Page 61 of King of Storms and Feathers

“I’m coming, Father,” I whispered as I crouched in the shadow of Coridon’s massive wall. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed the kind-eyed man and the loving family were as real as the gold-flecked dirt beneath my bare feet.

Shit. I really needed to find myself a pair of boots.

Wiping the sweat from my face, I surveyed the environment. The line of the city walls snaked to my right, and to my left, a wide road split the golden-red desert in half. I quickly calculated which direction to take.

Straight ahead, a collection of tiny buildings dotted the horizon. It was most likely the outpost town I’d heard Arrow and Raiden discuss called Bonerust. It provided services to travelers, such as transport and storage for hire, and had a small tavern that offered basic accommodation.

Maybe once I got there, I could steal a cloak, some food, and, if I was lucky, a horse that would carry me all the way to the Port of Tears. And I’d better not forget about those damned boots. I wouldn’t get far without them.

Ari said the coast lay in a northwesterly direction, which made Bonerust the perfect first stop on my journey.

All I had to do was not die of thirst before I arrived. And pray the Storm Court guards were having a bad day.

Chapter 16

Arrow

“Rumors of a gold chaser resistance building in the forests of the human realm grow more frequent by the day,” said Raiden, his armor creaking as he walked by my side. “We can’t ignore them much longer.”

As we stepped into my sitting room where the Sayeeda would soon serve food and wine while we recovered from the tedium of this morning’s council meeting, the auron kanara gongs rang out.

The birds shrieked, beating their wings against their cages and increasing the painful throb in my temples. Praise the gold that the lightning wielders would soon arrive and shut them the hell up.

I unstrapped my arm bracers and threw them on a couch. “As you said, Raid, they’re only rumors. Every time we send a party to search the forests, they only return with tales of ruin and decay. I’ve gone myself, and all I’ve found are insects, birds, and animals.”

“But it’s more than just hearsay,” Raiden insisted. “Humans do still live around the old city. Fae in other realms are detecting their energy and some have found signs of people moving through the forest.”

“If it is true, then those that remain are part of a dying race. Their city is long gone. The survivors deserve our pity, not our fear. Stop worrying about it.”

The noise of the birds reached a feverish pitch, which was odd. Hearing the gong usually soothed them because they knew food was coming. The skin on the back of my neck prickled. Something felt off. I whirled on my heel to face Leaf’s pavilion.

It was empty.

Heat burned through my veins, then I willed myself to calm down in order to think straight. Perhaps she was with my Sayeeda in the kitchen, gossiping as she ground cloves with the servants.

No, Ari would have told me of her plans.

“Ari,” I bellowed, unease churning in my gut.

The gold reaver appeared from behind a palm tree in the river room below me, her expression as tranquil as always.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said as I descended the steps three at a time.

When I stopped in front of her, I noticed her skin was so pale it looked silver.

“Leaf jumped out of the window into the pool below. She’s gone, Arrowyn.”

“What?” I growled as Raiden arrived at my side. Lightning struck the dome, storm magic circling my limbs. “When?”

“A few hours ago,” Ari said, her voice calm.

Raiden reached out and took Ari’s hand, as if he wanted to touch her one last time before I turned her into a pile of smoking ash. “You’ve sent guards to check if she survived?” he asked.

“I didn’t want to create a fuss, so I sent cleaners to the fountain,” she replied. “They didn’t mention a body in the pool, so I assumed she made it out of the water.”

What the fuck? She didn’t want to create a fuss?

I took a deep breath, loosening my clenched fists. The reckless human was alive. She couldn’t have got out of Coridon. And I would burn the entire city down, if that’s what it would take to find her.

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