Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1)(93)

“That’s why you want to retain control of the company.”

He cocked his head to one side and slowly made his way back to the rock. “Why do I feel like I’m always the one who ends up talking instead of you?”

“I’m an excellent listener?” she ventured.

He snorted. “I’ll make you a deal. We’ll play twenty questions. You answer, and I’ll forgive you for the lasso.”

She cut a hand through the air. “Twenty is way too many.”

“Ten.”

“Three.”

“Three?” he said incredulously. “That’s nothing!”

She thought she knew what he would ask, and she felt ready to tell him the truth about who and what she was—maybe not all of it, but some. She’d taken that much from him by force. She could give it back.

Diana shrugged. “In the stories it’s always three. Three wishes. Three questions.”

He sighed and settled next to her on the rock again. “Fine. But you have to tell the truth.”

“As much as I can.”

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Okay, Diana Prince, do you have a boyfriend back home?”

She laughed. That wasn’t what she’d expected at all.

“No.”

“A girlfriend?”

“No. You realize you’re terrible at this, right? That was two questions.”

“But—”

“Rules are rules. One more question, Jason Keralis.”

She waited. She knew what he would ask next.

“Fine,” he said. “What’s the story of the double star?”

She sat up straighter, surprised. No questions about her home? Her people? “You remember that?”

“Yes, and I knew you didn’t want to tell me about it.”

She scowled. “Am I that easy to read?”

“Maybe I’m just an excellent listener. Go on. Story.”

Diana leaned back against the rock, listening to the wind in the pines. This was a different kind of secret to share. She’d already admitted the story was her favorite. She didn’t want to look foolish.

She studied the night sky. “Do you know how to find Ursa Major?”

“The Big Dipper?” said Jason. “Sure.”

She pointed, tracing a path. “If you follow the handle, you’ll see Arcturus there beside it. And if you keep going, you’ll see the star known as the Horn, or Azimech. It’s one of the brightest in the sky.”

“Can’t miss it.”

“But it has a secret.”

He clucked his tongue. “Never a good idea.”

“Never,” she agreed. “It’s really two stars, orbiting the same center of gravity, so close they’re indistinguishable. The story is that there was a great warrior, Zoraida, who swore she would never give herself to anyone but her equal. But none could best her in battle.”

“I’m guessing this is where the hero enters.”

“Zoraida is the hero. But another champion did come to try to win her, a man just as prideful and just as strong. He swore he would defeat her or die in the endeavor, and so, on a rosy dawn, they met and clashed, Zoraida with her trusted axe in hand, and Agathon with a sword that gleamed bright as morning.” Diana closed her eyes, remembering the words of the story. “From the start, it was clear they were evenly matched, and the valley echoed with the sounds of the blows they rained down on each other. On and on they fought, for hours and then days. And when Zoraida’s axe shattered on Agathon’s gauntlet, and Agathon’s sword broke against Zoraida’s shield, still they battled, neither willing to cede victory.”

“Who won?” said Jason.

Diana opened her eyes. “Neither. Or both. Depending on how you look at it. As they fought, their respect for each other grew. They fell in love, but as they were matched in strength, so were they matched in stubbornness. They died in each other’s arms and, with their last breaths, spoke their vows. The gods placed them in the sky, where they might remain forever, neither diminished by the other’s brightness, ruling their corner of the night in haughty isolation.”

“That’s your favorite story?” Jason’s brows were raised in the bemused expression she was coming to expect from him.

“Yes,” she said defensively.

“That is some grim stuff. You a Romeo and Juliet fan, too?”

Diana scoffed. “Hardly. I prefer Benedick and Beatrice.”

“But they weren’t doomed!”

“Doomed isn’t a necessity.”

“Just a nice perk?”

Diana threw up her hands. “It’s a tragic love story.”

“I mean, it’s definitely tragic.”

“It’s romantic. They found their equals.” From the first time Diana had heard Zoraida’s story, she’d been fascinated by it. It had seemed filled with all of the danger and enticement of the World of Man. What would it mean to want someone so much but hold to your beliefs in spite of it? If she’d lost her heart to Agathon, would she have given in or kept to her vow? Maybe the story was a little melodramatic, but that didn’t mean she had to stop loving it. She turned to find Jason watching her again. “Why didn’t you ask me about the island?” she said. “Where I’m from?”