Page 68 of The Storm of the Empire

He was not wrong about the spirits.

We walked down the dock deep into one of the caves coming upon the temple carved into the rock face. The ocean lapped at the stairs making the stone slick. We passed into the temple, finding it like any other on land, but Faolan quickly led us through a side passage into a series of chambers all carved out of the rock. It was like a little city built into stone.

Did this used to be a functioning temple and city for the priests? Or was it still? I’d never heard of such a place, but I also didn’t see any priests about in here. Just fae going about their days, and sure enough, we came upon a tavern.

We walked into a massive cavern filled with a skeleton of a small market that looked like it had been packed up for the day. The tavern was set into the rocks, along with a few dwellings. A small trading post hidden on the forgotten side of the biggest island in the Middle Sea.

How neither Luka nor I had heard of it, I could not say.

We made our way to the bar and found Faolan, who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the fae here. To me, he stood out as a dragon, but he concealed it, so I was highly aware that it was not widely known.

Faolan raised a small glass of clear spirit as he welcomed us, handing us each one of our own. He clinked glasses with us and threw his back. Luka and I looked at each other, then did the same.

Fire rolled down my throat. I was afraid I would ignite the liquid with my spark if I wasn’t on my guard. “Goddess, drinking that is like making out with a desert dragon.”

“It can’t be that bad…” Luka took a drink and coughed. “Goddess, save me.”

Faolan slapped his shoulder. “Even she can’t save you from a couple of these, friend,” he laughed, collecting the bottle. “Come.” He nodded, and we followed him across the packed tavern full of crew and dock workers.

There was a side room which was less raucous, and he found us a table there. We each set down our glasses and he filled them with swigs of the fire spirit. “To the sea!” he toasted, and we all raised our glasses.

The drink burned again, but it was easier the second time.

“So, Luka, are you tempted to come back on the ships?”

“I’m not closed off to anything, I love the sea. I just go where I’m needed.” Luka was so matter of fact in that conviction, I realized it wasn’t just what he was telling Faolan. He believed it.

“And you’re needed in the Fifth?”

Luka dipped his head in confirmation. “I intend to head there, but if I’m called off that path, then I will go with the Goddess wherever she leads me.”

Faolan studied him. “To what end?”

“To make a difference,” Luka said earnestly, and I could see it in his eyes. He would keep going until he felt like he had made a difference. But at what cost? He had followed Dragon’s Bane until he found eggs, and who was to say what would come along next? I was starting to worry that we had too many roads to choose from.

Faolan nodded, digesting that. “You are a better fae than me.”

“Oh?”

“I only want to travel as far and for as long as I can. The only difference I was looking to make when I set off was to my own restricted existence.” He laughed and filled the glasses again. “I want to see as much of the kingdoms as I can.”

“I hear that,” Luka said. “I came from a fairly restricted existence myself. I was just looking for an escape. The sea found me, really.”

“To escapes!” Faolan cheered, then looked to me. “What about you?”

I had merely been an observer to their exchange. I had very much adopted a following role since we embarked on the voyage because Luka just knew how to assimilate. Now, the attention fell to me, and I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

“I’m just along for the ride,” I said noncommittally. “Luka wanted to show me his world.”

“I’ll drink to that!” Luka said, taking the pressure off me, and we all took another drink.

We sat through round after round and became slow with drink. A game of cards was being played on the next table, and Faolan tried to explain the rules to us, but we were too far in our cups for such things, so we excused ourselves.

The wind blew off the sea and into the cove, cooling down the evening as we walked along the cave path.

“What if the eggs are here?” I whispered.

“Like, this is where they keep them?” Luka scoffed, not taking me at all seriously.

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