“Fine. You can stand there for now. After the storm, I want you out. I live here. This cave is mine.”

He then stalked to a nearby chair.

Harmoni kept at least part of her focus on him, but she widened her gaze to the rest of the cavern. Lived here, huh? There wasn’t much in here. Like Fleck had guessed, it was small and dry, smaller than the living room in Udo’s house. He had a chair. There was a shower curtain between the cave and the outside world, acting as a sort of door. There was a card table. In the far corner, there was garbage piled up.

And boy Fleck did not like the smell of it.

In another corner, close to the front, Evin had a crate of miscellaneous things. She could see a plate, a clock that was no longer telling time, and a very familiar cloak.

Then Evin pulled something else out from under the crate. A small cardboard box, full of cigarettes.

Fleck was pretty sure those were cigars, actually. They were bigger, and smelled nicer to him. But of course they would be stronger, and worse for anyone other than dragons. Dragons were practically made for inhaling and exhaling smoke.

“Hey! Don’t do that. Smoking’s bad for you!”

It was also bad for the people around him, but Evin had proved he didn’t care about that.

It was quiet and still for a moment. She knew Fleck was in a bit of disbelief, and Evin might be too.

Then, Evin very slowly, very deliberately, put the cigar to his mouth, drew in a breath, and sprayed it back out.

“You have some gall telling me what to do in my own home.”

Harmoni didn’t like him.

Oh same.

“As for my health? I am covered in slime and spent most of my money trying to break the curse. I live in a cave, essentially scavenging for what I need, can’t get help if I’m sick or injured, and haven’t changed clothes in over two years. I’ll take the enjoyments I can get. My health can’t get much worse.”

Harmoni clenched her fists and stared at the ground, but she wasn’t angry. Well, not just angry.

“You’d get more sympathy, if you weren’t a traitorous ass at every turn,” she pointed out, trying to explain the feeling.

“And why should I care about people’s sympathy? Beyond what it can do for me.”

“Other people matter.”

“Who do you think made the open area of sand you call a courtyard worth anything? If other people have it so terribly, they should improve it. I did.”

“And you’re doing so well at that now!” Harmoni snapped back at him.

Fleck was appreciative. She’d basically lined him up for that one.

Harmoni felt kind of bad, the way Evin froze up.

Regardless, they should probably end this conversation. He could still decide he’d had enough, and kick them out.

“You said I was awful, the same as you,” Harmoni pointed out, voice calm again.

“That doesn't mean I care.”

“That means, you know you’ve done the wrong thing.” Harmoni took a deep breath. “If you really don't care, and you really haven't grasped that other people matter, I don’t think I can force you. So, I think we’re done here.”

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She sat down on the cave floor, mostly turned towards the exit, but still able to keep Evin in her peripheral. Well, that and she trusted to Fleck to watch her back. Literally in this case.

“Oh, you think you’re oh so high and mighty be being corny,” Evin said. “I told you before, I tried the being nice thing, to break the cleric’s curse. Didn’t change anything. Doesn’t have anything to do with me. The cleric wants to make people suffer.”

Clerics couldn’t lie, and Evin had manipulated her and more. So she kind of had her doubts about that. But she said they were done, and she would hold herself to that.

“Oh, and now you’re giving me the silent treatment. Because I’ll care about that,” Evin mocked.

~~~

“Do you think I care if you talk?” Evin asked.

Well, based on his tone she’d say no. But this was the second time he’d brought it up.

“I’ve been alone for two years. You’re not even someone important. Your conversation means nothing.”

~~~

“You know, I have family who's still alive. I had friends before the curse. See any of them around anymore? They weren't interested if I don't have power or money to share. Don't call me awful. I'm an average part of the population.”

~~~

“You know something? I can force you to interact. Yes. You can start talking, or I can throw you back into the storm.”

Slight problem with that. The storm was over. He could hear it in the stillness outside, and the air smelling like actual air, rather than sand. He pulled at the curtain to prove it. The flap was partway open when Evin abruptly stood up, crossed the cavern in two steps, and closed it again.

“What gives?!”

Evin couldn’t understand dragon, but he must’ve noticed Fleck’s anger or Harmoni’s confusion, because he basically answered the question. “Did you see the person out there? Did you recognize the uniform?”

Harmoni stared blankly at him while Fleck shook his head.

Evin sighed. “That’s a member of the Divergence." Harmoni recognized the name. One of the three groups that wanted to control Xentron, yeah? Like Desert Crest. "And if they’re wandering around the desert, armed with a capture net, immediately after a sandstorm, then they’re looking for new people they can steal for the slave trade.”

Harmoni inhaled sharply. It seemed Divergence was not like Desert Crest. She could . . . vaguely remember hearing about the Divergence, and how unfriendly they were, but this was new information.

“But, Xentron City doesn’t have. . .”

“Slaves? No.” Evin confirmed. “But in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a few towns and cities scattered around, and Xentron City doesn’t control everything.” He lurched his head to one side, sounding more annoyed than, say, horrified.

Harmon shifted her weight, hands clasped together.

“Now you’re getting it,” Evin said. Despite being annoyed, and dismissive, his voice was low. He was trying not to be overheard. “I don’t care to run into them either. But they’ll have more interest in you and your dragon than me, so better wait until we’re sure he’s gone, instead of doing something stupid.”

“Fleck will be able to smell when he’s gone,” Harmoni whispered.

Evin shrugged. “Better than guessing, I suppose. And it means you’ll be gone sooner.”

They stayed like that and waited, but to Fleck’s alarm, the slave trader didn’t seem to be getting farther away. In fact, he was getting closer. His scent was getting stronger. He could smell the clearly human scent on him, as well as his clothes, and high-tech capture net.

And Harmoni could hear his breath, and footsteps even with the sand muffling them.

Evin probably didn't notice yet, but he could read their reactions.

There was a place to hide. There was a small space between the crate of miscellaneous stuff, and the curved wall beside it, a crack it would be hard to see into.

Harmoni scrambled into the space, but it was tight. She had to tuck her knees against her stomach, otherwise her legs would poke out, and her side scraped against the cavern. Not enough to break skin, but enough to be uncomfortable. So what about Fleck? He wouldn’t fit here.

Fleck could blend in with the sand, and the dull orange of this cave. He went to the back, behind as many objects as possible, curled against the wall, and closed his eyes. He should look like a rock now.

Harmoni couldn’t check from this angle. And at that moment, the slave trader swung the curtain open. Harmoni couldn’t see all the way up to his or Evin’s face. She could see about halfway up on them. But the curtain swing had been dramatic, and had probably hit Evin.

“Hey! Haven’t you heard of knocking?!” Evin snapped.

The man leaned back like an animal had shaken itself off in front of him, probably avoiding the sludge.

“You need a door for that,” the man replied. “Now listen slime monster, I’m looking for someone specific.”

He said that, but based on the way he was moving, he was trying to look into the cave, either over Evin’s shoulder or to one of his sides. “A few days ago, we went to check on a town we do business with, about fifty miles south of here. Turns out, it was slaughtered. We did a search. Everyone was accounted for, namely because they were dead, except one slave.”