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We stay there for a long time, watching the sky. By the time Sebastian walks me back to my room, I can barely keep my eyes open. He pauses at my door, bracing a hand on the frame as he towers over me. Green eyes toggle between mine for a moment before he kisses me deeply. I lift onto my tiptoes, wanting everything I can’t have—not ever again. At least for now.
When he finally pulls away, we’re both breathless. “Sleep well, Scars,” he whispers, brushing his lips over my forehead.
“You too, Captain.” He smirks before twisting the knob and nodding for me to slip inside. Closing it softly, I press my back to the door and breathe a sigh of relief. It takes a moment before I hear his footsteps leave, but my heart is so full it feels ready to burst. He saw my drawings… then gave me an experience I never thought I’d ever be able to witness.
The dragons were so close. From the Solarian castle, they look like pinpricks in the sky, but here, they were huge… the size of my thumb or bigger.
16
Scarlet
TheJollyRogercutsthrough the morning mist like a phantom, eerily silent as we approach the Western Isles. The crew stands, impatiently waiting for the fog to clear, to glimpse what we’re sailing into. The tension hangs in the air and the mast creaks. A gust of wind whips the sails as the hell flame casts long shadows on the deck. I inhale deeply, my nose wrinkling at the acrid scent of fire, burning something I don’t recognize. Whatever wood that is, I’m almost certain it’s rotten. Grey and white flecks fall from the sky, and I shiver as the wind cuts through the thin linen shirt I’m wearing.
Sebastian stands to my right, eyes staring past the bow of the ship. My body trembles and I catch him tip his head at me and take a deep breath. He jostles, drawing my attention, and shrugs off his long, red leather coat. Before I can protest, he gently wraps it around my shoulders, holding it up so I can slip my arms through the holes. It’s so warm… It takes everything I have not to sigh.
“Thank you,” I say, tucking the jacket tighter around my frame.
He doesn’t answer, just crosses his arms over his chest and resumes his stance, waiting for something. I just wish I knew what. The ship bumps into something and the crew shouts, gearing up to dock. Peering over the edge of the rail, I spot a charred pier, and the burnt remnants of a once-thriving village spread out before us. A blackened structure on the sand looms, still smoldering, and odd statues litter the edge of the ocean, jutting from the sand.
I study them, a crease forming between my brows. They’re humanoid… like someone tried to depict people running to the ocean. “Are these supposed to commemorate the war or something?” I ask, tearing my eyes away from the sculptures to look at Sebastian.
He shakes his head, a grim expression on his face. “They’re not statues.”
“Then what are they?” I take in their slight amber glow, maybe made from some sort of crystal?
“They’re people,” he replies in a low voice that sends goosebumps flooding the surface of my skin, despite the jacket he’s given me.
“The blood witches did this...” I whisper, horrified.
Sebastian shakes his head again. “Those are the blood witches.”
My stomach churns. What did this? I squint as the ship comes to a stop and the loud rattle of chains fills the air as the anchor is lowered. There’s a slight waft of smoke rising from the nearest figure, and my eyes widen.
They were burned…
“I want you to stay on the ship. It’s safer. Do I need to give you a babysitter?” Sebastian’s voice is firm yet gentle.
I can see the worry in his eyes, and for once, I don’t argue. “No… I’ll stay.”
He nods before stepping away from me and shouting orders at his crew. “Take your weapons! We don’t know what’s waiting for us on land. We move out in ten.” He turns to the group of men a few feet away from us. Water elementals, I think. “Make it rain. We won’t be able to see shit in the fog.”
The crew jumps into action, their movements tense but efficient. Sebastian grips my hand, cutting through the madness as men scatter across the deck to lead me to my room. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. If anything goes south, I’ll shadowwalk and get you, but until then, stay on the ship so I know where to find you. It’ll rain, so you’ll want to stay below deck.”
“Alright,” I whisper, feeling strangely relieved. Gods forbid they find a blood witch alive. I don’t want to watch.
He opens my room door and swings me inside. “Promise me, Scars. I need you to say it.”
“I won’t leave the ship.”
His green eyes soften as he cups my jaw, giving me a quick kiss before shutting the door and jogging down the hallway. I rush to the porthole, straining to see through the thickening fog. There are dozens of petrified figures along the water’s edge, making me shiver despite the warmth of Sebastian’s coat.
The rhythmic lapping of the water against the ship’s hull is the only sound that pierces the stillness and rain lashes down. Slowly, the fog starts to lift. The haunting silhouette of the Western Isles emerges - jagged cliffs stand sentinel, overshadowed by tall, darkened pines that sway to the rhythm of the sea breeze.
I watch the crew disappear into the fog that remains low to the ground, each step taking them closer to danger. As the last of them vanishes from sight, a knot forms in the pit of my stomach. My hands clench around the edges of the porthole, nails digging into the cold metal. All I can do is wait and hope nothing goes wrong. It’s better this way. If I was with him, he’d be worried about me and not watching out for himself.
A flash in the sky draws my attention. My heart leaps as the unmistakable figure of a dragon cuts across the sky. Enormous wings beat against the sky as fiery scales glint in the light. My eyes round and my mouth gapes. A dragon… It’s everything I envisioned and more.
Propelled by wonder, I pull Sebastian’s coat tighter around me and burst from my room. I’m supposed to stay on the ship. I can do that, but I want a better look and I couldn’t care less about the rain or getting soaked. Not when there’s something like a bloody dragon to witness.
