That’s what I do.
And that, Learned Muka should have known.
So: the immediate problem to address is that I have led the priesthood to Tasa’s sanctuary. I cannot undo it, but I can keep the problem from compounding.
The first step is to remove the dragon scales, so they have no evidence of Zan’s presence and no trail to follow.
The priests will still try to scale the mountain, but Learned Mukadidbuy me time. And they will struggle like she did.
I will find a way to block them, if I have to climb the mountain myself until I pass the sphere of the Sage of Wrath’s influence.
First, I gather every single precious dragon scale sparkling against the earth like flowers, as Yora’s presence,herchoice—and what it must have taken to get there—in Celestial Sanctuary Temple looms large before me.
Here, now, burgeoning, is my most dangerous resolution.
The priests will not have a single scale more from Sanctuary Isle.
Not from Zan, vulnerable in his slumber.
Not from Tasa, alone and unprotected.
And not from me.
Awakening at last.
Tasa
Fine,soself-controlisnot my strength.
I keep peeking out the window to see if Kovan is still here.
SageKovan, I try to make myself think.
But it’s not sticking.
Because the most powerful magic worker in the empire is just carrying a basket—mybasket, with dried flowers drooping brittle-ly off the handle, because I haven’t looked at that basket in a bit and didn’t think to untie them before handing it to a sage—around on his arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world as he manually picks up each scale one by one.
At first, Kovan is so focused on his thoughts that he doesn’t notice me. And why would he?
Except then hedoes.
It has to be magic, right? I know the Sage of Wrath suppressed magic here, but there’s no way Kovan could have known that right at that exact second I was staring at him through the window.
But he looks up.
His golden gaze fixes on mine.
I freeze.
It’s like his whole body goes still, utterly focused on me.
And then obviously I panic and duck away.
But after a few minutes of banging around ineffectually in my workshop, I peek again.
Kovan doesn’t look this time.
But his lips quirk.
