Chapter 2

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"Why did you do it?"

Her eyes darted around the bar, but she couldn't stop herself from asking the question. The Tezyllian government had no tolerance for crime. If she'd been caught, they'd have her head. If he'd been caught aiding her, the same fate awaited him.

"Why did you help me?"

Nyron shook his sandy-blonde hair out of his eyes as he grabbed another glass to wash up. "You seemed to need help." He shrugged.

Liliya studied him for a few moments. "But you could've gotten into a lot of trouble."

The corners of his lips pulled away into a bright smile, showing two rows of perfect teeth. "Do you think I should've let them arrest you?"

"No! I mean..." She cleared her throat. "No. Thanks for the help," she muttered. Unsure where to look, she pushed herself up from the barstool.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, I should be getting home. Hand me my coat?" she said, gesturing behind the bar.

"You know, you should at least finish that drink."

Looking up, Liliya narrowed her eyes. "You want me to stay? Why?"

With one hand, Nyron gestured around the pub. "Have you looked around at all? The only company I have is two passed out drunks. I'm bored to death in here. It doesn't get busier until later at night. Besides..." He cocked his head to the side. "I'm itching to hear the story about why you were chased by the cops."

It was a good thing the pub was poorly lit, because Liliya couldn't stop the heat from rising to her cheeks. She pushed the stool forward against the bar and shook her head. "I should really go..." Her mother was probably waiting for her at home.

"Come on," said Nyron. "I've already proven to you that I'm not going to turn you in, so what's the harm in telling me? Besides, I saved you. Staying for a bit is the least you can do, right?" With a lopsided smile, he pushed her half-finished drink closer.

Liliya sighed, but sat back down anyway. "Fine. But you'll have to make me another drink. Something more... tolerable."

Nyron grinned. "Not into whiskey are you? No worries, I'll make you something sweeter." Turning to grab a couple of brightly coloured bottles from the shelves, he added, "In the meantime, tell me your story."

Swirling the whiskey inside her glass, Liliya frowned. "I don't even know where to begin..."

"Well," said Nyron, filling a glass with ice cubes. "What were you doing that got the cops chasing after you?"

Liliya brought the whiskey glass to her mouth before answering. "I was trying to get some Ginkgo leaves."

The clinking of glass against glass suddenly died down and silence filled the bar. She risked a glance upwards. Nyron's bottle-filled hands hovered in the air as if frozen.

"That's the herb they recently banned."

"They only banned the harvest of it, not the use," Liliya fired back.

"Which comes down to exactly the same thing!"

Liliya flinched from the growl in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I..." Nyron sighed, setting down the bottles. "What did you need that herb for?"

"Everything," she muttered. "The Ginkgo leaf is one of the main ingredients of the calming potion, which I need to do my job. My supplier can't make the potion without ingredients. Which means I can't do my job properly. I'm losing clients already."

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