Chapter 29
“You want me to take how many of you onto my ship?” At the lip of the gangplank, Cassio lifts a brow at the group of women behind me. “After I already had a handful of prisoners stumble aboard, telling me you sent them?”
“All of us.” I let my hood fall back. “And you’re welcome to join us to Ignata if you want, too.”
Thea shifts on her feet beside me, but I don’t dare look her way. It’s doubtful Kressa would allow him to join, or his vessel to follow, but if it ensures he’ll help me board the women on his ship—I’ll offer him anything.
“Thank you, lass. But I’m getting paid too much here to agree to go somewhere else. But you’re still my Queen.” He waves us forward. “Bring them up.”
Thea and I flank the gangplank as Rita leads the group onto the deck. Their gazes shift over me, studying—as if they didn’t piece together who I was until just now. They lean closer to each other, exchanging whispers.
The final woman passes, and I join Thea, following up the rear.
“And you’re positive he won’t take us directly to Callum in exchange for some coin?”
I shake my head. “I came here after you transported Kressa and me to the harbor. You should’ve seen how apologetic he was. Cassio may be many things, but he’s not a good liar.”
Thea’s lip quirks, and she bumps her shoulder into me. “Wish I could’ve been there when you tried to burn down the castle.”
I breathe out a laugh. “Would’ve been a lot easier to get out of there with you.”
We share a smile, and my chest warms.
“Let’s get you back to Celia,” I say.
She weaves her arm through mine and our boots meet the deck of Cassio’s ship.
“The ship is tucked into the inlet to the west.” I pause, giving Cassio my full attention. “And thank you, for helping me.”
He presses his fist against his heart and nods. “Anything for the Queen and her crew.”
Thea’s mouth breaks into a smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling. I lead her toward the bow as Rita helps settle the women, instructing them to sit against the railing.
I blow a long breath through my nose and inhale the sea air—staring out at the city. This is a view I’ve been waiting to see for a decade. Sarenia as I sail away. Not under duress or fear of my life, but on a sunny afternoon with a sea breeze filtering through my hair, Thea at my side.
We lean against the railing, staring out onto the rolling hillside as Cassio’s crew unties the ship from the dock. Smoke lifts into the sky from the castle, but the flames appear to be out, either from water or Isolde’s power sucking the oxygen from the blaze.
“So, no Inez?” Thea whispers as the ship rocks forward.
Cassio takes his place at the helm, and I rest my elbows on the knotted wooden rail. “I searched the dungeon and released the prisoners who belonged to the Sea Court. She was nowhere to be found, but one of the men mentioned hearing she went to a more isolated cell.”
Thea stiffens. “The ones overlooking the sea.”
I swallow, nodding. “And we’re all too familiar with those.”
Her gaze turns to me, and tears gather in her eyes. Neither of us spoke about what we saw in there, but I can only imagine how excruciating it could’ve been for her—seeing Celia over and over. Maybe even me, in the same way I saw her.
“We have to get her out of there,” she whispers.
I rest my palm over her hand. “We will.”
She turns her hand over and weaves her fingers through mine. We sail away from the dock, and the breeze carries us out into the open water, Sarenia growing smaller in the distance.
The midday sun reflects off the snow capped mountains, and I send a silent prayer to Terra that I’ll never have to see this city again. Or if I do, it’ll no longer be ruled by the Sky.
A mast snaps open, and the ship skips over the waves. I close my eyes and let the mist weave through my hair. The crew’s chatter—while not my own—acts as a balm to my nerves, calming whatever panic was lingering from the fire.
Seagulls cry overhead, and I blink my eyes open to Thea watching me.
She squeezes my hand and lowers her voice to a whisper. “To the ends of the earth.”
Tears sting the space behind my eyes, and I bottle this moment, etching it into my mind. “To the ends of the earth.”
She leans her head on my shoulder, and the ship veers west, toward the stretch of land that shields the inlet from view. The rhodium fabric shifts on my hand, and something twists in my core, tugging me forward.
A soft tap comes at my mind, and I ease open the mental door.
I thought I lost you, Kressa says, her voice barely a whisper.
My breath stutters at the pain in her voice—the undiluted worry. It chips at the walls I’ve built to keep her out, crumbling the mortar.
My fingers twist around the emerald in my pocket. Can’t lose something you don’t have.
Her presence fades from my mind, and my heart stills—as if she takes a sliver of me with her. Without her in my head and sewn into my heart, my thoughts pale—the colors in the world less vivid.
I can’t shake her, or the way she’s rooted herself into my core.
We skirt around the tip of the inlet, and I glance over my shoulder, at the specks of buildings dotting Sarenia’s hillside. The Sky Court’s fleet have all remained anchored or docked, and no curious eyes watch us as we sail away.
Cassio steers the ship around the curve, and dense trees block the city. A tether wraps around my sternum, urging me to turn around and face the bow. I indulge, and as soon as I lift my gaze, I lock eyes with Kressa at the railing of her ship.
It’s as if the ocean swallows me—the sky and clouds nothing but a blur. My vision tunnels on her, and my heart races in my chest, tugging against my ribs to get closer to her.
Warmth creeps into my veins, twisting around my bones. Her hands wrap around the railing, and the earthy scent of rainwater coats my tongue—the same way her lips taste when I kiss her, or the oak that fills my lungs when my nose brushes her bare skin.
A shiver works its way down my spine.
