Page 58 of The Storm of the Empire

“You have to take a breath,” Luka’s voice was calm. How could he be calm when this was going on?

“I saw it with my own eyes. They switched her egg.” My heart jumped into my throat, barely letting me speak between beats.

“Shh.” He glanced around before pulling me into an alcove. “We don’t know who’s listening.” He was right. There were fae everywhere.

“What do we do?”

“We follow them and find out where they are going.”

“Don’t you think we should return to Amaya and tell Nyx? As the Head of the Dragon Council, he needs to be made aware of what is happening.”

“With only half the information? What good will that be? We know eggs are being taken, probably from the nurseries, but for what? Who knows, maybe they are taking them to another nursery? We won’t know unless we dig further.”

“You think there’s some honest explanation for all of this?” I asked incredulously.

“No, but what if we don’t dig fully and expose them, and it turns out all to be above board some how?”

He was right. We had to figure out as much about the operation as we could. I couldn’t think straight. My head was a mess. The priests? How could they be involved in anything this untoward? Luka had tried to tell me, I just couldn’t?—

“You were right. I’m so sorry I doubted you.”

He squeezed me tighter. “Anyone would. I’m sorry it’s come to this.” Sorrow laid heavy on his shoulders. I could feel the tension where I clung to him.

I pressed my face into his shoulder, shuddering a sob. “What can we do?”

He wrapped his arms around me, then whispered, “I think I know where they’re taking it.”

I pulled my head back to look at him through my tears. “Then why aren’t we moving?”

“What do you think it will look like if I’m dragging you through the streets barely able to stand?” he asked skeptically.

“Does it matter?”

“I think it will blow our cover, don’t you?” His words barely registered. I knew they meant something, but we were wasting time.

“Every second that egg is out of sight, we risk losing it,” I insisted.

“I know, but if we go out there like this, half the city will be on me. Then we will never get away from all the concerned fae who see their beloved warrior distraught and being manhandled by a stranger in the city.”

Finally, his words broke through my panic.

“You’re right.” I gripped his arms, forcing myself to take slow deep breaths. I closed my eyes, letting the emotion out in long breaths and drawing in strength from the Goddess. It triggered memories of my nan teaching me the technique at the training schools.

Breathe in, Sparky,Nan’s voice echoed in my ears.Fill your lungs and calm your center. No one can take your center away from you. Feel it. Now feel your roots in the earth. We are all connected to the Goddess through the gift of the soil under our feet, the breath in our lungs, the light in the sky, and last but not least, the magic that runs through our veins, through the very fabric of what we are, connecting us to this existence. We are and always will be tethered to her.

My breathing slowed, and I calmed. In the stillness, I could feel my powers crackle just under my skin, reminding me of all the ways the Goddess blessed me. I had a greatness to wield and a duty to protect the dragons and fae of Storm.

I stepped back, out of Luka’s hold. “Where are we going?”

He looked me over before giving a slight tip of his head, convinced I had myself together. “Do you need to say goodbye to your family first? I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”

I shook my head. “I can send a raven.” They’d understand eventually, if not now. This was greater than any missed dinner. This was for the dragons from all of the Twelve Kingdoms, and it was my duty to protect them above all else.

“Okay then.” He nodded. “I think the eggs are going back to the docks.”

We arrivedat the docks before I had time to process what we were doing. Luka was in his element, though, a sudden change of direction doing little to rock him. To keep his cover, he’d changed into the priest’s robes in his bag of blending in tricks I now realized was always with him.

We searched through the busy dockside, looking for a friend of his he said was supposed to be departing from here today. I scanned every fae and box for signs of the egg. I wasn’t expecting to board the ship, but Luka strode confidently up the gang plank, and I followed.

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