Page 130 of Flame and Sparrow

Dravyn quickly put the equipment away before returning to my side. Together, we headed into the palace, making our way to the winding staircase that circled up to the meeting room at the base of his private quarters.

The last time I’d been in this tower was following my trial with the Star Goddess, when I’d inexplicably landed in the middle of the Marr’s viewing party. Almost every middle god and goddess had been present to glare at me that night; was that what we were walking into now?

I shook down to my very bones at the thought, and I paused as I caught sight of my reflection in one of the stairwell windows. “Is Mairu here?”

“Yes,” Dravyn said, after a moment of focusing, feeling for her power and presence. “But there’s no sense in worrying about using her magic, if that’s why you’re asking,” he muttered, continuing to climb. “I think that particular ruse is up.”

He moved quickly enough that I didn’t have time to succumb to my fears before we reached the top.

Mairu was waiting for us here, a worried frown on her face, and she wasn’t alone.

A Marr I’d only seen briefly—during the last impromptu visit to this tower—was here as well. He stood on the far side of the room, arms folded across his chest, gazing out of the window. He was tall enough that his head nearly grazed the chandelier, but was vaguely human in appearance—save for the reptilian wings folded at his back, which brightened with sparks of electrical energy every time they twitched or otherwise stirred.

“I’ve been here for hours waiting for you two to return,” Mairu told us in a low voice. “He showed up not long ago. I let him in on your behalf…mostly because he refused to leave.” She fixed her eyes on Dravyn, and her tone sounded apologetic, almost—as though she regretted not fighting more fiercely to chase our visitor away—as she said, “They’re restless, Dravyn. I don’t think we can keep avoiding this conversation.”

Dravyn waved the apology away, tilting his head in my direction.

“Halar,” he informed me under his breath, “the Storm God.” He casually moved to stand in front of me as that god strode toward us. Despite his attempt to be subtle, I didn’t miss the tension tightening his muscles, or the protective heat that flared in the space around us—and neither did Halar.

“There’s no need to hide her.” An almost-laugh accompanied Halar’s words—but not a pleasant one. A slightly unhinged one. “We’ve all seen enough already. We know what she is. What ties she has.”

“You’ve seen all there is to see by spying, I presume?” Dravyn’s tone was razor sharp, ready to draw blood. “And now you’re showing up uninvited at my palace? Both rather egregious breaches of the laws we’ve all agreed to, wouldn’t you say?”

“Terribly sorry about both of these things,” Halar said, not sounding sorry at all. As he spoke, the electrical energy contained within his wings occasionally brightened his nearly black skin, sending cracks of white skittering across it. “But the one I serve requested I come pay your court a visit.”

“On what grounds?”

“Solatis doesn’t believe your court is as in control of the Edgelands situation as you claim—and the elf you’ve seemingly already welcomed into your court complicates the situation further.”

“She complicates nothing.”

“And what about the godweserve, and what he believes?” Mairu asked, stepping forward. “He will not be pleased by your unannounced visit.”

“He is outnumbered two to one, I’m afraid.”

Mairu glared at him, her fingers twitching as though she was considering unleashing her magic.

Halar only smiled at her, flashing teeth that were stark white, save for the black tips of his sharp canines. “More are coming from my court, and from the Court of Stone. We have much to discuss tonight. Including her.” The Marr’s unsettling gaze slid to me.

I stood up straighter, doing my best not to appear bothered by his stare even though I wanted to rake his unnaturally dark eyes out with my claws.

Dravyn shifted his stance to shield me more completely. There was nothing casual about the movement this time. “If there’s proper business to be discussed about the Edgelands,” he said, “then by all means, we will discuss it. But my ascendant is still recovering from her latest trials. She doesn’t need to be subjected to any questioning this afternoon.”

A tense moment stretched between us until the God of Storms acquiesced with a slight bow and another flash of his black-tipped teeth.

Mairu stepped forward to guide him away from us, while Dravyn took me by the arm and steered me toward the stairs that led toward his private quarters. He waited until we were out of Halar’s sight before he quietly said, “These meetings with my fellow Marr can get…dangerous. I think you should go to my room and stay there for now; there are wards protecting it that will keep you safe.”

I would have argued against being sent away from such an important discussion if not for the grim expression that had overtaken his features. I’d never seen anything like fear reflected in his eyes, but this…

This looked alarmingly close to it.

“Just for now,” he insisted. “I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”

Reluctantly, I nodded and headed for his room.

Once there, I couldn’t keep still. I made several laps around the space, absently running my hands along the fine furniture, plucking a few books from his shelves and flipping through them, cleaning stray feathers from Moth’s cage, all while listening closely, trying to make sense of what was happening down below.

I heard Valas loudly announcing himself, and several more following him in rapid succession. Soon the conversation between them all became a steadily rising roar of countless voices.

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