Chapter 16

16

“ E ira!” Cullen’s voice was the only thing she heard above the roar of the wind.

“Eira!” Olivin, more distant.

“Eira! Eira!” Alyss and the others.

Ducot was crouched at her side, hand gliding over her back, arm linking with hers. He yanked her upward as though she were little more than a sack of grain. Eira hissed, leg threatening to give out again.

She dared to look down.

The thing was mangled. Chunks of muscle were held together by strips of flesh. Bile rose in the back of her throat as her head spun.

Get yourself together, girl! Even though Adela was nowhere near, her voice still lived in Eira. The pirate queen was forever a part of her. Guiding her when she needed it most.

Another shot rang out, whizzing past and exploding against the dirt road, leaving a deep pockmark. They were trying to shoot through the wind. Cullen’s magic was deflecting it, but not outright stopping it.

She looked to him, instantly finding his magic. She’d know it anywhere, his powers as familiar as her own. With a thought, she deepened his access to his power.

Another flash drew her attention. Eira braced herself but this time it never made it to them. Cullen unleashed a primal roar and with it a staggering—nearly frightening—amount of power. The winds roared, picking up not just dust and loose debris, but ripping through entire buildings. They turned into a dusty gray wall of stormy violence.

“Go.” Eira barely managed the word through gritted teeth. Ducot did as she commanded. She wrapped ice around her thigh, holding flesh and bone together in a clumsy splint. With every step, she adjusted the amount and placement, trying to find the right combination to allow them to break into an all-out run.

Together, they ran into the fields, Cullen’s magic still howling in the city. Alyss’s hands shifted and spun magic to hide their tracks. Eira’s own powers arced above them, lacing with Olivin’s as their fingers and breaths had two nights ago, casting a cloak of invisibility over them.

They ran away from the town, away from the road that had knights in the distance racing toward the commotion, and away from the grief that was being left behind.

They stopped by a stream. The sun was low in the sky. Blessedly, between the chaos and their magic, they’d managed to give the knights the slip. But the going was slow through the fields and it wasn’t until they came across a canal made to water the crops that they stopped to catch their breath and recover their strength.

Eira immediately collapsed.

Alyss was at her side in an instant. “Let me see.”

No sooner had Eira’s magic withdrawn from her leg than Alyss’s appeared. The woman moved her hands over Eira’s mutilated flesh, fingers twitching as if tugging on invisible threads. Her flesh knitted and Eira let out a sigh as the pain began to fade.

“How is it?” Alyss asked.

Eira bent and straightened her leg. “Good as new.”

Her friend gave a heavy sigh and shook her head. “That was too much…too close.”

“I’m fine.” Eira rested her hand on Alyss’s.

“This time. But what about next time? Or the time after?” Alyss’s emerald eyes searched Eira’s.

“Alyss—”

“I can’t watch another friend die!” The words nearly choked her. They had Eira by the throat as well.

“I won’t, Alyss. I’m not going anywhere.”

“What if it wasn’t you?”

The question was truly one of Eira’s worst nightmares.

“I won’t let anything happen to any of you. Not after…” Eira couldn’t bring herself to say Noelle’s name.

“We’ll look after each other,” Cullen chimed in.

Alyss’s face jerked in his direction, brow furrowing. “Look after each other? Is that what you called that?” Her tone was harsher than Eira had ever heard it.

“What’re you talking about?” Cullen wiped sweat from his brow.

“You practically destroyed that town.”

“But I did not.” To his credit, Cullen didn’t flinch, even despite his history. “Only a few homes by the gate were damaged. There were no casualties other than those in the immediate area—which were almost all knights.”

Alyss stood and took a step toward him. “It was an unnecessary risk.”

“We had to get out alive, I tried as best I could to minimize the impact, but sometimes there will be collateral damage,” he said calmly.

“You could’ve hurt innocent people,” Alyss said. Cullen merely looked away, perhaps in guilt, perhaps because he was done with the conversation. Alyss stilled, leaning back slowly as horror widened her eyes. “You knew it and didn’t even care.”

