Page 177 of By the Flames of Her Fury

“I choose to believe she did. That they all did.” He paused for a moment, then added, “But all of that is over now, yes?”

Vera nodded. “You’re free to do whatever you want.” She held an arm out to the kingdom. “Rebuild Pyraeth, or start somewhere fresh, or…anything,” she said with a small laugh. “Nothing can cage you anymore.”

She met my gaze at those words, and emotion shimmered in her eyes. She wasn’t just speaking to the Pyreathis.

“Gather your things, and we’ll take you to the docks,” Dom said. “We can prepare a vessel for your journey home.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You have ships here? But you can’t travel anywhere.”

“Every century, when the portal opens, scouts are sent out on a ship. We still have the one from the last expedition. It’s a…bit old, I’ll admit,” Dom said, wincing, “but it can still get on the water, if you have a captain who can sail it, of course.”

I peered down at Vera with a scowl, and she sighed. “I told you it was a good thing I didn’t kill him.”

I exhaled, and the sound faded into a growl. “Whatever it takes to get us home.”

She tapped my nose. “That’s the spirit.”

“But what about you?” I asked Dom. “If this is your only ship, how will you get off the island?”

“Yes, we can’t just leave you here,” Vera agreed.

“You’ve already done plenty simply by giving us the choice,” Dom said. “And I’m not sure we all want to leave.” He looked around at the other rebels. “Pyraeth is still home. Perhaps we can make it ours again. Rebuild it into what it should’ve been.”

Vera grinned. “I think that’s a great idea.”

My hand fell to Vera’s waist. “Do you want to go tell the others to get ready?”

She nodded, her eyes flashing with excitement. “Come on, Swift.” She laced our fingers together. “Let’s go home.”

86

Vera

The sun shone on the deck, kissing my skin as water lapped against the hull. We’d been on the water for days now, and the Saltmourne shoreline was finally in view.

We spent another day in Pyraeth before leaving, which gave some time for all the variables to fall into place. Gathering supplies, getting the ship ready, organizing the prisoners. Most were rebel Pyraethis who had been captured by the High Elders for treason and held as future vessels. But some, like Starke’s family, were outsiders Mortep either coerced or kidnapped. They had loved ones back in the Triad Realm they were eager to return to, and Starke promised he would get them where they needed to go.

Several rebels also accompanied us on a scouting trip. They planned to meet with the three High Councils of the Triad Realm—after the world got over the shock of a new kingdom plopped in the middle of the Imarian Sea, at least. I was sure a casual, “Hello, we’ve been here for a millennium but were hidden by the Fates, and now we’re back,” would go over well.

Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I turned around. Starke took off his tricorn hat and shuffled his feet. “Hi, V.”

Silence stretched between us. So many conflicting emotions warred in my mind—anger, sadness, betrayal, all mixed with the good memories, the trust and friendship. Things I had wanted to be real.

“Starke,” I finally said, facing the water again. I propped my elbows on the rail, and a moment later, he joined me.

“Vera, listen. I⁠—”

“I don’t want to hear another apology. There’s nothing else you can say.”

“I know.” He scratched his beard. “Trust me, I know you well enough by now. What I was going to say was…thank you.” I jerked my neck toward him, raising an eyebrow. “You could’ve left me to die in those caves,” he continued. “Fates, you could’ve killed me yourself, but you didn’t. And because of that, I got to see my family again.” His gaze wandered to the helm, where his father was teaching one of his brothers how to steer. “You were right. Mortep probably would’ve killed them just to spite me. I should’ve trusted you. Maybe things could’ve been different. Maybe you and I…without all of this,” he swept a hand over the water, “maybe it could’ve gone differently.”

“No, Starke,” I said softly. “It wouldn’t have. But I’m glad you got them back.” We both stared into the gentle waves, watching white foam hit the side of the ship and rush back into the blue water.

“We’re almost to Saltmourne,” I said, breathing in slowly. “This is the last time I’ll ever see you.” I played with the edge of my leather jacket. Fates, I still wasn’t any good at this. “I don’t know how to forgive you, but I also know I wouldn’t have survived the last year without you. And maybe it was all a ruse, or part of your master plan, but⁠—”

“It wasn’t, Vera, I promise,” he interjected. “That’s what made it so hard.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. But there’s still a part of me that will always remember the friend you were, Starke. That’s the man I want to say thank you to.” Tears pricked the backs of my eyes, and I wiped my nose with my sleeve. It was like there were two sides of me—the girl who had needed his friendship, and the girl who had to let go.