by Elise Kova
It was the first crack of lightning that jarred Vi from sleep. She was upright in her bed in an instant, but still seemed to be the slowest of her group. The door was open, Mare and Kora a blur, Jayme behind them.
“Strike topmasts!” Marcus shouted as he ran out of his cabin behind them. “We’re running the storm!”
Sailors were quick, pouring out from below. Determined not to be the last on deck, Vi rushed out after them. The wind howled and carried the fresh smell of rain, but the storm had yet to reach the vessel. It was a swell blotting out the stars in the distance.
A brilliant flash raced across the sky, splintering an uncountable number of times and lighting up the darkness for a brief moment before thunder rushed in. Vi stared up at the sky, dazed. She did not see the ocean, or the boat, but the end of the world drawing ever closer.
Had the lightning been red? Had she imagined it?
Another bright flare of lightning. Vi stared, both eyes open, unblinking. The thunder boomed, rolling with her stomach.
“Red lightning?” one of the sailors shouted to no one in particular—confirming this was not a natural phenomenon to them either.
“I don’t care if it’s red, blue, green, or pink. We’re dead if we’re caught in it,” Marcus shouted.
It was red because Lord Raspian was gaining power—Vi was sure. What Taavin said was true. The dark god had been set free, and the world was slowly falling under his control as he gained strength.
“How can I help?” Vi pushed herself into motion. Gawking would do nothing.
“Out of the way, girl!”
Vi stepped back, heeding his warning. Other soldiers worked the ropes attached to the sail, wrestling with them in the wind.
Vi sprinted, narrowly dodging a rope snapping against the mast, to stand next to Jayme and Mare at the other end of the deck. Marcus had said to strike the sails. Doing so would drop the boom. Vi held out her arms.
“Vi—” Jayme didn’t have time to finish her thought.
The heavy weight of the already rain-slick sail and wooden rigging slammed into them, nearly taking them both out. Vi knew bruises coated her arms, but somehow she managed with Jayme’s help. But even her friend was struggling.
“Faster, crew!” Marcus shouted over the increase in wind. “If we don’t reef the sails, we’re not riding this!”
“I got you two.” Mare’s voice appeared over Vi’s shoulder. Her thick arms strained as she helped Vi and Jayme cast the topsail aside. It was just in time to ready a second one.
“Pull slack from the reef line!” One man shouted.
“Holly, help me secure this!” Mare dashed across the deck, not even looking over her shoulder to see if Vi was following. “Hold the line.”
Vi did as she was told, arms straining as the damp rope bit into her palms. She felt the muscles in her back strain as another gust of wind threatened to capsize the boat. The waves were picking up now, their white crests crashing nearly on deck, sloshing foam around her feet and the rest of the crew’s.
“You’re set, Holly.”
“Where’s my navigator?” Marcus shouted from the quarterdeck. Magic was heavy in the air around him and the raindrops caught on his power, slowing mid-air before falling limply straight to the ground.
“Here!” Kora called back, sprinting from the rigging she’d been helping other sailors with. Vi watched as she jumped to the quarterdeck.
Vi took a hesitant step forward. Kora had made it clear she couldn’t be of any help. Shaking her head, Vi turned, looking for Jayme. Her friend was clinging to a rope other sailors were in the process of tying off. Vi hastened over to help where she knew she’d be of use.
“Give me a heading,” Marcus shouted over the wind, loud enough for the whole deck to hear. “I can’t see shite in this rain and dark.”
The rope they’d been struggling with fastened, Vi looked in the opposite direction of the storm. She’d spent the day watching the Main Continent dwindle away. She would’ve seen clouds in the sky… Sure enough, it was still cloudless. That meant Meru was to their left, Solaris their right; if they were headed up to the Blue Grotto, they were moving northeast, and she’d lost sight of the Main Continent just before going to bed… given their speed…
Her mind whirred, then Vi shouted on instinct, “We’re close to the Shattered Inlet.”
Kora paused, looking down at her. She had a map that was quickly turning to pulp in the wind and rain. Her eyes narrowed slightly at Vi and Vi merely waited for her judgment. Either she’d believe her, or not.
