The Last Knight (An Awakening the Lightforged Novel)

Chapter 12: Are You Sure

Koruuksi had to keep reminding himself not to grind his teeth as he packed his bag. Estingai did that, and he always called her on it. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her walking in and catching him.

He knew he had to go, that he was the only one Estingai felt she could trust with this, but still, he kept trying to think of a reason to stay.

He couldn't.

He was their best choice for winning over the other factions, but Marjatla and Aaden could take care of that well enough with the ones willing to talk to them.

Those two are the only reason the faction is still running. Even when Raima had lived.

Estingai would be unable to infiltrate Last Shadow and hunt down the spy. Her gemcrest would make her stand out, and even here, a few people whispered about her involvement in the deaths of all the faction heads, writing off Svemakuu's death as an unexpected casualty.

I'll have to put a stop to that before I leave.

A few seemingly pleasant conversations with the right undertones should do the trick.

Koruuksi's gemcrest would make him stand out, too. Hiding it had been nearly impossible last time. He hadn't decided on how exactly to play his flight from Frozen Phantom and Estingai yet, but her reputation for a short temper, family drama, and a bit of hyperbole should be enough to make the skeptics in Last Shadow believe that he'd just taken any excuse he could to get away from Estingai.

Gripping his bag, Koruuksi sighed.

How much of that will be false?

He loved his sister, but stress had always made them butt heads. Svemakuu's presence had usually alleviated that, but now...

"Still beating yourself up?"

Koruuksi blinked, whirling from his bag. He found Uuchantuu blocking the slim entryway to their little room, leaning against the wall. Her deep red skin stood out against the dark stone like a glob of paint.

With a sigh, Koruuksi went back to packing, checking the straps and wiring on a few of the more covert weapons and tools he might need to use while he was gone.

Koruuksi found himself acutely aware of Uuchantuu's presence as he packed and prepared his kit. Like an itch between his shoulder blades. He did his best not to fidget under her gaze, but eventually, he turned and glared at her. "Are you just going to stand there all night?"

She frowned. "I came to see how you were doing."

Koruuksi shrugged. "I said I would go, so that's what I'm doing. The sooner I leave, the sooner I won't have to deal with you and Estingai yelling at me for being a lazy asshole."

He turned around, specifically not looking at Uuchantuu's face. She huffed, though, and Koruuksi knew she'd folded her arms over her chest.

He waited for her to snap at him.

"When you're done with packing, could you help me with the list Estingai gave me?"

Koruuksi blinked, frowning as he turned back to Uuchantuu. She raised an eyebrow when he didn't say anything.

Shaking himself, Koruuksi took a deep breath and walked toward Uuchantuu. She pulled out a small datapad. Those were rare, but it was easier to get the electricity required to make them work than it was to find the amount of useable paper they replaced.

He took the device, looking over the names listed on it. There were twenty in total, and it listed whether or not they were Auroramancers—most were—and what their abilities were.