Page 52 of Fate of the Sun King

“I want her,” he whines, and I’m not really sure what to do.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go look for her? My name is Lor. What’s yours?”

“I’m Aris. It’s spelled A-R-I-S,” he says proudly, like he’s just learned this and is eager to show off his new skill.

“Nice to meet you, Aris. And there, now we aren’t strangers anymore.”

I know that’s not really how it works, but he’s a kid, and maybe he’ll go for it. I obviously don’t mean him any harm, and just want to get him back to his mother.

He gives me a dubious look, and I offer up what I hope is my most I’m not a threat smile.

“Do you remember which direction you came from?” I ask. “We could just walk that way and see if we find your mom, okay?”

“Okay,” he finally says. “I think it was this way.”

He walks over, slips his hand into mine, and then tugs me down the road. I check the time, and I should make it back before Nadir returns. This kid needs me right now. I’ve never given much thought to the idea of motherhood, but I like the idea of a family someday.

Aris pulls me down a small street lined with doors that lead up to homes and other businesses. Then another one as we go deeper into the winding maze of dilapidated houses.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” I ask as we move further and further from the main thoroughfare. He nods his little chin.

“Yup, I remember this spot now.”

“Okay,” I say, looking around. I check my watch. It’s now past time for Nadir to meet me at the tea shop. I wonder if he arrived on time or if he was too cock deep inside that woman to remember me. I shake my head. Gods, I can be so dramatic.

“Right up here,” Aris says, tugging my hand again as we turn another corner. It’s a dead end.

“I don’t think this is it,” I say, and that’s when everything goes black.

I scream, but the sound is muffled against a swath of thick dark fabric. Surprise knocks me off balance, and I stumble, crashing into a wall before pain bursts at the back of my head, and then I remember nothing.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NADIR

The sun has set and the snow falls in thick flakes as I head back towards the tea shop in time to meet Lor. A chill wind blasts through the seams of my clothing, but one of the gifts of my magic is a tolerance against the cold. The door chimes when I open it, and several heads look up as I enter. Though the shop is technically closed for the night, people file in and out at every hour of the day.

Etienne explained that Rhiannon is a sort of home base for so many of these displaced citizens—a mother hen providing an outlet for their despondency and lack of stability. A place to gather and rally and plan for their futures. I’m so grateful she was here and could provide Lor with some of the answers she needed.

I nod to the group, brushing past and heading up the stairs. The workshop is nearly empty except for Rhiannon, who sits at a table carefully chopping herbs as though her thoughts are a million miles away. She looks up as I enter and smiles.

“Hi,” she says brightly. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to pick up Lor.”

“Oh, she left about fifteen minutes ago. She was going to wait for you outside. You didn’t see her?”

Instantly, sharp prickles crawl down the back of my neck, but I’m not going to panic. She’s perfectly safe here. Etienne assured me she was safe. She probably got tired of waiting and wandered away, and we missed each other.

Before I realize what I’m doing, my feet are already thundering down the stairs, storming back onto the street. Most people have retired for the night, and the sidewalks are quiet.

As I scan the area, left to right, my throat swells. No sign of Lor. The door opens behind me, and then Rhiannon is there, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Maybe she went back to the inn,” she says, repeating my earlier thoughts, and I nod. That has to be it. I try not to think about the fact that I just left Etienne there, and we should have passed one another in the street. Maybe she took a different route.

I’m going to kill her for not waiting and for scaring me nearly to death.

I don’t bother saying goodbye to Rhiannon, because my feet are moving again, and I’m focused on only one thing. I attempt to maintain an even pace, but I don’t know whom I’m trying to impress, so I break into a run, nearly bowling over the few stragglers navigating the street.