They were the lucky ones. Cormere was one of the closest realms to us, and I’d only been there once, but I could still remember the beauty of the shallow turquoise seas, the white sands and cities carved from rocky cliff-sides.
“Look at those engines,” I breathed, watching as the anchor crystals began to pulse, their light building from a gentle glow to a brilliant radiance.
The ship’s wings extended fully, catching the energy flowing from the crystals. The vessel rose gracefully from its moorings, hovering momentarily before surging upward with breathtaking speed.
“One day,” I said softly, watching as the Celeste aimed for the Gallery portal. “One day we’ll have a ship like that.”
Kora snorted. “Big dreams for someone who gets nauseated on a skiff.”
I elbowed her, but couldn’t help smiling. The rickety skiffs we occasionally hired to cross the bay were a far cry from a vessel like the Celeste. Those poorly maintained crafts barely stayed afloat, their ancient crystal engines sputtering and threateningto give out mid-journey. The idea of piloting something that ran smooth and reliably was like a dream.
“We should head back,” Kora said, finishing the last of her pastry. “Your mom will be waiting for her medicine.”
Reality crashed back. “Right.” I tore my eyes away from the vanishing ship, now just a spark of light approaching the portal’s shimmering surface. “Let’s go.”
We were walkinghome when Kora grabbed my arm. “Someone’s following us.”
I felt it too. There were eyes on my back, and footsteps that matched ours too perfectly. We turned down a side street, and the follower turned with us.
“What should we do?” I asked quietly.
“Find out what they want.” Kora’s hands crackled with air magic, ready to attack. We stopped abruptly and turned. The woman who’d been following us stopped too. She was tall and broad-shouldered, with the weathered look of someone who’d spent too much time in harsh conditions.
“Juno Farren?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Someone with a job offer. My employer heard you’re one of the few scavengers brave enough to work the deep regions of the Gallery. He has a proposition for you. One that pays very well.”
“I’m not interested.”
“You will be when you hear what he’s offering. Six thousand sovereigns for a single retrieval.”
I almost laughed. Six thousand sovereigns was ridiculous. Life-changing money. The kind of sum that meant either the job was fake or it was suicidally dangerous.
“What’s the catch?”
“The artifact is in Nytheris. In a collapsed royal archive.”
My blood went cold. Nytheris. The first great civilization of realm-travelers. It had collapsed around thirty years ago in a catastrophe that killed millions and sent the survivors into hiding.
And now someone wanted me to scavenge its ruins.
“That’s impossible,” I said. “Nytheris is in the Deep Gallery. No one’s successfully navigated to it in years.”
“My employer has. Multiple times. He’s willing to pay a hefty price for the artifact. All you have to do is retrieve it.”
“What artifact?”
“A codex. Bring it back, and the six thousand sovereigns are yours.”
Six thousand sovereigns for a book. Enough to buy my mom’s tonics. Enough to secure my family’s future for years. It was too good to be true. Which meant it probably was.
“Who’s your employer?” I asked.
“Gideon Pike. He’s waiting to meet you, if you’re interested.”
I looked at Kora, who shook her head slightly.Don’t do it,her expression said.It’s too dangerous.But I thought about my mom struggling to breathe. The weight of responsibility that sat on my shoulders every single day of my life since she got sick.
