Page 132 of Sunsplitter

“Ixli?” Antal exclaimed.

“Me?” she snapped in unison.

“Sure, she’s prickly as a badger made of cactus spines,” Syvr said. “But Tyvo’s territory only has two neighbors. I replace Verne. Antal and I approve Ixli. Easy.”

It took too long before Antal noticed: Syvr had stopped joking.

“You’re not serious?” he asked in a hush.

“Once Avroz leaves on his Pilgrimage?” Syvr shrugged. “I’ll be looking for new work. Would be a fun change of pace to run a territory.”

Antal didn’t dare believe it. He turned to Ixli—only to find her brow furrowed, equally contemplative.

“Once I get my Sunsplitter bands,” she said, “I’ll need to dig into something new. Overseeing a territory could be… interesting.”

Antal’s chest was leaden. “You’reserious?”

Syvr slung an arm over his shoulders. “Plus, the chance to pester you more regularly? How could I pass that up?”

Two daeyari neighbors Antal could trust? Twofriendswithin reach? Antal pushed to his feet, wobbling to catch his balance.

“You’re serious?” was all he seemed capable of saying.

Ixli’s grin was wicked. Warm. “I think we might have broken him this time, Syvr.”

“Well, now we’ll have to go through with it,” they agreed.

This wasn’t a trick. It wasn’t a veiled barb, aimed at Antal’s heart. This was happiness, blooming in his chest. A real hope for a future he’d never considered. He could have them here, and together they could—

“Get up.” Antal held out his hands. “We need to go.”

“Go?” Syvr said.

“You need to see my city. Really see it.” Antal’s words sped, his head a haze of alcohol and impossible dreams. “I’ll show you everything. All the pieces I fell in love with, the sights and thesmells and the people. The piecesyou’llfall in love with, if you choose this.”

Syvr and Ixli didn’t hesitate. Just a shared smirk.

Then, they stood and took Antal’s hands.

The trip passed in a blur, a teleport followed by a swirl of city lights, the chill of the alley.

Then, a burst of heat as Antal stumbled into the tavern. It was bright.Loud. A fuzzy piece of his brain tensed when human eyes latched onto him—then relaxed at their recognition.

“Lord Daeyari!” the revelers called out, toasting mugs to him. Welcoming voices forhim.

Behind him, Syvr and Ixli surveyed the unpanicked crowd with visible bafflement.

He spotted Kashvi at the bar, glaring.

Fionamara sat beside her. She turned, a beacon of fire with her crimson hair, eyes that levelled him from across the room. Her fingers danced the rim of an empty shot glass. Her cheeks, flushed with heat.

“Well shit, Antlers,” she greeted. “Back already? I’m not even drunk yet—”

Antal pulled her off the barstool and into a bruising kiss.

The jeers of the onlookers were background noise. Any eyes but hers, meaningless as Fionamara startled, then softened, then pulled Antal into her. She was perfect. She was his.

She scowled, her mouth curling beneath the caress of his tongue. She gripped his cheeks as she pulled back, holding him for inspection.