Page 131 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

She grins, displaying oversized front teeth that are oddly charming on her.

“What do you know of the kal’ana, Destry?”

She lets out an exaggerated moan that draws attention from a nearby table. “Not you too. That is all I have heard all day long. This new kal’ana that washed up on the shore.”

“It seems important.”

“Sure … sure …” She waves a hand.

“You do not believe she is important?”

“Oh, I know how important she is. I lived in the temple, remember?” Despite her inebriated state, her words are clear, the meaning behind them sobering.

I lean back, folding my arms across my chest to feign a casual pose. Meanwhile, my unease grows. “What do you mean by that?” Because I met a handful of conjurers who bowed to Annika and seemed to readily embrace this world of sea and stars, light and shadow.

“Why do you ask?” Her eyes narrow. “Have the Azyr sent you to search for detractors?”

“No. I am honestly curious. And who are the Azyr—”

The barkeep interrupts us, his voice gruff as he spews words.

Destry twirls her hand in the air. “He is asking what you want for that gold.”

“Information that you are giving me, and safe passage to the port, leaving tonight. When I’m satisfied that I have both, I will give it to him.”

She relays my words.

With another grumble, he ambles away.

I watch him go. “Do I need to worry about him double-crossing me?”

She waves a dismissive hand. “Ledric likes gold, and he is grumpy. But he is also smart, and he says you carry yourself like someone who is deadly even without a weapon. Why do you ask about the kal’ana?”

“Let’s say I have a vested interest in understanding what she means to these people.” That interest has long blond curls the color of corn-husk silk, blue eyes like the earliest spring flowers, and a tongue as sharp as a barber’s razor.

Destry shrugs. “For too many years now, every new Azokur that passes, more are lost to the shadow. She gives them hope for a reprieve.”

“What does that mean? Lost to the shadow?”

Her eyes squint as she sizes me up. “You truly know nothing about Udrel.”

“I truly know nothing about Udrel.”

I watch as she processes this. Until she gasps. “You are the defender! They spoke of him arriving with her and killing fifty royal guards before he and the kal’ana passed through the gates!”

“Fifty.” That is quite the exaggeration.

“Are you one of her kind? One of those …” She frowns as she searches for a word. “El-ven?”

“Yes, and no.” Though what is Annika now, without the blood curse?

“But …” She struggles to wrap her drunken brain around this. “How did you escape the temple?”

“It was easier than you would think.”

She searches the bar. “And where is your companion?”

“She chose to remain. She aspires to be queen, and it seems King Hadkiel is amicable to the idea.” More than amicable. He was practically salivating when he laid eyes on her. I wish I had an ale to wash away the sudden bitter taste in my mouth.

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