Emberhawk - Jamie Foley Page 0,129

Now go fetch some of that rainwater!”

Kira sighed and considered Lee’s tombstone beneath a lone cherry tree. It was simple, like those of his ancestors beside him. A chain was tied around the gray slate, holding a crystal in the center. The gem shone deep blue—their family color. Kira’s grandfather had displayed the gem on his tombstone for the past several years until the most recent funeral, when he’d passed it down to Lee.

Kira frowned at the gem. It was supposed to give the deceased favor with the goddess in the afterlife. She’d been told that his soul would pass through it, or something along those lines. She’d forgotten, and she no longer cared. She would have torn the thing off if it wouldn’t have upset her family.

She pulled a carving of the seven-tailed fox from her tunic and held it before her. The movement caused the burn on her shoulder to protest, but she was accustomed to the pain by now. Granny’s herbs ensured that her wounds were fading, but Kira was certain that Zamara’s handprint on her shoulder and neck would scar.

Bleeding elementals.

Felix’s claims about himself, Zamara, and Lillian still bounced around in Kira’s head, ruining everything she’d believed as a child. Felix had no reason to lie. And Kira’s own eyes didn’t lie. Sure, Lillian was a greater elemental—an amos—instead of a lesser trai’yeth like Zamara and Felix. But Lillian was still an elemental, and she was still locked away in a stone just like Zamara was.

“It’s not a decision to be made lightly,” Ryon had said. “You should choose for yourself.”

Kira plunged the idol of the seven-tailed fox head-first into the moist soil. The earth would make quick work of it.

Fear scratched at the back of her mind as soon as the wood disappeared beneath the dirt. Maybe Felix was wrong, and Lillian actually was a goddess. Maybe she was punishing Lee in the afterlife right now for Kira’s rebellion. Maybe her father would find out that she’d turned away from the goddess their family had worshiped for generations. Maybe he’d say that she was no longer his daughter.

Maybe the timing of Felix coming to save them from Zamara had just been a coincidence, and the creator wouldn’t be any more responsive to her prayers than Lillian had been. Maybe he was long-dead like everyone said.

“Still here?”

Tekkyn’s voice made Kira jump. She pushed a dark curl from her face and sat up straight. “Just waiting on you.”

Did he see what I just did? She cleared her throat. “Is the cart ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Tekkyn waded through the grass and stood beside her. He was dressed in a light cloth tunic and worn leather breeches—Kira hadn’t seen him in the Malaano uniform since they’d arrived home from Jadenvive. She thought he might have destroyed it.

Tekkyn’s face went grim as he considered Lee’s tombstone. “I, uh . . . I have something to tell you.”

The hesitancy of his tone made Kira pause. She leaned away and considered his expression. “Oh?”

Tekkyn opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He shut it again, then sighed and took a seat next to Kira. “I think I know who killed Lee.”

“What?” Kira dropped the grass she’d been tormenting between her fingers. “How could you know? Did someone see it happen?”

“Maybe. But I studied his”—Tekkyn’s voice faltered—“cut. It was made by a certain type of knife.”

Kira grimaced as the memories of that day painted images she didn’t want to see again. “How can you tell?”

“The Malaano blade style generally has a curve to it. Katrosi knives tend to be straight and serrated near the hilt.” He pulled a dagger from his belt and held it flat in his palm.

Kira frowned at the blacksmith’s design. The blade was an inch or so longer than Tekkyn’s palm and curved inward along the edge. A cruel hook barbed backward from the tip. “That’s a fish-gutting knife.”

“It’s a standard-issue dagger for soldiers of the Malaano Empire.” Tekkyn corrected. “And the curve matched the gash on Lee’s neck.”

Lightning seared through Kira. She stared at the blade as if that very one had taken her brother’s life. “But . . . it was the Emberhawk,” she murmured.

Tekkyn slipped the blade back into its sheath. “He was killed by a Malaano. From what I heard, the Emberhawk didn’t have the sheer numbers to overwhelm the soldiers defending that elevator.”

Kira uttered a curse. Just when she’d thought the grief was receding, it returned to drown her like high tide. “Did you