“If you do something for me, you can have all the time in the world,” I bargained, deciding I should play this cool.

“Within reason, something comparable, then yes, I will do something for you,” Talbott agreed.

“I would like you to pass a message along to Amelia Cartier,” I said with confidence, knowing it would be something that Talbott was not expecting.

“Amelia Cartier?” Talbott echoed, completely caught off guard.

“Yes, I want you to tell her that her brother is fine, that he is h even happy and that he will have his magic back soon,” I confessed softly, believing my words to the core of my being.

“You want me to give that message to Amelia Cartier?” Talbott clarified, unbelieving.

“Yes, and to absolutely no one else, not even your... prince. And tell her she can't tell anyone either,” I added amendments trying to cover my tracks uselessly. I was seriously the worst Rebellion leader in the history of rebellions.

“Sebastian told me you were going to kill him?” Talbott questioned not only my sincerity but also my motives.

“And he's probably right.” I rolled my eyes, and folded my arms, remembering our ridiculous arrangement.

“Then why would you have me tell his little sister that he's Ok?” he pressed, more confused than ever.

“Because,” I shrieked, fed up with this whole situation, “because if it were my brother I would want to know that he was all right, I would want to believe that everything was going to work out, even if it wasn't true. I would want to believe it every single minute until somebody could tell me differently, that's why. So do we have a deal or not?” I raised my voice unnecessarily high and tears fell hot down my cheeks.

I wiped at them with the sleeve of my shirt, turning away from Talbott to stare out the window at a blue, cloudless sky. Talbott remained quiet for a long time, and the cockpit grew awkward and tense. I pulled myself together, but remained adamant that our deal would stay the same, only I hadn't found the courage to demand that of Talbott yet.

“All right, Eden. I will tell her,” Talbott agreed after several more minutes of silence. “And Eden?” I turned back to him. His voice lost the serious military style of speaking and grew soft, almost sensitive. “Your brother is Ok.”

I didn't respond. I knew he was offering me false hope, that he had no idea how Avalon was really doing or what was happening to him. But, he had taken my emotion, my cry for help and turned it into a comforting response. His generosity dazed me.

We were still enemies, still fighting on opposite sides of the war, but those words were an offer of hope, an enticement to continue the mission and they came from Talbott of all people.

He had matured over the last few months, and became a man I hardly recognized. He embodied authority, and was infinitely more mature than Kiran, but now he could add compassion and intuition to his long list of skills. This new side of him made me root for Lilly and him even more. I didn't know how it would work out, how it could possibly end with them together, but sometimes relationships don't make sense or fit into natural order, sometimes are were written in the stars.

I shook my head, finding my thought path dangerous. That was true for Lilly and Talbott but nobody else. As Jericho said, Talbott was probably going to die at the end of this thing anyway.

We spent the rest of the trip in silence. I eventually dozed off and when I awoke, we were circling an endless desert, aiming for what felt like a miniscule airstrip surrounded by sand for miles and miles. The sun was setting low in the west, casting long shadows across the golden sand dunes.

I had never been to the desert before, the vastness of the sand amazed me. It felt very much like the ocean when you stood with your feet just touching the tide, and looked out to never-ending water. The sand flowed outwards in the same way, touching the horizon in every direction.

Landing on the small airstrip was frightening. I tried to comprehend being this far away from anything or anyone and couldn't. I was more than just days from civilization; I was a lifetime. Being stranded this far from help would be a death sentence, that much I knew.

I breathed deeply as Talbott shut the engine off, remembering that I was magic, that I would survive, even if the plan were literally to abandon me to the wild nature of the endless sand dunes. I rolled my head around my neck, and dug for courage deep within. I needed to be the first one off the plane to establish authority. It wouldn't say much about my leadership skills if I just let Talbott exit the plane alone, while I cowered in the cockpit.

I cleared my throat and stood up, smoothing out my black, linen pants and reaching for a turquoise scarf with gold detailing, that Naima gave to me in India. It was a beautiful piece of fabric, but I bristled at the idea of coming off flashy. Still, the wind blew violently across the sand, picking it up and scattering a million specks at a time, and so I wrapped the scarf around my neck, pulling it over my mouth for protection.

I walked from the cockpit with feigned confidence, waiting silently for Talbott to open the door and let down the staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, I stood for a moment and took in the most beautiful and exotic Moroccan styled tent. Black and ivory paneled fabric sprawled across the desert wasteland, glowing from the inside with candled lanterns and welcoming any traveler like a picture perfect mirage that only existed in fairy tales.

The closer we walked, the more extravagant the tent became. I thought, from a distance, that it could have actually been a couple tents huddled together, but now that I was, closer I saw that it was one long tent, with three different rooms. The entrance was wide, with a paneled canopy billowing in the evening breeze. The floor was golden silk, protecting our feet from the sand that would infiltrate everything if it could. Delicious scents wafted from inside, as if the most intricate meal had been prepared for our arrival.

