Dragoncrest Cliffs the stars are blazing

Xan doesn’t say anything right away and Thuringwethil tries to keep her hackles smooth, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Kendra had vouched for him once and perhaps that is the only thing to give him the advantage, but his teetering on thin ice shows more the longer he goes without speaking.

Eventually, the words fall out of his mouth but they are stiff and blunt and she can’t stop the rise in fur along her neck. Her mind does not wander to Eske and what problems she is causing—as she easily remembers the last conversation she had with Kendra—and instead focuses on the brute in front of her. “Is that so?” she says flatly with a flick of her ear. She blinks slowly, wondering if he might change his mind, but she’s hard pressed to believe he might. Thuringwethil smooths the fur down her spine, her expression still neutral despite the flicker of irritation. “Or is it you she bothers?”