Page 86
Story: Court of Wolves
Focus,Viskae snapped.There’s something about these two. Power.
Isak knew exactly what she meant when he met the rich brown eyes of the warrior and a ripple went through him, raising all the hairs on the back of his neck. Oh yeah, she had magic and all his instincts were warning him he was in danger. He reached deeper into his own dark power and wondered if Viskae would finally grant him some of her saint shit instead of rationing it.
It’s not the right time,she said, as she always did.
Sure, being confronted by a hundred enemies wasn’t the right time.
Isak raised his voice to carry across the ten feet between him and the two women of the militia. “Who might you ladies and your fabulous army be?”
If nothing else, he knew how to charm a woman.
“None of your damn business,” the warrior snapped, squaring her shoulders. Isak had the sense she was picturing squashing his eyeballs out of his skull or maybe driving her sword through his gut. He thought of Tynenn, left cold on the floor of the crypt, and winced. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Isak Sintali, official spokesman of this ragtag group and—oh shit,” he breathed because the tall woman with the braid had launched into a sprint and there were only seven feet between them, then four, then two.
Reacting quickly had never been Isak’s strong suit. He was still reaching for the dark roil of poison in his blood when she slammed into him so hard he staggered back, only his stick keeping him upright. Like a dumbass, he didn’t even think to draw the sword, and now she’d murdered him and—
Wait. She washugginghim.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, squeezing his middle so hard his ribs protested. Maybe this was a new torture invented where they’d come from. Isak began the process of detangling himself, a nervous laugh in the back of his throat, but a massive weight slammed into his right, knocking his stick from his hand. The impact was enough to bruise his ribs and he let out anoofas the collision winded him.
“Fucking hell, kid, you’re alive.”
Alright, that was enough of that. “I’m not a kid, and I’d thank you to stop crushing my lungs.”
The brawny warrior snorted and squeezed him tighter, making him grunt, before she released him. She didn’t step back though, just stared at Isak so intently that he grew uncomfortable. And then she ruffled his hair, ignoring the baffled look he gave her. “You’re my best friend’s little brother, you’ll always be a kid.”
“I’m your—” Isak blinked, processed, and then laughed. “You’re fucking joking.”
“I’m fucking not.” The warrior grinned, no longer resting her hand on her sword’s hilt or looking inclined to peel his skin from his bones. He liked this development. Isak was a big fan of keeping his skin on his bones.
“You know Jaromir?” he asked, unsure how to detach the clinging weight on his left. Ah, shit, she was crying. Isak patted her shoulder.
You’re shit at comforting people,Viskae said.
I learned it from you,he replied sweetly.
“We’re here looking for him,” the bronze-skinned barnacle with the braided hair said, releasing Isak to scrub her face. The warrior noticed her tear-bitten cheeks and hooked her into a tight hug. Clearly this duo were big huggers. “He left Vassalaer with a small group on a rescue mission.”
Isak winced. “Yeah. It didn’t go well.”
“You’ve seen them?” the younger woman demanded, reaching for his arm and gripping tight. “When? Where are they now?”
“Uh, who exactly are you two?” Isak asked. He believed their reactions were genuine, but he didn’t know who the hell they were, and he’d survived thus far by being wary.
“Zamanya Caliax. I know your brother well, kid. He’s one of the most important people in my life.”
“I’m Evrille Plunaron,” the woman with the braid said, still holding onto him, her blue eyes the colour of dark sapphires andfull of hope. “If you found Jaro, you must have met Azrail, my brother.”
“Ah, shit,” Isak whispered, raking a hand over his face.
“What happened?” Zamanya asked warily, effectively guessing it wasn’t good.
“I don’t have time to explain, but I do know how to save them,” Isak said, rushing into a description of the golden box and how they’d tracked it to these ruins.
“Save them fromwhat?”Evrille asked, scrubbing her face dry and giving him a serious look.
“There’s no guarantee it’s still here, but this is the furthest we’ve tracked it,” Isak was saying, breathless with urgency.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86 (Reading here)
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103