“What did he want from you?” he asked.
“He wanted me to tell him what I know.” There was silence for a moment. Espen stared out the window. He crossed his legs. I could not enjoy the silence when sharing it withan unexpectedly wealthy ally. Was he an ally? He was clearly a friend of Alain, and he had been helpful so far. I could not begin to understand what his motives were. I did not know why he would even agree to tend to me. The other attendant, who I presumed was a servant, was a young girl that was too frightened to speak to me. Espen was not scared, and he was clearly not a real servant. But he had been good to me so far.
“Then tell him,” he said. I sighed.
“But there is nothing to tell him. There is nothing I know for certain.”
“Tell him what magic you have.” Espen looked me in the eyes. “Tell him why the empire was watching you.” It felt like earnest advice. To me, it sounded naive.
“He won’t believe me.”
“He might,” Espen said. His eyes told me thatheat least believed it. I smiled at his optimism. I could not help but laugh at the idea.
“He will call me a liar and hang me in the courtyard!” Espen raised an eyebrow at me. The corners of his mouth were raised to form a barely there smile.
“Are you dangerous?” he asked. If Espen thought I might be dangerous, he would not be here.
“Not as dangerous as a werewolf.” This made him laugh.
“Then he won’t hang you.” Somehow, this irked me. How would Espen know if I am not dangerous? I could be any magical creature, I could even be a demon! I told him as much.
“He doesn’t know that I am not dangerous.” If Axel did know, he would not have kept me here. Unless he kept me there for his own pleasure. Perhaps it was something he enjoyed, hiding omegas in towers. Visiting them to rile them up. Perhaps he took pleasure in it. The thought gave me shivers.
“Then tell him what he wants to know,” Espen said. “Prove to him that you’re not dangerous.”
“I don’t want to prove anything to him,” I said. Espen let out a slow breath. Was he frustrated with me? He had to understand the situation I was in! He should have shown me some sympathy and understanding.
“His judgement is fair,” he said instead. I raised my eyebrows at that.
“He locked me up in a tower!” I laughed.
“So he can also free you from a tower.” Was everyone in this castle under some sort of curse? One that made them admire their General? Or did they truly believe their General to be just and kind? The man I spoke to did not seem very kind. He seemed power hungry and domineering. He smelled like alpha and like magic and a little bit like the fires of hell.
“His scent confuses me,” I said. Espen nodded.
“It confuses all of us.” This made me think. I had many theories about the General. Would the same be true for his subjects?
“Do you know he is magic?” I asked. Espen looked away. I did not expect him to answer.
“No one knows whether he is, but everyone guesses.” I put my hand on his shoulder.
“I do know,” I said. I was not completely sure, but I was as good as certain. Crimson eyes. A cursed sword. The scent of fire. But this was also an admission of my own identity. If I could recognise the scent of a sorcerer, there were only so many types of magic I could possess. Espen looked at me then. He was assessing me, his eyes moving up and down my body.
“Then you are not a banshee, or a harpy, or a fury,” he asserted. He nodded his head. “The General will be merciful.”
For some reason, I could not stand the fact that he knew what the General was as well. It meant that most likely everyone knew, and they only kept quiet about it because the General was a sensitive little man who pretended to be an ordinary werewolf.“I could still be a threat,” I said. I crossed my arms. Espen laughed at me. The audacity.
“If you were a threat, you would have escaped already,” he said. “If you tell him everything, you’ll gain his trust.” I thought about this for a bit. He made good points, but who knew if he was right about this? About his General? I didn't even really know who he was.
“What if he kills me regardless?” I asked.
“He has a soft spot for the persecuted,” Espen said. There were no signs of deceit, and there was no reason for him to wish me harm. Unless he despised druids, or thought me someone I was not.
“How do you know I am not an imperial spy?” I asked. He sighed.
“Who spies on their own spies?”
“I wish General Axel was as sensible as you are,” I told him. He smirked at me.