by Elise Kova
“Care deeply?” He arched his eyebrows. “Vi Solaris, I think you love me.”
“A bold claim, sir.”
“I’m pretty confident it’s true.”
She kissed the smirk off his lips, then trailed her fingers up his body. They caught on the hem of the sweater she’d given him and pulled upward. She’d seen him fully naked. No matter how much modesty she’d tried to offer him, it was impossible not to have noticed the naked man standing before her.
Vi saw no point in hesitating now.
She wanted him. She’d wanted him for years. She’d yearned to run her fingers up his stomach and chest and twirl them in his hair, to the point of dreaming about it for days on end.
Taavin broke away from her mouth and trailed sweet kisses down her jaw and neck. His palms mirrored the movements of her own. They ran up her chest, fingers quivering with hesitation.
“Touch me, for the love of every god, Taavin, touch me,” Vi groaned.
He obliged. His hands found their way up her shirt. The man’s touch was searing hot—hotter than the glorious heat melting her from the inside out.
Her clothes were on the floor and the mattress sagged beneath her. It reminded her of their first night in the Tower. Kissing him then, holding him as he held the crystal. Now, the crystal was in him, and he was with her. No limits. No holding back.
Vi gasped as he explored with his mouth and hands. Her breathing hitched as he found a particular spot and Taavin caught a moan with his mouth. It fed his already eager movements, quickening them.
When he pulled away he was as breathless as she was. “I love you,” he murmured.
“I love you,” Vi whispered in reply. The firelight was generous to his sharp curves, casting stunning shadows over his body as it hovered above her. She tightened her grasp on him as he shifted. The distance between them diminished to nothing. “I will never let you go again.”
“Please don’t.” He pressed himself against her, holding her tightly.
“I will save this world. And when it’s over, it will just be us.” It was a dangerous promise. Even if she could manage to save the world this time, she didn’t know where it would leave them in the end. Yargen’s magic was within him—in her—power that Vi knew they’d eventually need to return to see the goddess ready to take on Raspian.
Taavin sighed softly.
Pressing her eyes closed, Vi pushed the thoughts from her mind and bit his shoulder gently. She’d focus only on tonight and this release she’d been yearning and waiting for.
Delicious frustration built within her. She wanted him to move. She wanted him to be still. She wanted to sleep in his arms and do nothing. She wanted to do everything with him and to him.
“Let’s not talk about the world.” He pulled away, kissing up her cheek to rub the tip of his nose against hers. “Let’s just focus on our world tonight. Right here, right now.”
She nodded eagerly. And, as if he’d been waiting for that permission, Taavin moved, kissing her as he did.
Vi allowed her mind to go blank. For a few hours, she would burn hotter than the fire in the hearth, the spark within her, or the magic that remade the world.
Chapter Twelve
The War of the Crystal Caverns started with trumpets and the echoes of military horses clomping through the mountain pathways and valleys. It was just over a week since Aldrik and Egmun had left the Caverns, and the start of the war signified that it was time for Vi and Deneya—and Taavin—to leave their cabin behind once more.
As they passed alongside the military party, heading in the opposite direction, Vi reflected on her lessons from years ago.
The Solaris army would march to the Caverns and become transformed into monsters. They would blame it on the crystals, never knowing the real culprit was Raspian. The untainted portion of Solaris’s army would battle against the twisted version of itself for just over a year. Then, none would return to the Caverns for years to come.
In Vi’s time, the next man to head to the Caverns and seek their power was Victor. He would use the Cavern’s strength—Raspian’s strength—to stage a bloody coup. He was the man she was working to stay one step ahead of. That meant she had to leave the War of the Crystal Caverns behind her, in the hands of fate.
Vi’s focus was on the crown of the first King Solaris. They followed Adela’s path and headed south to Oparium in search of the crown.