“Sometimes, what must be done is uglier than we’d like.” Cullen still didn’t look at her. His eyes were fixed back on the town. Eira wondered if he saw the last town he’d decimated with his winds.

“This isn’t you, Cullen,” Alyss whispered.

“You don’t know me or what I’m capable of.” The words were plain. Simple. And somehow more fearsome for it.

“Maybe I don’t…because I thought you were better than that.” Alyss’s tone was disappointed, wounded even. Just as Eira was about to move for her, Yonlin crossed over.

“Alyss, it’s all right.” Yonlin said, tugging her away. “Allun needs your help, if you’re able…”

Cullen sighed and knelt beside Eira. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She nodded, both for him, and for Olivin who cast a concerned look her way. “I am, Cullen. I’m just going to consult the map.”

He nodded, hearing the dismissal in her tone. They all needed a moment.

She took the rudimentary map that had been given to her, trying to assess where they were. Two days … She needed to get them back into the tunnel before dawn came. Eira massaged her leg in thought.

If her guess was correct, they could follow this canal back to the woods, then cut at a diagonal to the entrance of the cave. It would take them late into the night, but the darkness would be a good cover. No doubt the knights had already sent word of the commotion and prison break to those at the wall. They were probably expecting that Allun would be making a run for Qwint…

“Eira?” Ducot crouched alongside her.

“Ducot?”

After a long stretch of silence, he said, “Thank you.”

With a sigh, she folded up the map and returned it to her pocket. Eira stared down the long trough of water that stretched toward a hazy, sunset horizon. “You’ve nothing to thank me for.”

“If you hadn’t pulled me out, I would’ve died there—I would’ve got myself killed,” he corrected gravely.

“You probably would have,” she agreed softly. “I might have too.”

Eira’s attention swung over her shoulder and back to Cullen. Yonlin and Olivin were off to the side talking with Allun. Alyss had flopped on the ground, looking as if she was allowing the agitation to evaporate off her body. But Cullen was dutifully filling everyone’s waterskins and repacking their rations after handing out portions. Perhaps trying to make amends for the awkwardness he’d just created.

There had been a time when she had resented him for his endless pursuit of duty and obligation. How tirelessly he upheld what was expected of him. She’d never stopped to appreciate how that same trait meant that she didn’t have to think about her cup being full and her bed being warm. That when she was busy worrying about everyone else…she had someone worrying about her. As annoying as it could be, sometimes, he was right to do it. And a part of her would always be grateful. Especially when it was a man who was ready to destroy the world for her, if that’s what it took.

“Don’t throw it away,” Ducot said softly.

“What?”

“Your love, your affection, this crew you’ve built. Don’t throw it away.”

“I know.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, teasing out the tangles. Eira began weaving it together so it wouldn’t snag on branches or get worse during their final trek. “I’ve…tried not to.”

He nodded. Another stretch of silence crossed their path.

“If it’d bring her back, if it wouldn’t risk any of us, I’d burn it all to the ground for her,” Eira whispered. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she no longer cared. That she was content with letting Noelle’s murderers roam the world when their friend burned eternal in the fires of the flash bead mines. “I’d dismantle every brick and stone of their order. I’d end every person responsible for that place.”

“I know. And maybe we can work toward that.” Ducot had a tired smirk cross his face briefly. It was the closest thing to happiness she’d seen on him in ages. “You’ll get practice utterly destroying something with the Pillars. After that, perhaps we turn our sails to Carsovia? Wreak havoc along their shores?”

“I’ll be at the whims of Adela.”

“As will I. But in my experience the pirate queen rarely says no to brutal piracy, especially against those she has a grudge with.” He chuckled.

Brutal piracy …as good as it sounded to her, Eira’s eyes darted to Alyss. Her friend was so concerned over innocents. How would she ever settle into such a life? The unsettled sensation from when she and Alyss were in Qwint’s market returned, now coalesced around a question. It’d be best if Alyss didn’t go ashore, when the time came. She was excellent support on the ship, anyway.

