the table.
A rustle of movement caused her to look behind her. She frowned, watching as the Nirreth who had just been laughing and joking with her and Trazen stood up and began to back off, to remove themselves from the ring of armed guards. Some part of her wanted to call them cowards, but she knew there would be no point. They weren’t fighters, any of them.
They were like Agnon. They hired other Nirreth to do their dirty work.
Trazen didn’t give those retreating Nirreth so much as a glance.
Chloe watched the dark-clothed guards rearrange their formation around the low table, too. They fanned around behind Agnon in a deceptively casual arc, watching the proceedings with dark, wary eyes, their tails flicking aggressively. She saw one of them motion the human females out of the way, too, and they walked in the same direction as the retreating Nirreth, their eyes glassed and confused by venom as they stole glances back at Trazen and Chloe.
When Trazen didn’t speak, Agnon prompted him again.
“We can agree on this?” he said. “That this loan will now be returned?”
“No,” Trazen said, his voice equally cold. “We cannot.”
“She is not yours.”
“And yet she is. I acquired her in full. For a fair price...”
“A price that was not paid.”
“...A very fair price,” Trazen continued, his eyes locked on Agnon’s. “Particularly given how badly you treat your toys, friend Agnon. Moreover, you are incorrect. That price was paid by me in full earlier this morning. A gift to the Royals in your name... gratefully received.”
Agnon looked past him at Chloe. Looking her over briefly, including the dress, he glanced back at Trazen, his dark lips lifting in a smile.
“You like her so much, Trazen?” he said.
“She is paid for. This discussion is over.”
“It is not over,” Agnon snapped, his tail coiling in another hard arc. “And she is not paid for.” When Trazen began to speak, Agnon cut him off, once more lashing the kinked tail. “I was able to intercept the gift you attempted on my behalf. I paid the Royals their tithe from my own treasury, and they accepted. Moreover, I returned the credits you had put up in my name to your accounts. I simply cannot part with her, I’m afraid...”
“The transaction occurred,” Trazen said, immovable. “That you returned the money to me is a detail. Seller’s remorse. I will give that money back to you, if you require it, Agnon––”
“I do not require it,” Agnon said, growling openly. “I require my property returned.”
“––Then I will view it as a gift to me,” Trazen continued smoothly. “But the sale is finished.”
“I disagree,” Agnon said. “Further, I have witnesses to our exchange who disagree that this transaction occurred in good faith...”
“Meaning what?” Trazen said, his voice growing dangerously soft. “Are you accusing me of dishonesty, friend Agnon?”
Chloe felt something in the tenor of the exchange shift.
Whatever it was, it raised the hair on her arms and the back of her neck.
She also saw the muscles on Trazen’s arms and legs flex. He seemed to grow bigger, even as his lean, muscular body went utterly still, even his tail.
“I am saying that,” Agnon said, his voice unmistakably cold.
The row of Nirreth behind him tensed, their eyes now uniformly locked on Trazen.
Agnon added, “I don’t know why you would deny that you had stolen her from me blatantly, Trazen. I had surveillance in that room. I lodged a complaint. I will have her back... or your blood in compensation...”
“Are you quite sure you want to do that?” Trazen said.
The silence grew even more loaded.
Chloe had to fight again not to grasp at Trazen’s arms, to pull him back. She had a sudden vision of Agnon’s goons pulling out sandblasters and killing him right there... or maybe a pulre blast to the chest that would likely kill her too, at this range.
Somehow, the thought of dying with him, after everything, was
A rustle of movement caused her to look behind her. She frowned, watching as the Nirreth who had just been laughing and joking with her and Trazen stood up and began to back off, to remove themselves from the ring of armed guards. Some part of her wanted to call them cowards, but she knew there would be no point. They weren’t fighters, any of them.
They were like Agnon. They hired other Nirreth to do their dirty work.
Trazen didn’t give those retreating Nirreth so much as a glance.
Chloe watched the dark-clothed guards rearrange their formation around the low table, too. They fanned around behind Agnon in a deceptively casual arc, watching the proceedings with dark, wary eyes, their tails flicking aggressively. She saw one of them motion the human females out of the way, too, and they walked in the same direction as the retreating Nirreth, their eyes glassed and confused by venom as they stole glances back at Trazen and Chloe.
When Trazen didn’t speak, Agnon prompted him again.
“We can agree on this?” he said. “That this loan will now be returned?”
“No,” Trazen said, his voice equally cold. “We cannot.”
“She is not yours.”
“And yet she is. I acquired her in full. For a fair price...”
“A price that was not paid.”
“...A very fair price,” Trazen continued, his eyes locked on Agnon’s. “Particularly given how badly you treat your toys, friend Agnon. Moreover, you are incorrect. That price was paid by me in full earlier this morning. A gift to the Royals in your name... gratefully received.”
Agnon looked past him at Chloe. Looking her over briefly, including the dress, he glanced back at Trazen, his dark lips lifting in a smile.
“You like her so much, Trazen?” he said.
“She is paid for. This discussion is over.”
“It is not over,” Agnon snapped, his tail coiling in another hard arc. “And she is not paid for.” When Trazen began to speak, Agnon cut him off, once more lashing the kinked tail. “I was able to intercept the gift you attempted on my behalf. I paid the Royals their tithe from my own treasury, and they accepted. Moreover, I returned the credits you had put up in my name to your accounts. I simply cannot part with her, I’m afraid...”
“The transaction occurred,” Trazen said, immovable. “That you returned the money to me is a detail. Seller’s remorse. I will give that money back to you, if you require it, Agnon––”
“I do not require it,” Agnon said, growling openly. “I require my property returned.”
“––Then I will view it as a gift to me,” Trazen continued smoothly. “But the sale is finished.”
“I disagree,” Agnon said. “Further, I have witnesses to our exchange who disagree that this transaction occurred in good faith...”
“Meaning what?” Trazen said, his voice growing dangerously soft. “Are you accusing me of dishonesty, friend Agnon?”
Chloe felt something in the tenor of the exchange shift.
Whatever it was, it raised the hair on her arms and the back of her neck.
She also saw the muscles on Trazen’s arms and legs flex. He seemed to grow bigger, even as his lean, muscular body went utterly still, even his tail.
“I am saying that,” Agnon said, his voice unmistakably cold.
The row of Nirreth behind him tensed, their eyes now uniformly locked on Trazen.
Agnon added, “I don’t know why you would deny that you had stolen her from me blatantly, Trazen. I had surveillance in that room. I lodged a complaint. I will have her back... or your blood in compensation...”
“Are you quite sure you want to do that?” Trazen said.
The silence grew even more loaded.
Chloe had to fight again not to grasp at Trazen’s arms, to pull him back. She had a sudden vision of Agnon’s goons pulling out sandblasters and killing him right there... or maybe a pulre blast to the chest that would likely kill her too, at this range.
Somehow, the thought of dying with him, after everything, was
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