Heir of Autumn (Wild Hearts Book 3) by Nazri Noor

Author:Nazri Noor [Noor, Nazri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-15T16:00:00+00:00

13

“Yikes,” Evander said, pinching his nose as he stepped toward the edge of the lagoon. “Yikes on bikes, you two. Don’t you think this was kind of overkill?”

Satchel fluttered, then landed on my shoulder, patting it for good measure. “Seems like just the right amount of killing, really. We do need a ton of those gemstones, don’t forget.”

“It just — eww. It just seems like a lot.”

“Shut up, Skink,” I growled.

“Yeah,” Namirah said, sauntering up toward us. “Shut up, Skink. I thought you were cool with violence and bloodshed. Also, extravagant displays of violence and bloodshed.”

“It’s so uncouth, is all.”

My hand twitched. Instead of choking him out I slapped myself in the forehead. “You use exploding butterflies to dismember your enemies. How is this so — never mind.”

Sylvain, who’d been serious and stoic the whole time, pressed a quick kiss against my brow. “I thought I saw some freshwater nearby. At worst I might use some saltwater to at least rinse these leaves.”

“Very sensible of you, Sylvain,” I said. “And very thoughtful.”

He swept his arm over his head. Gore-stained leaves leapt out of the water, spattering the sand with blood in an arc that just narrowly missed Evander and his precious clothes. Evander shrieked, dodging sideways and shuddering, too preoccupied to catch Sylvain giving me a knowing wink. I tried not to laugh.

“Disgusting,” Evander said, stamping his foot. “What are the chances that every single guardian we found today was a kraken? Why not a big fish? You know, one that doesn’t pelt us with rocks and coconuts?”

Namirah shook her head. “The Oriel of Water responded to our presence. It must have sensed a large cluster of power. Why else would it hit us with everything it’s got? These elemental dimensions aren’t called challenge grounds for nothing.”

“Or giant turtles,” Evander grumbled. “Just knock them on their backs, and hey, presto! Kill them while they try to get up.”

“Gods, Evander, enough,” I grumbled back. “How’s the rainbow sphere, anyway? Did you guys keep it defended this whole — oh. Whoa.”

The last thing I expected to see was Old Man, Scruffles, and all my doves just chilling calmly in the sand.

The doves cooed, pecking at the sand and leaving little bird-y footprints as they waddled. Old Man yawned, his powerful jaws lined with blood. Kraken blood, presumably. And Scruffles was behaving in a decidedly unScruffles-like manner, calmly sitting on his hindquarters as he licked his paws and groomed himself.

We made eye contact.

I learned a long time ago never to make eye contact with Scruffles. I’d never seen a deeper well of pure, primal anger. An inherent hatred for everything, an impulse for destruction. Fully unleashed, I was convinced Scruffles could end civilizations, destroy worlds.

This time, the look in his eyes was one of total serenity. Contentment.

Sitting in their midst was the rainbow orb, a perfectly spherical, multicolored egg. That was the only explanation. Maybe the unicorn’s magic, or even her very presence transmitted an aura of tranquility. Not enough to stop kraken rage and keep them from batting her egg around like a cat toy, but anyway.

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