by Adalyn Grace
He reaches out to me, his face shrouded by smoke and his body covered like a coat by the faces of Visidia’s fallen.
I run, desperate to save him. Desperate for the smoke to clear so that I may see his face once more. I pray to the gods for it—to give me one last moment with him.
But every step sends me farther away, until his body is nothing more than smoke, ash, and the memory of a hand that reached for me to save him.
Again, I watch Father burn, knowing I was too slow to save him.
And again, I wake up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Valuka’s bay is awash with turquoise flames when we arrive in the early morning, three days after leaving Curmana. The flames move like a dance, wisps of fire shooting from the sea and blazing through the sky, raining down in a thousand dazzling pink embers. My breath catches as they shower over Keel Haul, fizzling out just before they touch the ship.
Valukans fill the docks in their finest ruby garb, looking like a sea of blood in the distance. They shift the tides around us, swirling them into shimmering tide pools that suck us into vortexes of air that whip my hair back so fiercely I clutch Keel Haul’s railing, laughing.
The wind is music on the water, pushing and pressing against it, howling and whispering. A group of Valukans on the bay stretch their arms high above their heads, letting the sea flow through their fingertips and heed the call of their magic. The waves expand and contort until they form a body. Then a face. A mouth. A saltwater dragon takes shape before me, wind hissing from its mighty jaws. With each movement the Valukans make, the dragon follows, snaking around the ship. It dips into the water only to emerge again before me, its angry, gaping mouth and watery whiskers inches from my face. My heart pumps fast, threatening to burst.
Wind moans around the dragon, and fire blossoms in its chest before it tips its head back and breathes embers into the sky. Steam sizzles around the magical beast, and I stumble back in awe.
“Is all of this for us?”
“No.” Bastian steadies me, his hands settling gently on my waist as we watch the dragon sprout massive watery wings. “It’s all for you.”
I don’t push him away.
With a final fiery breath, the dragon soars into the sky before its body shatters, showering the sea with thousands of water droplets that dazzle like fallen dragon scales as they rain onto the deck.
Suddenly, even with so many people, the sea feels too quiet as the dragon disappears. The tides shift to draw us to the docks now, where a dozen Valukans are quick to help secure Keel Haul. It’s impossible not to notice—especially as I ease away from Bastian’s rigid body—that nearly all of them are young men.
Vataea steps to the portside railing beside me and looks over, whistling low. “Bring on the bachelors.”
Ferrick steps beside her, surveying the crowd. “They certainly don’t waste any time.”
“And they certainly don’t hold back,” Bastian huffs. “Stars, it’s not even that hot out. Put your shirt back on, there are ladies aboard!” he calls to a bashful Valukan who grins up at him.
Vataea smirks. “Are you jealous, Bastian?”
His shoulders straighten as he takes on a dismissive air. “Of course not. Have you seen the way Amora tries to undress me with her eyes? I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
As Keel Haul’s ramp is lowered, I take my time looking over the railing to spite him. One of the young Valukan men catches me looking and flashes a sly grin. His skin is dark brown and his curly hair is shorn close to his scalp. He has a smile the gods made for charming. When he waves at me, I wave back.
“Really?” Bastian asks.
“I’ve got to keep up appearances, don’t I?” I whisper back.
Vataea captures my hand, and with a laugh she ushers me down the ramp and onto the shore, where I’m immediately greeted by no less than fifty Valukans. At the head of them, both Lord Bargas and Azami stand proud. They’re dazzling in rich scarlet coats embroidered with golden stitching similar to the one Bastian had been wearing when we first met, with the emblem of two eels winding around a smoking volcano on the trim of the cuffs.
“Welcome, Your Majesty,” Azami says with the most genuine enthusiasm I’ve felt this entire journey. Forgoing formalities, she pulls me into a swift but firm hug as Lord Bargas watches with a grin.
I notice now what I didn’t back in Arida—his shoulders are beginning to curl forward into a hunch, and the skin beneath his eyes weighs heavy from age and exhaustion. There are small tremors in the hands he presses against his sides.
