The Iron Phoenix by Rebecca Harwell

Author:Rebecca Harwell [Harwell, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626397453
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2016-03-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Nadya didn’t care if anyone saw her. She bounded from roof to roof, carrying the sickly smell of smoke with her. Hot wind rushed past her. The buildings disappeared into a blur of gray underneath her as tears streamed across her face.

Her father was alive and safe, and that was all that should matter. But the weight of the zealot’s ultimatum pulled her downward, threatening to crush her. The pain of Kesali’s betrothal paled against this. That had twisted her insides, but the zealot’s words turned her limbs to stone and swept her down into a Great Storm of her own. She drowned as she fled toward home.

If she had any doubts that the betrothal would change her feelings toward Kesali, for good or ill, they vanished.

With a grunt, she leapt over the white marble wall separating the second tier from the Nomori tier. Nadya landed with a thud on the roof of the bathhouse. Her hands slipped in beads of moistures as she slid down its wall. When her boots touched the ground in the culvert alley, she tore off her cloak.

She sprinted through the streets with it clutched under one arm. She wanted to throw it away, but Nadya knew with cold, gut-clenching reality that she’d need it again before the sea receded.

This neighborhood of the Nomori tier was quiet, unusually quiet. Wives and mothers peered out of doors, waiting for their husbands and sons to come home from the Guard, watching the smoke rise from the other side of the city.

She stopped in front of her house, breathing heavily. Gripping her cloak, she went into the culvert alley and began climbing the outside wall. There was a small gap between the wall and roof, and Nadya shoved her cloak in.

When she opened the door, Mirela rushed up to her. “Are you all right? Where is your father? I saw—”

“He’s alive. He will be fine,” Nadya said hoarsely. Her throat burned from the smoke, but she did not dare let on. “The Guardhouse was attacked by a mob. Some were killed. I don’t know how many.”

Mirela hugged her, whispering, “I feared the worst. The Protectress truly was watching over you.” She stepped away and pulled a cloak from its peg on the wall. “I must go and tell the others. They need to know what happened.” She paused, eyes roving over Nadya.

She tucked her burn-covered hands behind her back. “Go. I will be fine.” Nadya managed a smile as her mother gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing out. She stood there for a long moment in the empty house. Then she walked over to their barrel of boiled water and ladled some into a bowl. Soaking her hands into it, she sighed. What she had done was stupid and dangerous, but she could not be gladder she’d made the choice.

Nadya had bandaged up the burns and was sitting up in her loft by the time her mother returned a few hours later, coughing. Not ten minutes later, her father walked through the door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.