The port town was nestled in a valley in the mountains east of Solarin. The coast of Lyndum was mostly cliffs, making this cramped valley the only place to construct a larger port. It was nothing compared to Norin, and barely a slip for dinghies compared to Risen. But it was the best port the early Kingdom of Lyndum had, and it was where Vi suspected Adela had escaped to after fleeing with the crown treasure of Solaris.
When she’d first laid eyes on the city, months ago now, Vi had been optimistic. The crown was either hidden here, or with Adela herself. She’d either find it, or narrow down its location with confidence once more.
Now, all Vi felt was frustration.
“Months, we’ve been here for months, and not a single lead on QA or the treasure,” Vi muttered. Southerners were even more superstitious about Adela than Westerners. Deneya had made the mistake of mentioning her name once, and their information gathering was near-instantly stinted. Now, the pirate queen was always “QA”—even when they were in the very back of what had become their favorite place to escape their shared hovel, The Cock and Crow brewery.
“It’s not like someone’s just going to come up to us and say, ‘You know, you look like people in search of an infamous pirate treasure. Why not follow me and I’ll show you where it is?’” Deneya quipped.
“It’d be nice if they did… or gave us some kind of lead.” Vi sank her chin into her palm, looking out over the brewery. It was as lively as it ever was, and haunted by the same faces. “Nothing changes here.”
“People are enjoying themselves after the end of a war.” Taavin stretched, leaning back in the booth beside her. “They don’t want excitement right now. They want stability and comfort.”
“A shorter lifespan really does give some perspective.” Vi envied them, in a way, for their ability to carry on dancing, laughing, and joking, ignorant to the world’s imminent demise.
“I’d argue the opposite.” Deneya took a long sip of her brew. “They can only focus on one existential threat at a time. Once that’s settled, the world is all right.”
“They can only do that because there are people like us to worry about all the others,” Taavin murmured.
Vi brought her attention back to the ale slowly growing warm in its flagon. She took a sip and refocused herself.
“What’s our goal tomorrow?” Vi produced the worn book, still filled with the maps Tiberus had gifted Adela years ago. Vi had added onto those maps over the past months. “I’d propose we head north through the tunnels.”
“Seems as good as any idea.” Taavin pointed at one of the winding tunnels. “You mean this one?”
“I was thinking so.”
“Might as well keep crossing them off one by one.” Deneya took a long drink. “Eventually, we’ll go through them all.” The woman met Vi’s eyes. “What if the crown isn’t—”
The door to the tavern opened and a rowdy bunch came singing in, interrupting Deneya. A noisy crowd wasn’t particularly uncommon. What made Vi turn her head was the language they were singing in.
The throaty tones of Mhashanese filled the tavern as they finished the last refrain and devolved into laughter. They continued to carry on, heading straight for the bar. The leader among them, a man with dark, spiked hair, ordered from the young woman behind the counter.
“A round of your finest for my crew.”
“Comin’ right up.” Maleese wasn’t bothered. Even though she couldn’t be much older than seventeen, the young woman was accustomed to bawdy sailors running amok in her bar. She’d clearly grown up among salt-crusted, curse-spitting men and women. �
�Not often we see Westerners in here,” she said on behalf of every patron in the bar who was carefully regarding the newcomers.
“We’re not Westerners,” the man said. Vi knew that voice. How did she know that voice? She fought to place it, shifting in her seat.
“I hear it too,” Deneya whispered over the top of her ale.
“Hear what?” Taavin leaned closer to say.
“The voice is familiar, but I can’t place it… I want to see the man’s face.”
“What are you, then?” Maleese set four flagons heavily on the bar and went back to filling four more from the tapped keg. “Look Western to me.”
“We’re Mhashanese,” the man said proudly. A notable distinction to make.
“Oy, Violet,” Maleese called over to Vi. It was the name she was going by now. “You Mhashanese too? Have I had it wrong this whole time?”
The man at the bar turned his head. Vi locked eyes with him.
He was older now, resembling more and more of his father by the day. The father Vi had killed with two words.