“Hard to starboard!” Kora commanded to Marcus and the crew on deck. “Shattered Inlet at port!”
Magic filled the air. A sailor worked the helm and Marcus lent his skills as a Waterrunner to the waves below. The ship lurched forward.
“Holly, up here,” Kora commanded. Vi was on the quarterdeck in an instant. The woman was still wary of her, but staying alive was winning out over any need to exert dominance. “Marcus says you’re a Firebearer.”
Vi nodded. She was… more or less.
“We need light. Get to the bow and cast your fire ahead of us. I need to see where the rocks are.” Even though they were standing next to each other, Kora still had to shout to be heard over the howling wind.
“Understood!” Vi jumped back down to the main deck, slipped, recovered, and worked her way to the bow. Sailors cleared a path for her and Vi slammed against the railing as she slid to a stop at the very front of the vessel.
Vi cast out her hand and, for once, didn’t even second guess her magic doing exactly as she commanded. In the distance, far enough away from the ship and high enough that they wouldn’t speed into it, a ball of flame erupted in the night. It cast the black waters in an angry red glow, not unlike the ominous red lightning of the storm quickly closing in on them.
Glistening jagged rocks jutted up from the ocean—the Shattered Inlet, just as Vi suspected.
“I want sailors on the rails!” Marcus bellowed.
“Holly, you do that again. The rest of you look for rocks,” Kora ordered.
Vi did as she was told. She was too soaked, exhausted, and frantic to even worry about losing control of her magic. She cast it out like she would for Lightspinning, but unlike Lightspinning, she relied solely on the instincts her father and Uncle Jax had instilled in her from the first moment she’d manifested.
“Rocks at starboard!”
The tiller squealed due to the rainwater coating it as the helmsman pulled on it, yanking the rudder below. Vi gripped the deck rail, her feet slipping. She squinted into the rain and cast out another ball of flame.
If they were in the maw of the Shattered Inlet now, then the Greater Atoll was right before them—Little Brother Bay next to it. Vi threw fire with every thought, clinging to the rail with her free hand, feet sliding beneath her as the ship jostled. If they made it through this, they’d have a straight shot to Blue Lagoon.
“Hard to starboard!” Kora commanded. “Correct back!”
The whole crew worked the vessel flawlessly. They navigated the perilous rocks of the Shattered Inlet, racing to the sea beyond. The Dawn Skipper rode the swift currents of wind pushed out by the storms and the powerful currents Marcus helped create with magic. By the time they broke free of the worst of it, the outer edge of the sky had turned a soft purple.
“Get the sails back up, lads and lassies, the sky seems to be calming,” Marcus ordered. His voice didn’t have the same bass as it usually did, the harshness of the gravel in his throat worn by a night of rain and magical exertion.
Vi reached up, breathless, grabbing the watch at her neck. They’d done it. Her magic, her maps, had played a role. She couldn’t wait to tell Taavin. Vi slumped against the railing in relief.
A heavy hand fell on her back, clapping her once right in the center. Vi jumped at the contact, spinning to see Kora—she hadn’t even heard the woman approach. “You were right. You do know your maps well for a landlubber.”
“
Thanks.” It was high praise, especially coming from Kora.
“Now, excuse me while I see how off-course this made us so I can properly communicate how late we’ll be to our business partners,” she said dryly as she promptly turned and started below deck.
“You’re welcome,” Vi muttered under her breath and avoided pointing out that they hadn’t really gotten off-course. Kora just wasn’t going to allow herself to give Vi a genuine compliment.
“Don’t give her that look. I think it was progress.” Jayme approached, slinging her arm around Vi’s shoulders. “Now, let’s go below deck too, get dry, and get some sleep. You look dead on your feet.”
“I feel it.” Vi gave her friend a once-over. There was some expected bruising and rope burn, but no major injuries. “You don’t look much better.”
Jayme gave a low chuckle.