Ducot continued, oblivious, drawing Eira from her momentary panicked musings, “Adela had been doing a fairly good job at striking fear into them before your existence sidetracked her, so I doubt she’ll resist encouragement to do it again.”

“And you’ll stay with me through it?” The question had been looming over her for weeks now.

“Adela still has the core of my loyalty.” That didn’t surprise Eira to hear. She was practically a surrogate mother figure to him. “But you seem to have her faith, and are her declared heir. If she’s put that trust in you, then you have mine as well.”

“Even if—” Her throat closed involuntarily, forcing Eira to choke on the words. “Even if it was my fault Noelle died?”

“It wasn’t, though.” Ducot frowned. “Not any more than it was mine, or Cullen’s, or the Empress of Carsovia’s. We all made choices that led her there. But at the end, it was her choice to go, and to stay.” The words were somewhat forced, practiced even, as though he had said them countless times over and over to himself to believe them. Not that Eira hadn’t been attempting to do any different. Perhaps…what they had both been waiting for was to hear it from someone else.

“You’re right,” Eira forced herself to say as well. “But that hasn’t stopped me from hating them.”

“I hope it never does.” Ducot twisted the ring he’d taken from Noelle’s collection around his finger. A part of her he’d always carry with him, no matter what his future held.

But, perhaps, there was more that ring could offer him …

Emboldened by the success of freeing Allun, Eira outstretched her hand. “May I see it, just for a moment?”

Even though Ducot surely knew she wouldn’t take it from him, he still hesitated. But only for a breath.

“Yes,” he said.

Balling her hand into a fist, Eira turned all her focus—and her power—to the ring. She had been practicing with Adela now for months. The time where this skill would be put to the test was near…if it even worked at all.

No. It would work. It had to.

Sure enough, as she suspected, there was an echo in the ring. Noelle was too strong of a sorceress not to create unintentional echoes, especially in things she’d be wearing all day long. The words were inconsequential but they still had Eira’s eyes prickling and a lump forming in her throat at merely hearing them.

Yes, almost ready , Noelle’s voice echoed from a different time and place. Was she preparing for the games? The ball before their start? Or was this from earlier? Noelle continued, clearly speaking to herself given the murmured words. Too much with the necklace? Maybe? No. Ugh, I hate these ribbons. There. Better. All right, I’m ready!

The voice faded away with the sound of footsteps Eira’s own imagination fulfilled. She could see her friend with such clarity, sprinting off, ready for whatever event awaited her, looking fabulous as always. Eira had kept tight control of her magic for so long to avoid hearing anything she didn’t intend to, in part because she was afraid of this moment. Afraid of hearing her friend once more.

It hurt as sharply as she’d expected it to. But there was also a sweetness to the pain of hearing Noelle’s voice again. Their friend lived on and this was tangible proof. That was the reassurance Eira wanted to share.

Taking Ducot’s hand in hers, she placed his palm over her fist. Confusion furrowed the glowing dots along his brow, but he didn’t ask questions. Eira allowed her magic to swell once more.

The echo repeated in her mind, but Ducot didn’t react.

More power . Adjusted in a different way. He had to be involved with the magic, perhaps?

Frost coated her wrist and began to creep over his fingers.

“Eira?”

The echo repeated once more. No reaction. She pressed her lips into a hard line of focus. The frost was beginning to harden to ice.

“Eira!” Ducot yanked his hand away. “What’re you doing?”

The rest of the group looked her way. She quickly dismissed her magic, placing the ring back in Ducot’s palm. He seemed grateful to have it, but his confusion understandably didn’t abate.

She didn’t offer an explanation or answer his question, instead saying, “We should get going.”

“We just stopped,” Alyss groaned.

“She’s right.” Allun stood, dusting off dirt and dried grasses. “The longer we stay in one place, the more dangerous it’ll be. If they find me a third time, I doubt they’ll take me alive again.”