Hello, Luke, Vi thought darkly.
“You can call me whatever you like, as long as you keep the ale coming,” Vi said with a wink. A few of the other patrons gave her an approving nod or cheer in agreement.
Luke took his drink off the bar and walked over. He had a relaxed smile—more of an arrogant grin.
“Fiarum evantes,” he said to the table.
“Kotun in nox,” Vi replied deftly.
He paused, staring at her for a long minute. “Do I know you?”
“I don’t know how you would.” Vi shrugged.
“You look like a woman I once knew. But by now she would be…” He trailed off, and then shook his head, as if dismissing the notion. Luke had become a middle-aged man, and Vi still looked eighteen. Even if he recognized her perfectly, he clearly doubted his eyes. The man continued speaking in Mhashanese; knowing him, it was likely some kind of test. “Not common to see Westerners in the land of gold hair and snow fields.”
“Could say the same to you,” Vi replied in the old Western tongue. Even though she knew her pronunciation and grammar were flawless, thanks to Yargen’s magic, it still felt odd to pronounce the words once more. “What brings you here, brother?”
“We’re starting a sailing route between here and Norin. Regular runs on fast ships.” He swept his eyes across the table; Deneya and Taavin both gave nods. They had begun inking Taavin’s hair to make it black. With the deep tan of his skin, he looked the part as much as Deneya. “I don’t think we’ll have much room for passengers. But for the right price, I could liberate you from this icy prison.”
Vi chuckled. “Perhaps we should take him up on it?”
“I miss the desert sun.” Deneya sighed longingly.
“I’m afraid we don’t have much in the way of money.” Vi turned back to Luke. The son of the maritime minister in the West. A loyalist of the Knights of Jadar still, no doubt. In the face of an old enemy, Vi saw an interesting opportunity. She lowered her voice and leaned forward, speaking conspiratorially. “Not a lot of opportunities for us here.”
“I’ve no doubt.” He muttered something she couldn’t make out, but it ended with “Southerners” in a nasty tone.
“Perhaps… we could work for passage?”
“I have all the crew I need.”
“One of us can do the work of two men without tiring,” Deneya boasted.
Taavin remained silent. His expression was passive at a glance. But she could see the questions in his eyes. What are you doing? he silently asked.
He’d just have to trust in her. It was a skill Vi was still teaching him.
“Is that so?” Luke hummed at Deneya. “I believe it of you. But these two…”
“We’re stronger than we look,” Vi insisted. “Give us a chance. You won’t regret adding additional red-blooded Westerners to your crew.” Red-blooded Westerners—she’d heard the Knights of Jadar using the term and hoped it struck a chord.
“I’ll be the judge of that. But consider me intrigued. Plus, I’m always happy to help out my kin.” Luke held out his flagon and Vi knocked hers against it before they both drank. “Come to the docks tomorrow. We’ll put you through the wringer. If you can keep up, I’m sure I can find a position for you three.”
“Thank you, sir…” Vi paused.
“Lord,” he corrected. “Lord Twintle.”
“Lord Twintle.” Vi gasped, then bowed her head low. “Forgive our impropriety.” Taavin and Deneya followed her motions. No matter how much time passed, Vi was certain a Twintle would always appreciate people prostrating before him.
“You know of me?”
“Oh yes,” she said eagerly. “Who of Mhashan’s blood doesn’t know of the illustrious Twintle family? You stood up for the old ways when very few would. Or so I’ve heard…”
“Luke! Are you going to spend the whole night over there?” A burly man lumbered over, throwing his arm amount Luke’s shoulders. “Your crew would like a drink with their benefactor.”
“Yes, Cole, I’ll be over.” Luke looked back to them, pointedly at Vi. “And I look forward to seeing you three bright and early at the Lady Black.”
The two men went over to the pack of Westerners, talking as they left. Vi saw Cole glance back on more than one occasion. She busied herself with her flagon as she stole glances from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t remember a man named Cole the last time she’d been in the West.
