Somehow Rhen knew her nightmares were not filled with normal fears—loss of a child, loss of a loved one to illness or age, loss of money, of fortune. No—whatever haunted her mind, Rhen was sure it was full of shadows and phantoms, maybe even dragons. All beasts that humans weren't made to fight, weren't supposed to overcome.
As the rain grew stronger, beating the side of the ship, roughing the waters, Rhen just held Jinji close, whispering words into her ear he would have been otherwise too afraid to say. That he needed her. That she was not allowed to leave him. That he would be lost without her. That he loved her.
Her only response was to steady her breath, to cool down, to stop wriggling uncomfortably under the sheets, to quiet her moans, to be peaceful. But that was the only response Rhen wanted—to see her growing healthier before his eyes.
After a while, lulled by the rocking and the pitter-patter of the storm, Rhen drifted off to sleep. For the first time in days, he was blissfully unaware of the world around him. Not drowning in dreams. Not lost in unforeseen horrors.
Just blank.
Empty.
Full of nothing but a warm, steady heartbeat that had slowed down to match the one thumping lightly against his chest.
15
JINJI
~ THE STRAITS ~
Jinji woke to the gentle hum of breath in her ear. Cracking her eyes open, she tilted her head to the side, smiling as she saw Rhen's sleeping face turned toward her. Mouth open slightly and cheek squished against the pillow, he looked at peace. Warm fingers rested gently on her arm, holding her, so even in his dreams he would know she was close.
Aching to touch him, Jinji lifted her arm, gasping as pain flared across her chest, diving down to the tips of her fingers. Jinji shook her head, blinking away the spots in her eyes as the pain ebbed and her memories came rushing back.
The cliffs. The soldiers. The arrow.
Falling…
After she hit the water, everything went blank. Where had Rhen taken her?
Judging by the gentle rise and fall, they were on the water. But this was not the boat Jinji last remembered living on. The more she looked around the room, the more her suspicions were confirmed. The walls around them were wooden, decorated by maps and furniture all nailed to the floor. A canopy fell around the bed. And the window looked out to nothing, just a thick layer of fog, reminiscent of the mornings she remembered on the Old Maid, where the ocean was hidden from view until the sun rose and burned the mist away.
For a moment, she was confused. But soon enough, Jinji realized where they must be—with the warships. Back in Rayfort, she had tried to find Rhen after he had wished their fleet good luck and good weather. These must be those ships. Which meant they were back in harm's way once more.
Great.
Jinji rolled her eyes. Was it so impossible to stay out of trouble? Just for a month, a week even. Ever since the two of them had met, it had been one close call after another.
But even as the thoughts came, she pushed them away. Rhen must have come here to find her help, to heal her wounds, because even though the pain was strong, a cloud was lifting from her mind, cleansing her of whatever ill had racked her body. A bandage wrapped around her shoulder, and feeling it with her unwounded arm, Jinji could tell a scar marred her skin—just another to add to her growing collection.
Where have you been? The voice pressed into her thoughts, snippy and insistent.
Jinji closed her eyes tightly, fighting the shock zipping up her spine. Would she ever get used to this? That answer was simple—probably not.
"I've been ill," she whispered, eyeing Rhen, careful not to wake him.
In the underground castle, she had tried to explain the voice. But listening to an explanation was very different than waking to find his friend talking to someone that existed only inside her head.
Oh…
"Yes, that's right," Jinji snapped. "You abandoned me for days, leaving me on my own, and what happened? I was shot by an arrow."
I apologize, the voice said slowly, as though this was something she did very seldom and almost always against her will. I've been in the ether for a very long time. My human emotions are overwhelming and, though I knew it was selfish, I needed to be alone until the hurt passed.
Jinji swallowed as understanding clenched her gut and sympathy warmed her heart. "I know how that feels."
