by Elise Kova
Vi leaned forward, closing what little gap remained between them. She had no reason to think this would work… and yet…
“Narro vah’deh,” Vi echoed the words of the elfin’ra from earlier, whispering them as a lover would to Adela. She remembered every syllable with perfect, deadly clarity.
There was something about this twisted magic that she didn’t need to understand the way she did Lightspinning glyphs. It was an abomination—an adaptation of Yargen’s words gone wrong. It tapped into the most ruthless, brutal nature that hid in the corners of her humanity.
This magic thrived on hate—not logic or skill.
Adela’s face glazed over. Her hands went limp. Vi saw the world both through her eyes and the eyes of the pirate queen simultaneously. Everything was doubled and vastly too large as Vi occupied the mind of her adversary.
It was a spell to control the mind of another, Vi realized quickly. This explained the world as she’d seen it earlier, when she had been under the same command. It also explained the screaming voice in the back of her mind that sounded identical to Adela, demanding freedom.
Vi pushed herself and the magic. Die, die, die, a voice in the back of her mind screamed. With Adela under her control, she could make the woman do anything. Die, die, die! The voice grew louder, and all too late Vi realized that it had not been the voice of Adela, but the same voice she’d heard at the first tear—Raspian.
There was a thunderous crack in her chest.
The whole world exploded with bright yellow, red, and blue light. Tendrils of red lightning shot out from Vi, exploding against the buildings around her and Adela. Vi was thrown backward, hit a wall hard, and slumped on the ground.
Everything the magic touched seemed to wriggle and thrash, like the tears in the Twilight Forest. Raspian’s magic was breaking down the buildings, turning them to dust before her eyes. Turning the minds of the men it struck to madness.
Vi blinked, trying to bring her mind back into focus. Adela was hunched over on the ground, turning over the contents of her stomach. One of her men, still in possession of his right mind, levied a crossbow directly at Vi.
Move. She had to move. Vi pushed against the ground, struggling to regain her feet, to somehow dodge the incoming shot. Her whole body was a shuddering mess.
The man’s finger squeezed the trigger and in the same moment one of the other pirates crashed into him. The bolt dug into the wood at the side of Vi’s head, but she hardly flinched. She watched in horror as the now white-eyed pirate mounted the man who had once been his ally and began to tear him apart with hands and teeth, like a wild animal.
She’d be sick if she looked on any longer.
Move, she commanded herself again. Everything hurt. Red magic crackled over her skin, splitting it, only to have it heal with the blue and yellow tendrils of flame that coated her.
Somehow, Vi found her feet.
“G-Get her!” Adela struggled with words, pointing in her direction. But there wasn’t anyone able to heed her command.
Vi looked over her shoulder and, for a brief second, debated going back to finish the job. This was her chance to kill the pirate queen…
Ultimately, she didn’t take it.
Getting to her father would be sweeter than any revenge, and the longer she lingered here, the less likely it became that she’d make it back to him. She’d already made the mistake of lingering once.
Vi tried to move faster. Her head was splitting and body aching. Flames still licked over her body, dancing with red lightning. Every time she blinked, there was a red and violent edge to her sight.
A little longer. She was so close now. The darkness of the cave coated her and Vi paused, several steps inside. The mere idea of her magic was like torture, and yet…
“Juth calt.” Vi pointed up at the entrance to the cave. The earth groaned and split, rumbling as the supports for its frozen mouth caved in. Vi didn’t wait to watch the first rocks collapse with the power of her glyph. Instead, she turned and sprinted through the tunnels on the last bit of adrenaline she had.
Flames birthed with her every footstep, cutting through the darkness and smoldering against the wet, frozen rock. She heard crashes behind her. The island itself was trying to bury her now, chasing her through its frigid bowels. It wanted to punish her for the magic she’d unleashed on it.
Magic she still didn’t fully understand and should’ve never touched.
