Page 17 of Lady of Starfire

Yes.

“No,” she replied, knowing that was what he wanted her to say.

Az tsked at her. “Do not lie to me, Talwyn. We are well past that.”

“Why do you?” she asked. She had meant to say it sharp and cold, but it came out soft and desperate.

“Why do I what?”

“You know what I am asking.” She was staring at the floor, scrubbing at a spot of dried blood with her bare toe.

“Yes, but I want you to say it out loud so you can hear how ridiculous you sound,” Azrael chided.

She looked up from the grimy floor to glare at him. “Why do you bother coming to see me every day?”

“Because someday you will not be behind these bars, Talwyn. And on that day, I want you to know that you are not alone, even if you think you deserve to be.”

“Scarlett will not let me out of here. And if she does, it will only be to kill me.”

“Scarlett will not be the one to let you out,” Azrael agreed, getting to his feet.

He was leaving already? He always stayed with her for at least an hour, sometimes longer. She may be questioning why he came to see her every day, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like it. She sure as shit didn’t deserve it, but his visits were keeping her sane. She needed them, and deep down, she knew that was part of the reason he came to her every day.

“On the day you find yourself on the other side of these bars, I think you will discover you have never truly been alone. Not like you believe you are.”

She slowly got to her feet, moving carefully so that the shackles didn’t dig further into her skin. Her joints cracked as she uncoiled from the ground. The chains had enough give to let her move to a waste bucket and to get the food they brought to her.

“Spend your time preparing, Talwyn,” Azrael said.

“Preparing for what?”

“For how you wish to live on the other side of these bars.”

“You speak as if I have a future. Perhaps you should be the one preparing.”

“I am.”

Her lips pursed at what he was insinuating. “You will let me know how things went when you return?”

“I will report on Ashtine’s wellbeing,” he agreed.

The silence went on for the next several seconds before Azrael turned and began making his way to the stairs.

“Az,” Talwyn called out, stumbling forward a step.

He paused, looking back at her over his shoulder expectantly.

“Thank you. For coming to see me every day.” Azrael blinked at her. His only show of surprise. “Can you do something for me?”

“I can try,” he said with a nod for her to make her request as he turned to face her fully once more.

“In case you are wrong and I do not get to leave this cell, can you tell Ashtine thank you as well?”

“For?”

“For choosing me and asking nothing in return. Tell her…” Her voice caught in her throat, and it was at that moment she realized her face was wet. “Tell her I will find a way to repay her. Even if I must do so from the After.”

Azrael took a step back towards her. His hand moved as if he were going to reach for her before he dropped it again. “I will tell her.”