Page 110 of The Cruel Dawn
Shari bounds over to me, and I stoop to nuzzle her face. “I told you that I wouldn’t be gone long,” I say to the wolf.
She licks my cheek, and her coarse tongue sloughs off the first layer of grime from an already-long day—but that lick also sloughs off some of my peeling skin.
I want to cry out from the pain, but I need her affection too much. I dry my tears on her coat and take a few deep breaths.
“Elyn,” I say, scratching behind the wolf’s ear, “remember Shari?”
I need to distract and delay her. She’s thinking about Jadon and Zephar. Will she comment on my entanglement in front of Zephar? Or will our old friendship keep her mouth shut? She’s kept my secrets in the past, and I’ve kept hers.
Look at the wolf, Elyn, and shut up.
The Adjudicator takes a step back from the wolf. “Shari, daughter of Riya. Warden of the Unseen Step. You’ve…grown.”
“So, Elyn,” Zephar says, “do I have you to thank for whisking my love away from Gasho again? There’s always a threat with you.”
“Where corrupted men breathe,” she says, “there will forever be a threat about.”
I take Zephar’s hand. “I’ve been to the Abbey of Mount Devour.”
“What?”He peers at me and whispers, “What happened to you?” He starts to reach for whatever he sees on my forehead but changes his mind, his hand falling to his side.
“The threat against Vallendor is real,” I say. “I also traveled to Linione to see my father.”
Zephar takes a few steps, his eyebrows furrowed. “Why?” He stares at the warriors awaiting his command behind him. “Why are you here with Elyn?”
“We’re all in this fight together,” Elyn says. “We must put aside our differences to save this realm.”
“Is that why you’ve stowed trash in my temple?” he asks.
“Trash?” Elyn looks at him, her head cocked. “Where, exactly, isyourtemple?”
“The asshole eating our food,” Zephar says. “You didn’t think I’d notice a stranger within our gates?”
“That ‘trash’ is the traitor’s son,” I say. “He’s the Weapon—”
Zephar’s eyes widen. “You’ve put fuckingMiasmain the temple—?”
I hold up a hand. “There’s reason.” I tell him about Celedan Docci, the hand tattoo and Jadon’s strings being cut, and the threat that abounds if he’s harmed. “I gave clear instructions to the Sisters,” I continue. “No one will approach him—they’ll die if they do.”
“Understood.” Zephar runs a shaky hand through his hair. His anxiety is a rare thing.
“Thank you for your understanding, Zephar,” Elyn says. “I’ll be sure to let the Council know of your kindness and hospitality.”
Zephar considers her and decides instead to swallow the retort on his tongue. “I’m honored that the Adjudicator is visiting the Sanctum. I’m sure you’ll find it to be the nicest prison in all the realms.”
“There are sixty-seven thousand realms,” Elyn says. “I’ll get back to you on that.”
“Can we not?” I ask, forcing a smile. “We have work—”
“You’re a guest here, Adjudicator,” Zephar says to her. “If you have a better Sanctum to insult, maybe you should go find it.”
Elyn turns to squint at me. “Your taste is so…specific.”
Zephar places his hands on my shoulders. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Elyn holds my gaze. “One day, the Lady of the Verdant Realm will get her shit together and find someone worthy of her station.”
Zephar snorts. “And what does Vallendor’s Grand Librarian know about love? And taste? And life?”
