Dragonoak: Gall and Wormwood by Sam Farren

Author:Sam Farren [Farren, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-02-23T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIX

Varn and Atalanta’s room was one of the few left open in the palace. They’d made a home of it, even if most of the decorating had been left to Atalanta. There was a small, low shrine in one corner, covered in half-burnt candles and pools of melted wax. A fist-sized statue of Isjin entirely unlike the form Kondo-Kana revered stood in the centre. Windows ran from floor to ceiling, thin curtains billowing in the warm breeze, and one wall was taken up by alternating displays of books, weapons and beautifully unfamiliar trinkets that spoke of adventures in lands beyond my imagination.

Atalanta settled down on the sofa, but Varn insisted on dragging me to the bed to better interrogate me about the situation.

“Fuck, I’m just saying,” she said, hands grasping at the nothing above her as she rolled onto her back and clicked her tongue. “All me and Lanta have done since you left is stand around like we’re bloody being paid to look pretty, and you’re telling me about your new dragon and phoenix, and your girlfriend’s a Queen.”

“Right?” I said, rolling onto my side. Varn scowled with something like jealousy, perhaps missing the adventures pirating brought with it, but Atalanta watched from the sofa with unabashed amusement. I doubted Varn’s time had been that boring in my absence, considering she had spent most of her stint in Mahon whining about wanting to see Atalanta. “It’s as if either everything happens at once, or it doesn’t happen. I’ve gone months in Port Mahon without anything interesting happening, anything beyond… life, but since I got to Felheim, there’s been enough happening to last years. Decades! I don’t know how I’ve found the time to sleep.”

“I still don’t believe you about the dragon. Or the phoenix. Gods! Ain’t making a fool of myself for you, North Woods. Not until I see ‘em for myself.”

“And you will see them, darling,” Atalanta reminded her. “We leave in the morning.”

Scrunching her face up, Varn said, “How the hell are you so calm? We’re going to Asar, across the Wide Waters, with no fucking warning!”

“I have known Yin Zhou longer than you, my love. I have witnessed things far less believable and more abrupt in her employ plenty of times,” Atalanta said.

Varn furrowed her brow and decided to give up trying to accept any of it. Me being there was surprise enough. Every now and again she’d glance at me, narrow her gaze, and sneer whenever I smiled.

After a few minutes of such a back and forth, Varn shuffled onto her side, forehead inches from mine, and searched my face.

“That nutjob who cut your hand off. Katja. You said she’s with Rylan and that now, yeah?” Varn asked without consideration. She didn’t give me time to nod. “We’ll find her. I’ll stick a knife in her face for you, alright?”

I didn’t answer. Not because I couldn’t and not because Katja being brought up never failed to wind me, but because there was something caring and sincere there.

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