This dream is for you.

Larkin searched for the guard who had gone to fetch his weapon, but the man was nowhere in sight. He might not come back, Larkin thought.

Then, as he looked back to Miraye, only half listening to her ramblings, his expression shifted and he stared with his eyebrows furrowed, eyes squinted as if he weren’t really seeing what she was. She was bleeding, and from what? Had someone attacked her in those few seconds his eyes had strayed? He looked at those who stood to back him, but they were equally puzzled, weapons still in hand.

“I wasn’t aware you owned him,” he said, standing boldly as she advanced on him. The blood loss, however great and pooling beneath her, did not cause Miraye to stumble, and Larkin saw she’d inflicted the wounds herself. His refusal infuriated her and she didn’t seem to hear him as he spoke, “I’m positive he’ll be better off staying with me. What allows you to come here, you filthy animal…”

Then Convinio Cora’s head hit the floor and rolled, and fresh screams pierced Larkin’s ears. That poor, drunken bastard of a Governor was dead before Larkin could blink. He tore his eyes from the bodiless corpse’s own surprised ones, and stared hard at Miraye. He was speechless, and had never known the feeling of not being able to say anything.

Luckily, she was there to make it seem as if he had been interrupted, and then to his right was a blur of violet and he turned to look, his muscles tense and alert for an attack at any side - Miraye had brought others to support her, it was obvious, she had pointed out Stelon, and he had been so close to her. The girl could have driven a knife in his back as they danced, with her arms around him. And it was her that he saw, pointing at Miraye and shouting.

He should have used the opportunity. Miraye was distracted for the second time, only mere seconds, but enough to pierce her and send his venom through her veins. Larkin could not, however, leave Stelon without his audience. His eyes narrowed as he listened to her, and thought that maybe Miraye’s cause had been noble at first - with noble people, like Stelon. Why did a beautiful, seemingly innocent girl such as herself become caught up with the likes of Miraye? He suddenly wanted to warn her, perhaps afraid that Miraye might kill her too, but she had ceased to speak and her eyes rolled back into her head. She tumbled off the table, and at Larkin’s feet.

But he didn’t give Stelon’s vulnerable, unconscious form any more attention. Miraye was challenging him again, and anger refreshed his awareness, “I’m not the one talking, Miraye. I thought you wanted to battle wits!” you longwinded bitch.

“Larkin!” someone shouted, and the second he turned the guard was standing in the doorway, flinging a shining black weapon through the air to him.

As he caught the weapon and turned to face Miraye, he glimpsed Aurora taking Tic from the ballroom, a with a great relief washing over him, he lifted the gun and pointed it at Miraye, “but since you’ve changed your mind…”