CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Keen of mind, with sharp eyes and wit, the Messenger plotted as he watched the ruling gods.
—Fabia’s Fables, “People of the Stars.”
Walls of navy water stretched to the bright sky, shadowing the soaked, sandy floor of the lake from the afternoon sun. The damp scent of eggs and decay wafted from its depths despite the continuous wind Carina tunneled through the water. Shorter strands of hair ripped free of the tight braids Vienah and I wore. Though the cuff suppressed her powers, the water seemed to react to Vienah as we walked through the tunnel, waiting for that whisper of command.
Lord Astraeus and Raek flanked me as we trudged downhill. Carina’s wind continued to push a wall of water ahead of us, and I let that incessant buzzing lead us in an insufferable zigzagging pattern through the lake. Six of the pirate’s men joined us in our scouting mission at the bottom of the lake.
“What do you plan to do with it?” I asked him as we stepped over a row of algae-covered, ragged rocks and into a slimyblanket of limp, rancid weeds.Life. So much more life than we’d ever imagined in the Death Dunes...
Lord Astraeus cut a quick glance at me as he pondered his answer. After a moment, he said, “I’ll use it to protect my people.”
An exasperated scoff escaped my lips. “Really?” I said, turning to him as we walked. “‘There isn’t an ounce of good in me.’That’s what you said. You expect me to believe a Lord of Marisarma is going to use the power of the Bellators to protect his people?Whatpeople?”
His dark eyes narrowed as he said, “Votruvians, of course. We’ve been outcasts for hundreds of years. Saros’s protection for humans ends at the borders of Sultira. And with the islands constantly fought over by the sea lords, the people have suffered from more than just the ashen.”
“Then you admit the Lords of Marisarma are a part of the problem. Are you going to kill off the other one and make yourself king?” I asked, remembering the stories Morwyn told me about her homeland.
“There’s much you don’t know, Bonscaíh,” he said, smirking as he patted the top of my head.
I leaned back, smacking his hand away. “Did you justpatme?”
Another smirk. “Bloodhound, right?”
“Fuck you,” I snapped.
He held his hands up in defeat as I put distance between us.
“The bones don’thandthe power over,” I said after a moment. “Daimos could only wield the two he acquired because he is an incredibly powerful mystic who has lived hundreds of years. And as far as Bellators go…” I glanced at him sidelong.
He placed a hand to his heart. “What? You don’t thinkIcould be a noble Bellator? I’m hurt.”
I bristled at the sarcasm. “You’re reckless and cruel,” I spat, thinking of Vulcan’s ruined face. “I could never trust you.”
I opened my mouth once more, and he abruptly stopped, gripping above my elbow and spinning me toward him. I tensed as he leaned in, close enough I could see tiny flecks of gray in his dark irises. A wave of cedar and leather snaked into my lungs.
“I don’t need your trust,” he murmured. “I need you to do your job.”
My molars scraped against each other, and I envisioned my forehead crashing into Lord Astraeus’s nose, but my brain promptly took control. I shoved out of his hold and continued walking, following that miserable buzzing.
“How long has it been?” Ronan asked from behind after a few moments of tense silence.
“Fifty minutes, give or take,” Raek answered. He shifted next to me, eyeing his captain.
“We’ll need time to make it back out,Bonscaíh,” Astraeus murmured.
Something tugged on my braid. I snapped my gaze to Astraeus, and he cocked an eyebrow, the seriousness from moments before gone.
“Don’t touch my hair. And stop calling me that,” I snapped, irritation cutting through the words.
Raek let out a low chuckle next to me.
I whipped my head toward him, “What? What does it mean?”
Raek’s lips twitched to the side, and he opened his mouth to answer.
“Shadow,” Astraeus cut in.
