Page 159 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“And?” I asked.

“And I got the distinct impression I was not welcome there when our friend here and his cohorts packed up and left on their boat as soon as I was spotted.”

Luka laughed. “As welcome as a cat amongst the pigeons, he was.”

“Spitting at the ground in disgust was a nice touch,” Nyx deadpanned.

“I thought so.”

I watched their exchange. “So wait, how are you here now if you can’t be seen with us?”

“That would be my amazing idea,” Luka said proudly.

“He got himself arrested for drunken brawling in the square last night and managed to convince the jailer that he was planning to assassinate the general. They came and got me, and I ‘took him in for questioning.’”

Luka wiggled his brows. “Quick thinking, right?”

Nyx shook his head. “You could have sent a raven.”

“And have it intercepted? No chance. If I’m going back there, they can’t suspect me.”

“You’re not going back there. I can’t tolerate Zaria’s worrying. That is over.”

“Fine,” Luka agreed. “I can’t say I’ll be sorry to be back in my cozy palace bed tonight. But let’s not burn the bridge, yeah? We might need me to go back at some point. We need to leak that I was sentenced to some time in the jail. Say I stabbed a guard or something.”

“Sure,” Nyx agreed. “Now, tell us what you have been doing all these weeks.”

Luka leaned in conspiratorially. “I’ve been digging for information, and let me tell you, it goes deeper than we ever imagined. I’m going to need some time to break it all down for you.”

“Just give us the short version.”

“Okay, fine.” He thought for a moment. “The Dragon’s Bane that our village was growing is part of a huge supply network.”

“We knew that. It was being used to create the undead,” Nyx stated, showing less sign of the emotional turmoil those memories were bringing him before. I was happy to see him healing from the trauma of losing his twin in a healthier way.

“It’s not just sold for that.” Luka said with a pause that said drama was coming. “The priests are involved.”

Nyx’s brow furrowed. “How?”

“To be honest, I’m still not sure. But that day of the poisoning, I had recognized one of them and I couldn’t place where. Now I know. He collects the deliveries. I’ve seen him loading sacks marked the same way our deliveries were from the village. Only he wasn’t wearing his priests robes which is why I had trouble placing him initially.”

“Did he see you?

“No, he wouldn’t recognize me from the drop offs. I was never allowed to interact with them, I just drove the cart and kept quiet.”

“So what do the priests have to do with this?” I wondered aloud.

“Well, I’m still not sure. At first, I thought maybe nothing. We were always told that what we were growing in our village was a sacred herb the priests used in worship of the Goddess. So I thought maybe that was why they took deliveries. But it’s more than that. The traffickers that move the Dragon’s Bane up and down the river seem to answer to the priests, not supply them. I still wasn’t trusted enough to get that close, but I’m sure the priests are calling the shots.”

Nyx sat back in his chair and pondered the new information, and I tried to let it sink in. I didn’t have a good understanding of the priests and their role here. I would have to study up on it.

“Okay,” Nyx said decisively. “I need to know everything yousaw and identify everyone involved, right down to their pets and their grandmothers. I’ll have an office set up for you and give you access to all my resources. But I need all the information you have. I need the full picture so we can find out what is going on. This is your full-time job now, Luka, and the same applies, you report to no one but Jaxus and me. If the priests are involved, we have to keep this tightly guarded.”

“And Zaria too,” Luka added. “Don’t forget, she is your soul-bonded mate so she is in the circle of trust too.”

“Well, in that case, you’d better add Kiera to the circle,” I said proudly.

Luka beamed. “No shit! Congratulations,” he said, genuinely pleased for me.