Page 89 of By the Flames of Her Fury

Maeve’s brow furrowed. “And where is this man now?”

“Six feet under, if I had to guess,” Tessa muttered behind me.

“I—I think I killed him,” I said. “But he was swallowed by the quicksand and disappeared, so I can’t be sure. Do you know where his body might’ve gone? Or is it possible he escaped somewhere on the island?” My pulse pounded at the thought of Mortep still lurking around. I couldn’t seem to accept his fate, even as his flaming body flashed before my eyes. I had to know. I had to be sure.

Seven years, I had despised this man. If he was truly gone…I didn’t know where to put that hatred.

Arcadia stepped forward and rested a hand on my shoulder. “Daughter, not many can survive the traps set by the Fates, except you, evidently. If you saw him succumb to the sand’s fatal pull, then there is nothing that could have saved him.”

A heavy silence filled the room, but the quiet only heightened the distant sounds. Every heartbeat, every breath, every creak and groan of the palace. My chest constricted at Arcadia’s words, and my Shifter half clawed to the surface, desperate to spread her wings.

It didn’t seem possible. Was I really free of him? Was it all over, just like that?

“V.” Starke tapped my arm, drawing me back to the present. “He said there are some Pyraethi crews that don’t ever return. What about the one we found beneath Twin Tides?”

I blinked, barely registering what he said as I came out of my daze. I nodded, then pulled out the phoenix crest from the wreckage. I knew Maeve’s sun locket looked familiar—it was the same gold chain, the same filigree around the edges. I fingered the heavy gold, hesitating to hand it to them. It was silly to have such a strong connection to a piece of jewelry that wasn’t even mine, but it felt like it called to me.

Finally, I held it out to Arcadia. He took it with wide eyes, his long beard bobbing as his mouth parted. “We found this in the wreckage of an old crew back in our realm, along with part of a map that led us here,” I said. “I think maybe they were from Pyraeth.”

Maeve slowly let out a breath and touched the matching chain around her neck. “You were right, this belongs to us. This amulet has been lost for centuries.” Her eyes lifted to mine in wonder. “I can’t believe you found it.”

I shuffled on my feet. I wasn’t used to this much attention—good attention. “Um…you’re welcome,” I said. “What is it? I figured it’s magical, because it scared away the kraken we fought getting here. It saved my life.”

“It’s one of the amulets of the Sacred Three,” Julius said. “Ancient artifacts created to hold the power of the original demithes. They were passed on for safe-keeping after they died.” At the last part, he exchanged a look with Arcadia.

“Safe-keeping for what?” I asked.

“For you,” Arcadia said. “For the one sent here to raise us. And now there is only one amulet left to find. We must begin your quest immediately.”

My eyebrows shot into my forehead. “I’m sorry, my what?”

“Your quest,” Arcadia repeated. “To unite the Sacred Three and use the power of the original demithes to save us.” The three High Elders gave me that look again, one that spoke of such great trust and belief. It felt like a boulder balanced on my shoulders.

I held out a hand. “Wait, I don’t even know what this Sacred Three part means. I thought I already raised the kingdom.”

Arcadia shook his head. “You merely opened the portal from the outside realm.”

The boulder pressed down harder, and my brow pinched. “I’m sorry, this—this is a lot to take in. I don’t⁠—”

“The portal,” Starke interjected. “You said it only opens for twenty-four hours. We have to get back to it before it closes.”

Kieran and Everett exchanged wary looks. “He’s right,” Kieran said. “We must return to our homes. This was never part of the plan.”

“You cannot leave,” Julius insisted, facing me. “You are the Lightbringer! We need you.”

“Excuse me, what do you mean, we can’t leave?” Tessa jumped in, her voice sharper than usual. “Are you saying we’re stuck here?”

Heated tension rose in the room like a furnace. The others argued back and forth, but I wasn’t listening. Julius’s words rang through my head.

We need you.

In a way, I’d been a symbol of hope for Mortep and Scarven. A sick, twisted hope, but hope nonetheless. I was a way for them to bend the will of Veridian magic to their own whims. But this…this hope was different. These people looked to me, a woman they didn’t even know, in faith. For a better life beyond their entrapment. For a chance to break free of their own cell and see the sun again.

I didn’t know what I was. I didn’t know if I was their mystical Lightbringer or not. But I couldn’t deny that it felt good to know that for once, I could bring a good kind of hope to someone else. A hope I had gone so long without.

What kind of a person would I be if I knowingly shunned ones who needed me? These people were trapped, just as I had been. What was the harm in staying? In trying to help?

But all thoughts fled me when Odessa’s scream shattered the room.