Chapter 37

“I’ve not been a poor host,” he said, turning at last. He felt the eyes react to their presence, as if thrilled by the sight of others bearing the marks. “I lent you my personal reading.” He chuckled. “And taking what I was owed, I borrowed a few things with intent to return them, though some of these pretties intrigue me.” Lucien cupped his hands together, then smoothly performed a subtle sleight of hand, producing a fragment of round crystal taken from the bag. He sensed the object’s power, and filed it away as something to be dealt with at a later time. When he parted his hands, the crystal was gone. “We defended ourselves when assailed and even then I invited you to come see what we’ve been working on. Letting bygones be what they are and still, you treat us with such animosity. Shame. Manners are important and the last thing to go when an age runs dry. I do still very much want to show you what I’ve been working on, but I feel like you’ve shown me how hard it can be to trust. So I need you to earn it.”