“I can’t imagine killing me would end well for you???—??or accomplish your goals, for that matter,” Adwyn said, peering down at me with a look of patience and recognition???—??as if he’d had this conversation before.


    up to meet eye with him, and I broke it just as quick.  “Granted you even had it in you to do it???—??and you don’t???—??you wouldn’t survive my assassination.  And if those two conditions didn’t hold, I???—??personally???—??wouldn’t recommend this.  And not simply because my life is in question, either.”  He paused.  “Can you tell me why? What purpose could it serve?”


    them as well???—??but he isn’t whom I’m thinking of.”


    any of this helps me!”  The words came out hard and I flinched at how loud my voice was.  Even in the privacy of the alleyway, I wouldn’t, couldn’t, risk anyone hearing this conversation.  Lower, pleadingly, I said, “Can you at least fake your death or something if I can’t kill you?  I need this.”


    serious,” he said.


    leaving was the cleanest solution at the time.  But my brother appeared before I would have???—??left.  He said I should go somewhere in the Dyfnderi protectorate instead, and that he had a plan, and that when it all worked out, I could come back.  Everything would be fixed.  And I could finally be stargazer.”


    doubt.  You wish to trust them simply because you can doubt their ill intentions.”


    shouldn’t.  Where were these dragons when you were exiled?  How much help have they been to your living a life on the surface?”  The orange drake looked away, and came back with some look in his eye.  “Why not trust me, instead?  I can assure you I would never send you on a doomed mission.”


    you?  I don’t even know what you want!”


    smaller as time grows on.”  For once, Adwyn smirked, and because of that I could believe him.


    knew I was guilty???—??they called me the black ascendant???—??but none could prove it.  Our justice system is flawed that way???—??or some would say, featured.”


    hurt her, and I wanted some way to make it right.  So I went to the king.  He is a wise, philosophical drake???—??judgment being about all he is good for with our parliament allowed to do much of the more important things.”


    at me.  “I wanted a way to make things right.  He didn’t give me one, but he did give me a path to follow, that I might better understand.  His first suggestion was monasticism.”


    This has become why I want further peace between our two strongholds, and why I do not think a path of violence is the one down which you should go, Kinri.”


    me anything.  None of that helps me.”


    no hope of ever returning to my home?”


    can help you with that.  In fact, I don’t think you’d even find that in the Constellation, were you to return.  The same things you ran away from haven’t gone anywhere, have they?”  Adwyn shook his head.  “Alas, the choice is yours.  Make your decision.”


    I fit into any of this? What could you want with my help at all?”  Even with my back turned, I watched Adwyn’s cast shadow, waiting for his reaction.


    right, of landing a retort he couldn’t counter.  But if his helping me was conditional on me being useful, if he only thought I was useful because of Hinte...


    * * *