He gripped his sword hilt and stalked forward. “I’m claiming leadership. Does anyone wish to challenge me?”
The ragtag group all stepped back, none looking him in the eye. One by one, they either dropped to a knee or saluted a hand over their chest. Grim satisfaction set Blade’s shoulders back—a position they hadn’t held in nearly two decades.
“We’re going to follow that airship.” He ignored the surprised whispers and gestured at the blazing pyre. “Smell that? Remember it. That’s the cry of your comrades demanding revenge.” He paced before the men, his boots sinking into the blood-soaked ground as he looked each one in the eyes, trying to impress upon them the same fire that drove him. “We will conquer them, take back what is ours, and make them pay blood for blood.”
He reached the edge of the handful of men and looked back. “Are you with me?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Slate
Fresh guilt tied knots with Slate’s gut as he neared the gleaming white Aerugan palace. Two guards pulled open the arched double doors, and Slate’s stomach plunged to the toes of his boots as he passed the uniformed men. I left them behind. My men. Everett’s men. I left their bodies. How much lower can I sink?
It had taken them several hours to get the Sapphire and her crew fit to fly. It didn’t matter that the sun had already set. Kerlee and Geist dumped the bodies from the med-room, while Ben scrubbed blood from the wood floor. Jaxton and Zak had their hands full with wounded to stitch, wrap, and heal. They’d wanted to get out of Vodan.
Only Jaxton’s report had offered some modicum of comfort to Slate.
As usual, Jaxton had been taciturn when revealing his findings with Slate, but he’d announced good news amidst the chaos, so the doctor’s distracted attitude could be easily overlooked. Jaxton had spent hours with Everett’s man, Trevor, working hard to preserve what eyesight he could, and after that, the two were frequently talking in low tones, falling silent when approached. But according to the documents that Jaxton studied in the solitude of his office, the bloodstone in the box they’d recovered on the mission was what they had been searching for all these years. At long last, the keystone could be stabilized.
Maybe then, some of Slate’s shame could finally be put to rest.
A guard ushered Slate and Victor into a spacious office where Lord Everett sat behind a gleaming desk that was larger than Slate’s bed on the Sapphire. Prince Weston lounged on a nearby navy blue couch, flipping through a book. Sunshine streamed in from the glass wall behind Everett’s head, and dust motes danced against the beams. Dark shadows fell across his pale face as the light highlighted his dark hair.
Prince Weston straightened hastily when he made eye contact with Slate. Everett raised an eyebrow in his son’s direction and leaned forward, pressing his elbows against the rich wood with his fingers steepled.
“Captain Stohner, you made it back, I see.” Everett’s cool gaze traveled to the box under Victor’s arm. “And it looks like you had a successful errand.”
“Yes, my lord.” Slate bowed and gestured to the desk. “May we?”
Everett nodded and stood imperiously. “Show me and report.”
Victor set the chest on the desk and stepped back as Slate moved forward.
The door opened behind them, and Queen Violet entered with Andre and her handmaiden, Deisy, just behind. Violet dipped her head in a shallow nod to her husband, then her cheek dimpled with a small smile as she sank onto the couch beside Weston. “We heard you’d returned.” Her hands fluttered over her silken skirt. “What news have you?”
Slate sighed and pressed his palms against the rough-hewn wood of the chest. “We arrived and met with Ezekial as expected.” He raised his eyes to where Violet listened intently. “He found a new lead that he had to leave immediately for, so he gave us,” Slate gestured to include Victor, “what information he had, and that was that. We found the bandits easily enough, but they had a new leader who wasn’t interested in selling to us.”
Everett touched two strong fingers against the desk and ran his other hand over the lapels of his smooth obsidian jacket. “And yet, here you are with the relics.”
“Yes.” Slate swallowed and continued, his words halting. “Despite our preparations, they did, in fact, double-cross us.” He took a shallow breath and released it. “We took heavy losses. Several of my crew, and…” Slate dropped his eyes and stared at Lord Everett’s reflection in the polished wood. “I’m sorry, but only one of your men survived.” He winced. “Captain Trevor will be permanently blind in one eye. Silva died on the way back.”
