The Blood of Darkness

Chapter 31

Kye

The sun rises as a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the stars to take their nightly rest. As darkness surrenders, every color changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy of warm hues, and I find myself bathed in crimson light as I stand outside the townhouse beside Lake, waiting for Neve to finish packing her bag.

My friend raises a hand to his face to shield the sun from his eyes, and I watch as beams of golden light dance across his dark skin.

"In Rurik," he says softly, "the sun would rise over the ocean, casting light onto the Janaran mountain peaks. Clouds moved in shoals above the mountains, so at dawn, the sky would be equal parts blue and a chorus of greys, streaked with beams of silver and gold."

I would love to see that one day. It doesn't even have to be a sunrise. Just the ocean. I dream about it sometimes, standing on a balcony, overlooking a huge crowd of angry people, seeing the ocean in the distance....

"My mother would wake me up each morning to watch," Lake continues. "No matter what."

His mother.

Lake has been thinking a lot about Rurik and his mother lately, and I know why. She disappeared over a year ago, thought to be dead. But now that we know that the Dark King is creating an army—

To do what? What is his army for, Kye? Who is it for? Who does the Dark King want to be his queen?

No.  I will not think about that. About her. I won't.

I take a deep breath, willing my mind not to wander. The Dark King is creating an army of the Gifted. Lake's mother was—or is—one of the Gifted. Chances are, she might still be alive. She might have been taken.

But Lake is hesitant to believe that. Not after what happened with Quinn and her grandmother.

"There you two are," Neve says, stepping out the front door before closing it behind her. Her blonde hair is braided and tucked into her cloak, and she has a sword strapped at her hip, just like Lake and I do.

I'm still not very happy with the idea of Neve joining the spy network. At the fighting pits, the way some of those spies looked at V—her.....it made fire boil in my veins.

What about last night, Kye? Fire boiled in your veins then too, didn't it? Remember? The way—

I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to send a small burst of pain flaring through me. Neve frowns, glancing my way. "Are you okay, Kye?"

I nod, pasting a small smile onto my face. "I'm great."

With that, my two friends and I head down the path, out the gate, and into the already-busy street. Supply wagons pass by in a steady stream as we walk, which makes sense when coupled with the influx of people. The market must be getting new shipments today, which means that the best, newest goods will be available.

When I was younger, on days like these, my father would give me a small fortune then shove me out of the house so he could meet with other merchants and discuss "important business," which basically meant gamble. I would roam the streets and buy various types of food and trinkets. Usually, I would end up at Surena's Tavern, where she would sit me in a corner and give me a glass of water. The guests there would recognize me as "the Merran boy" and spend the night trying to win my leftover money in games of cards. Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost. It could have been worse.

"So." Neve bumps her shoulder into mine. "Are you sure your spy friends are expecting us this early in the day?"

I shrug. "Well, they didn't specify a time. Crooked Nose just said to find him and Missing Tooth in room 87 at the Pyrrhos Inn.