ALARYK
“Is she all right?” Myzalla asked me quietly, her gaze flickering to Amaia, who stood on the edge of the road, her unseeing eyes pinned on the shadowy boundary of the forest beyond.
“She’s in shock,” I told her.
“Her eyes…” Myzalla said, trailing off. She frowned before peering up at me. “What exactly can she do, Alaryk?”
“We’ll talk later. But not now. Not here,” I told her, rubbing the back of my sore neck. Samryn had pushed himself hard to reach Grymia quickly, soaring over the sea that kept Elysom and the Arsadia separated. It wasn’t a long journey, but we’d encountered a storm system off the coast of Elysom. It hadn’t been pleasant.
But what I’d encountered in Grymia?
Even less so.
“Want me to escort her back to the hatchery?” Myzalla asked.
I shook my head. “I’ll take her.”
My wing commander blew out a sharp sigh, her eyes troubled as they swept the quiet village. “What are we going to do, Alaryk? He’s Dakkari. There was nothing in the exchange accords about this. How to handle it.”
“The crime was committed in Grymia,” I told her sternly. “He will be punished according to our laws.”
A punishment befitting the crime.
So, it would mean Ryak’s death.
“We can’t just sentence a Dakkari to execution. You know it’s more complicated than that,” Myzalla said, keeping her voice low.
“Doesn’t have to be,” I told her. “I’ll notify Elysom soon. And I’ll send a missive to Sarkin. Perhaps one of his riders will deliver my message to theDothikkarhimself.”
Myzalla looked troubled.
“For now, keep him closely watched. No one goes in without my approval,” I said.
“And what of Nevin?” she asked. “His friend? What ofthem?”
She gestured to Amaia.
“I’ll have an answer for you in the morning,” I told her.
“They can’t stay here,” Myzalla told me. “Not after this. It’s safer for them if they leave. And soon.”
“Shestays,” I told her firmly. “And if anyone has anything to say about that, they will answer to me.”
“Don’t tell me you have feelings for the girl,” she hissed. “No lover is worth an uprising,Karath. I don’t have to tell you that.”
“She’s more valuable than you realize,” I growled, narrowing my eyes on her. “You know me better than that.”
Myzalla sucked in a long breath, centering herself. “Gethrin was a promising acolyte. He’ll be missed. A tragic waste. I hope she’s worth it.”
A flash of Saran’s anger, her palpable, stabbing grief, made me turn away. So Myzalla wouldn’t see the way my expression drew up.
“I’ll address the village in the morning about what’s happened. Will you stay with Saran tonight?”
“I’ll try,” Myzalla told me. “Though she might not want the company.”
I left my wing commander with the others, making my way toward Amaia, who had her arms wrapped around her body.
She stiffened when I came up next to her, but when she saw it was me, she turned forward again, peering into the trees.
