I blinked, not sure what to make of such an impossible statement. He was not the first person to speak of wanting to do away with Ishren's king, but the assuredness behind the statement made the soft curve of his ears and boyish features even more prominent. This human boy--- gifted or not---was mad if he thought he could...
"Basson Adyra can't be killed," I said carefully. Reasoning with someone spewing nonsense was never wise. I knew that. But I also knew that somewhere in this burning city, Harlow was undoubtedly coming for me. I scanned the deep smoke all around us, trying to center myself in the madness. It would be difficult for anyone to maneuver in this chaos, but if Harlow had any skill to brag about, it wasn't his swordsmanship. It was his ability to find me no matter the obstacle.
I just needed to give him time.
"You must know that," I added, stalling.
The boy smothered a smirk with the back of his hand as if I'd said something stupid. "Right. Right. Basson is the most powerful. His magic protects him. Impenetrable. Unkillable." He nodded sarcastically. "Like his father...and like his father's father...like every Adyra devil before him."
I flinched. That word I'd used countless times felt wrong suddenly. It was said no differently, full of contempt and prejudice, but now it aimed at my heart, stung me in a way I didn't understand. "Basson is different from his family before him."
The boy shrugged, and his confining shadows dissipated, untangling from my limbs and torso, mixing into the smoke around us. I could finally take a full breath, and I coughed from the sudden stretch of my lungs. "You're right," he said. "He is different---he's alive. Didya ever ask him what happened to the others?"
Words failed me for a moment. I sat up slowly, carefully, wondering which way would be best to run. The boy remained reluctantly patient, staring at me in a way that demanded an answer.
I stepped to the right. "The...others?"
He matched my step and smiled. "The rest of this all-powerful family---where are they? Your friend Basson never told you?" My silence prompted a small laugh from the boy. "That's just like him... keeping secrets, not caring who gets hurt in the end."
My heart paused for a beat. The way he spoke of Basson with such casual disdain struck a familiar chord. I stared at the boy, more intently than before. It was then a flicker of light reflected off his neck, drawing my attention. A citrine necklace dangled there, one I recognized.
I narrowed my gaze at the orange gemstone, remembering the trouble it caused me back in Prodia. An engagement gift from Basson, one that refused to come off without the help of my syphon, one that I had last seen in the hands of a madman. Suddenly, things began to make sense. "Galan lied to you about Basson," I said.
The boy raised his sparse brows, and wild anger gleamed in his green eyes. "Galan is the only person who hasn't lied to me."
Of course. Galan was the cause of all this destruction. Galan was the cause of all my headaches, even the one from the very beginning. "You're one of the missing people from Prodia...Galan kidnapped you."
The boy rolled his eyes. "He saved me."
"His magic controls the mind, he has you under his spell."
"My mind is my own."
"Prince Rayland has been searching for you---he wants you home."
He kicked a rock near his feet, and it reminded me of a small child looking for ways to control his temper. "Prodia is no home to those like me! Not unless I sell my soul to the royal family."
