Page 14 of The Storm of the Empire

“So what you’re telling me is that I’m looking for a needle in a haystack?”

He sighed. “It looks that way.”

“It seems to me that until you can find this one priest you recognized again, we have no leads to go on. So maybe if the tunnels connect the temples, you could expand your search. Take the temples one at time and see if our priest shows up anywhere else?” Jaxus suggested.

I groaned. “Do I want to know how many temples there are in this city?”

“Don’t get lost,” Nyx said, and I could tell he felt a little bad.

“So I’m going to be sneaking around just looking for stuff?”

“Would it entice you if I granted you some official permission to snoop? Be in places you wouldn’t otherwise be allowed?”

“That sounds like a whole lot of trouble and paperwork I’m going to have to deal with later,” Jaxus muttered.

“That does sound alluring, more so because it will annoy Jaxus.”

Jaxus huffed, but Nyx grinned.

“It’s decided then.” I always worked better when I followed my gut and I’d grown restless staying in the palace. It was time to move on.

“Get to it,” Nyx replied and I took it as official permission to do as I pleased.

FIVE

LUKA

I’d been to every damn temple in the city over the last few days, every sub-sect and branch of worship, and without more pieces to the puzzle or evidence, I got nowhere. Every single one seemed to be business as usual. No sign of the priest I recognized in the square or any other faces I knew.

He couldn’t have disappeared into thin air. There had to be a very underground sect of priests somewhere, but where? I’d visited every temple within a day’s ride.

I paced my room, going over every single detail from my memory of my time delivering the Dragon’s Bane, but nothing stood out.

Outside, bells rang, denoting another hour of the day gone, the sun already getting low in the sky, and I’d gotten no further than the day before or the one before that. I wasn’t helping Nyx at all or earning my keep. I couldn’t stay here and continue to be useless while he and Zaria paid my way. The weight on my shoulders continued to build. Every new day added to my feelings of being useless.

I had to figure out my place now that I was free from my old life. I needed a purpose.And the last echo of the bell reminded me of Hazel’s weapons class.

Shit, I was late.

Goddess save me.

Hazel was still acting like she didn’t know me from any other fae in the city, and being late might earn me a good beating. Maybe that was what I needed to get out of this damn rut and feel anything but pity.

I grabbed my gear and jogged across the grounds, skidding into her class minutes late. Every fae turned to stare as I dipped my head in respect.

“The start time of this class isn’t a suggestion,”Hazel snapped, barely looking at me.

“Am I late?” I shot back before my brain caught up with my mouth.

Why, Luka? Why?

She exhaled a puff of dark smoke from her nostrils while her eyes burned a deep magenta. Goddess, it was scary hot. “Do you struggle with keeping time?”

“Exceedingly so,” I replied candidly as I ventured further into the room.

She narrowed her eyes. My honesty must have caught her off guard. “Get in line.”

“Yes, Goddess.” I took a place in the front row, and she returned to warming up the class.

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