He explained the sneak attack and the panic and confusion that ensued. Slate closed his eyes, brow knit as he trembled against the imagined onslaught of ghostly voices crying out. “Due to the attack on us and their concurrent invasion on the Sapphire, we had to leave the bodies of our fallen men behind.” His back tingled as he looked up at Everett. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“I see.” Lord Everett’s stony countenance betrayed none of his thoughts. “You obtained the chest, however.”
“Yes, my lord.” Slate lifted the lid and reverently pulled out the black-and-red flecked stone that Jaxton had identified as their saving grace. “Our ship doctor is a mani-med, and he has studied the scrolls in here.” Slate set the rolled parchment on the desk. “He’s determined that this is a bloodstone. It’s what we’ve been looking for.”
Everett reached across the table and picked up the smooth stone. He raised it high to look at it in the sunlight, then rolled it in his fingers. “Well done. I will have my own manipulators study the scrolls, of course, but we will begin plans to fix the Doldra keystone as expediently as possible.” The ruler set the rock down on the stack of papers before his chair and nodded once with a pleased expression. “I assume you will stay in Lucrum?”
“Possibly. My sister is looking in the Merchant’s Market for cargo for us to move, but we’ll return here immediately after.” Slate coughed, his mouth dry. “About the injury and loss of your men…”
“Not important.” Everett frowned. “Bring the captain to the palace later, and we’ll have our own mani-med look him over. I am displeased that my soldiers are gone, of course. And the fact that you didn’t bring back their bodies is regrettable. But you found what has been long sought after, and that makes such sacrifices worth it.”
Slate swallowed and nodded. Buoyant relief battled with heavy guilt in his limbs, and he deliberately avoided looking at the nearby couch. There was no way he’d be able to sit and keep his composure. Not when he desperately needed a strong drink to combat the new voices that had joined the ghosts in his memory.
“Shall I get him and escort him here now?” Victor asked, his gaze focused on Lord Everett, back straight, hands clasped behind his back.
Everett narrowed his eyes at Victor, silent, analyzing. He nodded once. “Take him to the infirmary.”
Victor bowed, his head gleaming in the beam of sunlight that lit Everett’s desk. “Yes, my Lord.”
The guards opened the doors as Victor strode out.
“Captain Slate.” Violet’s smooth brow crinkled, and lines of concern were etched around her rich brown eyes. “You mentioned that there was an attack on the Sapphire. Is everyone well?”
Chagrined to have worried her, Slate nodded hastily. “Yes, your majesty. A few wounds, but nothing time can’t heal.” He hesitated, studied Weston’s downcast eyes, and added, “Jade received stitches and will not be by to visit anytime soon.”
Violet pressed her lips together and nodded. “May she heal quickly.”
“Thank you, yes.”
“If that is all the information you have, then that will be all.” Everett clapped his hands, and a guard appeared in the doorway. “We’ll notify you when we have communicated with Governor Bentley, and I’ll update you on your orders at that time. Dismissed.”
Slate bowed and turned to the door.
Some of the weight on his shoulders sloughed off after
he left the palace’s looming shadows. He tilted his head back to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine on his face and dared to let himself feel hope for the first time in years. It simmered beneath the surface of his skin like tiny bubbles begging to burst free.
The meeting he’d been dreading was over. An artifact had been found, and it looked promising. Maybe it would be enough to fix some of the wrongs in his past. Maybe the dead would be appeased. It wouldn’t—couldn’t—fix everything he’d done, but it might be enough.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ben
Ben leaned an arm against the sun-warmed railing and stared at the white clouds that billowed from the chimney stacks in the distance. Now that the Sapphire had been scrubbed clean of all traces of bandits, and Slate had delivered the chest to Lord Everett, they were finally on an “easy” mission to pick up supplies from Lasim.
Every nation or kingdom that Ben had experienced thus far had its own unique style, and this city proved to be no exception. Brick buildings supported the flues, and white-robed people bustled about in an orderly fashion from structure to structure. He squinted, but couldn’t guess what they were doing.