Thea nudges me with her shoulder, and I snap to the present. Kressa’s essence lingers, but it’s shallow, only knee deep.
Kressa stiffens, and whatever tenderness was nestled into her eyes disappears. Her back goes rigid, and her gaze swings to Cassio at the helm. She climbs onto the railing, gripping a rope as she leans over the side.
“Don’t come any closer, pirate!” she yells, her voice carrying over the waves.
Cassio’s ship rocks in the waves, and he curls back a lip, sneering at her.
I wait until the ships are close enough for me to make out the rise and fall of Kressa’s chest, then step onto the rail, facing her. “We have passengers we’re bringing back to Ignata.”
Her gaze trails over the women dotting the deck of the ship, and she shakes her head. “I can’t give them passage. It would be too dangerous, and—”
Rita steps up to the railing beside me, and Kressa’s voice goes flat, her eyes widening a fraction.
“I believe the last time we saw each other, Your Highness, you led Caelus directly to my doorstep,” Rita says. “I understand that it would be dangerous for both me and the others, but we have nowhere else to go. And I think it is the least you could do.”
Nicole and Julian come into view near the stern, and I swallow as Celia and Elayne appear from belowdeck.
I lower my voice. “It was you who snuck those women to Ignata during the trials. Dolma, and so many others. Simon would have wanted you to.”
Her eyes sharpen, and she opens her mouth. But then she relaxes her hold on the railing and nods, dropping her gaze. “You’re right.” She glances over her shoulder and jerks her chin toward Celia. “Help me with this.”
Celia strides forward, and my lips part as she crouches down and lifts the gangplank through a gap in the railing.
“She doesn’t have cuffs on,” Thea breathes behind me.
I stand, frozen, and Kressa’s gaze lifts as she heaves the wooden plank into place. Our eyes meet, and a subtle understanding passes between us.
My stomach curdles, and I turn away before she can read the guilt written across my face.
As if the rise of my brows could tell her I’m hiding her emerald while she trusts my crew enough to free them from cuffs.
But regardless of what she does, or the choices she’s made, I’m not returning her emerald until I have answers.
Rita pushes from the rail and gathers the women close to the edge, offering a hand as the first one crosses the expanse between ships. Celia and Nicole wait on the other side, cupping the women’s elbows as they step onto the deck.
Cassio’s crew leans against the masts, shielded from the sun. Through the years, the men have come and gone—those working on his ship always changing. But since Caelus is no longer in control, women have joined his crew.
They watch me as I pass, whispering as I climb the steps to the helm and join Cassio.
“The offer remains,” I say, staring off into the horizon. “Should you decide you’re through working for the Sky, you’re more than welcome in Ignata.”
He lets out a low laugh, his gold tooth glinting in the sunlight.
“I appreciate it, Your Highness. But I’m not meant for the land.
” He shakes his head and turns to me, his brows pulled together.
“Make no mistake, though. When you return to the sea and take your place at the head of your court, I’ll be at your side until the very end. You have my word.”
I bite down on my cheek, hiding the impact of his words. The depth they have. “I appreciate that.”
The final woman walks across the plank, and Thea shifts her gaze to me, nodding for me to follow. I step away from the helm, but Cassio wraps a hand around my wrist.
“The woman I knew you as a few weeks ago—Irene? She was the most formidable and fearless woman I had ever met. She stole jewels from the wealthy and cared deeply for people she’d never met. Risked her life for them, in fact.” He lowers his voice. “Don’t let that fire die out, Calisdana.”
My tongue turns to cotton, my chest tightening as I stare at the ship bobbing in the water. I’ve been so concerned about making the wrong choice or disappointing my crew, that I’ve set aside the parts of myself that make me a ruler worth following.
I’ve dulled myself.
I give him a smirk as I walk backwards toward the stairs. “Who said anything about letting my fire die out?”
The corner of his mouth lifts, and he gives me a farewell nod as I spin on my heel and stride down the steps. I join Thea at the gangplank and tilt my chin. “After you.”
She steps on the narrow plank of wood separating us from Kressa’s ship and strides across, balancing against the movement of the waves. She drops to the other side, and before she takes another step, Celia wraps her arms around her.
I step up, and the waves undulate beneath me, calling to me. My home, always waiting for me to return.
Reaching the other side, I grab the edge of the gangplank and slide it from Cassio’s ship, resting it against the railing. I give him a final wave, and he returns it with a nod as he orders his crew back to the sails.
“So much for going unnoticed,” Kressa murmurs, crossing her arms.
I press my tongue into my cheek and face her. “Heard you were beside yourself, worried I was in danger.”
She lifts a brow, and something sparks in her eyes as she hums. “Did you consider that I was more worried about getting caught than your well-being?”
“I was fine the entire time. However, with the shuddering of the castle, I’d think you were the one in trouble.”
She drops her arms and steps closer, looking at me down the bridge of her nose. Something heats in her gaze. “Perhaps trouble is exactly what I want.”
Her voice seeps into my skin, the air between us like a balloon waiting to pop. My heart races, and for the first time in days, I don’t try to calm it. I let fire weave through my pulse, pumping the blood through my veins. I meet her gaze, uncompromising. “We need to talk. In private.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Without another word, she turns on her heel and strides toward the captain’s quarters. I watch her go, studying how wayward strands of hair fall from her braid—the way her sleeves billow around her toned arms.
She disappears into the room and shuts the door behind her.