Page 75 of The Storm of the Empire

I got up off the floor and dusted off my knees. “How can you safely transport him like this?”

He exhales sharply. “We need to find a way to wrap him so the bane doesn’t touch me. I can’t inhale it.”

“What about if you carried him in some type of sling?”

“What are you thinking?”

“We could use a sail.”

“Can you carry him back to the ship?”

“I’m sure I can, but then we risk being seen. I’ll go steal a sail, and we can wrap him here. Then we get our arses away from this island.”

TWENTY-FIVE

HAZEL

Tears welled up in my eyes as I flew through the night.

Dawn broke as the city came into view, and I flew straight for Nyx’s quarters.

Luka filled my thoughts all the way home. Had I done the right thing in leaving him? Should I have taken him, even against his will? The drinking had made us both over-emotional, no doubt, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that he was just willing to turn a cheek to a cavern full of undead on our territory for the good of his information gathering.

He didn’t have a head for war if those were his methods. How far would he let this go before he decided it was too much? How many deaths would be on his hands? I had to act.

It was too much. The Dragon’s Bane passing through the hands of the priests, the eggs, and now the undead? I couldn’t ignore it, so I flew on with the strength of my convictions through the night.

Naked, I hammered on his door and waited while I heard him climbing from bed.

He snatched the door open, a scowl on his face, then froze, his expression softening. “Hazel, what’s wrong?”

I realized I was panting and probably looked half crazed. “Can I come in?”

He stepped aside, letting me pass, and Zaria came from their bed chamber, instantly untying her robe and offering it to me. I took it gratefully.

“What is going on?” Nyx asked, a measure of authority in his voice. “Was everything alright at home?”

I had intended to spill it all out right then and there, but I realized in that moment that it was a very long story he had no inkling of. As far as he knew, I’d visited home for a week or so.

I gulped for a breath collecting myself. “You’d better sit down. I have a lot to tell you.”

We all took a seat in their sitting area, and I gathered my thoughts.

“Everything is fine at home, my family are safe.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Zaria said, pressing her hand to her heart.

“But there are things going on that you need to hear about, and I need you to listen because Luka is in the middle of it all,” I rushed out in one long breath.

Nyx looked taken aback. “Luka? What do you have to do with Luka?”

I nodded, filing through events in my head to decide where to start. “When I arrived back home and found all was well, I visited the temple to settle my mind. I found Luka there.”

“In Storm?” Nyx clarified, then glanced at Zaria. “Did he tell you he left?”

She shook her head.

“Well he has, and he was dressed as a priest.”

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