“Moreover, we only have until dawn,” Eira added, reminding them of their time limit. That the three days they should’ve had were actually two.

“Eira—” Cullen grabbed her wrist before she could start walking. “Your eyes… Are you all right?”

“What’s wrong with my eyes?” Eira blinked in confusion.

“They’re, they almost seemed…” He trailed off.

“What?”

“Almost like they glowed? Or that the color was draining from them?” Cullen shook his head. “Never mind. I must’ve imagined it.”

With a nod, Eira started onward and the rest of them fell in tow. Ducot was half a step behind her, suddenly feeling like a protective guard. Even though he couldn’t see it, Eira couldn’t stop herself from casting a warm smile his way. It was good to feel like they were on the same side, with the same understanding, once more. She caught him sliding on the ring again. To Eira’s surprise, he didn’t ask again about what she’d been attempting. Perhaps he didn’t want to know. Or he already suspected and couldn’t handle the heartbreak of her failure.

Cullen slid in tightly at her left. “Thank you, by the way, for your help back there with my magic.”

“Of course.” She nodded. “You’re lucky you’re the first person I started working on that skill with. I don’t think I could’ve been as fast with anyone else.”

“Generally, I like it when you take your time.”

She snorted with amusement. Cullen grinned as well. But the expression quickly vanished.

His tone turned somber. “You must be careful.”

“Something tells me that you’re not still worried about my eyes, or warning me against the obvious dangers ahead with making it through whatever patrols Carsovia’s knights might have set up by the wall.” She had tried to look at everything from every angle. Consider all options. But she knew from his tone alone that there was something she’d missed.

Cullen’s voice dropped to a hush. “Qwint is setting you up for failure.” Olivin wasn’t the only one who maintained his noble instincts.

“How so?” She had suspicions, but she wanted to hear his interpretation.

“They have given you what they are clearly thinking is an impossible task,” Cullen explained. “Either you will fail, and they are proved right. Or you succeed, and they are likely to use it to bring calls again that you are, without doubt, Adela’s spawn. Should that belief take hold…” He couldn’t seem to bring himself to reach the logical conclusion.

So Eira did it for him. “They will likely hold me hostage or use me as leverage.”

“Or worse,” he finished gravely.

“They can certainly try.” Eira chuckled. “But I don’t think they realize the fight they’re in for if they do.”

“Once more, running headfirst into danger.” Cullen didn’t sound upset in the slightest.

“I feel more confident doing it when you’re at my side.” She looked up at him and his attention swung to her. Cullen’s lips parted, brow furrowing just a little. Could he really be in that much disbelief? Her expression eased into a tired, but genuine smile. “It’s true, especially after that display in town.”

“I will always be there to try and get you out of trouble,” he vowed. “And to help you avoid it, when the need arises.”

“Even if it might frustrate me sometimes, I do appreciate your counsel,” she said sincerely.

“Well, you frustrate me sometimes, too, if it’s any consolation. Because if I’m being honest, I want to help you make that trouble.” He chuckled softly. Eira echoed the sound.

“Lord Cullen, what a scandal to admit,” she said, jokingly aghast.

“If only the Solaris Court could see me now,” he mused. Her eyes darted up and down him. Indeed , she agreed silently, because from where she stood he was a sight to behold. “But even when you drive me mad, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but by your side. The idea of you being in danger when I’m not there to help you…that’s more gutting than anything else. If it—” He stopped himself short and finished with, “If standing by you is something you’ll let me do.”

That wasn’t what he’d been about to say. If it had been you that day. Eira had heard those unsaid words with perfect clarity. She had felt them hitting her heart like a mallet, one by one. Stinging the backs of her eyes.

Ducot carried his ring with its echo…but they all carried scars on their hearts. Noelle had been the one to die that day, she had been the one to pay the ultimate price. Yet, something inside each of them had been burned away by those flames. And now, new growth was beginning to bud from the ashes. But what would eventually bloom in its place was still a mystery.