As they headed for their cabin, Kora emerged from the room opposite. She wore a thick leather glove, protecting her flesh from the talons of a mighty bird. Around the bird’s foot was a small scroll.
Vi paused, watching as she passed.
“Vi, what is it?” Jayme asked, stopping as well.
Vi continued to stare at the bird. It was a massive thing, ruddy brown. As if sensing her attention, its head swiveled back and the bird let out a loud caw. She wasn’t surprised Kora kept birds to communicate with other vessels—it made perfect sense, actually. She also shouldn’t be surprised that the bird was a desert eagle. They were likely common in Norin.
But she would’ve sworn it had the same bright, steely eyes as the bird on the windowsill in Inton.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Vi was on deck shortly after dawn.
She was the second to arrive after the early call of “Land!” was shouted across the vessel. Vi raced up to the bow, straining over the railing, as if by leaning slightly closer she could urge them forward.
Jayme’s hands appeared on the railing next to her and, for a while, they let the commotion on deck occur around them. Vi’s heart was racing. Every step she took on this journey felt like a new point of no return.
“So, that’s it,” Jayme said, finally.
“That’s it.” Vi affirmed. As they continued to near, the isle grew. It looked much like Vi had imagined it: a sloping rise in the land, dotted with tall, wide-leafed trees and dense brush. The beach was white sand and curved around what Vi knew to be a sheltered grotto.
“I hope we haven’t missed our counterparts…” Jayme murmured softly. “I want this all to go smoothly.”
“You and me both.”
“Ready the rowboat,” Marcus ordered, stepping out into the sunlight on deck. “You three, get out the goods.”
Mare was close behind him. “I’m going to try to get two new bladders of fresh water.”
“You’re not going ashore.” Marcus turned to Vi. “They’re in the boat with Kora.”
“What? The green gills? Why them?” Mare pestered. “Isn’t it my turn?”
“I don’t think I opened the matter for discussion,” Marcus said with a low growl.
“You’re getting one.”
“We’ll be in and out. I don’t want us anchored longer than we must be here. You’ll go ashore somewhere else if we need water.”
“Fine,” Mare huffed, walking over to them. Vi was expecting to have to defend herself, but was pleasantly surprised when Mare merely lounged on the railing. “You two see any red flowers, spiky pedals, almost fuzzy centers, grab them. They’re called Fire Flowers and taste just like fresh cranberries.”
Jayme and Vi shared a look.
“Sure,” Vi merely agreed. It didn’t matter she wouldn’t be coming back. Mare was hardly the first person to whom she’d made a promise she had no intention of keeping.
The ship coasted into a sheltered lagoon.
The sails hung limply as they were stowed, loose rigging keeping them from catching the wind for the time being. A loud clanging noise brought Vi starboard. The anchor plunged into the icy clear waters with a splash and the whole ship rattled as the heavy chain clanked into the deep.
“You ready?” Jayme asked from her side, hand on the hilt of her sword.
“I think so.” Vi started toward the rowboat. “I hope you don’t have to use that.”
“You and me both,” Jayme mumbled again.
The rowboat was positioned just on the other side of an open gate in the railing. Vi recognized a large chest, already loaded in the boat’s center. Two men were in the boat, working the ropes and levers. Kora sat in the bow.
“In with you both.” Marcus nodded to the boat. Then, turning to Kora, he added. “You’re sure about handling the negotiations? Gray Sail merchants can be shrewd.”
“I’ll be fine.” Kora assured him. “I’ll also have Earnt and Varus with me, too.” She motioned to the two men in the rowboat, completely ignoring Jayme as she clamored in, sword and all.
“I heard Mare giving some ration requests as well,” Marcus continued.
“I’m sure she wants the usual. All will be well,” she reassured Marcus. “In and out.”
“In and out,” he repeated with a nod. “We’ll start hoisting the anchor when we see you coming back.”
After that, it was impossible to hold a conversation as the levers clanked and ropes creaked. Marcus walked away from the railing before they were even halfway down the side of the vessel.
“Sit there,” Kora commanded, pointing to the crate. She pointed to Jayme next. “You, next to me. And stay out of the way.”