But that had been nearly twenty years ago, which was plenty of time for Luke to find new allies. Especially now that he was the new Lord Twintle.
“Want to tell us what that was about?” Deneya asked in hushed tones. The Westerners were no longer paying them any mind.
“And why we’re trying to get on a ship with Twintle of all people.” Even though Taavin couldn’t have recognized the man by face, he recognized him by name.
“To find an enemy, we have to go were enemies lurk,” Vi whispered back. “Twintle is up to something. If he’s coming to Lyndum willingly, I’d stake my life that whatever he’s up to is big, and intended to work against Solaris. He and the rest of the Knights have had decades to lick their wounds from the blows they were dealt at the fall of Mhashan, and my cutting their ranks in the Caverns. They’re emboldened again, and their coffers are fat.”
“You think they might be planning something with QA.”
“I can’t be certain, but they’ve done it before. Why not go to her again?”
“And your rationale is there’s only one way for us to be certain—to get on his ship,” Deneya continued.
“Yes. Either Adela didn’t manage to get the treasure off the Dark Isle and it’s here somewhere, or she took it, and it’s on the Stormfrost. If it’s the latter, the Knights might be our best way to get to her.”
“Clever, I’ll give you that.” Deneya grinned and stood, sliding out from the bench of their booth.
Vi and Taavin followed. They slipped out the main door and into the cool night with only a glance from Twintle. It was the last weeks of summer, and the chill of autumn was already beginning to settle on the world.
Taavin linked his arm with Vi’s, allowing Deneya to walk ahead. He lowered his voice. “Are you sure about this?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“I don’t like the notion of working with the Knights.”
“Trust me, I’m not a fan of it either.”
They arrived at the single-room hovel they’d been staying in near the market. Most nights, Vi longed for something better. But it was a roof over their heads and they didn’t have much in the way of gold or silver—some pilfered treasure Vi had stolen from the palace before they left, Deneya’s meager wages from working in the stables, and whatever coin Deneya’s craftsmanship brought in.
In the back corners of the room were three pallets. Two were pushed together, the third on the opposite side. They went about their business, readying for bed with habitual precision bef
ore crawling under their respective blankets.
“Think the beds on the ship will be better than this?” Deneya asked the darkness.
“There will be bunks or hammocks, if it’s anything like the other vessels I’ve been on,” Vi answered, twisting both her body and her words as she dodged the heart of the question.
Taavin slotted into place behind her, one arm stretched out underneath her pillow. The other wrapped around her waist and tugged lightly, bringing her close.
“A hammock sounds nice. Fewer bugs probably.” Deneya yawned. “I bet it sways with the rocking of the ship. Lull us to sleep like babes.”
Vi laughed. “The first time I was on a ship, I was nothing like a babe. More like a drunkard, vomiting everywhere.”
“It can’t be that bad. The ride over from Risen was easy enough.”
“Risen,” Taavin murmured sleepily in her ear. Warmth flooded her at the sound of his voice so close, at the feeling of his body flush behind her. Vi savored every precious sensation. She’d been taking them for granted since he’d gained his body. “If we get all the weapons—” he yawned “—we’ll need to go to Risen and get the flame, to get Yargen’s essence within it.”
“I know.” Vi had been accounting for it from the start. She kept track of where Yargen’s essence was stored: the flame, the Caverns, the three remaining crystal weapons, Taavin, and herself. Every night, Vi reminded herself of the count. Because the question of what would happen to her and Taavin when the time to summon Yargen came always circled back into the front of her mind. “One step at a time. First we have to find the crown.”
“And get all the other weapons.”
Thoughts of Risen brought her mind in another direction. “Deneya.”
“Argh, I was just about to fall asleep. What?” she said with a flair of drama.
“You were not about to fall asleep.” Vi grinned. “What does Lumeria think has happened to you?” It had been over ten years since Vi had last heard of Deneya checking in with the queen.