It gushes down onto the stone floor. My stomach twists. I dry heave, because there is nothing in my stomach but acid.
Reizei only arches an eyebrow as his lapdog hands him the severed finger—myfucking finger—on a blood-soaked cloth.
“I think your career as the most prominent Caetra in Jaakii is officially over, Vera D’Argent. The scars, a talented mender might have fixed. A mutilated limb, not so much, I’m afraid.”
I’m dizzy, barely able to keep my head up. I don’t get the mercy of falling unconscious. Not yet. The sear of the next cut between my shoulder blades forces another scream out of me.
I scream, and scream.
But nobody comes to my aid.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
PHOENIX
When I open my eyes the next morning, it’s still dark. I shove my blanket aside and roll out of the bed, feeling wide awake. Determined, I pad over to my bathing suite to splash my face with cold water and then I dress in my leathers.
Thankfully, as the Ezkai General I don’t have to wear fancy suits, or dresses. An Ezkai General is supposed to be practical, humble. Just like the Order of Ezkai.
Once I have strapped all my weapons to me, I head outside. The moment I open my door, both Ezkai guarding my door at all times press their fists over their hearts and dip their chins.
“Gentlemen,” I murmur and stride down the corridor.
They follow me.
My personal space is my own; they keep at a distance so I don’t feel them breathing down my neck. But this is exhausting. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I roll my shoulders to ease the tension.
I need a clear mind and open heart this morning.
When I went to see Kazh, I wanted to master the thing that terrifies me the most, my subconscious. But after that chilling visit to the spy lair…I feel like I’m running out of time.
I need to prioritize, and finding my dragon is at the top of my list.
Thankfully, I don’t feel Lorca’s presence inside my mind today. It doesn’t mean that won’t change. The trickster god loves to show up at the worst possible time.
I have no trouble finding the meditation temple Noire told me about. The stone path winds down through the plum orchard all the way to the modest earthen building with wooden shutters instead of windows.
So early in the morning, the air is crisp. It’s eerily quiet. My feet are soft as I take the two wide steps up and enter through the open archway into the temple.
Luckily, my instincts are sharp. I dodge Kazh’s cane just in time before she whacks me over the head with it.
“Shoes, you shithead!” my mentor scolds me. “The audacity! You’re in a sacred place of meditation.”
“Alright, alright,” I murmur and untie my laces.
I look around the bare interior. The walls and floors are beige, blending into each other. Thick fur carpets line the floors. No pictures, no decor, except for a couple of incense holders on a stone table behind Kazh.
“Stay there,” Kazh spits at my escorts when they try to enter.
With expressionless faces, they take their spots on each side of the archway outside the temple.
Kazh slowly makes her way towards the center of the space. There’s a limp when she walks that wasn’t there before.
Frowning, I cock my head to the side. “What happened to you?”
Kazh whirls on her heel and pins me with a glare that makes me want to shrink. “Mind your own goddamn business,youngling! Forget learning about the blessed trinity, how about we start with some respect for your elders?”
Lifting my hands in the air defensively, I leave the subject be.
