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“I don’t think so. He was so young.” Sharlyne glanced out the round portal window to the side. “I’m fairly certain it was our mother who did that. Riv takes after her in a lot of ways.”

I thought back to the brave woman who’d been tortured for so long by Balram. The way she’d shattered the crystal to save us. And I didn’t doubt she would have meted out justice to the man who’d threatened her son.

“Well, I know Rivven thinks of you as his full sister,” I said after an awkward moment. I wasn’t very good at these sorts of situations, a side effect of barely interacting with others for most of my life. Now I knew it was because I’d been an illusion. I shivered at the thought and shifted in my seat.

“I know,” she agreed with a smile. “Rivven loves fiercely. Well, he does everything fiercely.”

A small smile played on my lips. “Indeed, he does.”

Sharlyne drew in a deep breath and sat back in the chair. “I did not come here to talk about me. It’s the future I am concerned with.”

“What concerns you?” I asked, suddenly guarded. The last thing I wanted was a replay of her previous reading with dire warnings I couldn’t avoid.

“Honestly, there is much I could say to you, but I don’t think it will change anything. It’s the princess I am concerned about.”

“Rune?” I sat up straighter. “What did you see?”

Sharlyne scrunched up her face like she was deciding how to word whatever it was. With every second of delay, my pulse raced faster. My hands clenched into fists to prevent me from trying to shake it out of her.

“She is going to have to face certain things on her own,” Sharlyne finally stated. “And from what I see, when it comes time to act, things could go,” she hesitated again, “either way.”

“That’s very vague,” I said, still waiting.

“I know.” Sharlyne sighed. “And there isn’t much you can do, except…”

“Except what?” I pressed, still struggling to control myself.

“Except, trade with her early. If you wait until we’re at sea, she won’t visit the library. It’s subtle, but important I think.” Sharlyne stood, staring at the steps that would lead back out to the deck. “It’s time to go. You have to say goodbye to someone before you trade back.”

If I’d thought this conversation with Rivven’s sister would be any more straightforward than the first, I’d been mistaken. But I sensed she was doing her best, and I imagined it was difficult to see bits of the future and try to explain that to others. Shaking my head, I stood and followed her up the steps.

I didn’t want to give up another second of my freedom. But if it would help Rune with something difficult, I’d do it. The library? Really? I was about to ask for more and reached for Sharlyne’s shoulder when a shadow blocked out the sun and a cry tore through the air that made my heart leap.

“Ven!” I called, already leaping to the dock before she’d circled her way down to the beach.

I met her near where the sand met the cobbled street, far from the edge of the surf. She lowered her long, graceful neck, and I threw my arms around her in a hug. When Sharlyne had caught up, I turned toward her.

“Why must I say goodbye? Is she okay?” My voice trembled with concern.

“It’s only for the voyage,” Sharlyne explained, tilting her head and smiling at Ven who huffed big puffs of smoke into the air. “Dragons don’t like the open sea. Water and fire, you know? It’s a wonder that wielders of both, like Riv and me, stay sane.”

Now I understood why Ven had landed so far from the shore. “You don’t like water?” I asked, rubbing my knuckles on her nose.

A long, forked tongue lashed out and swiped at my cheek, making me laugh. “Okay, girl. That’s alright. As long as you stay safe. And when I come back, we’ll go eat some more bad guys okay?”

One more hug, and the dragon pushed off into the sky again, talons raking trenches in the sand. I grasped my hood to prevent it from flying off as she coasted into the clouds.

A whooshing sound crashed in the distance, and I turned toward the horizon line. I squinted, trying to make sense of what I was seeing that appeared to block half the sky. It dawned on me as it crashed down again, sending white-capped waves that rippled toward the docks and looked from this distance to be as high as the buildings along the boardwalk. The dark object was made of the ocean. The wave reached the dock where the houseboat sat, lifting it with a creak, then letting it crash down again against the wood. I winced at the sound of the hull tearing. I raised my hands and put up a bubble of magic to prevent the remainder of the resulting waves from covering myself and Sharlyne.

“Ready?” Sharlyne asked, holding out her hand as though we hadn’t just witnessed a distant tsunami.

“What the hells was that?” I asked.

She sighed. “It’s been happening more often since the Imrati,” she said. “Storms, earthquakes, even tidal waves.” She gestured toward the distance.

I nodded. “We experienced an earthquake in the Night Forest. But it was clearly not natural.”

“It is, though,” she argued, huffing through her nose. She was clearly frustrated. “Or rather, it’s what happens when nature is manipulated by greed.” She rested a hand on my shoulder. “It’s part of why you were told to head toward Synbari. You can stop it. You and my brother. But…” she glanced away, trailing off.