Yes, well… If voices could swallow, Jinji had a feeling that's what she was doing. Gathering her thoughts, refocusing on the task at hand. An odd sense of companionship settled across Jinji's mind. We lost a lot of time, and I believe I know what my shadow-self is planning.
"What?" Jinji breathed in sharply, hanging onto the next words.
You said he was attacking humans, purposefully. Were these special humans? Tied to the spirits?
"Yes," Jinji answered quickly, pulse increasing.
As I thought. His goal is the same as it was in ages past, in the memory I showed you. To leave me alone in this world, to kill all the humans who are connected to me and to my spirits. To take away everyone I could possibly learn to care about. He doesn't understand why I returned to my spirit realm and abandoned him to the ether and his shadow realm once more. He followed me here because he believes I sought human companionship, but he is wrong. I came back only to set my world, my creation, back on its true path.
"What can we do?" Jinji asked. Some of the voice's words did not make complete sense to her, but they could go back to that. Urgency propelled her forward, made her want to race to the end goal.
You must go to my home in the mountains, the place where the veil between the ether and my spirit realm is thinnest. It's where our powers are the strongest. You should feel a pull to go there, to return.
"In the mountains?" Jinji asked, sighing. Brython—where Rhen had wanted to take her all along, the mountains.
Then she paused and looked up at the canopy above her bed, not really seeing it—seeing something else. That day on the docks when the voice had given her the vision, Jinji had been staring at the Gates, mesmerized by the pure white spirit, the jinjiajanu, that sparkled around those distant mountain peaks.
Brython wasn't her destination.
The Gates were.
"Are they made of white stone? Taller than any other in the world?" Jinji asked. But in her mind, everything was already set. The white stone castle in the memory—the room splayed with the bodies of the dead, made more gruesome by the stark contrast of red blood on a white background—that had to be the Gates. Now that she had seen a castle buried in the ground, it was not so hard to imagine one might rest undiscovered in the jagged peaks at the center of the kingdom, surrounded by the sea.
Yes, yes, that is them. You must go and find—
"Jin?" Rhen's voice was drowsy and he rolled over, dipping the bed below his weight.
Jinji hissed as her shoulder shifted against the pillows, pulled by the tug of the blankets. Pain zapped, throwing her from her thoughts, bringing her securely back to the ship and the wooden room around them.
"No," she cursed, trying to clear her head, trying to focus. Hello? Jinji called silently. Are you there? Can you hear me? But the voice was gone, thrown out of her head by the pain. Jinji had used that trick countless times in the dungeons, banging her head against the wall to get the whispering to stop. But this time, her body had betrayed her.
"Are you all right? I'm sorry." Rhen hastily leaned over, worry creasing his brow.
Jinji bit her lip, fighting the urge to scream. So close, she had been so close. Still, she whispered, "The Gates."
Not much, but it was something. Finally, Jinji had a direction, a destination, an actual plan to find and fight the shadow. The voice would come to her again, it was only a matter of time.
"What?" Rhen asked slowly, confused by her speech and her actions.
Jinji released a sigh, gritting her teeth against the ache as she shifted her body weight and turned toward him. With a smile, she cheerfully said, "Good m
orning."
Rhen grinned—the exact reaction she had been hoping for. "You look better."
"I feel better," Jinji said, and then tried to shrug, wincing instead. "Well, aside from that."
"Oh!" Rhen popped up and ran across the room, shuffling around for something but Jinji didn’t have the pain tolerance to try to sit up and watch. No matter, because he came back a moment later with a cloth in his hand. "The apothecary said to wrap this around your arm when you woke, some sort of sling."
Rhen knelt beside her bed, barely even touching her arm, too afraid he might hurt her. Ever so slowly, he slid the cloth under Jinji's forearm, stopping whenever he saw her wince so she had a minute to catch her breath. Then he reached across her body, tying the cloth around her neck.
"It should help with the pain when you move around." Rhen stepped back, looking over her with concern.
"I'm all right, really. We've been through worse."