Vi emerged on the other side just as the cave-in caught up behind her. There’d be no pirates getting through there and Arwin would figure out that she needed to fly around… If Arwin survived at all. Vi swallowed hard.
“Vi!” Taavin’s voice cut through her thoughts.
Her attention jolted to the ship still tied to the thick ice surrounding the island.
“Vi!” Her father echoed, hands cupped around his mouth. “We’re here!”
They’d made it.
She began sprinting once more. She slipped, falling hard, landing with a cry, but pushed herself upward, ignoring the red that smeared the blue ice from where her shirt ripped at her elbow.
Get to the boat. Get away. Get to the boat. Get away.
The mantra was on repeat in her mind. Vi leapt to the rope that dangled down the side of the vessel. With the last of her strength, she pulled herself upward. A strong hand closed around her belt, hauling her over the deck railing.
“Juth calt,” Vi said with a glance at the rope tying down the vessel. It snapped in two. Between heaving breaths, she panted out a soft, “Go.”
“Arwin?” Taavin asked, though he was already stepping away and heading for the ropes connected to the sales.
“She’ll make it back,” Vi murmured, blinking up at the sky above her. She’d never seen a sky so violent. Red lightning crackled overhead like the tentacles of a writhing beast, ready to escape. Dull light, the color of dried blood, seeped over the horizon, staining the sea, staining the sky.
Her father may be saved, but there was still much for her to do. Yet for now… Vi twisted, looking at the man who sat at her side.
Her father was saved.
“Father…” Vi lifted a hand. It felt heavier than lead.
“Daughter.” Aldrik’s fingers clasped hers. Neither had a strong grip. Adela had stolen both of their strength. “You did well.”
Vi pressed her eyes closed, only just now feeling the wetness on her cheeks. Things were only beginning. He didn’t understand what still awaited them.
“You did well,” her father repeated softly.
Even though she knew all that lay before them, three words had never sounded so beautiful.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“May I?” Taavin asked, kneeling down on the other side of Vi. He held out his hands, his intent to heal her obvious. Vi gave a small nod.
But no magic flowed, and no words were said. Taavin looked on in horror.
“What is it?” Vi rasped.
“What happened?” Taavin whispered, reaching for her watch. As his hand drew near it, a spark of red lightning streaked from watch to finger and he pulled away quickly.
“What—” Vi struggled to prop herself up, looking down at her chest. The watch had cracked, half the cover had vanished—a molten line still smoldering in the metal. The glass that had protected the face was shattered and the face itself had been charred completely black. “I… I don’t know.” She looked up to Taavin, frantic. “What does it mean?”
“I have less of an idea than you. What happened out there?”
Vi was about to answer when the cry of a bird overhead stopped her.
Hovering on gusts and gales sweeping over the sea was a bird with a crooked wing. It coasted low before a bloodied Arwin tumbled onto the deck with a pulse of magic. Her eyes were dazed and unfocused, blinking slowly.
“They did not want me to break down the shift,” she groaned, nursing her arm. Vi noticed her weapon was nowhere to be seen. “Yet, somehow, you look worse than me.”
“
Thanks.” Vi fought to sit.
Taavin looked between her and Arwin. His eyes fell to the watch and that seemed to make up his mind. He quickly walked over to Arwin and hovered near the woman, looking down at her. “Want me to heal you?”
“Don’t touch me, Voice,” Arwin droned. The bite was gone from her words. Their hatred for each other had lost its venom, becoming more residual habit than impassioned feeling.
“Let him heal you,” Vi called. “We need the hands to set sail.”
There was a long stretch of silence and, finally, “Fine. Though if you tell anyone I let Lightspinning touch me, I will kill you.”
“I thought you were going to kill me anyway,” Taavin mumbled.
“I thought I was killing Ulvarth, and you were still to be decided.”
Vi slumped, resting her forehead in her palm. The whole world spun, and it had nothing to do with the rocking of the boat. She had to get herself in order. They needed to get away from the Isle of Frost. Yet she stayed frozen, her hand clutching the now broken watch.
