Page 89 of The Oracle of Dusk

“I have nothing more to say to you!” she retorted.

He searched her eyes, as if looking for a surrender. It would never come.

“You can’t seriously mean to leave. Where will you sleep? How will you purchase food? Even if you get out of the city, what then? Do you know how to light a fire? Do you know where it’s safe to camp and where it isn’t? What if you meet bandits on the road, or worse, monstrosities?”

He didn’t really care. He was just trying to keep her from leaving. As she ought to.

“Why do you care? As you said, you’re a king. I’m no one. My fate should be immaterial to you. Unless you’re merely asking in an attempt to shake my confidence?” she taunted.

“Why must you be so bloody stubborn?” he growled, advancing on her.

“Why won’t you just let me go?” She tried to wrench her wrist from his grip.

“Because it’s dangerous out there.”

“It’s dangerousin here.” She finally succeeded, pulling away from him.

“You said you would stay.” He narrowed his eyes.

“That was before. When I thought you could be trusted,” she huffed.

“Then I demand you repay me for healing you. Or are you someone who doesn’t pay their debts?” He smirked.

That rat bastard! She gritted her teeth, certain she was going to fracture them with her pique. Was it still considered regicide if he’d died thousands of years before she was born?

“Fine! But after this, I want nothing to do with you,” she warned him.

Aurora grabbed a spare piece of paper from her satchel, charcoal, and marched to the wall encompassing the vivarium’s garden. She held up her paper against a smooth brick and started drawing. When she was done, she shoved the drawing at Theron.

He took the drawing and stared at it, brows furrowed in bewilderment.

“What is this?”

“An aqueduct. You said Altanus is having issues with the water being tainted. If you build this on a slight angle, you can funnel the water from the mountains directly to the city. Or all over Aureum, if you prefer.”

“And this semi-circle?” he pressed.

“It’s an arch. It distributes the weight of the topmost section more easily. It shouldn’t take too long for your engineers to figure it out. Now, are we done?”

He looked from her drawing to her, and she knew the answer. A new light dawned in his eyes, covetous and determined. Good Goddesses, she’d made another mistake. Aurora backed up, her heart racing. Those weren’t the eyes of a man who was satisfied with his spoils. They were the eyes of a predator tasting blood for the first time.

“Do you know what this knowledge is worth?” he asked quietly.

“More than what I owed you for healing me.” Aurora glared at him. “My debt is paid.”

“And now I am indebted to you.” He advanced on her again.

“Then let me leave in peace.” She backed up.

“No.”

“I thought you were a man of honour!”

He held up a hand.

“Allow me to secure you safe passage. I am not without resources, even here.”

“This is just your attempt to slow me down,” she accused him. This was all just another trick of his.

---