Masters of Deception: A Legends of Tivara Epic Fantasy by JC Kang

Author:JC Kang [Kang, JC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Published: 2018-09-13T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16:

Farewells

As if possible Mafia recruitment of gifted foreigners to assault the pyramid wasn’t headache enough, Cassius now had to put out a literal fire, lest the rest of the signores complain about all the chaos caused by his clients. Every jolt of the carriage’s wheels over uneven pavestones sent his headache from annoying to excruciating. He’d been in such a rush, he hadn’t even gone through his morning ritual of consulting star charts to gauge the day’s risks and opportunities.

He squinted to where the sun glowed red, not far above the horizon. The star of Arcea, the Traitor, hung unseen over it, suggesting those on righteous paths would face betrayal. Was his path righteous?

Of course it was. The pyramid was at risk, and with it came the potential danger of the orc gods returning on their flaming chariots.

He sighed. It was much too early in the morning, after a late night of Divining, to be righteous. His arms might now be draped over Makeda and Brehane on either side of him, but neither were naked and sated. Instead, they wore their white Mystic robes. The male, Dawit, unseen since the afternoon before, had wanted to come, but Makeda ordered him to stay behind at the manor.

The scent of burning wood and something unfamiliar filled his nose. Cassius blinked several times. A line of smoke curled up from behind the seawall, not far ahead.

“Over there,” he ordered his driver.

The smoke smell grew stronger as they passed through some of the old villas, until they at last came to a sandy beach where fishermen often tied down small boats.

He stumbled out of the carriage and, not bothering to help Makeda or Brehane this time, shouldered his way through the crowd of fishermen, city watch, and fire brigade members gathered at the top of the seawall. Many had covered their faces with colorful cloth.

A pyre of driftwood and planks burned on the sand, just a dozen paces away. Both the Paladin master and the apprentice stood nearby, palms pressed together, chanting. And beside them…

A girl, in a frilly but filthy and torn pink dress, whose style had been all the rage years ago. Pointed ears poked through her long, dark-brown hair. An elf, perhaps? They rarely left their secluded valley realms. The last one on record to visit Tokahia was the golden-haired one who’d fought the Iron Avatar outside the pyramid on the night of the Hellstorm, three hundred years ago.

The girl looked directly at him for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the pyre.

He sucked in a breath. By Ayara, she was stunning. Exotic. Not just elf, but part-Cathayi as well, given her honey-toned skin.

Alas, she was much too young. Maybe a segment of De Lucca’s clients wouldn’t care about her age, but Cassius would have to wait a few years. Or maybe a decade more, with the longevity of elf blood. He shook out the thought.

“Signore,” the fire brigade chief said, joining him. “Every time we try to approach, one of the Ayuri blocks our way.

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