“Daughter.” Her father’s hand rested heavily on her shoulder, jolting Vi from her thoughts. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
She stared up in momentary awe. He was really here. It had been years since they’d last seen each other. Now, they were together for the foreseeable future—no meetings, no Imperial business, nothing to tear them apart. Nothing save the end of the world, that is.
“Actually, yes.” Vi forced her mind to move again and not just gawk at him. “In the cabin there’s a satchel. Bring it to me?”
Aldrik stood slowly, and walked even more slowly to the cabin’s entrance. Vi watched him carefully. Even though she had been far more beaten up during the escape, he looked worse for wear. The gray streaks by his ears had never seemed wider.
Still, he moved with the grace of an Emperor. Every motion was fluid and purposeful. Even at his worst, he was still better than most at their best.
“Is this it?” he asked, returning with the bag.
“Yes.” Vi placed it on the deck, rummaging through it for the vials Sarphos had given her. She quickly read through their various labels and found the two she was looking for, downing them in a large swig. “Thank you.”
Vi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Sarphos’s abilities never failed to impress her. It felt as though the potion never even reached her stomach, seeping into her blood and restoring strength to her muscles near instantly.
“Here—” Vi held up two more vials to her father. That only left them with one more—for disease, specifically, which didn’t seem applicable at the moment—but if there was ever a time to use them, it was now. She also took out one of Sarphos’s ration crackers. It looked like a biscuit but really did fill the stomach as though you’d eaten a meal. “Take these.”
Her father didn’t question, uncorking and drinking from the vials as Vi stood. Taavin and Arwin were on their feet as well.
“We should get moving.” Time was strange for her at present. She couldn’t tell how long she’d been on the deck, waiting for the world to settle back into place. Yet it felt like far too long. “I think Adela has enough on her hands but—”
“We don’t want to be around when chaos turns to rage,” Arwin finished.
“Taavin, you take the helm, Arwin and I will get the sails ready.” Vi looked to her father, a small smile spreading on her lips at the mere sight of him. He was alive, and with her. It was every dream come true. She’d actually done it. “Father, you just sit tight and rest.”
“I can help.”
“We have this,” Vi insisted. “The three of us sailed here, we know the ropes.”
Her father relented, still slowly nibbling Sarphos’s biscuit as he sat on the steps that led up to the quarterdeck. Taavin walked around him, and Vi didn’t miss them sharing a small look that spoke volumes she couldn’t hear. For now, she ignored it. They had a few days trapped on a ship together; there’d be enough time to deal with everything.
Arwin began readying the sails. They got the ship moving without so much as a word among them. Vi looked out over the Isle of Frost as they turned away; smoke plumed into the early dawn from the still-burning pirate town. Not one ship had limped out from the lagoon.
“I saw it,” Arwin said softly, startling Vi from her thoughts.
“Saw what?”
“When I broke the shift around the Isle of Frost… I saw the spider-web red fractures in the veil between this world and the next.”
Vi turned her gaze over the horizon, leaving the isle behind her. So what she’d seen in the sky hadn’t been a hallucination of magic and pain. Taavin’s words—some of the first he said to her when she arrived on Meru—echoed back to her: We’re running short on time. The end of the world is near, and we must be ready to meet it.
“The world really is ending, isn’t it?” Arwin whispered.
“It’s heading in that direction.”
“Can you truly stop it?”
“I’m going to try.” Vi looked over at her companion, the woman’s eyes locking with hers.
“We’ll have to keep training you with that scythe, then.” Arwin gave her a light pat on the shoulder, the touch brief but shockingly reaffirming. “So rest up today, princess. We’re back at it tomorrow.” All Vi could do was nod, startled by the woman’s sudden change in attitude. “Speaking of… How many days are we going to be stuck on this thing this time?”
“That’s an excellent question.” Vi returned to her bag, grabbing the journal.
“I was about to ask for a headway—more than ‘away from Adela’.” Taavin joined the conversation.
