Page 77 of Sunsplitter

He relented and took her hand, pulling them both into a teleport.

The Summer Plane was oppressively bright.

After a lifetime of twilight, Antal had taken time to adjustto even the weak sun of the Winter Plane. Summer blazed. Even shrouded beneath dense forest, he squinted at dappled light through soft green leaves, the breeze full of wood and forest decay.

They stood upon a stone patio, pillars arcing toward the canopy like bleached ribs. An old daeyari shrine. Fionamara took in the terrain with sharp eyes, the pinched nose of a predator. If she’d had natural claws, she’d be the bane of every beast in the Planeverse.

Unfortunately, two creatureswithclaws awaited them. Hot iron twisted Antal’s ribs at the sight of Ixli perched upon a stone block, sunbeams spotting skin and snowy hair, dressed in a sleeveless gray silviamesh tunic and trousers. Her greeting was a glare and a twitch of her dangling tail, her scent of moonlight and bark melding with the trees.

Avroz dressed in dark blue, as always. Edged in silver, as always. His antlers speared the sunlight, sharp tips capped in metal, aside from the one point missing.

He turned. Antal enjoyed a split second of docile greeting, his father almost smiling.

Then Avroz snapped red eyes to Fionamara.

“No,” he said. “Absolutely not.”

Antal huffed. “Good afternoon to you as well, izaevi.”

Ixli armed herself with a feral squint. Fionamara glared back with equal ferocity. Merciless Void, Antal didn’t have the constitution for this.

“We have important work to do,” Avroz said.

“And Fionamara has offered to help,” Antal returned.

“Yourpetshouldn’t be here.”

Antal felt Fionamara bristle. He smelled the heat of her magic, furious energy sizzling on her fingertips. He stepped toward his father, a wall between them.

“What harm will she do?” Antal demanded. Low. Too close to pleading.

“She’s a distraction.”

Antal saw it as a flash: blood on the floor, Razik reaching for him.A distraction, hissed through his father’s fangs.

This time would be different. It had to be.

“You want me here?” Antal stepped as close as he dared. “You want me on your council? We’re facing an aedari. We’ll need every claw and blade we can—”

Static hit the back of his tongue.

Antal swung to bare his teeth at Ixli… but found her still on her perch.

Syvr stood upon the patio.

They dressed in light blue and eggshell, layered tunics cut slim to their frame. Two silver chains glinted from their antlers as their head cocked. Not a foot away, Fionamara glowered at the daeyari inspecting her like a shiny toy. Antal watched her lips thin. Her fingers curled claws.

“Syvr—” he tried to warn.

“Is this one yours, Antal?” Syvr grinned, that too-light gesture. “We have such a short trip today. I didn’t expect you’d bring your own snack.”

Antal saw every step of the catastrophe.

Fionamara’s spine went steel stiff. Syvr reached for her, catching a crimson curl in their claw with amused curiosity. Before Antal could stop her, an energy dagger flared silver.

She plunged it through Syvr’s ribs, straight into their heart.

As Syvr dropped to their knees with a wheeze, Antal snared a snarling Fionamara around her waist, pulling her back from her prey. She writhed in his grip.