Page 57 of Fate Unchained

Kyril eyed them. “What is this? You can create clothing?”

“No. It’s the law of thermodynamical—” She waved her hand. “Never mind. I took some things I already had and summoned them here. They should fit.”

Why did Hazel have vulk-sized clothing?

Kyril shrugged into the undyed, simple wool shirt with its natural, off-white color. The shirt highlighted his broad shoulders and defined chest. It was wool and well-made, following the style popular in Coromesto—things which looked simple but in fact, were really luxurious and expensive. Kyril bared his teeth as he shoved the shoes on, but they seemed to fit.

“Thank you, Hazel,” Lilah said, staring pointedly at Kyril.

He muttered something under his breath and gave Hazel a small nod. Lilah rolled her eyes. Seriously, Hazel was right; the vulk had no idea how to get along with others.

Hazel glanced from one to the other, and her expression grew grave. “If Morana really is back, and she’s up to something, it may be good you’ve got a vulk attached to you.” She glanced at Kyril. “Be a good vulk and keep her safe.”

Before he could answer, Hazel created a portal and stepped away.

Kyril turned to her. “I think being a good vulk involves a lot more than keeping you safe.” His gaze heated.

The same warmth the rune used to spread through her chest returned. Only she didn’t have a rune mark anymore, so had the rune done that, or had it always been her response to Kyril?

The rune. Lilah pressed her hand to her chest. She needed to figure out what to do about their rune.

She turned away from him and walked toward the gate. “We’d better get going.” She needed to protect their rune. Even if they weren’t going to keep their bond forever, no one else should have it. But for the first time, a small voice deep inside asked Why not keep Kyril?

She shoved it away. It was time to focus on Boris and the primordial threat to all of Ulterra.

22

He paced through the stacks of the library, working his way back towards Lilah’s office. Looking things up in books wasn’t the way to find Boris. He needed to be out there. Hunting. He had to remain in human form, but he still wanted to be out there searching. If he left, though, she’d be here alone. Unprotected.

Books were piled all around her desk, where she sat holding a quill and writing on some parchment in front of her. Her small office was more like an old stable, with a large double door and windows along the upper portion of the wall. She’d placed funny little green lamps all over the library and had one on her desk. It lit the space with a hazy glow, making Lilah’s hair more golden. However, on closer inspection, the lamps weren’t so funny after all. They were powered by vae magic, meaning they would never go out. Interesting to find in Coromesto since the vae never came here.

He huffed out a sigh. This was the first opportunity for a vulk to walk topside during the daylight in Coromesto in … centuries. And he was in the library.

The vulk used to walk through the cities and towns of Ulterra, but after the Territory Wars, they stopped. The humans grew fearful, and with the magicwielders, it was more like each pretended the other didn’t exist. If the vulk walked in now, it would cause panic, possibly triggering another war with the magicwielders who were prone to attack. The vulk wouldn’t put up with that. Let the magicwielders think they ruled here. It kept them mostly in one place and easy to monitor.

However, it was damn inconvenient to stay underground in the sewers. Twice now, his quarry had led him to Coromesto. It seemed to be the seat of the Dark Cabal, and Morana was also lurking here.

The scratch of Lilah’s quill echoed in the empty room. She was reading the grimoire, but it seemed to be taking her forever. “Boris definitely told you he was part of a group?” Kyril asked.

Lilah didn’t look up. She simply nodded and continued scratching away.

He walked into her office, his steps muted by the thin, red rug stretched across the floor. “The Dark Cabal had the grimoire the last we knew, but we know they weren’t aligned with Morana. We overheard Hoyt, her old partner, say Morana rejected working with the Cabal. So, if Boris is part of the Dark Cabal, why is he talking to Morana?”

She still didn’t look up. “Maybe Boris lied. Maybe he stole the grimoire from them, and fled. Or maybe he was talking about working with Morana?” Finally, she looked up at him, her gaze unfocused. “Would magicwielders know Boris was a spawn?”

He leaned against the doorframe. “Good question. A chort is a master at disguise. They are also exceptionally skilled at reading humans and catering to their vices. A gambling den, like in Eroica, is perfect, really. He would have gotten quite powerful from the strength of people trying to win and perpetually losing.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Like my father. He was always a—” She bit her lip and looked away. “After my mother died, he started enjoying his drink a lot. I’ve heard he wasn’t like that before, but after …” She shrugged. “He got really lost. Living with him, sometimes I feel like I’m the parent. He never gambled away his money before, though.” Deep in his chest, he felt her sadness through his half of the rune. How did that make sense when she didn’t have her half anymore?

He entered her office and approached her. Leaning his hip on her desk, he ran his knuckles down the side of her face. So far, he’d refused to think about the rune much, shoving it away to deal with when he had time, but then it would remind him it was still there.

“I talked to your pa about Boris. From what he said, I think Boris lied to you about your father being in debt to him.”

She sagged deeper into her chair. “All I had to do was ask my father, and I would have known it wasn’t true.” She waved her hand. “Why didn’t I do that?”

“You were looking after him.” He ran his thumb over her cheekbone. “Also, Boris must be very old and very powerful. His magic seeps into those around him. It would have worked on you, too.”

The line between her brows disappeared. “Thanks.” He couldn’t stop touching her. Her desk was filled with books and parchment, but in one swipe he could toss it all on the ground and spread her on the desk in front of him. Although she’d probably yell he was mistreating her books.

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