"I cannot do that."
The words left my mouth smoothly before I even realized I’d said them.
Avelora didn’t look surprised. But she rarely seed to be. She stood near the edge of her desk, half-lit by the amber glow of the lamp, her long white robe brushing the floor. Her expression was perfectly calm, like she’d already anticipated my refusal.
"You can, Maeve," she said softly. "It has already been three days since he ca here and he hasn’t even uttered a single word. We’ve tried every way possible."
"I understand...but there has to be another way."
She smiled, that maddening, serene smile that could pass for kindness until I almost wanted to give in. "Maeve, you know as well as I do that this silence between the two of you can’t last. We need information about Parthenn. The Commander won’t speak to . He won’t speak to anyone. But he might speak to you."
I folded my arms, trying to ignore the way her words struck in the chest. "He’s not going to talk to either. He barely talked to even when we lived together."
"Co on," she murmured. "He’s your mate. Use that to your advantage. We all know that the main reason he went out of his way to find this extrely hidden place was because he wanted to find you. He never really gave a lot of importance to bringing down the Rebellion groups until you. He’s probably waiting for you down there to talk to you."
That sent a chill down my spine. "You don’t understand him. None of you do. He has a plan. He definitely must. There’s no way he took all that trouble to just let himself be caught like that. There’s a reason for it, and if you do talk to him, that may be the key he needs to bring this whole place down."
"He can’t do that," she countered, going around the desk and stepping closer to ." His powers are useless in his cell. And also, he definitely had a soft corner when it cos to you. That’s just how it works for fated mates. You’ve seen him more closely than anyone here right now. So if there’s sothing he’s hiding, sothing about his powers or his plans, anything at all about Parthenn and what those scientists are doing over there, then you’re the only one who can find out."
I shook my head slowly even though I knew what she was saying was true. "He’s dangerous."
"That’s why I’ve made sure he can’t be."
Her tone was calm, but the implication behind it was sharp enough to draw blood. She walked towards the stone wall, gesturing lightly with one hand. " I told you, Maeve. The chamber he’s in now is lined entirely with Stargar Stone. The air itself in his cell would weaken his kind. His chains are forged with the sa ore. His powers are muted to a fraction of what they were. You have nothing to fear."
Nothing to fear.
Except I did.
Not of what he might do, he might be really powerless in there, but I was scared of what he might say.
She looked back at , her dark eyes glowing faintly under the low light. "Think about it, Maeve. If he truly knows nothing, you’ll lose nothing. But if he does, then you would be doing all of us a huge favor. And when I say all of us, I an the entire city of Kargahart. Maybe even the entire world if the information can be used to get rid of the mist."
"I’ll think about it," I cut in abruptly.
Avelora’s smile returned, delicate and knowing. "Good. Do that."
I left before she could say another word.
Valden was waiting outside the corridor, arms crossed and jaw tight, like he’d already guessed what the conversation was about. "She wants you to talk to him."
I didn’t answer at first.
"She does, doesn’t she?" he pressed, stepping closer. "Maeve, tell she didn’t just ask you to do that."
"She says his powers are weakened," I interrupted. "The chamber’s lined with Stargar Stone, and it’s pretty much safe."
"I don’t care if it’s lined with the Moon Goddess herself," he snapped. "You’re not going in there."
His voice echoed down the narrow corridor, drawing a few glances from passing soldiers.
I frowned. "Valden..."
"No. You don’t know what he’s capable of. You think those stones will stop him? And even if it did, I don’t trust him at all to not take advantage of the situation. I feel like that’s exactly what he wanted when he let himself get caught. He probably knew they’d try to get information out of him and then use you when nothing else works. He’s probably waiting for it so he can try whatever he’s been planning to."
I clenched my fists. "Valden, that may be true, but it’s not like we can keep him here for no reason. He’s definitely not going to talk and we need answers. You said it yourself, sothing’s off about him. You saw it in his eyes."
"Yeah, I did," he said, stepping so close I could feel the warmth of his breath. "That’s exactly why I don’t want you anywhere near him."
The silence stretched between us until even Joren, who’d been loitering awkwardly in the corner, decided to back away muttering sothing about "not wanting to be collateral damage."
"I can handle myself," I said finally.
Valden laughed, humorless. "That’s not the point."
"Then what is the point?"
He looked at , sothing like frustration and sothing softer tangled in his expression. "The point is that I don’t want you walking straight into his trap. Because that’s what this is, Maeve. A trap."
I didn’t respond to that. Because deep down, a part of knew he might be right.
But another part, the louder and more stubborn part, was already twisting with curiosity about Darek and anger at Valden for thinking I can’t take care of myself.
When I finally spoke, my voice ca out quieter than I ant it to. "I’ll be careful."
Valden stared at , disbelief flashing across his face. "You’re actually going to do it?"
I nodded once.
He cursed under his breath, dragging a hand through his hair. "You’re impossible."
"I’ve been called worse."
He let out a long breath and turned away, muttering sothing I couldn’t catch soon enough.
By the ti I stood in front of Avelora’s study again, I felt like my heart was trying to punch its way out of my ribs. I was nervous.
She didn’t look up from the files she was studying when I entered. "Have you made your decision?"
"Yes," I said quietly.
"And?"
"I’ll talk to him."
Avelora looked up, her eyes glinting with satisfaction. "Finally."
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