Page 63 of By the Flames of Her Fury

“It’s a long story,” Vera said. “You’re right—we have been looking for Mortep, and we might be getting close.” She glanced up at Starke. “Here’s where things get a little more…”

“Uncertain,” he offered, shifting closer to her.

I scowled. Didn’t love that. I tried not to think about the fact that Starke knew about Mortep. That meant the two of them were close enough for Vera to tell him her story. Vera didn’t trust easily, and those she did trust had typically earned it. That should’ve comforted me, to know she had made at least one friend while off on her own. But it didn’t stop my blood from boiling at the way Captain Starke casually sat on the arm of her chair, how they finished each other’s sentences, how her guard was more down for him than it was for me.

Tessa crossed her legs, pointedly kicking my shin in the process. I ran my tongue along my teeth and smoothed my features.

“A couple weeks ago, Starke and I were following a lead on Mortep. There was a rumor he’d been digging around in some caves on Twin Tides, and when we got there, we found a bad wreckage,” Vera started. “It looked like it had been there for centuries. We recovered this phoenix crest and a torn map.” She pulled a long chain from her pocket and set it on top of the map.

I reached for it, my fingers brushing hers as she pulled away. Even that simple touch sent heat up my arm. I hastily gripped the map and chain, bringing them back to my seat for Tessa, Kieran, and me to peruse as Vera continued.

“We didn’t know what either of them meant. None of the maps we have access to match this one. But on that same trip, we came across the whirlpool for the first time, almost at the exact same coordinates as yesterday.

“Odessa and I did some research once we were back in Saltmourne, and it turns out, things like that have been happening around the same spot in the Imarian Sea for generations.” Vera spoke faster, a hint of the passionate girl I remembered breaking through. “Always around springtime. Many of the reports led back to Shipwreck Cove, so that’s why we were out here—to scope out the island. And we found something.”

“Mortep?” I asked, leaning in.

“We’re getting closer,” Vera said with a nod. “People on the island have actually seen him. They said Mortep has been there multiple times, gathering followers for something. Spouting some ideology of a ‘better life’ and ‘lighting the eternal flame.’”

I blinked twice. This was all so much to take in. Why did Mortep need followers? Especially non-magic ones? What was he planning?

Tessa plopped her feet on the floor. “What’s the eternal flame bit about?”

Vera smirked. “That’s the best part.”

“We have very different definitions of the word ‘best,’” Starke shot back.

“Odessa?” Vera said, gesturing to the historian.

She adjusted her spectacles. “There’s a legend that’s been passed down for centuries, one my family came across on their travels. A story of a lost kingdom created by the Fates long ago, who procreated with the humans and bore children who had the power of the Fates.” Her voice was soft but strong as she told the tale. “Eventually, the people became too powerful for their own good and tried to rebel against the Fates. They were then banished from existence as punishment, except for once a century, when the kingdom rises for twenty-four hours to try and break the enchantment before disappearing again.”

We all drank in her words. The cabin was quiet, save for the ocean lapping at the hull outside. Then Tessa said, “Listen, I’m going to be honest with you. That sounds ridiculous.”

Odessa adjusted her spectacles. “I know it’s difficult to believe, but⁠—”

“Oh, no, I totally believe it,” Tessa said. “But it still sounds ridiculous.”

“This place was called the kingdom of the eternal flame,” Vera added. “The same phrase Mortep used in Shipwreck Cove. That can’t be a coincidence. I think he’s trying to find the kingdom and raise them for good.”

“But why?” I asked. “What does he get out of it?”

“Power,” Vera said simply. “These descendants of the Fates are the most powerful beings to ever live. So powerful the Fates banished them for eternity just to get rid of them. If someone like Mortep raises them and harnesses their magic, there’s no telling what he could do.”

“Let’s be sensible here,” Kieran interrupted. “If this kingdom actually exists—not that I would dare to disbelieve you, Miss Odessa,” he said, pink creeping up his cheeks. “It’s simply—well, there is often a grain of truth in these legends, and I want to⁠—”

“Spit it out, Kieran,” Tessa said. She and I exchanged a knowing look. In four years of knowing Kieran, I didn’t think I’d ever heard him stutter.

He took a breath. “You said this kingdom only reappears once every century. Who’s to say when that will be? It could be decades from now.”

“That’s what I said,” Starke grunted.

“The legend specifically says it’s raised on the spring equinox,” Odessa replied. “And all of these incidents Vera and I uncovered over the past several hundred years have happened around spring.”

“And it’s been getting worse the last few weeks,” Vera added. “Maybe because the magic of the kingdom is coming back to life and affecting everything around it, preparing to rise again. Or so we think.” Vera shrugged. “The spring equinox is in just a couple days. If Mortep is looking for the kingdom, then that’s where I want to be, too. What’s the harm in trying to find it, even if it turns out to be nothing but a myth?”

Tessa shrugged. “I mean, I’m convinced.”

Starke pursed his lips. “The harm is that the legend also says the Fates placed a deadly force to guard the kingdom from anyone escaping it or finding it.”