Page 68 of Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

That man did not exist anymore.

Only a monster remained. A God of Nightmares.

“You can’t claim people, Trick,” I said, my voice as steady as it had been on the battlefield during the War of Ruin after we got word that the gods had all died. That we were alone.

“I can and I did,” he replied coldly. “Be friends with her. Be her shoulder, her informant, herfuckingbrother, but if you ever,” he seethed quietly, “touch her again. I’ll string you up by your femurs and I’ll skin you alive. Is that clear?”

I nodded, glaring at the wall to my right. “Understood.”Fuck!I hated him. Some days I really, truly hated him.

Trick breathed down my neck for another heartbeat before he shoved away, the blade disappearing before I got the chance to see it.

It was a sacred blade, rumored to be the blade of Michael,but no one had ever seen it. Trick rarely used it, and when he did, it was so fast, no one could actually see what it looked like.

He grabbed my shoulder and met my eyes. “I’ll return you when the time comes so you can collect more information.” His shadows swirled around every book that was titled‘Witches’. “Until then, we’re going back to Oridian.”

Fine. I couldn’t argue. If he wanted it, he got it. I sent a silent prayer up to Rose as the shadows took the books and disappeared. Kyra didn’t stand a chance.

Either her body would die or her soul would.

~~~

Kyra

I pushed into the cottage, my satchel weighing on my shoulder, only to stop just inside the doorway, the door falling shut with a ‘whoosh’.

It was eerily quiet.

My brows furrowed. “Cole?”

Silence.

I winced as I took off my satchel, dropping it at my feet. “Cole?” I called again. I walked over to my room and opened the door, then the bathroom door. Empty.

I jogged over to the window above the sink. He wasn’t in the pool either.

I frowned and turned to the fireplace. Not even an ember. It had been out a while.

He must have been out getting wood or something.

I rolled myeyes, walked over, and picked up my satchel. Fine, so long as he was replacingeverythinghe used, I didn’t care.

I unpacked my satchel. I managed to get another pair of gloves today, some dried meat, and jarred peppers. I even collected a few silver coins.

I put the gloves in the dresser in Mark’s room, the dried meat and peppers I put in the bottom cupboards below the counter, and the coins I stuck in an old tin can I had found years ago.

It was the fourth one I had managed to fill. I could finally start on a fifth. It wasn’t much money, but it was enough. Once Mark moved in, I would see if I could get a real job, put thieving behind me. For now, I just had a handful of things I needed to get, so Therian’s Thief would live on.

I sat at the table and pulled over my journal.

Hey Ket,

I got a few more things today. Not much, I had…I had other things to get done.

I stared at the words a few seconds and sighed.

I fucked up, K. I haven’t had the chance to tell you this, but I did something really stupid. More stupid than anything else I’ve ever done.

I saved some demons from a Fallen.

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