Jurdan in the Mortal World

Deja Vu

(A/N: hi. i'm low-key impressed with myself for updating often. i'm in writer's block for my other books, so here we are! the one story i'm making where i know what i'm doing. you guys, i finished the six of crows duology. ahh. i will take book suggestions bc i'm stuck at home with nothing to do other than to read. after this story, i'll be working on my other account, iliveformybooks, so no more writing here, prbly. i will finish this story here, tho, bc i'm not THAT inconvenient of a person.

thank you for reading this, as always, and please...do what you do. XD 

if you want, i can make some stories on my other account of ships you like or series you read.)

We sit down in the middle of a narrow alleyway, Cardan still tied up. No gags, because why would he scream himself hoarse? 

I start the conversation sure to come. "What do you want from us."

Bryern smiles. "We don't want anything from you. We want your twin sister."

I keep my expression flat and cold. "Does my sister matter that much to Oriana?"

"Oriana always liked Taryn more, and you know that."

"But why would you get the trouble of coming here, and tracking us down, and making a bargain with us, and threaten us, if you could've just stolen Taryn and gotten away with it?" I direct the question to Bryern.

Madoc settles back in his chair and huffs. "Because being here, threatening you, we get to be in a win-win situation. If you don't give us Taryn, Bryern breaks into Elfhame, takes the rebels and the ones not happy with you guys, and takes over the throne, in which case, we get to replay Jude-and-Cardan scenario. I control the throne from behind Bryern. If you do give us Taryn, my dear wife is happy and problem solved."

Cardan speaks, his voice slightly raspy. "No bargain is a win-win."

Madoc's smile is feral. "This is not a bargain. This is a threat."

A mouse has teeth and a bug has wings, I remind myself. Why would Madoc want to please Oriana that badly? He has no reason to sidle up to her. He is exiled while she is not, and she clearly hasn't come for him, has she?

Could Madoc really love Oriana that much? Could she be used as leverage? I decide to try.

"We will not give you Taryn. If Bryern comes into Elfhame, Oriana dies. She can't want Taryn if she's dead, can she?"

"Well then, it's a lose-lose for us. We don't get Taryn, and we don't get to bring down your kingdom." Bryern raises a brow.

The truth is, if we abide by Madoc's threat, and we don't give him Taryn, it is very possible that we could have a huge revolt on our hands. It would be so very easy for Elfhame to turn against Eldred's youngest son and a mortal queen. Elfhame bends under power, power that I may have but don't know how to exploit. And Madoc...he basically owns the army. If they trust Bryern enough...

"It is a lose-lose for you. You can either lose your unhealthy obsession for power, or Oriana," Cardan says, voice smooth.

"No. We will have a bargain-"

I cut Madoc off. "We are done here. Untie Cardan immediately." We all hear the threat behind it. Or else Oriana dies. 

Apparently, my teeth ate a way through Madoc's armor and found me a weakness. Bryern unties him, fingers lean and nimble, black fur growing everywhere but his fingernails.

He gets up from the chair, and I suddenly have the urge to hug him. Our relationship was never...like that, which is why it makes me wonder. But either way...weaknesses.

Madoc stalks off with a salute, giving me another feral grin, Bryern on his heels. I have a feeling that this isn't over.

(A/N: THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE FUN

not like that)