Chapter 24: Unveiling Secrets.

As Lydia concluded her business, she signaled for Ava and Talon to join her at the table, her gaze assessing them with a seasoned sharpness honed over years in Dust Haven. Ava and Talon moved cautiously, their eyes scanning the room for any potential threats. The other patrons seemed caught up in their own dealings, yet Ava knew better than to let her guard down here.

Lydia motioned for one of her girls to tend to Ava’s shoulder. A young woman approached with a cloth and antiseptic, and despite the sting, Ava didn’t flinch, her focus entirely on Lydia, who was watching her with a curiosity that bordered on intrigue.

“So,” Lydia began, her voice calm but commanding as she leaned back, studying them over her steepled fingers. “I heard you were looking for me. Now that you’ve found me, what can I help you with?”

Talon spoke up, his tone even. “We’re looking for a woman named Selene. We heard she might have lived around here… or passed through.”

Lydia repeated the name, her fingers tapping the table in a thoughtful rhythm. “Selene,” she murmured, pouring drinks for them. “That one is always trouble, wherever she goes. What business do you have with her?”

Talon hesitated, and Ava glanced at him, reading the conflict in his face. After a beat, he replied, “It’s personal.”

Lydia eyed him with a skeptical tilt of her head, then downed her drink in one swift motion. “Personal business with Selene, hmm?” She smirked. “Are you here to kill her?”

“No,” Ava interjected, her voice steady. “We just need to speak to her.”

Lydia’s gaze shifted to Ava, her eyes narrowing as she tried to pierce through her intentions. “I don’t know if I believe you,” she said slowly. “As pretty as your eyes are, they tell me they’ve seen plenty of violence. Maybe even closed a few eyes for good.” She poured Ava a drink, setting the cup in front of her deliberately. “Perhaps there’s a job here for you, one that suits someone of your… intensity.”

Ava took the drink, her expression unchanging. “You think I have nice eyes?” she asked, taking a slow sip without breaking eye contact, her words laced with sarcasm.

The young woman tending to Ava’s shoulder finished wrapping the wound, and Ava gave her a brief nod of thanks before turning back to Lydia.

Lydia’s gaze drifted back to Talon, lingering there with a hint of something unspoken. “So, personal business with Selene. She has a way of roping people into her life. Perhaps you’ve got someone working for her that matters to you? Or… maybe it’s something deeper?”

Talon met her gaze, calm yet unyielding. “Like I said, it’s personal. We’re not here to make trouble. But we don’t mind ending it if necessary.”

A glimmer of recognition flickered in Lydia’s eyes, her expression shifting as she studied him more intently, as if connecting the lines of his face to memories of long ago. Her voice softened, an edge of realization creeping in. “You remind me of someone—a man I used to know,” she said, her words slow and careful. “But before I get too far ahead, I’m going to ask you a question, and I want an honest answer.”

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Talon nodded, sensing the weight of her words. “Go ahead.”

Lydia leaned forward, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “Holts.”

Ava answered for him, her voice cool. “He’s dead.”

Lydia’s eyes flicked to Ava, studying her briefly, before they settled back on Talon with a sharper glint. “Yes, I know he’s dead,” she murmured, a hint of relief passing through her features. “I owe the one who took him down a debt.”

A slow smile crept across Talon’s face as he drew a small knife from his sleeve, its blade glinting in the dim light. “Then you owe me.”

The shift in Lydia’s demeanor was immediate, her usual guard dropping as her face filled with something between gratitude and awe. She reached out a hand, grasping his arm in a fierce grip. “Oh… my boy. My brave boy.” She let out a shaky breath, her eyes glistening. “Do you know what you’ve done for me?”

Talon’s grip tightened on the knife, but his face softened, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. “I only did what I had to,” he replied, his voice quiet.

Lydia leaned back, absorbing his words as though they unlocked a painful chapter she’d long tried to bury. She gestured for more drinks, and a few of her girls hurried to the table, placing fresh bottles of ale and glasses between them. Her gaze never wavered from Talon as she spoke. “You’re the one, then—the one Selene lost. Holts was a devil, that’s true, but what he did to her…” She shook her head, emotions rippling across her face. “After you were taken, Selene was never the same. We feared her spirit had broken completely.”

Talon’s face betrayed a hint of surprise. “How… how do you know this?”

Lydia’s eyes softened, her voice dipping with an almost maternal warmth. “Because I knew you, my boy. I was there when you were a babe, still small enough to fit in Selene’s arms. I looked after you both, back before the world went dark for her. She was vibrant, fierce… the kind of woman who could hold her own in this town. But once you were gone—once Holts took you—she faded, like a light snuffed out.”

Ava watched the exchange, catching glimpses of the pain that still lingered in Talon’s expression. This was a side of him she rarely saw, a vulnerability wrapped in the frayed edges of his past.

Lydia moved closer, placing a gentle hand on Talon’s shoulder. “You were her hope, her pride. After Holts took you, she fought, tried to get you back… but she was only one woman against his entire network. And when she couldn’t get you back, she slipped away. Became a shadow of the woman she once was.”

Talon swallowed hard, processing the weight of Lydia’s words. “So, she’s still here? She never left Dust Haven?”

Lydia nodded. “She stayed, tied to this place like an anchor to the depths. She had no choice—Holts made sure of that. And even after he was gone, her scars remained. She believed you were lost to her, that she’d failed as a mother.” Lydia’s voice wavered, her own memories surfacing. “But in her eyes, you were always the best part of her.”

The warmth of Lydia’s hand on Talon’s shoulder seemed to pull him back, grounding him in the moment. She pulled him into a fierce embrace, her face reflecting years of grief and gratitude. Talon, still caught off guard, returned the hug, though his arms remained slightly stiff.

When Lydia finally pulled back, she wiped her eyes and motioned to her girls for another round. “Tonight, we’ll drink for you, Talon. I thought we’d lost you forever, and now, here you are, a man grown, carrying that strength. I owe you my loyalty and my gratitude.”

Ava, sensing the weight of what had just transpired, relaxed slightly, her usual caution tempered by the understanding that, at least here and now, they had found an ally.

“So, please, both of you,” Lydia continued, raising her glass with an unguarded smile, “relax, at least for tonight. You’re safe here, and you have my word. There’s a lot to discuss, but for now, let’s honor the past—and the chance to mend it.”

As they raised their glasses, Ava couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d just crossed a threshold, one that bound their present with Talon’s buried past. The search for Selene might hold even more secrets than they’d prepared for, but with Lydia’s allegiance, they were one step closer to the truth.