“That headway sounds good enough to me for now,” Arwin declared. “I’ll take the helm. You should give her a look-over and make sure her wounds have healed…” Arwin glanced between Vi and Aldrik. “And I suspect you may want some time with your father.”
“Thank you.” Time with her father was a luxury Vi could barely comprehend. She almost didn’t know what to do with it now.
“So where are we heading?” Arwin looked over Vi’s shoulder at the map.
“Risen,” Vi announced. She looked up at Arwin. “There, you can kill Ulvarth.”
“You sound almost eager about that,” Arwin mumbled with the tiniest grin on her mouth. Vi ignored it, looking to Taavin.
“And we can find out the truth about this.” She held the watch, broken metal jutting against her hand uncomfortably. “And find a way to stop Raspian.”
“Risen it is.” Arwin took the journal from her, bending over to scoop the compass from the satchel. “North, then northwest after we pass the southern tip of Meru’s crescent?”
“You have the right idea,” Vi affirmed.
“Then I think I can manage for a while.”
Taavin was already descending the stairs as Arwin went up. Vi looked over her shoulder again at the Isle of Frost. There were still no signs of ships in pursuit, and the land was growing smaller and smaller with each passing minute.
“Looking for the Stormfrost?” Taavin asked from her side.
“Yes. Though I don’t think they’ll give chase…” She thought back to the magic she’d unleashed—the pirates going crazed, red lightning mixing with blue and yellow fire. As her thoughts wandered, Taavin’s hand drifted over her and he murmured spells. The haziness in her head began to clear and the last of the aches vanished. But before Vi could thank him, Taavin’s fingers rested against the watch. This time, no magic lashed out at him.
“What happened?” he asked again.
“I used the words the elfin’ra had used on me to control Adela.” She could still feel the echo of power rumbling within her like a dark storm.
“You used those words?” He looked up at her, his expression darkening. “Are you insane?”
“Maybe. It was that or die,” Vi said firmly. She didn’t want to be made to feel guilty for doing what it took to survive.
“Those words are Raspian’s work… As Yargen
’s words evoke her magic, those evoke his.” Taavin tapped the watch. “You invited his power into you willingly.”
Vi clenched her jaw as she looked out over the ocean. She could continue insisting it had been to survive… but was it? Or had she wanted to find the most brutal way to end Adela’s life? Where did her justice end and her darkness begin?
“No wonder it reacted poorly with the watch,” he said grimly. “Yargen’s magic was likely trying to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
“Vi, think.” Taavin gripped her upper arm to the point of pain. “Raspian seeks a living host to let him walk among this land once more, and fully usher in an Era of Darkness. To do that he needs one of us, or the ashes of the flame. If you invited his magic into you…” Vi felt her shoulders tense, and it had nothing to do with the pain of Taavin’s grip. It felt like a crank was winding the muscles in her neck, making her head hurt all over again. “One way or another, as his power continues to grow, he’ll find a way into this world. Let’s not make it easy for him.”
“I won’t,” Vi whispered. “I won’t use those words ever again.”
“Good.” Taavin relented, quickly releasing her as if he hadn’t realized he’d been holding onto her. His fingers trailed down her arm, wrapping around hers tightly for a long moment. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
Vi gave him a small smile. Their lives—their love, however unspoken it was—seemed so insignificant in the face of the needs of the whole world. No wonder neither of them could bring themselves to say it aloud.
“Now, I’m going to get some rest…” Taavin looked over her shoulder. Vi thought he was looking to the cabin, until she turned, realizing he’d locked eyes with her father. “You finally have your father. You should spend some time with him.”
Vi squeezed his hand once before letting go.
Taavin crossed to the cabin and disappeared behind the curtain. Arwin was at the helm, focused and silent. Her father slowly stood and walked over to her. Vi’s throat was thick with emotion, and tears prickled her eyes but didn’t fall. Aldrik’s eyes seemed just as glassy.