A whisper of movement announced Zak a moment before he came into view by Ben’s side. Ben frowned as someone in the distance dropped a flask and several others scurried around, upsetting the purple smoke billowing from the shattered glass.
“What’s so special about this place, again?”
Zak crossed his arms and nodded his chin toward the industrial workings. “Lasim specializes in medical potions, stones, and such. That’s one of the biggest factories they have currently.”
Ben turned away from the semi-organized chaos and let the railing support his weight. “Think they’d have anything that can help with memory loss?”
Zak shrugged with a small sigh. “If anyone has anything of that sort, my lut would be on the mani-meds here.”
“Mani-meds?”
“Manipulator-medics,” Zak clarified. “Those with an aptitude for manipulating specific elements that help with healing tend to train here at some point or another.”
So people who were definitely not Void Born. Ben braced his elbows against the metal digging into his back. “Are you a mani-med?”
A wistful expression crossed Zak’s face, and he shook his head. “No. I wish I were; it would have been a very useful skill on many occasions. Jaxton is the only mani-med we have.”
Ben scuffed the toe of his boot against the wooden deck. Jaxton still hadn’t had any luck with releasing any memories or anything of relevance from Ben’s mind. All Ben could remember thus far was a few scattered memories, Sara, Laurent, and blood. Lots and lots of blood.
“Zak! Ben!” Jade appeared from the stairs leading below deck, and she bounded over to them with a large smile, her eyes sparkling. “We’ve got at least four hours before we’ll be ready to head back to Lucrum. Let’s go out, stretch our legs, and see what interesting things they’ve come up with since last Decembri!”
Ben didn’t miss the way that air whooshed out of Zak when Jade first approached, then the softening in Zak’s gaze as he talked to the enthusiastic redhead. Jade waved her arm in circles, miming something that must have occurred in the engine room, if her grease-stained sleeve and apron were anything to go by.
A small smile tugged at Zak’s lips, and he raised his eyebrows at Ben from across her head. “I’m up for it. You want to come, too?”
Ben shrugged amiably and pointedly looked over the gleaming, empty deck. “Chores are done. I’ve got nothing better to do.”
“Actually, Ben, could I borrow you while they’re away?” Doctor Jaxton lurked in the hall, a white smudge contrasted by dark shadows. “I have a new protocol I want to try in regards to your memories.”
Ben weighed his options. A new city to explore with friends, or staying on the ship even longer—but with the possibility of learning some of his history. As much as he wanted to forge ahead with his life, he couldn’t, not without knowing his past.
“If you think it’s worth a try, let’s do it.” He flashed an apologetic smile at Jade and Zak. “Sorry.”
Jade waved both hands in front of her chest, red wisps of curls whipping into her face as she shook her head. “No, no, that’s much more important.” She offered him a soft smile. “Good luck.” Her hand reached out and snatched Zak’s black sleeve, and she tugged him to the stairs leading below deck. “Briar and Krista are waiting, so let’s go!”
Ben laughed as Zak’s face turned red as he followed Jade into the stairwell. Zak glared at Ben before pulling his shirt out of her grip. She instantly stopped.
Zak jutted his jaw forward. “I’m following. I just don’t want to break my neck on the stairs with you dragging me.”
Ben missed her indignant retort as the two continued into the belly of the Sapphire. He skirted around the square capstan grate in the deck floor and joined Jaxton in the shaded hallway. They walked together to the med-bay.
“My hands have improved quite a bit since you last looked at them. Thank you for the ointment,” Ben said.
“My time-spell should have worked, and your hands would have healed faster.” Jaxton sniffed and closed the door behind Ben. “Sit and get comfortable.”
The rotten scent of spilled blood made Ben’s nose wrinkle. Despite all their work to scrub the floor, blood from the bandits had leaked into the wood, and now it needed to be replaced. He could try to get comfortable—but the sour smell guaranteed he wouldn’t be able to truly relax.
