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The Sea Prince winced.
“Our power is on the sea,” he said, sounding apologetic.
At that, Sorasa stopped short. Her head snapped up, her hair tossing back to show a curve of a tattoo at her neck. Dom knew it at a glance.The scorpion.
“Yourpower,” she said, breathless. Then her eyes went to Dom, boring into his own, until he felt like he could see the inside of her mind.
His heartbeat quickened, his own breath going shallow. Realization ripped down his spine.
Dom’s voice shook. “The Temurijon marches too.”
Something pinched his forearm, and Dom realized Meliz still gripped him, her fingers digging in. Her face lit from within, fiery resolve settling over the pirate captain.
“The Emperor and his Countless will need swift passage,” she barked, releasing Dom. “As many ships as we can muster.”
Meliz an-Amarat was small compared to the Sea Prince and his lords, clad in rough clothing, her body swaying as if still at sea. But she faced them like a giant, unyielding and unafraid.
The Sea Prince bent at the waist, a wink in his eye, a smirk playing on his lips. When he smiled, a single gold tooth gleamed.
“It will be done,” he said, to the chagrin of his companions.
Both Malek and Kyros crowed in shock, kicking up a fuss of noise.
Sorasa’s own voice was nearly lost in the din, but Dom heard her over all others.
“We will require a ship too.”
“I’m ashamed I can’t go with you.”
The blue-green waters of the Orisi port shimmered, the sun hazing golden as it dipped toward the western horizon. Meliz stood beside Dom at the railing above the docks, the pair of them like statues watching the sea. She did not look at him, nor the small ship being provisioned for his journey northeast. Her gaze was somewhere else, her eyes shadowed, her heart thumping a ragged beat in Dom’s ears.
Dom let her words linger, choosing his own carefully.
“You will be more useful with the armada.” It was the truth. “Both to your allies, and to Corayne.”
The captain drew a short breath, stilling herself. On the docks, Sorasa watched over another boat, directing provisions and stores onto the deck. Their new ship was tiny in comparison to theTempestborn, crewed by half a dozen men, but seaworthy enough for the voyage to Calidon.
“And if we do not reach you in time?” Meliz muttered, shaking her head. Something caught in her voice. “If a storm blows in, or the Emperor is delayed—”
“It does no good to think of such things,” Dom said bluntly.“We can only trust in each other.”
The words sounded hollow, even in his own head. But Dom believed them all the same. He had to, for there was nothing else.
“And we must trust in the gods, wherever they may be.” Meliz went sour, her lip curling. She bent a finger, making some gesture at the sea. “If they exist at all.”
“My own gods are silent, but I’ve seen enough to know gods still speak in this realm,” he muttered. The Spindles burned in his mind, golden and brutal, each one another merciless doorway.
Meliz raised her gaze to glare at the sky. “What kind of god allows such times as these?”
Shuddering, Dom went cold, despite the sunlight and the warm southern breeze.
“It is not only a god who brings about this doom,” he said. “But the heart of a mortal man.”
The wind stirred in Meliz’s hair, blowing a black curl across her face. It glinted dark red with the light, a streak of color within the abyss black. If Dom squinted, her face blurring, she could be Corayne. It was an illusion, but he relaxed into it.
“Corayne’s uncle,” Meliz said slowly. Her cheeks flushed. “A twin, you say.”
The illusion shattered into a thousand pieces.
