Page 2 of Winds of Destiny

More and more children are showing nascent abilities with wind powers these past few years. If our city is changing like this, it’s likely that others are as well. I feel like we ought to lean into relearning our power and use it to protect ourselves, while my father thinks that Zephyth needs a strong alliance with someone who can help protect us as the status quo becomes a thing of the past.

The king is no fool, and he knows that a man like Embros can’t be trusted.

Which means I’ll have to play nice with the arriving Huridell delegation, because a choice between Embros and Prince Eleas is no choice at all.Ugh.

Turo smooths his hands down my back, then takes a breath and steps away. It’s all I can do not to follow him. “When are the Dellians meant to arrive?”

“Um…” I shrug sheepishly. “I actually didn’t get that far before I…”

“Had a hissy fit?” He points at the paperwork still scattered across the floor. “Then you’d better find it so we can take steps to prepare.”

Steps to prepare.He speaks about it like we’re going to war. I kneel down, picking up papers and letting my mind wander. When I find Turo’s updated map, showing every trading route between the cities as well as the places no one else dares to wander, I pause. My eyes are drawn up to the top of the paper, where a ram’s head is drawn nestled into the peaks.Huridell.

It’s a city I know little about. Set high in the forbidding mountains on the northern edge of the continent, Huridell is completely unassailable. Legend says that its people have kept their magic better than the rest of us—not that they’ve bothered to boast about it if that’s true. They’re a warrior culture, and it’s common for the head of each family to take multiple spouses. The current king has over a dozen children—which is probably why he’s comfortable letting his heir take a man as his first spouse. His line of succession is secure regardless of Eleas’s preferences.

Dellians are said to be as strong and lusty as their patron god, an immense, curly-horned ram. I’ve met a few of them in diplomatic delegations before, and their boisterousness sets them apart from everyone else. They’re always loud and often crude, but there’s honesty in their reactions.

“Are you going to put that away, or will you keep trying to light it on fire with your eyes?”

“Turo.” I press the map to my chest with a look of innocence as I stare up at him. “This map is months of your work. I wouldneverdisrespect you by setting it on fire.”

He smirks. “Let me guess, you’d prefer to fold it into a paper boat and sink it in the bay.”

“Nothing so elaborate. I would much sooner accidentally spill ink all over it, ohno, what a shame, I suppose we’ll have to miss the meeting with my father to straighten this mess out.”

“Right. Much more subtle.” He seems like he’s about to say more, but then the distant, reverberating sound of a horn immediately captures his attention. Turo moves over to the open window, staring out at the city below us and the plains stretching beyond. His blue, long-sleeve tunic catches the light just right, making the fabric glow in the sun. He looks ethereal—or would if he didn’t have such a scowl on his face.

I abandon the papers and join him. “What?” I ask as I come to stand by his side, pressing our shoulders together. “What is it?”

“That’s Doric’s signal.”

I frown. “The scout already handed over the marriage announcement—we know they’re close. Why bother signaling when we already know he’s nearly home?”

Turo narrows his eyes. “He wouldn’t bring attention to himself like this if something wasn’t very wrong.”

My fingers clench against my will. “Do you think the Dellians changed their minds?” I didn’t know whether to be pleased or dismayed by the thought. “Could they be trying to renege?”

“No.” He points, and I follow the line of his finger. There’s something glinting in the distance, kicking up dust as it speeds along the ground. This isn’t a merchant caravan or wagon; this is small, fast, and armored.

A chariot.

A Kamoran war chariot.

And it’s not the only one.

“We need to get out there.” Turo turns a dark look my way. “Before Embros kills the competition.”

Chapter Two

Turo

Maniac that he is, Cam’s eyes light up with excitement. “Perfect!” he says, running from his study down the hall toward his workroom. “I have just the thing for chariots!”

“I do, too,” I yell after him, my fingers already itching to get to the fight. “It’s called a bow and arrows. What are you—”

“Here, here!” He speeds back just as quickly as he vanished, holding in his hand a tiny…flute?

“What the hells is that for?” I demand, already reaching for my armor. Protocol dictates that I keep it on at all times, but it’s hard not to relax the rules around Cam. He’s been persuading me into mischief since we were children, and I’ve always been too weak to deny him. “Are you going to serenade them to death?”

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