Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
The Jagged Coast
We sailed deep into the night.
Sticking to the facts, I told Darion what had happened since we had been separated at Pyrehold. He was shocked and angry at Verrin’s betrayal and surprised to hear that Kael had taken Elena on the East Road. He took my suspicions about Kael at face value and didn’t argue or contradict me.
All this should have reassured me, but instead it tightened the knot in my chest. I could feel myself starting to trust him again.
And I so wanted to. But that was the problem.
Trusting him meant letting him in again, and the pain of what had happened at Pyrehold was still raw and exposed.
I couldn’t take that kind of pain again.
Soon Rook called us into the cabin to discuss strategy.
The space was cramped, just big enough for a handful of hammocks and the table we gathered around to pore over a map. An oil lantern hung from a hook, bobbing with each wave.
“So no Grey Spit,” I said.
“They’ll catch us before we even dock,” Rook said.
“So where does that leave us?”
Rook pointed to a spot on the map. “There’s a secluded inlet called Knifejaw Cove not too far west of Grey Spit where we can anchor. The entrance is treacherous, so few people know of it. Jask is one of the few pilots I trust to navigate us through it, especially at night.”
“Sounds promising,” I said, studying the map. “Can we get to land from there?”
“Yes. Jask will take you ashore in the rowboat. I’ll stay and protect the ship. Once you’re in Grey Spit, she’ll bring another ship and crew so we can scrub the Wind Runner.”
“Solid plan,” I said. “But I can’t guarantee Jask’s safety.”
“Tough as nails, that one,” Rook said. “She can take care of herself.”
“Thank you,” I said to Rook. “This means more than you know.”
Rook just grunted.
With the plan in place, Darion and I went topside. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust from the lamplight to the near pitch-blackness above. Darion walked over to the rail and looked out at the sea. I followed him.
“Cas, you are well within your rights to leave me behind,” he said. “And if that’s your decision, I’ll respect it. But I would very much like to help you find Elena, if you’ll allow me.”
I knew this moment would come, and I still wasn’t ready for it. “Don’t you need to rendezvous with the Order?”
“Elena is very special to me, and if Kael turns out to be hostile, as you fear, you’ll need all the help you can get.”
Elena is very special to me. I knew that was true, and the weight of it pressed down on me. Here Darion was, choosing us over the Order, and letting him come with me meant I was choosing to take him back. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
“You can come with me as far as Grey Spit. After that, I…I’ll need to think about it.”
Darion nodded. “I understand.”
We had traveled all night, and not once was there any sign of our pursuers. The wind was in our favor the entire way, so we made good time. We slept in shifts, one person at the helm and one as the lookout while the other two tried to get some rest. Sleep did not come easily.
It was my turn to watch while Jask was at the helm, and I could barely make her out in the moonlight. She was chewing on a pipe, puffing out little clouds of smoke that dissipated in the ocean wind the moment they left her mouth, leaving only the lingering scent of tobacco.
“I’m amazed you can navigate at night,” I said.
She smirked. “Been doing this so long, I could navigate this stretch with a blindfold on. All I need is my memory and my ears.”
“Your ears?” I asked.
“Yep. I can hear every splash over rock, every current. Your eyes can trick you, but your ears never lie.”
“That’s impressive.”
Jask shrugged, taking another puff from her pipe.
Just as the sky was brightening, we approached Knifejaw Cove.
True to its name, the inlet looked like the maw of a giant beast with razor-sharp teeth.
The waves crashed against the rocks, sending salty spray skyward in a constant rhythm.
I understood why any sensible sailor would avoid this place and why smugglers would seek refuge here.
Jask took the helm while Rook kept a sharp eye out in front to be sure there were no surprises. Darion and I watched the coast as we approached, hoping no one would see us.
A few times on the way, Rook had barked orders, all of which Jask had executed flawlessly with the fluid ease of a master at her craft. I had noticed that most of the time when Rook called out that he’d spotted a rock, Jask was already in the process of avoiding it.
Jask tucked the ship into a nook where it wasn’t visible from either the sea or the land.
The rowboat ride from the ship to the shore was the most harrowing part of our entire trip; the tide was low but on its way in, exposing rocks and creating crashing waves all around us.
But we made it without incident, thanks to Rook’s expert guidance.
We landed on a rocky beach with a very narrow strip of sand. Jagged rocks surrounded us, not only out at sea but also on land, towering above us. Once we were on shore, Rook said a few private words to Jask, who nodded.
“I wish you luck,” Rook said to us as he returned to the rowboat and began the treacherous trip back to the ship.
Jask took the lead, finding a path up from the beach and into the rough terrain. She was no-nonsense and a woman of few words, but she had a keen look in her eye and was always surveying for danger. In some ways, she reminded me of myself.
“How far do you think we are from Grey Spit?” I asked.
“A few hours,” Jask said simply. “More if we avoid the East Road.”
“That’s probably for the best,” I said.
The ascent was steep, and more than a few times we had to reach uncomfortably far for handholds and toeholds.
I was still trying my best to suppress my Ember, and the difference in my climbing ability was stark.
Where I would typically scamper up the rocks like they were nothing, now I found myself second-guessing every move, once even misjudging a handhold that gave way as I reached for it.
Only when I didn’t have it did I realize just how blind I felt without my Ember.
Before, I could sense the cracks in the rocks like they were canyons.
My fingers and toes clung to them easily.
Now my limbs felt like hammers banging against solid rock.
So I worked on allowing a bit of my Ember to flow, just enough to be competent. I hated the feeling of being restricted.
“I don’t understand how you can do this all the time,” I said to Darion. “Turning off your Ember, I mean.”
“It is tough,” he agreed. “But every person is connected to their Ember differently. For me, when I let it flow, I have a greater awareness of and connection to time. You know how people say time flies, or that they wonder where the time went, or that some days seem to drag on?”
“Yes,” I said. “That happens to me all the time.”
“Well, it never used to happen to me. Time was constant and ever-present. I really didn’t understand those expressions until I learned to mute my Ember, and then suddenly they made sense.
But you, Cas…I’ve never met someone with so many Embers.
They must flow through you like a massive river, and I can understand why it would be so hard for you to turn them off. ”
“Why am I different?” I asked, not really expecting an answer.
“I don’t know. But maybe you can find the answers you’re looking for when you get to your family’s old farm.”
That comment reminded me just how much of myself I had shared with Darion, how deeply I had trusted him, and how dangerous that trust had been.
Putting faith in him now felt like standing on the edge of a steep drop, like the time with Bren when I was a child.
Back then, I’d fallen so far that I’d barely made it out.
We soon got to the top of the cliffs. The Jagged Coast was a beautiful and treacherous sight to behold, with dramatic rock formations stretching in both directions. The ocean in front of us stretched to infinity, churning away at the hillside. Seagulls soared on the gusts of wind that blew past us.
Far off to the east, along the coast, the harbor of Grey Spit was just visible.
Predictably, Zephyra found us shortly after we ascended the cliff. She flew like the wind and dove dramatically, landing hard on my shoulder. It took me a moment to remember to let my Ember flow so I could hear her thoughts.
Hurry, little Cas! Elena and the Straw Man are almost to the people place!