Victor of Tucson

“Nah, come on, Tes. I’d never feel right knowing you did that. It means a hell of a lot that you said you would, though.” He grinned crookedly, reaching up to gently cup the side of her head while he wiped away a tear with his thumb. “Dragons cry, huh?”

She sniffed. “Is this the first time you’ve seen me cry?”

“Yeah, I think so. How about kissing? Do dragons do that?” Victor leaned closer to her, and when she didn’t pull away but rather continued to stare into his eyes, his heart began to race, and he felt adrenaline like he was about to fight for his life. Gently and with no intention of taking it further, he pressed his lips to hers. When she kissed him back, he felt like his heart would burst. He heard a roaring in his ears, and he swore the world began to tilt sideways. Tes tightened her grip on his arms, though, and he grounded himself in that touch, savoring the warm softness of her lips for a second before pulling back with the stupidest grin he’d ever worn.

“We do,” she said, breathily.

“Shit, Tes. What are we going to do?” Victor was still reeling from the wave of emotion he hadn’t expected. Had he built her up so much in his mind that a simple kiss could floor him like that?

“I think you were right. I think I should give you some time. Prove yourself here. Conquer this world. Become a steel seeker. Gather your power and develop an aura that will silence critics. If it takes you a year or a hundred, I’ll—”

“No, fuck that, Tes! I’m not going to let you slip away for years and years! Give me a way to contact you. Can we share a Farscribe book, at least?”

Tes smiled. “I can do better than that. I’ll make us a pair of dream crystals; we can meet on the plane of dreams.”

“Yes. It won’t take me long—a few hours. Go and see your artisan friend and check in on that poor disembodied Death Caster.”

“So,” Victor growled softly, reaching up to viciously scrub the side of his head, dragging his nails through his hair.

“What, Victor?”

“I kind of wish I’d just let things lie. Why’d I have to get all riled up and…” Unable to finish the thought, he jammed his hand into his palm, driving it in until his knuckles popped. “And now you’re leaving.”

“Hush. You did the right thing. Besides, I’m the one who brought up Kynna’s affections. We had to confront this. You need the freedom to become who you are meant to be.”

Her words triggered memories of Valla and her reasons for parting with him. He groaned, unable to fight down the feelings those memories evoked. Was he cursed? Was every woman he met going to say it wasn’t the right time? Valla wanted to grow beyond his shadow, and now Tes wanted him to grow beyond hers. What twist of fate had brought about this cruel irony? He almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Couldn’t two people who liked each other just be together?

Tes sniffed, grabbing his wrist. “Are you well?”

Victor realized he was grimacing again. He wanted to say that he wasn’t, but he didn’t. Hadn’t he just told Tes he didn’t want to mess up her life? If he needed to get stronger to stand beside her among her peers, then that’s what he’d goddamn do. “I’m good.” He forced a smile and nodded. “I’ll go see Trobban and Arona later, though. If you’re leaving soon, then I’ll hang out while you work on the dream crystals.”

Her smile was gentle as she nodded. “That would be nice, Victor. We can chat while I work.” She nodded toward the table. “How about some wine?”

“Yeah. One of mine, or—”

“I have something I’ve been saving. It’s from a vineyard on my uncle's lands on Aradnue.” She tugged his wrist. “Come. I have advice for your upcoming duels. Imagine how guilty I’ll feel if you die after I leave?”