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G
ideon found Janus in the garden. He had his shoes off and his feet in the water of the pond with goldfish swimming past his feet. He didn’t look up when Gideon stepped up behind him.
Gideon said, “I thought you would see us when we arrived. It was clear everyone knew we were on our way.”
Janus said, “I heard.”
There was a long silence and Gideon asked, “Why?”
“Your collections. You think that means everything but for someone like me, I am no one because I don’t have a collection.”
“You could have made your own collection. Others have.” Gideon wasn’t about to let him use the excuse of not having a collection for the reason he would attempt genocide.
Janus snorted. “I can’t even look after myself. Why would I want to collect other things that I have to look after?”
Gideon said, “Just a little more than spiteful to kill all of us because you don’t want to have a collection.”
Janus looked up at Gideon. “I know but I was getting desperate. When I heard you had taken a mate, I realised I was finally at the bottom of the pecking order and I really couldn’t stand it. So, I thought I would even the odds a bit.”
Gideon shook his head. “They gave the recipe to a dragon hunter. You have put us all at risk.” Gideon had been in a discussion with Harlen and he had asked around and had confirmed that it was the dragon hunter that Lysander had found who had the recipe. Harlen would leave this evening to chase after the dragon hunter and make sure they did not share the recipe with anyone else. Hopefully Harlen wouldn’t have to slay too many humans to make sure they were safe.
Janus went back to watching the fish. “Not to me. The poison doesn’t kill unbonded dragons and I have no collection let alone a mate.”
Janus deserved death for what he had attempted but dragons were an endangered species and it would not be a light thing to have one of them killed. Gideon said, “I wanted to kill you but my mate reminded me that we are endangered species and no matter what, I can’t have you killed.”
Gideon dropped a set of cuffs on the ground. “You know they have found a new continent. You can go there and stay there alone for a while. Think about what you have done. But so you don’t leave or cause any more trouble, you will wear these. Maybe when you realise how it is to really be on the bottom of the pecking order, you will appreciate all that you have.”
Janus looked at the cuffs. “If I refuse?”
Gideon said, “You would have left or fought if you were thinking of taking a different path. You knew I would know it was you and you waited here.”
Janus took his feet out of the water. “I suppose you are right, Gideon. I will not run or fight.” He got to his feet, picking up the cuffs as he did. He put one on his wrist. “You know you were always my best friend.”
Gideon said, “I know.”
Janus put on the other cuff. “But I wasn’t yours. You were happy to be a loner. Why didn’t you stay on our home planet? You could have been perfectly alone there.”
Gideon said, “I don’t like to be alone. I just like to surround myself with interesting people or no one at all.”
Janus looked up from his cuffs fresh on his wrists. “I’m not interesting? You slay me, Gideon. When did this happen?”
“A hundred years ago, when all you could do was drink and womanise.”
Janus shrugged. “It certainly kept me entertained but I can see why you wouldn’t find that interesting. I should have stuck to the science.”
Gideon could only agree. Maybe then he wouldn’t be exiled and a traitor.