“To think that the little girl I watched growing up is now here, as the Queen of Visidia. Your father would be so proud.” He sets a hand upon Azami’s shoulder. “You’ll have to forgive me, Your Majesty, but my old bones aren’t what they used to be. I’ve tasked Azami with the duty of watching over you during your time here. It’ll be a good chance for the two of you to get to know each other; she’ll be Valuka’s newest adviser soon enough.”
Azami practically glows with excitement. “Welcome, Your Majesty. I hope our performance was to your liking?”
I laugh, not missing the spark of light in her eyes. “It was incredible. You didn’t have to do all of this just for us.”
Docked at the center of earth and water territory, Valuka stretches endless miles ahead of us in all directions. The island’s divided into separate quadrants devoted to each element, and far to the right I can make out a thicket of trees that leads to the swampy water territory. To the left, spires of rocky mountains sweep into the sky, disappearing into clouds that mark the border of earth territory, and the air territory I cannot see.
Far to the north, three massive volcanos loom in the distant fire territory. While the two smaller volcanos appear dormant, one towers over all Valuka with plumes of thick gray smoke that twist from its neck like a serpent.
“That can’t be a good sign,” Vataea says skeptically.
Both Lord Bargas’s and Azami’s attention flickers briefly to the volcano, confused, and then they laugh.
“There’s no need to worry,” Azami says. “It looks scarier than it is.”
“Doesn’t all that smoke bother you?” Vataea presses.
Azami’s voice is easy as she leads us to the swampy eastern edge of the island, toward the water territory. “Not at all. Legends say there’s a beast that lives deep within that volcano, who protects Valuka from danger. We take the smoke as its way of letting us know it’s still there.”
This close to the artifact—this close to having the power of the gods in my hands—my bones ache to turn and run straight for the volcano until I find the fire serpent. Not only a legendary protector, but allegedly a deity made by the gods—one of the godwoken.
As a child, I’d listen as Father read me legends of the fire serpent, always prattling on about how he’d one day find the beast and steal a scale off its back, just to prove he could do it. He’d said he’d bring me with him; it would be an adventure just for the two of us.
We had no idea the beast was a godwoken, but the serpent was right up there with the Lusca in terms of seafaring legends: something so powerful and otherworldly it couldn’t possibly exist. But I always believed, and ever since the first time Father told me about it, I’ve wanted to one day face this beast. But I wanted Father there by my side when I did it.
“Have you ever seen it?” I ask, trying to keep my thoughts from wandering. If I’d come to Valuka for the first time with Father, under different circumstances, it would have meant the world to see his face when we saw the serpent. I’d give anything to have that moment with him.
“We like to give it space.” Azami’s voice is soft, as if she can sense something mournful in my tone. “It’s widely believed that the serpent protects the island, but we Valukans have a different belief. If that volcano erupted, this entire island would be destroyed. We don’t think that the serpent is protecting the volcanos from us; we believe it’s protecting us from the volcanos. And so we give i
t its space to work. Besides, we couldn’t get close to those fumes even if we tried.”
This change to the myth takes me by surprise. I grew up with stories that told me the serpent had fangs longer than a person’s body. That poison hot as fire ran through its veins, and how one touch of a scale could melt away skin. The stories said it was never seen because people were too afraid to track it down, not because it was too busy protecting an entire island from peril.
“Never mind the volcano, Your Majesty. We have something even grander to show you!” Azami’s voice is rich with genuine excitement. “This season has been one of the greatest our island has seen in some time. I know there’s been some hesitation around the changing laws, but they’ve been wonderful for Valuka. Please allow us to show you.”
“Please,” I say. “Call me Amora.”
Azami smiles and politely bows her head.
“I admit that when she first presented her idea, I was hesitant,” Lord Bargas adds in his gruff baritone. “Things have worked the same in this kingdom even longer than I’ve had my title; but that’s part of why I’m stepping down. Azami is young; she’s able to adapt to the changing times in ways I struggle to see.”
