Chapter 33
CHAPTER
All of a sudden, the shrill blare of horns, punctuated by the booming of drums caused us to freeze in surprise.
Shortly after that, townspeople began ringing bells outside of their homes which carried through the windows of the safehouse.
Cairis peeked his head out the front door and informed us that villagers were quickly scattering about.
Varro interrupted the chaos with, “They are nautical signals; something must be happening in the bay.”
We exchanged panicked glances. It was nighttime, there should be nothing but moonslight and twinkling stars. Why would there be anything happening at such a late hour, especially as the sabbath came to a close?
“I’ll be right back,” Varro said, exiting through the back door and portaling with no further explanation.
With the threat of Siren Song removed, Saryn used his magic to singe the remaining ropes around his ankles, freeing himself from the chair.
He didn’t make any abrupt movements, slowly raising his hands; a sign he meant us no harm.
Within mere moments, Varro returned through the back door looking flustered.
“They’re on the move!” he said, exasperated. “They’re boarding and loading ships quickly. We need to go; we don’t have much time.”
We stood in stunned silence, knowing we had only discussed Gia’s part in the plan.
We weren’t ready to deploy ourselves, but there was no time left to debate the best approach.
Each of us shifted about nervously, waiting to see who felt confident enough to take command of the situation.
Trace’s voice cut through the stale air.
“We split into two groups and board separate ships. We sail with them to Cambria while seeking the location of the stones. As soon as we eliminate the option of their secret weapon, we figure out how to deal with the impending aerial assault.”
“But how will we get word to one another?” Cairis asked, his question laden with doubt.
“Them,” Trace said, pointing at me and Varro. “They can speak mind-to-mind. If we put them on separate ships, we will still have the ability to communicate—so long as one of them doesn’t wind up dead.”
“What did you say?” Saryn said, looking at the group with confusion and mounting outrage.
“You are mates, are you not? I suspect you’ve been speaking to one another in silence all night.” Trace’s words were calculated, almost cold.
“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth, knowing that the advantage of our bond was something we could exploit.
Saryn let out a disbelieving laugh and shook his head.
“Glad I’m not the only one who has been concealing something important.”
His words made no difference to me. I may have kept the truth of my mate from my mentor, but I had not betrayed the Imperi or my kingdom like he had.
Saryn added, “And from the lack of surprise on all your faces, it appears I am the only one not in on this little secret.”
Ignoring his poignant sarcasm, I confirmed Trace’s deduction.
“He’s right. Gia, you return to the castle. I’ll sail with Cairis, and Varro goes with Trace.”
“No,” Varro chimed in. “I’m the strongest in the water, Cairis is the weakest…should it come to that… He goes with me. Trace, you take Cress.”
The sound of bells continuing to ring outside was a constant reminder of time running out.
We had no intentions of being in the water for any of this mission, but if something went wrong, then the fall below consisted of nothing but the Endless Tides, which was less than ideal for Cairis.
However, I didn’t imagine Varro would be so willing to put my safety in the hands of Trace after the previous betrayal.
I tried to dismiss the thoughts of his former disloyalty and reminded myself of the bargain he and I had made, now firmly in place.
Having felt my confusion through the bond, I heard Varro say, “It’s okay, I trust him.”
“Let me come with you or take up post on another ship,” Saryn requested.
Trace turned his attention to him. “If you value your king and his people at all, make haste to Cambria. I don’t care if the portal jumps almost kill you.”
I watched Trace squeeze the hilt of his sheathed dagger, nerves mounting.
“These ships will easily reach Cambrian shores by morning if they sail through the night. Ready as many able-bodied citizens as you can. Lead them to where the mouth of the Ledor River meets the Endless Tides.”
My mind raced to the memory of a map I’d seen in my father’s office. The mouth of the Ledor River emptied into the Tides directly below… House Corliss. Varro’s home. And the people closest to defend Cambria would be Riverland Fae. My people.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as my resolve turned to fierce protectiveness, and I watched as Varro’s eyes widened at the realization that his home would potentially be under siege.
“We’ll figure something out,” I tried to reassure him silently, letting my bond soothe his anxious pulse as best it could.
Saryn tried to argue with Trace’s decision-making. “No, I need to be wherever Zarif is. Unless he’s dead, I stand no chance of freeing Embry.”
Trace’s tone was seething. “This isn’t about your fucking mate. This is about our people. Go now and warn them. When you see us off shore, you can join us—if you’re still alive.”
Trace assigning Saryn to return to Cambria via moonstone was no small task. Saryn, as experienced as he was, would still be risking his life to cover such a distance. There was no time for him to take breaks. Knowing this, he offered no arguments, just nodded in grim acceptance.
“We need to go,” Varro reminded us. The ships would not wait for stowaways.
I walked over to Gia who was shifting back and forth nervously at the thought of all of us abandoning her in Artume. I clasped her hands in mine and said, “No mercy.”
“No mercy,” she repeated, looking up at me through her lashes.
Whatever lay ahead for Silas, I almost felt pity for him.
Gia wasn’t like me; my methods swift and methodical.
I had a suspicious feeling that there was going to be nothing quick about what she had in store for him.
She pulled me into a tight hug and began to make her exit when Saryn yelled out for her.
“She’s my mate!”
Gia, looking over her shoulder, nodded back at him in silent understanding.
That remark alone was the most vulnerable I had ever witnessed from Saryn.
Varro, Cairis and Trace began to check their weaponry, rifling through a trunk of additional accessories Saryn had kept for us in the safehouse.
Many of us couldn’t remain as armed as we’d like in our previous roles.
Saryn walked over to me, looking ashamed. All of these expressions were wholly new to him. Vulnerability. Fear. Embarrassment. The stoic facade he had always shown us had melted away. “Don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made,” he warned.
Perhaps it was a good thing my mate and I would be on separate ships. I had to trust in his training and abilities to protect himself. Anything other than my full confidence in him would lead me down a path we could not afford.
“The mission above all,” I recited.
He nodded, cracking a brief smile at the echo of his words to us at Basdie.
“Focus, Cress. You will know what to do when it’s time. If you must, take them all into the darkness with you.”
His words were a sharp reminder of the dormant power within me. Sleeping. Waiting to be called upon whenever needed.
My lips began to quiver with the fear that I had been holding at bay until this very moment, reminded that there was no guarantee a mating bond would protect me from the Drift. It was all conjecture and scribbles in dusty, old journals.
“But what if I can’t find my way out of the dark?” I asked Saryn, seeking out the kind of guidance only an experienced mentor could provide.
“We all enter the darkness, eventually. We’ll meet you there, someday.”
Saryn was right. Death came for us all. What I feared most was the notion that not knowing oneself was a fate worse than death.
Varro’s voice broke through the intensity of mine and Saryn’s conversation by demanding that I quickly changed into attire more befitting of a shipworker. The blue garment of a servant would do nothing to camouflage my appearance.
While I changed, Saryn made himself a small pack of supplies—mostly food and water—for the journey that would push his body to the brink.
In the alley behind the safehouse, we witnessed Saryn unfurl his wings for the first time in our presence.
They were black toward the ends, and a bluish color nearest to his back, with sharp edges and spiked talons at the top near his neck; aggressive and violent in every aspect.
A complete amalgamation of so many other wings I’d only seen in drawings.
They were so unique, so distinctive, but not attributable to any one area or peoples, leaving lineage concealed.
I should have expected nothing less of the enigma that was Saryn.
He explained he was going to attempt as many jumps as possible while airborne, allowing him to make up ground. With that, he disappeared through a cloudlike ring, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves as a team. Thus began our sprint to the shipyards.