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“It was a ship!” Fergus proclaimed triumphantly. “But none of ours went out this morning.”
I looked to Lumi, expecting her to refute Fergus’s preposterous declaration.
“More like a boat than a ship,” she said, “but he’s right that it can’t be one of ours. With so many people sick, none of the fishing vessels set out this morning.”
She said it in a matter-of-fact way, as if she didn’t understand the importance of any part of what she’d just said. But each of her words landed like lead in my stomach. The townsfolk were not only all ill, but they had also stopped gathering food due to their condition. We were in dire straits already, and now a fresh disaster was sailing into our shores.
My eyes met Nik’s, wondering if he was thinking the same thing as me. From the angry flash in his eyes, he was. Grey had somehow gotten word of what had happened to the Constantines and had returned. And he couldn’t have arrived at a worse time. With an epidemic underway, we had no time to deal with Grey as well.
“Show us,” Nik said in the sort of commanding tones that were always obeyed.
The children nodded eagerly, happy to be caught up in the excitement. Clearly they hadn’t yet grasped what was happening in their town.
Despite their exuberance, I managed to grab hold of both their hands, quickly examining their bodies. I heaved a sigh of relief when I found them both clear of the illness.
As we half ran through the streets, the brother and sister bickered over whether the arriving vessel was large enough to be considered a ship, and both Nik and I remained silent.
One glance at his grim expression was enough to tell me that he had no intention of allowing Grey to step foot back on the island unopposed. The Constantines were to blame for their own downfall, but Grey was one of them, and he certainly carried his share of the fault. He had done everything possible to upset the balance among his relatives, and he had succeeded beyond his wildest hopes.
I put on an extra spurt of speed as I spotted the end of the street and the glitter of the sea beyond. Everything would be easier if we could arrive before Grey and his people disembarked and disappeared into the town or forest.
From the sound of the siblings’ argument, Grey hadn’t returned in his full ship with all his followers in tow, so it was possible Nik might have the strength to hold them at bay and send them back the way they had come. Grey himself had no special strength without physical contact.
As soon as we burst onto the waterfront, my eyes scanned the water beyond the long pier. Sure enough, a wooden boat was closing the final small gap, ready to dock. I sprinted down the length of the pier, taking in the details before me.
The boat was a reasonably substantial, sturdy-looking fishing vessel, but it was a long way from a full-size ship. It didn’t even have a proper cabin. But I forgot all about the boat itself once I saw the passengers. Coming to an abrupt stop, I burst into tears.
It wasn’t Grey at all. Quite the opposite.
Floating in front of me were the people I wanted to see more than anyone else in the kingdom.
Nik halted beside me, his face reflecting the same shock.
“Is that really…?” he asked, not managing to voice the full question.
“I think so,” I said, sobbing in relief.
He glanced at me, worry replacing the pleased surprise. I waved a hand reassuringly.
“I’m just happy,” I managed to choke out, and he relaxed.
“Delphine!” Luna’s delighted cry cut across the remaining distance.
The sound of her voice spurred me into action, and I hurried forward. By the time I reached the end of the dock, she had stepped ashore. As soon as I reached her, she pulled me into an enveloping hug.
“Am I glad to see you!” she said fervently. “Actually, I’m happy just to see land. I could kneel and kiss the dock.”
I blinked, loosening my return hug and extricating myself from her grip. I couldn’t imagine a passenger of Amara’s having any cause to complain about the smoothness of the journey.
I looked past her shoulder, grinning like a fool at Hayes, Clay, and two men I didn’t recognize who were wearing the uniform of royal guards and who looked almost as relieved as Luna. When my searching gaze fell on Costas, I gasped aloud, finally understanding how it was possible for the rest of them to be here.
I had assumed the new arrival had to be Grey since he was the only one who knew the route, but I had forgotten that one other Constantine was still alive. Gratitude welled up inside my chest. Costas might have fled after seeing the massacre of his family, but he hadn’t abandoned us after all.
As he stepped onto the dock, my eyes jumped to the one person remaining on the boat. Amara. I had never been so pleased to see someone in my life.
She looked as poised as ever, but as she stepped toward me, I noticed the subtle signs of strain and exhaustion on her face. I frowned as I hurried the remaining distance toward her.
“Thank goodness you really are all right,” she said in her calm way, as if she hadn’t entirely believed Costas’s report. “And you even have that bird with you still.”