“Last summer, we were on the verge of a crisis when many of our hot springs started to run dry. But, now…” Azami’s words trail off with a grin that has my blood warming. “Now, you’ll have to let us show you. Follow me right this way! We’ll have your belongings waiting for you in your rooms.”
Every bone in my body is aching, and the absolute last thing I can imagine doing is making small talk with strangers. Especially when I need to hurry and get to the fire serpent. Though I’m still not certain how I’m going to use it, I can’t do anything until that artifact is mine.
But I’m still here on a false mission, after all. And it’s practically guaranteed not all in the crowd are Valukans. Though everyone wears the same brilliant shade of ruby, I’ve no doubt some of those faces are truly Ikaean reporters trying to blend in. With them watching, I’ll need to bide my time for the right moment.
Not to mention that Azami’s excitement is infectious. Despite everything, I find myself drawn to her, wanting to follow.
And so I say, “It’d be my pleasure,” because what does one more night matter? Just one more night, before I’m forced to choose my fate.
“Come on then.” Azami grabs hold of my hand. “Valuka’s waiting for you.”
* * *
Winters on Valuka are too hot for a cloak. Even my thin linen shirt sticks to my clammy skin in the clotting heat.
Gods, I can’t imagine living here during the summer.
We’re deep in the water territory, surrounded by swamps with water so thick and green it’s impossible to see even an inch down into it. Overgrown vines and gnarled roots snake from the ground, forming crooked, uneven pathways between the water. Most of the trees have been cleared away, creating a stretch of swamplands and marshes with wet earth that mucks onto our boots.
“Our island is the largest in the kingdom,” Lord Bargas says, hands folded behind his back as he assesses the terrain around him, wrinkling his nose at the mud on his boots and trousers. “Because of that, we’ve adopted some alternative methods of transportation. This is where I’ll be leaving you today, I’m afraid. But not without a gift.”
He sweeps both hands into the air, and all around him the marshes come to life, muddy water spiraling out of them. But the water doesn’t fall; instead, it takes shape as it did back on the bay, turning into a smaller, watery green dragon that hovers in the air. Beside it, more water springs from nearby marshes and takes shape into four horses that stamp their misty hooves against the ground and shake the strands of algae and vines that form their manes.
“They’ll get you where you need to go,” Lord Bargas offers. “Azami, I’m putting our queen and her companions in your care.”
Azami grins, making a fist that she punches down at the earth. A chunk of it splits beneath her feet, lifting from the ground so that she’s hovering upon it.
“She’ll be in good hands, Uncle. Are you ready, Amora?”
The dragon winds around me, dipping between my legs and hoisting me onto its back in one quick motion. I gasp, expecting to be soaked, but every part of the dragon that I’ve touched has turned to solid ice.
“Are you sure there isn’t a more … sanitary way for us to get there?” Ferrick grimaces at the cloudy water while Shanty gleefully climbs atop her steed. Vataea’s more curious than she is cautious, running her fingers through the water. I can practically see her mind working to decipher whether she could produce something like this on her own.
“I’d no idea Valukan magic could be so versatile,” Bastian says as he eyes his horse.
“Oh?” Lord Bargas asks with mock surprise. “I would have thought that someone impersonating a Valukan would have known more about it.” He doesn’t give Bastian the chance to bite back. Instead, he gives his wrist a small flick, and the water horse throws its head into Bastian’s stomach, tossing him onto its back.
“Don’t you dare, you old man—” Bastian’s voice cuts off with a sharp yelp as the water horse takes off and Bastian’s forced to hold on. All the while Lord Bargas laughs with such gusto his belly shakes.
The rest of our mounts take off as Lord Bargas, still laughing, waves his goodbye, and I clench my thighs tightly around the makeshift beast beneath me and hang on.
Wind whips against my cheeks, and my fingers numb against the dragon’s icy body as it races across the terrain, hovering above the others.