But Rhen ignored her, worry still pouring from his expression. "Do you want to sit up? The apothecary left some herbal mixtures for the pain."
Jinji nodded.
Quickly, Rhen slid his arm underneath her torso, lifting her body and stuffing some pillows behind before walking to the other side of the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a steaming cup.
"Here," he said, handing it to her, meeting her eyes the moment their fingers touched. And then he stepped away, walking to the other side of the bed before sitting down.
Jinji sipped the tea, immediately feeling better as the warm liquid traveled down her throat, burning just a little before settling in her stomach. The taste was floral, reminding her of home and the drinks her mother used to mix. Ones to cure a tummy ache. Others to help women with birthing. Others to ease a wounded heart. One regret she had was never taking the time to listen to her mother as she tried to teach Jinji the lost art of their people—an art that was truly gone now.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked, blowing on the tea before taking another small sip. The sling made movement a little easier, but a dull ache still lived beneath her skin.
"Two days." Rhen sighed. "Two very long days."
"Long?"
Rhen shook his head. "It doesn't matter now, you're okay."
Almost subconsciously, he reached out, placing a hand over her thigh as though it were the easiest thing in the world. Even through the blankets, Jinji could feel the burn of his skin.
So much had changed.
All with one little kiss.
And yet, she felt no need to mention it, to ask him questions, almost as though this change had been inevitable, the natural progression of their friendship. There was no awkwardness, no tension. Just the subtle shift in the air that hinted at romance. Rhen began to rub his thumb in circles, massaging her skin without even realizing.
"Are we on the royal ships? Are we in the Straits?" Jinji asked, voice tight as she tried to pull her focus from Rhen's touch and the effect it was having on her.
"What gave it away?" he asked wryly, looking around, pulling his hand away to run it through his hair, which had grown curlier from their days spent at sea. "As soon as you're healthy enough, we'll sail away. I'm not looking to fight the Ourthuri, not this time."
"How far away are they?"
Rhen shook his head. "I'm not sure. A few days, a few hours? The admiral and I have been discussing it for the past two days, but the fog has made everything more difficult."
They both took a moment to look out the windows, into the unbreakable gray surrounding the ship. Jinji could hear the waves, but not see them. Could smell the salty air, but couldn't find the winds blowing it into her room.
"Normally," Rhen continued, turning back to her, "we'd be able to see for miles, would probably see the Ourthuri sails at least a full day before they reached us. But in this? We're blind."
"But they're blind too," Jinji said, nudging him with her knee.
Rhen smirked. "Trust you to see the bright side of the situation."
"You know what I'd really like to see?" Jinji raised an eyebrow, holding back her grin.
"What?"
"More fog."
Rhen just shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the lights sparking behind his gaze, the ever-brightening glow. "Are you sure you're ready to walk around? You only just woke up."
"What? And miss the view?" Jinji teased. The laughter left her lips as she tried to sit up, but Rhen sensed her pain and rushed to help, lifting her upper body so it was easy to slip from the bed to the floor.
When she stood, Rhen leaned down to kiss her softly, just a short touch, gone before it even started. He held her cheek for a moment, brushing a short strand of hair back behind her ear, and then he released her, slipping his touch all the way down her arm until their fingers interlaced.
Gone were the nerves.
Gone were the questions.
Gone were the hesitations.
Jinji and Rhen had transitioned into something more—something she didn’t want to label because whatever it was, it was perfect.
Smiling to herself, Jinji ducked her head, trailing behind Rhen as he carefully led her forward, clutching her good hand and quick to yell at any sailor who ventured too close to her wound.
As they walked up the steps and into the endless fog, dampness sunk under Jinji's skin, making the wound ache in a deeper way. But still, the fresh air, no matter how dense, was amazing to breathe. The cool air felt wonderful against her skin. After the blankets and the sweat and the fever, she needed this despite the pain.
A man approached and Jinji quickly tugged her hand free of Rhen's, but he held tight, refusing to let her go, refusing to meet her eyes. She stopped fighting. These were his people, if he wanted them to see, Jinji would not argue.
