Page 102 of Sunsplitter

But Fi was still human. Still fragile skin buzzing from her transport stones, the second half of the shell dropped somewhere in the dirt. Still stuck here, unable to follow.

Static snapped her tongue.

Avroz and Syvr appeared, far too late. Both daeyari surveyed the yard—and Fi, glaring like an angry mongoose.

“Where the fuck wereyou?” she demanded.

“Scouting another ridgeline for a better vantage point,” Avroz said. He sniffed, followed by a sneer. “What happened?”

“The aedari,” Syvr answered. They prowled the yard, nose wrinkled, inspecting drops of golden blood in the dirt.

“The others?” Avroz asked.

“Antal and Ixli went after it,” Fi returned.

“And Jazst?”

Her lips thinned. “Inside.”

Syvr was first to the house, a tap of bare feet against the porch. They pushed open the door.

“Oh…fuck.” Their tailed arced low, eyes wide on Jazst’s headless corpse.

Syvr disappeared into the house. There was nothing Fi could have done. The aedari had moved so fast. She’d just stood there and watched as—

“What happened?” Avroz snarled.

He circled the battlefield, ground rutted by claws and singed from energy strikes, but his glare focused on her. His accusation sliced forher.

“The aedari was disguised as that human farmer,” Fi said. But why pretend? The immortal was supposed to be sleeping, not role-playing house chores. “He killed Jazst.”

Avroz’s tail lashed to stillness. A serrated, “He?”

Fi didn’t care enough to argue pronouns. “Itcame after me. Ixli fought it.”

“She let it get away?”

“She had to fight it on her own. Antal wouldn’t let me—”

“You distracted him?”

“I helped more thanyou!”

Fi tried to keep her voice level, but merciless Void, she couldn’t stop herself shouting at this utter tool of a daeyari. She pointed to her head, miming imaginary antlers. “Oh, esteemed Sunsplitter. Couldn’t even grace us with your fighting prowess when we needed it.”

Daddy Fangs didn’t likethat.

His tail dipped. Words a warning rumble.

“Do not speak to me like we are equals, vavraesa. The way you speak tohim.”

There it was. Finally, after all these days ofplaying nice.

“You agreed to let me come,” Fi accused.

“And see what good it’s done. Antal would be better off leaving you at home where you belong. Keep his bed warm, if you must, so long as he sees to his duties.” Avroz leveled a claw at her. “Youwill notruin this for him.”

Or ruin it for Avroz. Fi heard that selfish undertone.