Page 53 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

I dipped a hand into my pocket and produced a list.

“Goddess, that’s a lot of things I’ve never heard of,” she remarked. “Will we get to it all?”

“As much as possible, as some of the things on here are extremely hard to come by.”

“Why don’t we each look for certain things to save time?”

I smiled. “Thanks, but while there are many specialized sellers here, there will also be many hawkers trying to pass off substandard and even imitation goods to the untrained buyer. Ineed to touch and smell things to make sure I’m getting what I need.”

“Fair enough. Let’s get started then. You can teach us, oh great healer.” She laughed.

We began meandering past stalls with crystals and potions. We stopped at one selling alchemy tools and books, and I told Zaria and Luka what each thing was for as they asked all their questions. I noticed Nyx and Jaxus hanging back in an intense conversation and I dreaded to think what it was about now that I knew the extent of what Jaxus was concerned over.

We continued through the marketplace and along the line of stalls that fed back onto the festival ground when Luka stopped abruptly.

“What is it?” Zaria asked, concerned. I followed Luka’s eye line to a huddle of priests gathered on the edge of the market, talking.

“I know him,” Luka said low, nodding to the priests. “The one with the beard.”

“Who is he?” Zaria hissed, mimicking Luka’s volume.

Luka frowned, thinking. “I can’t think where I’ve seen him.”

“A temple?” Zaria suggested. It was the obvious answer.

Luka gave her a flat look. “Having had religion forced down my throat my whole life, do you really think I frequent the temples now I’m free?”

“Perhaps not.” She smirked.

“Do you recognize him?” he asked us.

“Not me,” I replied. There were hundreds of priests who came in and out of the city. The biggest temples in the kingdoms were here. Plus, I hardly leave the healer’s wing.

“Zaria? Could he be someone who came to the village in the past?”

“You know, most of us were kept away from the rare outsider. I’ve never seen him.”

“If he’s the male I’m thinking of, he had a limp, I think,” he shook his head. “Maybe I’m imagining it.”

Just then, the group of priests moved off, and the bearded one did in fact have a pronounced limp. We exchanged intrigued looks and without words, unanimously decided to follow. But before we moved even a step, raised voices behind us caught our attention. We looked back to see Jaxus and Nyx in a heated— discussion? Could it be called that when they were almost shouting and waving their hands?

“Ugh, I’ve got this,” I told Zaria. “You go with Luka.”

Nodding, she left me with the dragons facing off very publicly in the market square of all places. I put my hands on my hips. I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but the way Nyx sliced his hand through the air in a gesture of finality made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was like the ghost of the last general was standing there. Nyx moved, reminiscent of his father. A sight I never thought I’d see. General Asra had been bullheaded. A genius tactician, but sometimes his own self-importance got in the way of his brilliance.

I approached them, causing their argument to cease.

“Do you two realize you are the most recognizable dragons in the kingdom?” I hissed. “It’s a holy day, so in case you didn’t notice, everyone in the damn city is out celebrating. And you’re out here airing your dirty laundry like you’re one of the sideshows.”

They both looked down at me, shocked at my outburst, but I wasn’t finished. “I’m sick of all this tension. Whatever this is needs to stop.”

“I was just—” Nyx started.

I held up my hand to stop him. “I saw. You were just laying down the law, right? You’re the general, so what you say goes? Am I getting it?” I shook my head, my disappointment difficult to hide. “I know you’re grieving, but you need to remember who you really are or you won’t recognize who you’ve become on theother side of this. Don’t let the death of your brother turn you into your father. He wouldn’t want that.”

Nyx’s eyes flashed deep teal with rage. “How could you even say that to me?” he snarled.

Jaxus stepped up, a deep growl resonating from him. I pushed him back a step with the palm of my hand against the granite of his chest.

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