Page 55 of The Storm of the Empire

“What happened?” I asked slowly, my body still coming back to me in pieces.

“You passed out! We need to get you to a healer.” Her eyes flickered with concern.

I shook my head, forcing myself to sit up despite my head being in the process of trying to split itself open. I pulled my knees up and rested my elbows on them, trying to get the spinning to stop.

Hazel said something, but I couldn’t hear her. I was still sorting through what happened, but I couldn’t make any sense of it.

“Luka!” Hazel demanded again.

“I’m okay. Just dizzy. Give me a few moments.” I finally picked my head up. “Sorry. That’s never happened to me before.”

“You don’t look so good.” Her dark brows furrowed, and it should have been illegal for her to look so good while so concerned about me.

“Strange…I was just thinking you look breathtaking,” I said with a wonky smile.

Her lips pressed into a line. “Don’t start that now. You’re ill.”

“It’s the truth.” I forced myself past the unease as the world stabilized. I pushed up, getting to my feet. The headache wasn’t going anywhere, but at least whatever had made me feel seasick had passed. “What were we talking about?” My head felt too jam packed to remember ten minutes ago.

“Your pendant,” she said carefully.

It came back to me in parts. “Right. It’s not an issue.” I rubbed my forehead, needing to find a healer if only to get a tonic.

“Not an issue? We both touched it, and you had some kind of episode, then passed out! I think that’s an issue.”

“We had no problem touching before,” I teased, trying for levity.

“I think this proves there is a problem.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“What does?”

“Your reaction!”

“I’m probably coming down with something.” I had spent a lot of time locked in with a priest in a tiny, dark cabin on a boat with only one hammock over the last few days. That can’t be good for anyone.

Hazel studied me. “I’m not buying it. That thing needs to come off you if this is what it does.”

“It has never done it before. It’s fine,” I grumbled. “Now weren’t we going to see your friend?”

Hazel looked displeased, but since I wasn’t offering an alternative, she rose with me. “I think we have some tonic you should take for your head before we do.”

I nodded and followed her to the kitchen, my queasiness fading some as I moved.

“What are we going to tell her?” Hazel asked as he handed me the head tonic.

“Who?” I asked absently, downing the whole thing.

“Alora,” she huffed.“I can’t let them just take her egg. So what’s your plan?”

“You said you two are friends. Can’t you go see how she’s doing before the check like we talked about?”

“But are we going to tell her?” She tilted her head in thought. “I don’t know how well I can hide my worry from her, to be honest. Should we just tell her?”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. What if we are wrong, and it upsets her? Do you think having a nesting dragon freaking out over her egg which we don’t know really will be taken is the best idea? Especially before we speak to Nyx about it?”

“What if I tell her I’ve had bad dreams about her egg being taken and felt the need to come home and check on her? That way, I can share my worry without telling her any of the rest of it.”

“That could work,” I agreed.

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