"Lady Jinji," the man proclaimed with a short bow of respect. He was older, hair dusted with the lightest hints of gray amidst the brown. His jaw was square, determined, as was the proud stance reaching from his shoulders all the way to his toes.
"Admiral Morraye was kind enough to offer the use of his apothecary and his first captain's cabin," Rhen said, supplying much-needed information.
Jinji tried her best to curtsy, despite the fact that she was back in men's clothes and only had the use of one arm. Between the injury and the sea legs, she stumbled awkwardly for a moment before standing straight with a sigh. "Pleased to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, I assure you," the admiral replied, and his voice sounded genuine—something Jinji had found lacking in most of the newworlders she came into contact with. "I'm just happy to see you are feeling better. Our prince was quite concerned."
Jinji stole a look in Rhen's direction, just in time to see a slight flush run across his cheeks. But she looked away, hiding her own similar reaction.
"Rhen told me some of the stories from your time spent on the water…" The admiral looked between them, changing the subject with a slight glint in his eye.
Jinji shrugged, forgetting the injury to her shoulder and instantly regretting it. But the movement was so natural—a habit that would be hard to break. "I'm made for the forest," she answered, speaking just to shift her attention away from the pain. "But Rhen is a natural."
"A natural?" the admiral said, eyeing Rhen with a trace more respect.
Jinji nodded, even as Rhen squeezed her hand tight to cut off her words. But a hint of mischievousness leaked into her thoughts, spurring on an idea. Perhaps all of the time spent with Rhen was finally having an effect on her. "The fastest person I've ever seen climb the ropes. The crow's nest is his favorite spot on a ship."
"The nest?" The admiral laughed, looking high above their heads for a brief moment, before squinting at Jinji, catching onto her humor.
"The lady is giving me too much credit," Rhen suggested, shaking his head.
But the admiral ignored him, turning to Jinji. "The fastest you say?"
She nodded, holding back the smile on her lips, doing her best to look utterly serious. The pain in her arm was
already fading.
"Care to place a wager?" the admiral said, eyeing her, testing the waters.
He'd guessed right.
"Absolutely," Jinji said with a grin. Rhen stood silent, dumfounded.
"Prince Whylrhen against my fastest sailor. If I win, the lady must give me a kiss on the cheek."
"And if I win," Jinji said, pausing to look around for inspiration.
"Then her champion must give her a kiss on the cheek," Rhen interjected—because of course, he was her champion.
The admiral raised his brow, extending his hand and waiting for her consent. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, but then she remembered that handshakes were a newworlder way to make an agreement.
Jinji slipped her fingers in his and the admiral gently shook, careful to mind her injury. "We have a deal. Now, I have to find myself a sailor."
The admiral disappeared for a moment, wandering the deck to look for his champion.
"What is this all about?" Rhen whispered, looking at her oddly.
"What do you mean?"
He shook his head, caught between a grin and a frown. "I've never seen you act like this before."
"I'm in a good mood," Jinji said, and she was, surprisingly. Was it the fresh air? The latent effect of the fever? The fact that Rhen kissed her again? Held her hand before his people? Jinji didn’t know, but she didn’t care. Somehow, a little bit of fun had slipped in and she didn’t want to let it go, not yet. On that note, she tilted her head to meet Rhen's gaze, continuing to tease. "Consider this a delayed response to our long ago visit to The Staggering Vixen."
The color drained from Rhen's face.
And then he was laughing, loudly, as though the sound had been pulled from deep in his gut, cutting through layers upon layers of dark thoughts to bubble joyously into the world.
"I definitely deserve it," Rhen said with a sigh, shaking his head.
The admiral returned with a gangly sailor, likely the same age as Rhen, though for some reason he seemed younger. "My champion, the man with the fastest feet on the ocean, Sidruck."
The Spirit Heir (Book 2) Page 18