little off today."

Sylvie's smile cracked. "Yeah, well, everything feels off. I thought coming back to Hollow Shade was going to be just like when I left, but it's not. I haven't spoken to Poppy yet, not that I blame her. I didn't leave on the best of terms. With Cal, I thought things would be different, but…"

"I'm assuming by Cal, you aren't referring to me?" Calantha asked.

Sylvie chuckled. "No, Callum Veres."

"Oh, the Veres boy," Calantha smirked. "Tell me more."

Sylvie felt her cheeks growing hot. "Well—"

Calantha jumped to her feet, knife in hand, and glanced at the door.

"What's wrong?" Sylvie asked, standing up as well.

Calantha raised her wrist and pointed at her bracelet. A dozen gems were embedded into the golden loop, four of them were glowing a soft green. "Your mother inscribed a series of complex wards into the manor years ago. They've just been breached in four points. We're under attack."

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