Page 72 of Winds of Destiny

Sound filters in first, a dull roar that slowly grows in strength until it’s almost all I can hear. Next is touch, the sensations on my skin—cold dampness around my lower legs, something slimy on half my face, and a bright light overhead that makes me want to wince even though my eyes are closed.

I shift, then groan—ah, there’s something else I can hear…

My own sounds of pain.

Huzzah for variety.

I open my eyes and stare straight up at the sky. There’s a rainbow above me, as misty and insubstantial as spider silk but as constant as the sound of the falling water that created it. Rainbow…water…fall. Fuck.

If we fell and I’m here, where’s Kai?

I sit up with another groan, patting myself down to make sure there are no broken bones waiting to announce their presence until I try to put weight on them. My sword remains at my hip, but my bow and quiver are gone. I’m lying on the edge of a beach…or maybe it’s a dock? Or used to be? The slimy feeling on my face came from lying on stones, not sand. How did I even get here?

I check around where I’m lying and find my answer a few seconds later, in the form of paw prints left in the algae by my head. I look around, but I can’t see my god anywhere. She brought me here, I’m sure of it. So why did she leave me?

“I hope you’re with Kai.” She has to be. She helped him as she did me. We slid over the top of the waterfall together, and for a few seconds, the solidity beneath our feet was still there, letting us coast instead of drop like stones. Once the water thinned, though, so did our surface, until weweredropping.

Kai had looked terrified—I’m not sure if he can swim. When would he have learned, living in the mountains his whole life? The force of the water when we hit it was thunderous, the impact enough to make me black out.

Did he survive it?

I clutch desperately for the chain around my neck, fumbling until my fingers finally close around the pearl pendant. I search for Cam and feel him, familiar but not clear enough to make out any words. He’s not panicking, though. He doesn’t feel sad, more…curious. I know that Cam would be a mess if Kai was dead, so he must be alive then.

But why isn’t he here?

I push up to my feet, wincing at the crackle that goes all the way down my spine as I stand.Oof, my body isn’t happy with me. Can’t blame it. I check my surroundings—water in one direction, the sun high overhead, and at the far end of the stone dock…

An ancient wooden city gate and a tall blue-and-green wall connected to it.

Inarime.

We made it.

I close my eyes and twist my fingers together in the sign of my god. “Please take care of Kai until I can find him,” I pray. “Please make sure he’s all right, and let him know he’s not alone.”

It feels physically painful to be separated from him after weeks of togetherness. While our physical relationship has only changed recently, our companionship is so well established that losing his presence feels like losing an arm. I miss him, I want him with me, I need to find him…

And the only way to do that is to enter the city in front of me.

The gate is completely rotten, with holes large enough for me to slip through without having to disturb the remains of the doors themselves. I have to be careful how I step—everything is covered in a thick layer of algae, rendering the ground a very slippery proposition. It’s fine; speed isn’t going to help me here. I’m spending too much time looking around to bother going quickly anyhow.

Inarime is different from any city I’ve ever seen before, so muchgranderthan even Zephyth, which has always seemed a very grand place to me. The buildings might be dirty, their details obscured, but here and there I can see the edges of magnificent tile mosaics on columns that stretch as much as thirty or forty feet in the air, twisted together in groups of three like immense stone braids. Every door, lintel, and arch is decorated with the symbol of the nameless chimera god—three heads, all roaring, contained within a triangle.

I’m so caught up in looking that I almost miss theshushingsound of something sliding across cobblestones. I dart into the nearest building, close enough to an empty window that I can look out at the street. The second I see the huge body of Kamor’s snake god slither into sight, I duck down farther.

Hisssssss… The sound of movement ceases. I’m as still and silent as I can be, barely allowing myself to breathe, much less reach for a weapon that probably wouldn’t even work on a deity. Theshushcomes closer, and as I watch, a forked tongue appears at the edge of the doorway. It’s tasting the air.

If it catches my scent— Shit, I’m going to have to—

There’s a sudden scuttling sound, and the tongue vanishes as quickly as it appeared. A second later I hear acrunch, and then…nothing. I crouch in perfect stillness for another few minutes, but the snake god doesn’t reappear. When I finally uncurl and glance out the window again, there’s nothing in the street but the crushed body of a green-backed crab.

Saved by shellfish.

I should get going again, but apparently my legs have decided that I need a few extra minutes to get over nearly being snake food. I lean against the nearest surface and breathe for a moment. I stare blankly at the wall across from me until I notice the shapes and colors on it form a story. The mosaic isn’t nearly as neat as those I saw outside. This one looks like it was plastered in place by someone more desperate than artistic. But desperate for what?

I move closer to get a better look.

It’s a story, all right…a tale of tremendous arrogance.

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