Chapter 29

"We should kill him and turn his head over to the king."

Another male voice chimes in. "He can kill you without moving a muscle, boy. I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

Acker's voice is laced with rage. "I'll kill you both if you let her die."

Every breath is a struggle. Fluid gurgles into my throat and mouth with each inhale. I want it to end, but death doesn't seem willing to make this quick for me.

An older, female voice says, "Who's at the door?"

There's a stretch of silence, the only noise my shallow breathing.

"You're the healer," Acker says, losing the hardness in his tone, desperation seeping through.

Cold fingers trail my cheek. "She isn't fully awakened," the female says. A moment passes before she continues. "She can't be healed without going through the awakening. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do for her."

"Try," he demands, a weak order as his voice breaks on the single word. "Please."

There's a deep breath of consideration before she orders the other men to gather oils and herbs from her apothecary cabinet.

"We'll go to the temple. "

"There's no time for your fanatical bullshit," Acker spits, anger returning full force. "Here. Do it here."

"You don't know it all, metal slinger. You will do what I say, and threatening me with death will do you no good," she tacks on.

I sink in and out of consciousness. There's a hot poker shoved through my chest, but I feel removed from it, like I'm separate from my body and I only exist in my mind. Memories stack on top of each other. Not just from my early childhood as my father tucked me into bed, a blank space where his face should be, but from my time in Alaha, when Kai began teaching me how to hold my breath for long increments under water.

The recollections volley back and forth, over and over like my soul is trying to mesh the two histories together. Then I'm catapulted into the real world, screaming from the searing pain when the arrow is ripped from my body.

"Hold her down," the woman yells.

Hands pin my arms and legs to a hard slab of rock, my eyes locking on Acker's above me. He's sweating, eyes wild and teeth mashed together as he holds my shoulders down. I can't stop screaming long enough to formulate words, but I'm begging him.

Stop this. Let me free.

He looks away, toward the woman as she begins to speak. "Do it."

Then she puts her hands on my chest. It's worse than the awakening, worse than the reed that pierced my chest, indescribable in every way. Pure agony. My body bows away from the table. I've lost all control. It fights to get away.

Shouts breach my muted senses, not mine, but of the people holding me down. One of the men begs a god I don't know for mercy.

The woman barks commands. "Close your eyes! Don't open them unless you want to go blind!"

I don't know what she's talking about. I can't see anything. Endless nothing before me, behind me, in every direction. I can only feel the hands on my bare skin, hear the words of the woman as she resumes the task at hand.

Acker's hair tickles my brow, and I realize his forehead is pressed against mine, his hands the most prominent on my shoulders. I'm teleported into a memory, different from the ones I've dreamed of before.

I'm standing on a cliff overlooking the sea as I turn to face Hallis. His appearance is clear for the first time, but he's grown. A man stands before me with deep auburn hair, freckles blending with the tan of his skin.

"What if she's too far gone," Hallis says.

His golden eyes pierce my own, steady as he gives me time to consider my answer.

No, not my answer.

Acker's.

"I can't abandon her."

His thoughts string through me like they're mine. No one has gone to Alaha and returned to tell the tale. Mercenaries and spies, killed under a veil of secrecy. Wren has crafted a persona as a doting leader. The body parts we've received by messenger bags beg to differ.

I'll arrive in broad daylight. It's the only way to prevent Wren from killing me outright. His power is muted over the ocean, so he can't persuade the minds of that many people in his favor if he kills a man in cold blood. Weather permitting, we'll embark in the morning.

Hallis nods. "The galleon will release a peace flare when you arrive."

I reach for the blade strapped to my outer thigh and come up empty. I feel incomplete without it, but it brings me solace that it found its way back to her.

"Send word to her family. No matter the outcome."

Hallis nods and places a hand on my shoulder. "May the next time you two reunite go better than the first."

I shove his arm from my shoulder, trying to disguise the strain in my walk as we head back to port. My ankle aches despite the healer's touch, but a smile pulls at my mouth in anticipation.

I'm going to get Jovie.