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“For all Halflings and our home!” Gerarda called out from the upper landing.
“All Halflings and our home!” I shouted in unison with the others.
Damien would rue the day he ever touched one of my sisters.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
WE REACHED THE PORTa few hours after daybreak. Myrrah and Gerarda expertly directed the ship to the end of the long dock. Syrra and Nikolai were waiting with a ramp ready to help the Shades disembark. There expressions were hard, but not grieved, my shoulders relaxed knowing that at the very least Riven was alive. Gerarda stood behind Myrrah and propped the front of her chair over the small ledge and crept down the slope.
Nikolai stood beside a custom-made chair of his own invention. Its wheels were wide and covered in thick, pliable leaf that would add better traction along the beach and trail. Myrrah hoisted herself onto the cushion seat and pushed forward in three easy strides. She pursed her lip at Nikolai. “You outfitted my ship?”
“Yourship?” Syrra raised a brow.
Myrrah didn’t hide the way she was staring at Syrra’s scars. I knew she wanted to hear the stories behind how the Elf had gotten every one. “Keera says your kind are missing a few captains. I’m just happy to stake my claim where I’m best suited.” She grabbed Syrra’s hand and kissed it.
Nikolai shot Myrrah an approving look.
Syrra barked a laugh. “Then we are happy to have you.”
Myrrah leaned over her armrest to whisper, “The toughest ones always cave the quickest to flattery. It’s how I got my wife.” She frowned for a moment and my heart tore for her. It had been years before my own moments forgetting Brenna was gone had finally stopped.
I walked beside Myrrah and waved at the Shades to follow. A host of Elverin were waiting along the beach with large tables set into the sand covered in food of every kind. I turned back to the group and saw their nostrils flare at the rich, warm scents hanging in the breeze. But their eyes were locked on the multi-colored beach, no one daring enough to step onto the sand.
I yanked off my boots and took the first step. A unified gasp released behind me as the Shades watched my footprints change color from pink to a bright green. Syrra’s gaze flicked from my prints to my face with a soft smile. The gray had almost entirely gone and even some of the black.
Gerarda knelt and untied Elaran’s boots before slipping off her own. My shoulders fell in relief when I saw that her footprints were a vibrant mulberry without a hint of gray. Elaran laughed freely as her toes touched the sand and left five orange dots along the beach. The tone reminded me of the leaves that wrapped around the purple flesh of a dew root.
“Time to feast!” I shouted, and the Shades raced across the sand, pulling off their own boots and gasping at the colors they left behind.They flooded the tables and a chorus of introductions and bows took place as the first of the Elverin welcomed the Shades home.
Syrra stood beside me as the others got their food. “Thank you,” I told her. Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Only you would have the foresight to prepare such a feast,” I explained.
“I can cook more than rabbit you know.”
I raised a brow. “I never see you in the kitchens.”
She chuckled. “Lash’raelth and I trade off every few decades. We are not allowed to share them.” She pointed to the beach and all the footprints left behind. “It seems the false king has not branded them as badly as you feared.”
A sob cracked through my chest. I turned into Syrra’s shoulder to muffle the sound so none of the others would notice. Almost none of the footprints were heavily grayed or blackened. None were as vibrant as they could be, but it was far better than I could have ever hoped.
Syrra wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “You did well, child. TheFaelinthwill cherish them. They will prosper here.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded. “How is Riven?” My stomach hardened, preparing itself for whatever had kept Riven away.
Syrra smiled and nodded. “He’s not well enough to travel. But Feron seems to have helped him get his powers back in control. He’ll be waiting for you in Myrelinth when we arrive. Maerhal and Rheih are watching over him until then.”
“And Killian?” I had noticed the prince was not part of the welcoming party.
Syrra followed my gaze to the table where Nikolai and Vrail were helping serve the youngest of the initiates. Her jaw pulsed once before turning back to me. “Someone needed to help Feron prepare for your arrival.” She lifted her arms at the hundreds ofHalflings we had saved, their laughter and wide-eyed wonder covering the entire beach.
She wiped a stray tear along my cheek. The roughness of her callouses didn’t match the gentleness of her touch. Her dark eyes studied my face. “You have not slept.”
I grunted a laugh. “Not since I fell from that mast.”
Syrra narrowed her eyes. “There was trouble?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” I swallowed the dryness in my throat. All I wanted was to sleep, but Damien would be waiting for me there. And considering the threat he had levied the last time, I didn’t want to provoke him any further.
Syrra’s mouth dropped as understanding settled on her face. “Nikolai never showed you the wine.” He had brought enough for the journey but had hidden it under a glamor that only he knew about. In the rush to get Riven back to Feron, I hadn’t thought to ask.
