King Of Souls (Book 2) by Matthew Ballard Page B

at Danielle. “Who is she, and why is her hair gold?”
    “She’s with me. An atter struck her friend.” Fizzle nodded toward Keely lying unconscious atop Karli. “I came for Ajahn Brees’s help.”
    “How do I know she’s not a spy?” Urtzi said. “Or worse, a Calagian sorceress.”
    Fizzle sighed. “Do you really think I’d bring an enemy sorceress to Misho? I’ve known you since you were running around behind your mother’s skirt. You don’t trust me?”
    “I trust you Fizzle, but I don’t trust her.” He nodded toward Danielle. “Or her friend.”
    “Leave me your atter stick, and I’ll let you in,” Urtzi said.
    Fizzle’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? Do you know how long it took me to earn this atter stick?” He tucked his walking stick behind his back. “How do I know you’ll give it back?”
    Urtzi smiled. “You’ll have to trust me.”
    “Fizzle, what’s an atter stick?” Danielle said.
    Urtzi frowned at Danielle. “How does this woman not know about atter sticks?”
    Fizzle shot Danielle a pleading look. “An atter struck her a few years ago, and it went untreated. That’s another reason we need to see Ajahn Brees.”
    Danielle decided to shut her mouth before she brought more trouble down on herself or Fizzle.
    Fizzle handed over a long stone rod with a large jagged crystal attached to the end. He shook his finger at Urtzi and glared. “If I find even the tiniest scratch on it, you’ll hear from the emperor himself.”
    Urtzi shook his head and laughed. “I’m shaking in my boots.”
    Danielle had thought Fizzle used the stone rod to aid his travels across the desert. But, it finally dawned on her that he used it to control atters.
    Urtzi faced the second guard who had remained silent during the brief exchange. “Edrig, take them to the healing pool, and don’t let them out of your sight.”
    Edrig nodded and tightened his grip on a sinister looking red crystal blade. He turned from Urtzi and disappeared down the dragon’s throat into Misho’s shadows.
    Danielle and Fizzle fell in behind Edrig trailing him by a few yards.
    Danielle lowered her voice and leaned into Fizzle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to give away your atter stick.”
    Fizzle waved her off. “It’s okay. I’m sorry my atter hurt your friend. Urtzi will return it.” Doubt lingered behind his worried eyes.
    “Fizzle, why do you herd the atters?”
    Fizzle raised an eyebrow. “For the diamonds of course.”
    Edrig glanced over his shoulder and glared.
    Danielle fell silent as her eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings.
    The ground beneath Danielle's feet changed into a hard-packed dirt. As they moved deeper into Misho, the temperature dropped thirty degrees. Overhead, the dragon’s spine stretched outward. Its rounded ribs curled twenty feet in each direction. Nestled between the ribs, hard packed mud and crystal rock allowed a surprising amount of light inside the village. Every few feet, fist-sized air holes appeared circulating a cool breeze throughout the village.
    Small homes made of blue, green, red, and clear crystal rested along Misho's abdominal wall.
    The villagers gawked in silence from doorways and open windows. Some had strange tattoos inscribed on their arms and face while others dabbled in odd piercings.
    Danielle and Fizzle followed Edrig along the dusty road beneath the dragon’s spine.
    Edrig stopped before the village’s largest building.
    A two-story crystalline building gleamed under bright sunlight filtering through clear crystal overhead.
    “Your paka can’t enter the temple,” Edrig said.
    Fizzle nodded. “Come on Danielle, we’ll talk to Ajahn Brees and come back for Keely.”
    Danielle’s jaw clenched, and she gripped Fizzle’s wrist. “I can’t leave Keely alone. What if he hurts her?”
    “He won’t touch her Danielle. Not with Ajahn Brees here. And, we can watch her the whole time. The Ajahn is just inside by the healing pool.”
    Danielle searched