Page 65 of Flame and Sparrow

“So have you,” she reminded me again.

I bit my lip, still unwilling to engage in that particular argument with her. She might have been the one who had ultimately tricked me, but she was not the one I wanted to confront in that moment. “Take me to him.”

The goddess arched a brow at the commanding tone of my voice, and I knew I was walking a dangerous line—but I didn’t care. This particular game was coming to an end.

Now.

Chapter19

Mairu broughtme to the very center of the palace, to a grand staircase that led up to a bridge which stretched outside, high above an elaborate garden, and across to Dravyn’s own private tower.

She instructed me to wait outside the tower doors, informing the creatures standing guard there—more creatures like the ones that had escorted me days before—that I would be here until the God of Fire returned. They were not to question or disturb me, or she would make them pay for it later.

Then she left, slipping gracefully into her serpentine dragon form and flying off to tend to something in her own territory.

And so I was alone again, shivering in the weak morning light of the fake sun. After a few minutes of this, it occurred to me how completely and utterly alone I waseverywherein this realm. What a fool I’d been to think I might find safe company in Rieta. I’d known from the beginning that nothing and no one in this realm could be trusted.

Why had I slipped?

Focus, I silently commanded myself.

Nothing mattered now except confronting the God of Fire, controlling the damage, and keeping all my plans from completely imploding.

No less than an hour passed while I waited, pacing the bridge for the first few minutes before settling down with my back resting on a column, huddling against the chill in the air. I pulled more and more tightly into myself, sinking into my anger and irritation, letting the waves of it warm me as they’d been doing for my entire life.

A tingling across my skin made me lift my head. The flame-shaped mark on my wrist itched. The air heated, and I leapt to my feet, ready to fight, more annoyed than ever after waiting so long.

I nearly lost my nerve as Dravyn arrived.

He descended not as a human-like being, but in one of his favored shapeshifter forms—that of a massive eagle that appeared to be made entirely of flame. Smoke and embers swirled as he landed in the center of the bridge, his massive wings folding around him and making his personal inferno build to the point of blinding.

Several pounding heartbeats later, he stepped from the blaze as a fully-formed man. The fire collapsed and extinguished instantly behind him, though its heat still lingered.

After the conversation with Mairu about elves and those who had replaced us, I couldn’t help comparing myself to this other being, wondering what divine forms my ancestors might have taken—what sort of similar awe they might have inspired before the Fall.

And I hated the God of Fire even more because of it.

My words, after steeping in such vitriol for so long, came out in a snarl: “We need to talk.”

“Yes, Mai warned me of as much.”

“I won’t be sent away until we’ve settled some things,” I warned.

He met my challenging gaze and held it for a long moment. Hoping I’d flinch, maybe?

I didn’t.

He gave the barest of nods toward the tower. “Shall we, then?”

He motioned, the guards pulled the doors open, and he headed inside without waiting for my reply.

I hesitated only a moment, wondering where he ultimately intended to lead me. Then I realized that it didn’t matter; it wasn’t as though I had any allies anywhere in this palace. I was in just as much danger on the bridge as inside the tower.

We passed through the large doors and went immediately to a spiraling staircase. It was steep, but I hardly noticed the burning in my legs as I climbed, as there were countless windows wrapping alongside the steps, drawing my attention outside. The higher we went, the better the view of the stark yet beautiful landscape. I wanted to study it more from this bird’s-eye view, but Dravyn had pulled far ahead of me, so I gave my head a little shake and hurried on.

“You’ve been avoiding me again,” I said, leaping the steps in sets of two and three to catch up to his long-legged strides. “It’s been days since we last talked.”

“I’ve been busy. Again.” He gazed out of the windows and slowed his pace somewhat, though whether to allow me to catch up, or to better survey his domain, I wasn’t sure. “And I still am,” he continued. “But Mai insisted this couldn’t wait. So if you have something to say, then say it.”

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