Page 199 of Flame and Sparrow

“I’m fine,” I assured her.

“And Valas?” Dravyn inquired, coming up behind me. “Zachar?”

“They’re fine as well,” Mairu said, “if restless. The three of us have come to a conclusion, however—that the encroaching threat cannot be dealt with by our court alone. We need to involve the others. And we don’t trust Halar to communicate things clearly to his company; he’s in no state.”

Dravyn considered this, frowning, before he slowly agreed. “We can hold council here and decide what to do—all of us. Karys can share the same information she’s shared with me and Valas. It caught the Storm God’s attention; hopefully the others will listen, too, and we can form a plan of some sort.”

I stiffened, panicking a bit at the ludicrous image of myself standing before a room full of gods, briefing them for battle. But I quickly recovered and forced a confident nod.

“We’ll make them listen,” I said, just as I had told Valas we would.

“I’ll go myself to summon them,” Mairu offered.

Dravyn’s concerned frown only deepened at this, but she was already heading for the door.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, waving a dismissive hand.

While Dravyn stayed behind to speak with Rieta about preparing for the other Marr’s arrivals, I walked with the Goddess of Control out of the palace, standing in the courtyard with my arms wrapped tightly around myself as she prepared herself to travel to the other Marr territories.

“Well, you’ve managed it,” she told me with a wry grin.

“Managed what?”

“To burn so brightly the gods could not ignore you.”

I returned her grin despite the pit in my stomach. “For better or worse,” I said.

Her smile disappeared. She held my gaze as her eyes flashed to a brighter gold and her body began to stretch into its serpentine shape. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised. “And let’s hope it’s for the better.”

Chapter52

Dravyn was still speakingwith Rieta when I wandered back inside. She was inspecting his wound closer, despite his protests, and looked unimpressed by the job I’d done tending to it.

“It’s in the blood,” she was saying as I approached. “It needs soaking—drawing out—or it’s going to fester.”

He sighed. “Draw a bath, then.”

She bowed and then disappeared up the nearby steps, and Dravyn motioned me closer. “The Storm Marr’s magic…did it touch you while you were at the Edgelands?”

“Not directly, no.” I shivered as I remembered the tingling static that had filled the air. “But I’ve been feeling strange pulses of electricity over my skin, even since leaving those lands.”

“It has a lingering effect, much like what you experienced with the Star Goddess’s magic. It will wear off on its own in time, but there are remedies to speed up the process. Remedies that Rieta is well-versed in, so I trust her opinion; she has a cure for everything, and a dogged determination to focus on healing, regardless of any other problems we might be facing.”

I couldn’t help the quiet laugh that bubbled out of me.

He gave me a curious look.

“You’re far too calm and focused yourself, given the circumstances,” I explained. “Agreeing to a bath is the last thing I would have thought of right now—even a practical, healing one.”

He smiled. “If it’s any comfort to your logical mind, I’ve been in a blind, fiery rage for the majority of the time you’ve been gone. Does that fit more with the sort of god you believe I should be?”

I started to say yes, but my smile faded a bit as I truly considered the question. “Not quite,” I said. “Not as well as it used to.”

“As long as you’re close, I find it easier to think,” he explained. “And I believe I’d rather face what lies ahead of us with a calm, clear mind, so I’m glad you’re back.” He said it so easily—so confidently—as if he’d never had any doubt that the two of us would be together, facing this battle ahead of us side-by-side.

The words I’d almost said to him at the Edgelands raced through my mind once more. Quieter, now. But just as bold. I’d thought I could dismiss them as a flickering desire, nothing more than a craving for something that wouldn’t last, but now it felt as if my heart was truly rearranging itself, making a permanent home for them.

“We don’t have much time before we’ll need to be ready for the council meeting,” he said. “You should prepare yourself while you can. Anything you need, Rieta can help you with.”

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