Caelan maintained the gale through Temit until the skies were clear of birds. Above the angry howl of the wind, there were human shouts of surprise and the loud wooden clatter of shutters slamming into place. With a small sigh of relief, Caelan released the power and closed down the shield, settling both of the gods into their place in the deepest part of his mind.
In an ugly circle, birds lay dead on the grounds, wings broken and necks snapped. They seemed larger than the average raven or crow. Maybe it was a species specific to the mountains of Zastrad. Or just maybe they’d been made larger, thanks to the Goddess of the Hunt and Safa. Not an option he wanted to consider.
With care, they stepped over the mound of dead birds to approach the other dead body that was left in the park. The man looked to be in his early twenties and dressed in an Empire officer’s uniform of black and gold. A huge slash opened his throat, nearly separating his head from his shoulders.
“Did you see his eyes when you were fighting him?” Caelan asked quietly.
“Only for a second.” Caelan glanced up to see Eno shove a blood-splattered hand into his hair and scratch his scalp. “They seemed…odd. Not normal. I don’t know. Like I said, it was only for a second.”
“Their eyes have vertical pupils, like that of a cat. I noticed it with Safa the first time I saw her. I assumed that it was because she was bonded with the Goddess of the Hunt. But the other two…” His voice faded into nothing, leaving the rest of his question unspoken. How and why was Zyros changing them?
“We should make for the hotel now,” Eno announced, breaking into Caelan’s bleak thoughts.
“What should we do about…this?” He waved at the eclectic collection of the dead they’d left in the park.
Eno placed a hand on Caelan’s shoulder and started directing him to the park exit. “If anything, I feel very confident that Temit has an efficient system for dealing with the unexpectedly deceased. I’d rather not stick around and get drawn into any questions or even celebrations for the dead.”
That was a very good point. Caelan picked up his pace, heading away from the gate and toward their quiet hotel in hopes of finding Drayce and the others already waiting for them.
“You think Rayne, Drayce, and Vale had more luck than us?”
A wry smile tilted one corner of Caelan’s lips up and he looked over at his old friend. “More luck at what? Getting to Mrtyu or staying out of trouble?”
Eno groaned, but the man was also smiling through it. “I pray they had more luck staying out of trouble. I’ll never hear the end of it from Rayne that I let you meet up with that Safa.”
“That wasn’t entirely our fault. Part of that had to be bad luck.”
“Uh-huh,” Eno grunted, sounding completely unconvinced. “You know, he still holds it over my head that I let you accompany me to the Broken Chair to fetch Drayce that one time.”
Caelan had the good sense to duck his head to his shoulders and wince. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Caelan shook his head. The Broken Chair had been the diviest of dive bars in Cabbage Port, which was also one of the worst parts of town in Stormbreak. Drayce had bombed a history midterm during their last year of university and gone to the Broken Chair to drown his sorrows as well as hide from Rayne, who had taken time out of his busy schedule to tutor Drayce.
After a lot of arguing and convincing, Eno had let Caelan accompany him to fetch his drunk best friend. Naturally, there ended up being a bar brawl and Caelan had just barely avoided being headline news.
Rayne needed to let that old shit go. But then, Eno definitely should have known better.
It probably explained why Caelan liked Eno so much. The man took Caelan’s protection seriously, but he also had a good understanding of Caelan’s strengths and weaknesses. He allowed Caelan to experience life rather than locking him away in the Towers for his own safety.
“I wouldn’t worry.” Caelan extended his elbow toward Eno, bumping him lightly. “With Rayne there to keep everything under his control, I doubt they got into any kind of trouble.”
SEVENTEEN
Rayne Laurent
“Any suggestions, Vale?” Rayne panted as they hid near the mouth of a narrow alley now that the wind had stopped pummeling the city. Gods, he prayed that wasn’t thanks to trouble Caelan and Eno had found.
They’d spent the better part of the hour being chased by Nanu’s brothel denizens. They’d been cornered twice and had needed to fight their way out. Rayne was hoping to avoid a third confrontation. As it was, they were all gasping for breath and exhausted.
“We could always turn ourselves in and beg for mercy,” Vale offered. She was leaning heavily on the wall opposite Rayne, holding her side. She’d not been injured in the fighting, so he could only assume she was nursing a stitch in her side.