Vi did as she was told, running her hands over the polished wood of the crate. With each shift of the rowboat she could hear a soft clanking, and the heavy fall into the water almost confirmed her assumption.
“That’s full of gold and gems, isn’t it?” Vi asked as the two men situated themselves side by side at the center of the boat to row. Kora sat at the bow, Jayme at her side. Vi couldn’t help but wonder how much gold transporting a princess was worth. She couldn’t imagine there was much precedent.
“It doesn’t concern you what’s in there.”
“I know this isn’t a normal trade.” She struggled to keep her voice level—factual.
“You do, don’t you…” Kora paused briefly, not more than half a breath, but time seemed to slow and hang on her next word. “Princess?”
Vi’s nails dug into the crate slightly. “So Marcus told you?” She glanced at the other two men on the rowboat, trusting Kora to hear the unspoken question.
“Have to know what we’re trading in order to negotiate.” The island was growing behind Kora.
“How long have you known?”
“Long enough,” she answered cryptically. “Who would’ve thought that a man like Marcus would give in to human trafficking? It looks like the times are driving everyone to extreme measures.”
“It’s not trafficking,” Vi insisted quickly; she’d not have Marcus’s reputation ruined on her behalf. “I asked to go on this journey.”
“Well, I suppose that could be true. You’re not trying to barter for your life at the first possible moment.” Kora looked her up and down. “But why would you go so far from home, to a continent you’ve been led to believe harbors the source of the White Death?”
“I have to.” Vi stopped herself there, heeding Romulin’s words. She owed no one any more explanation than she desired to give.
Kora opened her mouth to speak again, but paused, cut short by an icy gust of wind accompanied by the grinding of sand as the hull of the boat met beach. She stood in the bow, looking back toward the Dawn Skipper. Vi was about to follow her gaze when the wind howled yet again, carrying on it the sound of shouting.
The unexpected gale drew her simple-spun clothes taut over her shoulders and set her hands instantly to shaking. In the span of time it took for them to row to the shore, the temperature had dropped precipitously. It should be impossible—they’d headed further north, not south. It should be warmer, not colder.
A speck of whit
e landed on her knee.
Vi pressed her finger into it, watching as it melted into a damp spot on her leggings. Melted. Another damp spot joined the first, and then another. It was snowing, Vi realized in amazement. She’d spent her entire life without ever seeing the strange phenomena known as snow—ice falling from the sky in fairy-like motes of wonder.
Raising her eyes, momentarily entranced by the dance of flurries, Vi returned to the present just in time to see Kora tossing the body of one of the crew overboard. Jayme was in the process of slitting the second man’s throat.
What?
What was happening? Vi was too dazed to even scream as Jayme let the body fall heavily over the side of the boat, blood swirling in the surf around them, staining the sand. She stared at her friend as she wiped her blade on the dead man’s shirt.
“What?” Vi whispered, looking right at Jayme. Her eyes… were not the eyes Vi had come to know. They were eyes she’d never seen before. Brutal, cunning, careless.
“You shouldn’t have gone so far from home.” Kora shook her head as a mother would to a toddler who had stepped out of line. “Fool of a princess. It’s in your blood, though. Not one Solaris has been particularly bright.”
Vi opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. There was a broken pathway between her mouth and her mind—a bridge that had collapsed, and she was now being swept away in the river rushing beneath it. She looked down at the bodies, another shiver running up her spine. Her eyes returned to Jayme, who had yet to say a word.
“Jayme—” Vi’s dazed question was cut off by the sound of wood groaning.
She turned in the rowboat, nearly tipping over the side, in time to witness the end of the Dawn Skipper. A ramrod of bright blue ice had impaled the smaller vessel, cleaving it in two. Men and women—mere specks—jumped off the larger ship flying sky-blue sails. A frosty mist poured out from the main deck, as though the entire vessel was made of ice sweating in the northern heat.
“No…” Vi whispered. She watched as men and women jumped from the ramrod onto the sinking Dawn Skipper. No one would be left alive.