32.

It was just a little after dawn, the sunlight was filtering through the tree line when Farryn reached the jail. She stood in the doorway in silence for a moment simply observing the male who had opted not to sleep on the cot in the cell. Tristan was curled in the corner of the cell with his knees pulled tightly to his chest. The dark circles under his eyes showed he hadn’t slept much if any at all, the night before.

“Can’t you just let me be miserable alone?” He grumbled, turning his head so his cheek was resting on his kneecaps.

“I could, or you could come with me to Aeston instead.” Farryn could practically see his ears perk up with curiosity though he was trying to hide it in his face.

“Why do you want me to go with you? So you can parade me around before killing me?” Farryn sighed loudly at the bark in his words. She approached the cell door with an eye on the male, looking for any sign of Rorus ready to come out.

“Please stop being so morbid Tristan, there is someone in Aeston who might be able to help us get some answers, and I’m not going to kill you until I have them. Besides, I promised Emily that she can be the one to deal the punishment to the guilty party.” Farryn spoke as she fished the keys out of her back pocket and unlocked the cell. Tristan uncurled himself slowly as he brought himself to stand in front of his Alpha.

“And if I simply kill you right now and run?” His eyes didn’t hold a hint of darkness as he spoke, only pain.

“You will more than likely be hunted down by the pack and torn apart slowly if I had to guess. Though it would be for Amelia, not me.” The pair held each other's gazes for a moment longer before Tristan finally shrugged his shoulders and Farryn had to bite back the urge to flinch at the sudden movement. Lola growled softly in irritation at her sudden skittish nature.

“To Aeston then, to get some answers.” Farryn nodded her head as she led the way out of the building, Tony stood waiting outside with a scowl though he remained wordless, no doubt trying to figure out if she was letting Tristan go or not. Farryn did not bother giving the male any sign of acknowledgment and instead brought Tristan to walk just slightly in front of her so she could watch his movements.

The pack members that stood outside watched in silence as the two departed. Not a single member attempted to stop them or ask questions, and Farryn could feel that not a single member held any trust in their hearts for her. It drove her to want to find the truth, to prove to her pack that she could be useful and a leader in dire times. Lola, of course, was itching to demand respect from each individual member. But it was Namia’s desire to be liked, to please everyone, that was strongest at this moment.

“So tell me Farryn, what did you and Rorus have to talk about? He wouldn’t tell me anything but you were gone by the time I was back.” Tristan glanced over his shoulder, his amber eyes were soft and almost pleading for answers. Farryn found herself looking away from his gaze quickly, a move that had Lola once again growling in irritation.

“He blocked you out? I didn’t know they could do that.” She mused. Having never given herself over to her wolf before she didn’t even know what it felt like to still be in the human form while the wolf took control.

“He wanted to talk to Lola, he didn’t give me much information. That’s why this person in Aeston will be helpful. Well, if they agree to help us at all.”

“You don’t even know if this person will agree to help yet? What if we get there and they say no? Who even is it that we are going to see?” Tristan’s sudden flurry of questions and rush of energy was already beginning to wear Farryn down, and they weren’t even close to being halfway there yet.

“A dragon priestess is who we are going to see.” It was the only answer that Farryn felt confident enough to give Tristan, but the answer had the male stopping in his tracks.

“A dragon priestess? Farryn are you kidding?!” He snapped sharply as she looked at him with her brows furrowed together in confusion.

“The Dragonkin were wiped out Farryn! Before I joined the Storm pack I came across a group traveling from Breduin, it’s a desolate place anyways but they said it was completely deserted, every village and town they came across had been empty. There were ruins of some sort of war the had taken place that seemed relatively fresh.” A cold chill of fear pierced Farryn’s heart at the news but Lola’s calmness seeped through her mind.

“That is horrible to hear about, however who we are going to has been here for a while now, I have no reason to doubt that they are Dragonkin.” With Lola’s help, Farryn was able to force her personal doubt down and give Tristan the show of confidence he needed to at the very least stop questioning Farryn and fall silent once more as they resumed their long walk.

~

It was about midday when the pair reached the town, Farryn’s eyes continued to drift to Tristan as they entered the market, with a large number of people she didn’t want to lose sight of him and have him disappear on her. He shoved his hands into his front pockets as he drifted closer to his Alpha as the crowd grew larger. He seemed to have the same thought in mind of not wanting to lose sight of the shorter female.

“So where is this priestess?” Farryn swallowed as her eyes scanned the stalls for the young female merchant selling skins.

“I’m not sure, I’m trying to find her daughter, she’s a merchant.” Farryn could hear the scoff that came out of Tristan’s mouth, he had little faith in this plan of hers, and his doubt was beginning to rub off on her. The pair rounded a corner to find the stall Farryn had been looking for crowded with customers, the young merchant flashed everyone a charming smile as she accepted the money they handed over in exchange for whatever it was they wanted. Ashia’s eyes were quick to find Farryn and a different kind of smile lit up on her face.

“Ah, friend! Hello, hello…” Her cheery tone quickly dropped off as her eyes skipped to the dark-haired male beside her. Her face paled quickly as she took the slightest step backward into the shadows of her stall.

“You are no friend, why are you here?” Her words practically dripped poison and hatred despite her shaking hands. Farryn had to admire the younger female for putting on a brave front.

“Ashia, this is Tristan, he is a member of my pack. We need to speak to your mother.” Ashia’s eyes grew wide with worry. She didn’t question if Tristan was his real name, it was clear she saw him as Deacon, and only as Deacon.

“My mother does not meet with outsiders, let alone with wolves.” She said quickly, smart to try and come up with a reasonable excuse to protect her mother but it was a poor excuse to use in Aeston. Farryn however had come prepared this time as she brought her money out of her front pocket and set it all on the countertop.

“Ashia we aren’t going to hurt anyone, I promise, we simply need to talk to her and it’s very urgent. It is quite literally a matter of life or death.” Ashia seemed to chew on Farryn’s words, taking note of how Tristan calmly held back behind his Alpha. The young female closed her eyes tightly before groaning.

“Twice now you have made me close shop. You certainly owe more than this.” She grumbled as she quickly swiped the money that Farryn had set down and began to close up. Farryn smiled softly as she stepped back to stand beside Tristan once more.

“I’m certain we can find some way to compensate you for the inconvenience.” She promised.