Shanty hoots with laughter, using the horse’s makeshift mane as reins. “Faster!” she yells, and the horse gives a hiss of misty breath as it obeys, stomping over the swamp water as though it were flat ground.
Not ones to be beaten, Vataea and I share a quick look before we’re charging after her, laughing. I spread my arms wide as the dragon soars past them, feeling as though I’m flying as the wind beats against me. We weave between crooked and half-fallen trees covered with moss that twists around their branches.
Below, the earth pushes Azami forward, moving her swiftly across the terrain as she tails us, having to work harder to form her path around the obstacles.
Squinting against the rushing wind, I keep my head tucked and my mouth shut from the mosquitoes that swarm the stagnant swamps. We cover several miles in minutes, finally catching sight of the Valukans who wait for us in a soggy marshland. They’re huddled together in a large expanse of land where all the trees have been uprooted and cleared away. Grins spread wide across their faces when they spot us. My dragon trembles as it lowers to the ground, dissipating into steam as it drops me onto my feet before them. I sway as I land, body dizzy from the motion, but my adrenaline is surging.
Stars, I’d pay to do that again.
“So how are you enjoying our humble island so far?” Azami asks with a knowing lilt.
My responding laugh is brisk and breathless. “I’m already planning my next visit.”
Her grin couldn’t possibly beam any brighter. “Then you’re going to love what’s next.” She drops the earth from beneath her and it settles back into the ground as if undisturbed. “I’d like to welcome you to the greatest show in Visidia!”
The moment she says those words, all the waiting Valukans snap into action. Those with an affinity to earth stomp their left foot against the marshland and swipe sharply through the air. The ground trembles beneath us before it breaks through the surface to form half of a curved ring, with long benches made from mud. Other Valukans harden it with white-hot flames that surge from their mouths or their palms before Azami motions for us to sit upon them. Only then do I notice that, unlike the rest of us, Bastian’s soaked to the bone, his hair lying flat on his head.
“Not one word,” he grumbles, settling into his seat with folded arms while more Valukans take their place, still as statues as Azami steps between them, back to us. The five of us hold our breath, and there’s a split second whe
re I wonder if this is all a trap. With this many Valukans, we’d be overpowered in an instant.
But then Azami turns around, and we’re no longer in the swamplands of Valuka, but transported into the grandest performance I’ve ever seen. It’s like the water show they performed while greeting us, but larger, and more elaborate than anything I could ever have imagined.
Perfectly in sync, the water-affinitied Valukans lift from their crouch, dragging bodies of dusky swamp water with them. In their palms, that water merges into perfect spheres they toss back and forth. Every time they do, the water splits and morphs into a new shape, until each Valukan is holding a tiny, watery dolphin, every one of them a different color.
Several Valukans lean forward and breathe onto the water, their breaths steaming with frost that freezes the dolphins over. They fall from the hands of the performers, but instead of cracking, it’s as though the ground swallows the dolphins. It spits them back out again so that the dolphins look as though they’re swimming on land, with ground that twists and rises around them like waves.
“Stars.” Shanty draws a sharp breath as she leans in, eyes blazing with a hunger I’ve started to recognize in her, a hunger that happens when she’s presented with something valuable that she wants for herself.
Valukans with a fire affinity are next, breathing hot spheres of flames they toss toward those with an affinity to air. The air stokes the flames, creating an inferno beneath them. Each one of us gasps as the four Valukans let themselves fall back into the inferno, diving as gracefully as swans. I release my anxious breath when I see the flames don’t burn them; instead, the Valukans manipulate the air around them so that they’re torpedoed back into the sky. They split off as the vortex spits them out, gracefully weaving the air beneath their feet so it looks as though they’re riding upon clouds.
Some of the Valukans also practice enchantment magic; they shape and mold the air beneath them, enchanting it into shapes like dark navy clouds filled with stars, or a fierce and seething sea beast so it looks as though they’re riding into battle.