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“You should have told us,” I said, close enough to reach down and retrieve my weapon. The moment I lifted it, my shoulders relaxed, and when I stood, I was like a man resurrected. This blade was the one thing I’d inherited from my father, and the stone in the hilt reacted to my touch, infusing me with a surge of inhuman strength and ability.

It was no accident that the sword had managed to stay near me for this long, even when it had been in Balram’s clutches. There had been a short period of time after I was captured that I’d feared he might have some sort of magical sixth sense that would allow him to locate the remaining crystal since it was so close.

But he’d remained oblivious to the location of the Tromodian crystal, and it was now safely back in my hand once again, enhancing the elven magic that had been infused in the onyx hilt of my sword.

“Confiding in you would have risked her life,” Kendara argued.

I shook my head, staring at her. “It was your only chance. You picked the wrong side.” Then I motioned for my sister to tie the elf’s wrists. She would have to be dealt with later.

I spun toward the men, who were still frozen in uncertainty, weapons held in shaking hands. “Drop your weapons and kneel,” I said, flame once again rising around me.

The men instantly obeyed. The sounds of metal and knees hitting the deck thundered around me. By this time, Sharlyne had freed Devira, who was helping secure Kendara. Galan worked on opening all the closed crates.

With a nod at my sister, I turned toward the stairs, which led back down to the man I intended to slowly disembowel. When one of the men on his knees started to reach for his sword, Sharlyne’s hand lit with flame, and he scooted back in fear. I smiled. Best not to fuck with what was left of my family.

“Riv,” Galan called, halting my retreat. His voice shook, but the tone stopped me cold. It was rare to hear my friend’s voice embody such raw fear, no matter the circumstances. Whatever this was, it was important.

I spun on my heels and rushed to his side. I grabbed his elbow to steady him, then served the man at his feet a swift kick to the side, sending him sprawling so Galan could lower his rapier.

He swallowed, grasping my arms as though he didn’t already have my full attention.

“Torvo,” he said, voice low, “they tossed him overboard all trussed up. I wanted to help, but they’d gotten the damned collar on me. It drained the last of my power. But it’s possible—” His voice cracked, indicating how unlikely it was that the big guy had made it, as he stared over at a point opposite us.

Fuck. I had to get to Nye. But every moment that passed made it less likely that Torvo could have survived. I lowered Galan to the deck, grasping his shoulder in as reassuring a gesture as I could manage, before bolting toward the railing. A length of rope still hung over the side, pulled taut like something heavy dragged on the other end.

Calling on my power, I climbed over the edge and searched the dark waters that churned alongside the ship. Thrusting my hands apart, I parted the depths with my magic and made it rise at the spot where the rope disappeared. I reached for the line, hauling with all my might, but all that came up was the cut end of a frayed rope. It sprang free the moment it cleared the water, the tension on the line completely disappearing, as though something attached to it had just been released—or the ragged end had only been held in place by magic.

With one last glance toward the hold, I turned back to the waves, tossed the cut length of rope to the side, and dove.

Thirty-Nine

Nyah

Struggling against the magical tornado of water hurtling me across the ocean proved futile. The giant beside me had at least given up trying to convince me to stop wasting my energy, though I came to that conclusion on my own soon after.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded when I finally stopped fighting.

The giant glanced at me with those unsettling and very inhuman eyes. It made it difficult to focus on anything else about him. “To my domain.”

“What is your domain?” If I could at least get some information out of him, I might be able to figure out a way to contact the others once we arrived.

“It was you who finally crossed the boundary. My domain lies beneath. Ah! Here we are.”

Before I could ask any more questions, the cyclone released me, and my gut plummeted as I dropped toward the churning waves below. The water parted as I passed, my descent slowing enough to allow me to take in the circular wall of ocean held back like a curtain, fish stopped behind it like they were peering through a pane of glass.

“What the—” my exclamation was cut off when whatever magic that held the dam in place evaporated and the water crashed over us in a tidal wave that sent my heart into a tailspin.

My vision remained crystal clear as I floundered in the water, cheeks puffed out with my last desperate breath before the onslaught. Beside me, the stranger floated, as enormous tentacles unfurled from beneath his flowing garments, replacing his legs.

“Fascinating,” he said quite clearly, despite being underwater. He tilted his head at me like I was a curiosity and not a soon-to-be drowning victim.

All I could do was shake my head, hair floating in a cloud around me, desperate for air. My lungs contracted painfully, and I attempted to swim toward the surface. But I was thwarted by what seemed to be miles of ocean pressing down from above.

Finally, my body caved, and I opened my mouth, knowing the water would rush inside in place of the air I so urgently needed. It took a minute for my mind to catch up with what was happening because I didn’t die, or choke, or even cough. No. It was as though I was breathing the water, just as easily as if I’d been standing in a forest above.

“What?” I startled at the clarity of my own voice as it carried through the deep.

“Come, daughter of Revka. Zariah awaits.”