Chapter 23: Chapter 23
Liora’s POV
I crossed my arms over my chest. It was a little cold down here.
“Do the others use this place a lot?” I asked and he shook his head.
“No, unless there’s some meeting, which basically never happens.” He said and I nodded in understanding.
“Oh! But Joan does follow me down here sometimes,” he added and I could not help the scowl that appeared on my face.
“Right.” I stated blankly.
“B- but I- I always send her back because I like my privacy,” he explained, and I almost giggled. Did I just make the Dravon heir stutter? I liked it but I pretended like I did not notice.
“So, Joan’s part of the handful that know of this place,” I said, as I pulled out a chair to sit on, and he nodded.
“It used to be her aunt, Mrs. Agnes,” he said and my mouth formed an ‘oh’ in realization.
“Where is Mrs. Agnes?” I asked, recalling his reaction from earlier, “I prefer her to this Joan”
“Liora, she died,” he said, as he sat on the bed.
My eyes nearly fell out of its sockets.
“She what?!” I gasped.
“What happened?” I asked, and he shrugged.
“She was pretty old, I guess it was just her time.” He said and I sighed.
“I had no idea…” I trailed off.
“It’s okay, you didn’t know” he stated, smiling softly.
Another beat of silence passed.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” He asked.
Right. The main reason we came here.
“You’re sure no one can hear us, right?” I asked, looking around like someone was going to pop out of the shadow.
“Altharos, we’re literally several feet underground. Besides, this place is soundproof, it was literally made for secret meetings. I assure you, nobody can hear us.” He said, and I nodded slowly, thinking through the things my mother said again.
“You okay?” he asked.
I hesitated, “I had an interesting conversation with my mother after our training this morning,”
His expression tightened instantly. “That bad?”
“She threatened to execute you.” I said, as I watched his reaction.
Silence slammed into the room.
Kysen didn’t move. Didn’t blink.
“And?” he asked, not moved in the slightest.
“And then she didn’t,” I said, quickly clearing the air. “She said you’re safe. For now.”
I could have said that first, but I was too focused on his reaction.
“For now,” he echoed softly, and I nodded.
“Apparently, she was testing me,” I said, as I stared at my fingers in embarrassment, “She didn’t expect me to actually go through with training with you. She sent you to test my loyalty, and I fell for it,”
He sighed, “It’s not your fault, I convinced you”
“You didn’t force me, I made the choice,” I argued.
He sighed again, “So, is the training off now?”
“No” I shook my head, “I had a whole argument with her. I told her I’m going to continue training with you no matter what, and then she threatened to execute you,”
He tilted his head to the side, thinking through what I said.
“What changed her mind?” He asked.
“She’s amused by my defiance. I’ve always been the type to follow orders, and I didn’t this time. So, it’s all just fun and games for her.” I said, with a nonchalant shrug. It sounded like I didn’t care but I in fact did. What kind of mother tested her own daughter?
“Can I ask you a question?” He asked, and I nodded, giving him a go-ahead.
“You could have ended the training, that was your chance to end the entire ‘training with your rival' thing. But you didn’t. Instead, you fought for things to remain the same. Why?” His question would normally catch me off guard, but I expected it.
“Because you were right,” I paused, and he looked at me, waiting for me to continue, “I don’t really hate you,”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Plus, this morning’s training yielded results, however little” I added, and he nodded slowly.
“I appreciate that,” he said, “And I know I said all those things, but you don’t have to fight with your mother because of me”
“I’m not,” I replied. “I’m fighting for myself.”
My adamant tone made him pause, before nodding again.
“Good,” he said.
I took a breath. “There’s one more thing you need to know though.”
“What’s that?” He asked.
“She’s watching us, she made sure to let me know that she'll be watching our every move. And she said, and I quote ‘One mistake and you're both done’” I explained, and he frowned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked and I shook my head.
“I don’t know either. But I know we need to find a more private training space. Especially if our powers have to remain a secret,”
He clasped his hands together, clearly getting tense. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
“Okay, I’ll handle it. By morning, my drakyn will communicate with yours about the new location,” he said and I nodded.
“Is there anything else I need to know?” He asked and after thinking it through, I shook my head.
“No, nothing” I said, “But…”
“But what?” He asked, and I bit the inside of my cheeks nervously.
“There’s nothing else for you to know, but I do have a question,” I said, and I bit my bottom lip.
The truth was, I was nervous. I didn't want to be but I was.
“What is it?” he asked, his back straightening, and I realized I probably looked too serious.
I chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood, “It’s nothing serious, I just wanted to say…”
I cleared my throat, “You do realize that this entire thing is a huge risk for you, especially since my mother hates you and your family, and she basically threatened your life. Are you sure you don’t want to back out now?”
He cracked a small smile “Hey, my family hates you too, and I don’t see you backing out”
And just like that, I felt relieved.