Ben plopped onto the med-table and tapped his fingertips together idly as he watched Jaxton putter around the room. First, a pad of paper and a writing instrument. Then, Jaxton dropped to his knees in front of a cupboard to pull out a metal box, which he set on the countertop. Jaxton’s slanted eyes studied Ben for a long moment before he pressed his thumbs onto dual squares that released the lid with a squeak.
“I was hesitant to try this at first,” Jaxton said as he turned around, holding a delicate silver circlet in his tan hands. “But I think this may help to answer the mystery of where you’re from, as well as your memory problems.”
Ben tilted his head to the side as he studied the circlet, and he raised a single eyebrow at the doctor. “You’re telling me that jewelry will help me?”
Jaxton compressed a small smirk as he stepped forward and slipped the circlet on Ben. “No, I’m telling you that this will answer some of our questions—if my hypothesis is correct.”
Cool metal brushed against Ben’s forehead, and his entire body felt strange. Almost numb. He tried to touch his thumb to his forefinger, but found he had no control over his hand.
Panic surged through him when his head wouldn’t lift as he directed. What is this?
Fingers pressed the circlet down until it fit snugly. Jaxton said, “Look at me.”
Ben’s head turned to obey Jaxton’s order, allowing Ben to see the doctor. The doctor showed all his teeth in a rare smile that sent involuntary shivers down Ben’s spine.
“You may be a bit disconcerted to learn that you cannot control your body anymore. I can control it for now. This circlet was originally meant for pain nullification during surgery, but I’ve made adjustments over the years to suit my needs.” Jaxton sat on his stool and slid his paper and pen across the counter. “Maybe we can unlock your mind with it. Let’s start easy—what’s your name?”
Without thinking, Ben heard himself reply: “Benjamin Dubray.”
Jaxton made a note on his pad and nodded. “Excellent. Next question. Where are you from?”
Hazy images swam under the murk of Ben’s mind, but nothing broke through. “I don’t know.”
A harrumph. Then Jaxton said, “Tell me what you know of Jade’s identity.”
Jade’s face flashed into Ben’s head and he found himself nodding. “She is Captain Slate Stohner’s daughter, his only child. She is a mechanic here. Krista is her best friend. Jade likes Zak. She—”
“Enough, enough.” Ja
xton wrinkled his nose and scribbled again on his paper. “What do you know of the Void?”
The question rattled in Ben’s brain but found little answer. “It has something to do with the barrier.”
Ben still couldn’t lift a finger as Jaxton continued questioning him. Sometimes answers rose up from the haze in his mind, like someone standing up in the midst of thick fog. Concern niggled through Ben while Jaxton continued his inane questions. He’s barely asking anything about my past. Why? What does he think I know?
Jaxton set down his pen and looked at Ben over steepled fingers. “I’m sure I already mentioned that the circlet nullifies pain. It doesn’t heal anything.” He leaned back with a quiet sigh. “Sometimes pain has to be a catalyst for unlocking memories. Blood can also be used, depending on why the mind is hiding.” Jaxton jiggled a stone in his hand. “But I can’t use the cleaner methods that involve those options, as those spells don’t work on you.” He narrowed his eyes. “Tell me. Why don’t they work on you?”
Bile roiled in Ben’s gut. “I don’t know.”
Jaxton pressed his lips together and sighed through his nose. “Maybe we will need to try the hard way after all.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Blade
Blade held his hand over his hilt as he prowled the hallway of Slate’s airship. Having the clang of metal give away his presence would be most annoying. It had taken several days to track Slate’s ship to Lucrum, and Blade had arrived just in time to witness Slate leaving the city. He’d tailed him again, this time to Lasim. Now he’d just confirmed his suspicions of the identity and guilt of Slate’s man.
It had been nearly two decades since Blade had last seen Slate’s crew member. Back when Blade was a free man, and everything was just starting to disintegrate. Back then, the man had a ponytail and carried himself with a haughty air. Now, he’d disguised himself as a bald man, but such a ploy didn’t fool Blade. And even for having a room all to himself, the man—Slate’s first mate, if his quarters were accurate evidence—kept incriminating records that those who knew such details would recognize. So careless.
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