Chapter 31
“This is a mistake,” Nicole says, as the sunlight snuffs out below the horizon.
I curl my lip at her. “The mistake was you coming along. You’re lucky Kressa agreed to let you join, because if it were up to me, I would’ve had the sea swallow you. So, keep your opinions to yourself.”
Her lips part, and a flare flashes behind her eyes, but I turn away from her and face Julian.
“You’ll be strong enough if something goes wrong?” I whisper, my heart racing.
He nods. “Kressa wouldn’t agree to this unless she believed in both of us.
His gaze trails over my shoulder, and I don’t need to look to know Kressa stands just a handful of feet away. Since the time we shared in her quarters, the bond has only grown, even with the gloves firmly on my hands.
Swallowing, I face my crew. “If we find her, she might not believe what she’s seeing is real. I have been in those cells, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
Thea shivers, and Celia wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
Kressa steps forward and pins back her shoulders far enough for me to take the message. This is her ship, and as such, she’ll be giving the orders. I stow away my pride and step back.
“Briar is going to reroute the tides to bring us toward the prison, while Nicole and I ward off any attacks that may come our way.” She tilts her chin to Elayne and Celia. “I trust you two are well acquainted with cannons?”
They nod.
“Good, because I need you two belowdeck. If any enemy ships approach us, you shoot first and ask questions later.” She turns to Thea. “And you understand what is being asked of you?”
My first mate straightens her spine and nods. “When we convince Inez to jump, I’ll transport halfway down the cliff face, catch her, and transport back.”
Kressa’s eyes remain glued to her, but her voice softens. “I know you spent time in those cells. Are you sure you can do this?”
Thea’s face falters for a heartbeat, but she steps forward and nods. “For Inez.”
I study the determination in her brows—the way her lips set into a firm line. If something happens to me, or if Kressa can’t convince her father to spare my life, I have consolation knowing Thea would make a great captain.
If I fail them, at least she won’t.
Kressa turns to the rest of us. “We only have one shot at getting this right. We get in and get out. No room for errors.”
My chest tightens. If I’m somehow wrong about where they’re keeping Inez, or if we’re captured, Callum will have the Queen of the Sea, the heir to the Earth, and proof the Fire Court has returned.
I can’t bring myself to consider that outcome.
“It should be dinner now,” I say. “If we want to slip in while they’re most distracted, now’s the time.”
The others nod, and Rita herds the women belowdeck, into the most interior rooms of the ship. I blow out a steadying breath, watching as thin wisps of clouds float through the sky, giving a transparent view of the stars above.
I scan the expanse until I find Aethra—one hand clutching her bow and the other reeled back, readying an arrow. Her presence sweeps a sense of calm over me as the group disperses and everyone takes their positions.
Pulling my gaze from the heavens, I glance over my shoulder, where Kressa climbs the helm, resting her hands on the spokes of the wheel. Thea wraps her hands around the rope attached to the main mast. Celia and Elayne disappear down the steps, and Nicole takes her place at the stern.
We may have enough people to protect the ship, given the amount of power shared between us. But there’s hardly enough to man the vessel. With the number of masts, Thea can only do so much on her own.
I have to trust it’ll be enough.
“Are you ready?” Julian says beside me.
I twist toward the bow, where nothing but a rising tide stares back. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You can do this,” he whispers. “I’ve seen you do much greater. Heard the stories of your power. Compared to that, this is nothing.”
His words weave through my nerves, holding them at bay as I pull off the first glove. It’s immediate—the way the heat floods my system. But there’s an undercurrent beneath it, cooling it down. As if the kiss I shared with Kressa was enough to stave off the worst of the flames.
Holding my breath, I peel off the second. My power magnifies as it courses through my system, spearing straight to my fingertips. Waiting for my command.
I blow out the breath and lift my hands, shifting the tides at our back. The ship lurches forward, and Julian signals over his shoulder.
My fingers tremble at the weight of the sea below us, but I hold strong as Thea snaps the main mast open.
It catches the wind, and we shoot across the water, the hull cutting through the ocean.
I furrow my brow, bending the waves to my will as Kressa twists the wheel, steering us around the curve of the inlet.
The ocean spreads wide before us, and wind thrashes through my hair, tossing it around my face. Thea whoops from the crow’s nest, and a smile pulls at my lips as mist kisses my cheeks, dampening my collar.
I may not be steering the ship, but I prefer this to standing at the helm—the freedom of flying over the water.
Pressure builds at my temples, but it’ll be long before I’m even close to burnout. We twist around the shoreline, away from the harbor, and east, toward the pocket of sea Kressa claims the prison rests.
The mountaintops rise in the distance, the moonlight spilling onto the snow at their peaks. Shadows of other vessels dot the horizon, but they’re far enough away for our unmarked ship to go unnoticed.
Clouds thicken overhead, promising a storm, and I channel deeper into the ocean, twisting it in our favor. My hands shake, muscles burning from the exertion, but I grit my teeth and press forward.
I shift my weight, guiding the current around the bank in the peninsula, and my breath catches—tears burning the space behind my eyes. The sea answers, nearly reading my mind before I command it.
I’m doing it. I’m calling to the sea.
Tears roll down my cheeks—blown away by the wind—and I lean into the bow, pressing my hips against the railing. Waves slap against the hull, but I push us faster—the ship gaining speed as Kressa grunts behind me. The boat teeters, and I grip the edge as we bank right.
We careen into an inlet, similar to the one we came from, but this one ends with the jagged face of a cliff—the mountain soaring into the sky. A dead end.
My mouth goes dry, and I spare a glance over my shoulder.
Thea’s eyes widen, her knuckles blanched against the thin railing of the crow’s nest. Her gaze meet mine, only for a heartbeat, but it’s enough for entire words to pass silently between us.
“Faster!” Kressa shouts, her gaze pinned on the wall ahead.
She mentioned there was a charm on the prison, but if she’s wrong—
Bracing myself, I dig into my power, pressing it into the seafloor as I shove the weight of the ocean forward, propelling us headfirst toward the vertical wall of solid stone. My heart thrashes in my chest, and pressure builds at my temples. But I can’t stop.
Not when our options are smashing to bits against the mountain or facing what lies on the other side.
We barrel forward, closing the distance between us and the cliff. A ringing fills my ears, and my vision blurs as I make out the wave-cut notches in the rock.
My breaths quicken, and a scream bottles in my throat, a chill sweeping over my spine as—
We burst through the other side of the cliff face.
Two Sky Court ships await us.