CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Come to the Crystal Castle. See light where there was darkness. She freed the Itherians. Be a part of this.
—Correspondence from Ordell to Enya. Date preceding Sultiran Calendrical System.
The soft lapping of water drew me from sleep, and I inhaled a deep breath of cedar. My head fell to the side and landed on soft, cottony sheets. I tugged the furs higher and reached for Bayne as my aching arm slid across the bed.
My hand found only cold, abandoned space, and I tugged it back in, huddling against the draft that snaked its way into the captain’s quarters.
I blinked my eyes open, frowning at the wall of weapons before me. Axes, intricate bows, spears, curved blades. What the…
Astraeus.
I was in Lord Astraeus’s captain’s quarters. The events of the last several weeks raced back into view as I sat up, and nausea slammed into me. I leaned over its edge and hurled into a small bowl of stew that had been left for me.
I was alive.And weak, I realized, as I slowly sat up. I tugged an oversized tunic off my chest, disgusted as I recognized the pirate lord’s shirt. Every part of me reeled at the thought.
My fingers grazed an oval burn blistered on my chest.My amplifier had done this. I sucked in a quick breath and scanned the black wooden desk where my things sat. I tiptoed to the amplifier that sat on top of the round stone containing Faron’s Bellator power next to a stack of books. A small gasp escaped my lips as I lifted the pendant, still warm to the touch, and ran a thumb over the surface.
A delicate etching of ferns and flowers twisted around each other, adorning the once smooth amber in an elaborate design.
Bayne must have worked a spell into the amplifier to keep it from being destroyed. As I tapped into its power, the spell directed the resulting damage to follow a design on its surface. I gazed with wonder at the pendant and popped it open. The remains of the small, ancient creature hadn’t been disturbed. Even with all the power it took to…
Aquila.
Nerissa and Vulcan.
I scrambled as I tugged on my leathers and threw on my own bloodstained shirt. Fogginess clouded my head as I stumbled toward the door. I blew out a breath as I stepped from Lord Astraeus’s quarters and into the bright light of midday on board theHydra.
Vulcan’s scarred face was free of the blood that coated it before our trip through the lake. His hazel eyes found mine and softened, with the smallest hint of a smile forming on his lips. I opened my mouth as I moved toward him when a thin form rushed at me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and squeezing the breath from me.
“Lyvia!” Vienah cried against my shoulder.
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Where is?—”
A deafening screech echoed above as Aquila’s massive shadow swooped behind the mainsail, and he landed with a thud in the middle of the deck. The few remaining in Lord Astraeus’s crew stumbled back at the sight of the giant bird. Who was now…enormous. His wingspan rivaled Tiberius’s, and his body was large enough to carry one, if not more riders.
Caeluma.
His keen eyes surveyed me, and he cocked his head, sending a wave of gratitude and warmth. I placed a hand upon my chest as he bowed. A squeezing sensation built in my heart, and I blinked away a tear.
“Thank you, Aquila.”
The bird straightened, his form towering over me and casting a net of shadow as he ruffled his coppery feathers.
“Is Nerissa okay?”
A wave of reassurance, hedged with concern, rippled, and he turned his head toward the crew chambers below deck.
I moved to make my way below deck when Carina strode toward me with an air of confidence I’d yet to see in her.
“Bonder,” she said, adjusting her cracked spectacles. Carina stood with her chin high, and her Ravindra eyes narrowed on me. A nasty cut ran down the side of her face and across the side of her upper lip, making her appear anything but timid. The shadows of battle lingered in the traces of darkness below her eyes. Gone was the meek, mousy princess we’d left Lotrennia with.
“Your call to protect the innocent,” Carina continued. “Your oath with Astraeus. Does it extend to the innocent in Lotrennia?”
I blinked. “Yes. Of course.”
She peered at me, her keen eyes studying me as if struggling with some internal decision.