“Um, are you sure this is the right tent?” I asked Talbott, wondering if the idea of a prisoner exchange had gotten lost in translation somehow.

“Yes, Eden, you are exactly where you should be.” Kiran appeared in the entrance of the tent, turquoise eyes smoldering and Lilly at his arm.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“What is this?” I demanded, stomping my foot in the sand. “I thought I warned you what would happen if he came!” I turned to Talbott, frustrated with him. When he didn't respond I whirled back around to Kiran, “I warned your father that if you came, I would kill you. So now you can blame him for your untimely death,” I finished matter-of-factly, Kiran's magic already frantically searching out mine, sending shivers of electricity down my back. It was almost too much, his aggressive magic was suddenly suffocating mine, making it hard to breathe.

“I have no one to blame but myself,” Kiran took a step forward, extending his hand as if I would take it. “Talbott never spoke with my father;I made all of the arrangements for tonight's exchange. Actually, he knows nothing about Talbott, or Lilly, or any of this.” His signature smirk was back and the appearance of his smug grin made me regret saving his life the most. “Eden, please join me; otherwise, I will have to take your friend back to Romania with me.”

“No, I don't want to,” I snapped, crossing my arms with immature rebelliousness.

“Don't be a child, I only want to talk for a few minutes and then you can decide what to do,” he appealed.

I looked at Lilly and I knew Kiran had already won. I would do anything to take her home with me. She didn't look as though she was tortured like Avalon, but she was intolerably thin, and the dark circles underneath her eyes suggested severe trauma. At that moment, a few minutes with Kiran seemed insignificant compared to the reward.

“Fine, a few minutes, and then we're leaving,” I tilted my chin defiantly.

“Eden, our deal?” Talbott whispered and I nodded.

“Lilly, Talbott will help you on to the plane, I'll be there in just a few minutes,” I instructed, trying to assert my authority again.

She looked up to Kiran who nodded his permission. As soon as she got the Ok to leave, she rushed forward, throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly. I was so thrown off guard by Kiran that I had forgotten how relieved I was to see her alive. I hugged her back, my eyes filling with tears that threatened to ruin any semblance of strength I still had.

Kiran cleared his throat impatiently, and I reluctantly let go of her, reminding myself that she was free now, and we would have unlimited time to catch up.

Talbott took her arm, helping her walk across the sand. It was obvious she was weak from her stint in prison whether she was tortured or not. They disappeared onto the plane; there was no more time to stall. I turned back to Kiran who extended his hand to me again. I stomped passed him, eying his hand with revulsion and hating the idea that we were utterly alone.

The inside of the tent was exquisitely plush. I was right about the different rooms inside the tent. On one end was a dining room, with wide, heavy, burgundy, floor pillows surrounding a low table laden with exotic delicacies creating the delicious scent I could smell from across the sand. Steam still rose from the silver platters, making my stomach growl angrily. I threw my hands across my waist, silencing the hungry protests. The dining room reminded me too much of the night Kiran and I were engaged, and then un-engaged only hours later.

A sitting room occupied the middle of the tent. Here the ceiling was highest and the lanterns the brightest. Low, deeply reclining couches lined the back wall and a small coffee table of sorts sat in the middle, holding steaming carafes and dainty, hand-painted, teacups.

On the far end of the tent, a sheer, ivory curtain created a glow with the soft light of dimmed lanterns. Curiosity got the better of me, so I walked over to the curtain, lifting it back and peeking behind it.

A king-size bed was the only piece of furniture in the room. It held dozens of bright, colorful pillows with delicate embroidery and a silk, jeweled, golden comforter that lay across with one corner pulled down as if ready for someone to crawl inside and go to bed. I couldn't hide my surprise at seeing the bed and cleared my throat nervously.

“Just in case you were tired,” Kiran explained, his voice gravely but mischievous. He had walked over with me, so when I turned around to scoff at the idea, I bumped into him.

“Ok, let's focus, and just get this over with before I decide to kill you anyway.” I fidgeted with my hair, wishing I had agreed to anything else but being alone with him.

“The exchange isn't over yet, Eden. My Guard has your friend alone on a plane that he is perfectly capable of commandeering. Which one of them do you think could win, if Talbott decided to take off with her right now? Or do you think she would even protest?” Kiran asked, his eyes flashing with something I couldn't define.

“He wouldn't dare!” I shrieked, realizing too late that he tricked me. Kiran raised his eyebrows at me and gestured to a seat next to him on the couch in front of the tea carafes. “Ugh, it's official; I am the worst leader ever!” I crossed my arms and paced the room frustrated.

“Yes, you are,” Kiran agreed and I spun on my heel to face him. “You should give it up, surely there is a different way to save your people....” his voice trailed off and he patted the seat next to him.