31 Stark

Riding into an Astreonan town, Stark fixates on Meryn while noting the unsettling normalcy: tidy homes, gardens, and well-fed citizens. Davide and Elias explain that humans and Siphons live together and that blood can be sold or bought. They claim to rehome Nocturnan orphans and insist child feeding is criminal, contradicting Nocturnan beliefs.

Meryn presses for specifics on transformations; Davide describes strict regulation and population balance, while conceding battlefield exceptions like her father. The revelations highlight years of Nocturnan misinformation and leave Stark and Meryn wary but curious.

Separated from their guides in the market, Meryn drags Stark into an alley and confronts him about ignoring their encounter in the woods. He argues he’s wrong for a queen and feared as a monster. Meryn counters that he undervalues himself and opens their rare mental link, insisting he is her equal.

A scream cuts them off. They rush to find two Siphons extracting “rent” from a human woman. Stark decapitates the reedy attacker; the thicker Siphon seizes Meryn. Elias and Davide arrive, brandish a royal brooch, and bribe the survivor to stand down.

Elias explains that blood as payment for debts is legal and that the woman may be held responsible for the death. Enraged, Meryn rejects the practice and stalks away. Back at the stables, she tells Stark she’ll give him time to choose their bond, warning the chance won’t last forever, while Stark wrestles with desire and fear of consequences.