Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
“It reminds me of Port Street in Cirilea, except without the port. A busker!” Delight fills her voice as she spots the man on the corner, juggling five daggers.
“There is a canal, though.” I point to the narrow passage between buildings.
“That is the Hag’nin. It feeds from the mountains and flows through the city,” Destry explains. “You can hire a skiff. People say it is romantic.”
I stifle my chuckle at her apathetic manner.
Above the busker is a balcony where half-dressed men and women showcase their bodies, waiting for clients. “And there are brothels.”
“Lucky for you,” Annika murmurs.
I lean in to whisper in her ear, “How much longer must we play this game?”
To that, she says nothing.
“There are numerous inns and other establishments,” Destry says, sounding every bit a guide for visitors. “Basinholde is one of the busiest hubs in Udrel. Many roads to different corners of the realm pass through here.”
I catch the clanging of metal boots and pull Annika back from the curtain, letting it fall. A moment later, soldiers bark orders nearby. “Is this a good idea, being in a place so busy and crawling with guards?”
“Don’t do anything to attract their attention, and you will blend in.” But Destry pulls her pendant out, closes her eyes, and begins to chant indecipherable words. When her eyes flip open, they’ve turned completely white.
Annika flinches. “That is disturbing.”
“And yet useful.”
We wait quietly for Destry to do … whatever it is she is doing. When her eyes shutter and reopen a moment later, they’ve turned black again. “There are many guards, but they do not seem to be searching for you here yet. They must think you are still within the capital.”
“What did you do there?” I ask.
“I used the eyes of the birds to see what we cannot.” She says it as if it’s the most natural thing to do.
My eyebrows arch. “I am impressed.”
“This only allows for a small range.” She holds up the pendant to show me the white stone. “It is made from the temple in Orathas. Every Azyr receives one.”
Annika studies it. “It’s the stone at the top, where the kal’ana is.”
“Yes. It channels the light. The larger the stone, the farther the reach. The Azyr within the temple can reach all of Udrel and beyond. To the seas, and the wraiths within them.”
“So they knew we had washed up.”
“Yes.” She tucks her pendant away. Already, her eyes are returning to normal. “We should be safe enough in the city. For tonight, at least.”
The wagon halts and Ezra shouts something. A creak sounds and then we’re turning and plodding along again.
“We will stay in the inn tonight,” Destry says. “The owner is a friend of Ezra’s.”
Annika sighs heavily. “Thank the fates. I am desperate for a bath.” She grimaces as she touches her neck, where I smeared honey on her.
I chuckle as I slip my fingers beneath her braids and pull out another strand of hay. “He has a lot of friends.”
“Ezra is the honey man. He is well known.”
A dainty hand slips through the little window, two bands made of a dull silver resting in its palm.
“You must wear those,” Destry announces.
“Excuse me?” Annika gapes.
“They are commitment bands—”
“Yes, I know what they are,” she snaps. “Why must we wear these?”
“Because we will tell the owner of this inn that you are a married couple from the islands in the far west. The dialect there is so different, it is basically another language. Besides, the wife is a traditional sort and if you are to share a room together, you must be pledged.”
Annika scowls. “There is an easy solution to that. We are not sharing a room together.”
“Yes, we are.” Enough is enough. “I am not leaving your side until we are safely out of this realm. Unless spending the next thousand years as their kal’ana sounds more appealing than listening to me snore.” Not that I will likely get much sleep.
Annika purses her lips but doesn’t argue as I collect the bands. “Thank you, Uda.”
The instant I slip on the larger one, I feel the burn. “What is this made of?”
“A special silver from the mountains north of here,” Destry says. “Where the wroxlik live.”
“The wyvern. I saw one earlier today.”
“Yes, they live up there, usually high within the clouds.”
“Why does no one seem concerned by these things? In our realm, if one is spotted, everyone runs for cover and we order the Shadows to hunt for it until it is found and killed.”
“If we do not bother them, they do not bother us.” Destry shrugs. “That has always been the way.”
I shake my head—this realm is odd—as I study the band again. “The net they captured us with was made of this same material, wasn’t it?”
“Likely, yes. We use it to make nets and cages to capture loose beasts after Azokur. They cannot break free of them. It is too strong a material.”