Chapter 36
ALARYK
I woke to pounding on my door.
When my eyes flashed open, for a brief moment, I didn’t know where I was. I stared up at the familiar ceiling of my dwelling, my hand reaching out next to me to find the furs empty.
Fuck.
Reality came flooding back. I felt hungover, like I’d partaken in too much wine on a feast night, my body battered, my fists raw, the flesh shredded.
I must’ve come back and passed out from the sheer exhaustion. My clothes felt grimy from the sweat, blood dried along my knuckles.
My head pounded, mirroring whoever was at the door.
When I swung my legs over, my strides ate up the distance quickly. I tugged it open with enough force that the hinges nearly broke off, only to find Myzalla’s wild expression, the grim set of her mouth.
Immediately, I tensed.
“What’s happened?”
“Three eggs from the hatchery have been taken,” she reported quickly.
I was already out the door, not even bothering to close it in my haste.
It was still early morning; most of the village hadn’t even woken yet.
“Where is she?” I growled, my legs eating up the distance to the hatchery. The morning was brisk. My mouth tasted sour, which mirrored the churn in my gut.
“Gone,” Myzalla said quietly, keeping pace.
I didn’t know what to think or feel. But I would save my disbelief, my anger, my bitterness for later. I’d been betrayed by a lover before.
How foolish was I to have it happen a second time?
And why did this time feel so much worse?
Because I actually believed she had a kind soul,I knew.Because I’d actually thought I was falling in love with her.
Now I had a duty to my people. How many more things would go wrong? First Ryak, then the Elthika attack, and nowthis?
Elysom was already looking for any excuse to null the Heartstone Accords, to take thethalaratrees from the Dakkari.
This might be the tipping point into war.
And Amaia…had she really betrayed us all?
It didn’t make sense. How could I have been sowrong?
Tarkosh’s expression mirrored Myzalla’s when I saw she was waiting for us at the entrance of the hatchery. She must have woken to the discovery.
“Show me,” I said to her.
She inclined her head and led me through the quiet hatchery.
“Does anyone else know?” I asked.
“Syris. She’s inside,” Tarkosh explained.
