Page 89 of Lore of the Tides

“Ready to go?” She plastered a smile on her face, though too many conflicting emotions were roiling within her—she doubted it was convincing.

Finndryl nodded. “Are you?” His gaze searched hers, a line carved between his brows. He seemed to be asking more than whether she was ready to go:Was she all right? Did she need a hug? There was still time—should he go over there and connect his fist with Syrelle’s face?

Lore nodded—yes, she was ready to go.

She couldn’t talk about it yet. Not when things were this complicated.

“How did the meeting with Queen Naia go?” he asked out loud.

Lore was thankful for his distraction. “Well—after plying me with desserts she agreed to my request and then some.” She held out a heavy leather purse, her smile finally meeting her eyes. “She filled this with coin.”

Finndryl held up a coin purse as well, a smirk dancing on his lips. “Turns out saving a queendom has its perks.”

Prince Hazen appeared beside them, a grin on his face. His facial tattoos glowed silver in the lights, his tail shimmered iridescent.

“Ready, Prince Hazen?” Lore asked.

“Please, call me Hazen. I shall not be a prince out there, I shall be... an explorer! And yes, I welcome danger. I crave it.”

Lore laughed, shaking her head. “All right, Hazen it is.”

Finndryl grinned. “I am glad to have you along, Hazen.” She glanced between the two males before taking in one last look around the palace of Lapis Deep. She hoped this wasn’t the last time she had the chance to visit... and yet her feet itched to be back on firm land. “Shall we?”

It took everything in her not to glance back at Syrelle, but she knew, without having to look, that his gaze was trained on her.

Part Three

The Book of Sunbeams

Chapter 30

The Empire of Ma Serach was a fortress, protected not by walls but by its own harsh nature. Water was a currency, and sandstorms were a weapon wielded by the land itself against those who dared to intrude. The vast empire spread like the rising sun across the folded map clenched in Lore’s sweaty hand.

Lore was no stranger to hardship; she’d crossed oceans and braved volcanoes—the Empire of Ma Serach, with its primordial secrets and hostile landscape, was just one more challenge to conquer. Or so she repeated to herself for the eighth time as she pulled in another dusty breath of air. It was hot. The air was hot. It felt like those moments when she would lean into the fire to turn the logs, but it was as though... when she pulled away, the fire came with her.

But at least it was not water. Air was better than water, even dusty air. And it tasted rather sweet, hints of cactus flower and aloe overpowering the earthiness.

Through research back on theLavender Lark, she’d managed to pinpoint a cave system in the Golden Cascades, a massive mountain range that spanned the length of Ma Serach, where she thoughtAuroradelmight be hidden. The Golden Cascades were so vastthey almost successfully cut the nation in half. There were almost no mountain passes that cut through the Cascades; trade routes and roads were exclusively left to the coastal southern border of Ma Serach, and the northernmost route—far to the east—wouldn’t take them anywhere near the griffin nesting grounds.

At least, not as shown on the map Queen Naia had gifted her. Lore had hoped for a different scenario. Maps were always more detailed when originated in the country itself. And so she, Hazen, and Finn had hurried from the docks—the travel barge had deposited them in the bustling port city of Jamal—to the closest bazaar. The three of them scoured countless stalls filled with gold, multicolored textiles, mounds of spices, nuts, and handicrafts.

It took longer than Lore wished to find the ancient shop filled with maps, but when Lore compared hers to the more localized ones, her hopes were quickly dashed. There were southern routes, northern routes, and even one that traversed the base of the Golden Cascades, but there wasn’t a single map showing how to navigate the mountains themselves. The older proprietor had quickly grown tired of them browsing the maps with frowning faces. When he realized they probably weren’t going to buy anything, he quickly ushered them out of his store, muttering about “cheap tourists” in broken Alytherian.

Lore eyed the muddied shadows around them, furious that the sun was setting. The market was emptying. Earlier, they had had to wind through throngs of shoppers huddled around carts, sampling roasted yams drizzled with honey and salted nuts, scrutinizing rugs in every pigment as they haggled with shopkeepers for the best bargain. Now, the bazaar was shifting as the shops, carts, and stalls were closing down. Soon, the taverns and brothels would light their lanterns beckoning the late-night crowd.

“We will find an inn with a nice hot bath and look again tomorrow,” Hazen said through a large mouthful of jollof rice.

“Tomorrow is too late. I know Syrelle and Coretha said theywere returning to Alytheria, but I have this nagging feeling they may actually be here as well, searching for the caves. And they can fly, remember? I want to chart our course tonight.”

“They may be able to fly, but they don’t know what you know. Which is the most important information,” Finndryl chimed in. His shoulders were relaxed; he didn’t look concerned.

Lore bounced on the balls of her feet, her gaze darting around the bazaar. “Syrelle is too damned cunning; what if I gave him clues just by the list of books and maps I requested?”

“You may have, but he was under the impression that you would lead him straight toAuroradel. And he doesn’t even know about the riddle, remember?” replied Finn around a mouthful of food—a thick, puffed slice of bread slathered in a creamy garlic sauce folded around seared strips of spiced lamb. Damn, he was making that look delicious. Lore licked her lips. She was starting to regret that she’d forgone food to search every stall displaying anything remotely map-shaped.

Finndryl noticed her eyeing his wrap. He slung the leather pack on his back to his front and dug around. With a knowing grin, he pulled out a second wrap, offering it to her. He’d gotten one for her. Or he’d gotten himself two and was giving her one. The outcome was the same. She gave him a quick smile before pulling back the wax paper and biting into it. Gods, this was delicious. Andspicy.

Why must Lore always be racing against time? She had a purse attached to her belt filled with gold, silver, and copper pieces—one of many gifts from Queen Naia. In another life, the three of them could’ve sampled from every vendor and eaten their way through Ma Serach.

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