Chapter 43
A
lyse cried throughout the entire recounting of their story. While Jayce couldn’t necessarily blame her, especially when it came to finding out why her name was no longer Rothwen and now Starfall, Xol had to practically carry her the rest of the way.
He felt bad, but she had asked about who he was to Azahara, after all.
It wasn’t enough that he practically spelled out through their history together how madly in love with her he was, she needed further proving.
Especially since at first, Azahara held no interest in him.
Alyse was convinced that he had used his Magic on the poor redhead, tricking her into loving him, as he had influenced them to thinking the crew had known Xol for months longer than they had.
Along with him being anything other than a shipmate that was looking for work.
The frustration stemmed from feeling played and tricked into getting him, and Xol, on the ship.
By the time they reached the Neptune, Jayce had concluded their story. The entire crew had gathered to listen, and while some maintained a neutral expression, most were moved to tears, especially Carmen, Alyse, and Rowlin.
“Guys, it’s okay.” Jayce tried to reassure them as they prepared to get to work, now fully aware of the urgency they faced.
“I’m honestly unsure of what you’re crying about, but it’ll be okay.
” He let out a nervous laugh, and Carmen turned to look at him, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.
“She knows everything now?” Naturally, her concern was for Azahara, and he loved that.
“She does.”
“Good, that is all that matters. She deserves it.” Carmen looked at Alyse then, who nodded her head in agreement. The depth of unconditional love they both had for Azahara filled him with affection for them.
Alyse’s command echoed through the air, prompting the crew to spring into action.
Before he knew it, they were hoisting the anchor and unfurling the sails.
The ship shifted and set into motion at a speed he had never witnessed before.
They understood the urgency, and although they would temporarily part ways in Itotaki, the crew made it clear they would eagerly await their return.
As time passed and the Neptune navigated through the misty fog on the outskirts of Ilkiz, he noticed Rowlin gazing into the sky. Was he awaiting her? When his eyes shifted to Alyse, she too was looking upward.
He found himself casting his gaze to the sky, where hues of pink and orange painted its vastness.
The sun was preparing to bid farewell, ready to make way for the moon’s appearance.
A sense of calm enveloped the surroundings, as if the world itself were finding a moment of peace.
It was strange, even for him, sensing that something in that exact moment was shifting.
As though their reality, its own timeline, had veered onto a completely different course.
This one didn’t feel ominous; instead, it brought a sense of relief, even as they sailed toward uncertainty and into the lion’s den.
It was then that he heard the calling of three joyful Dragons.
Around him, the crew scurried to the ledge, just as Akua came into view.
His serpent dragon skimming the water with ease, even going as far to cast water across the deck, splashing half the crew along with it.
He maneuvered out of the way to stay dry.
Following closely was Kaen, her dragon a vibrant pure red, mirroring her wild demeanor. The dragon swooped and dove, executing spins that seemed like attempts to throw the fire user off, but it only fueled the crazed twin’s enthusiasm.
There was no sign of Ilkiz, which was peculiar given her much larger size compared to the other two.
Suddenly, two loud thuds behind them jolted the deck.
Jayce turned to see the twins brushing their hands against their Dragons.
Vemi, Akua’s Dragon, slipped back overboard, leaving a snail-like goo across Alyse’s ship.
Kaen’s Dragon flapped its wings and ascended, narrowly missing the white sails but leaving a significant crack in the floor.
Alyse screamed at the twins, and Jayce shook his head in mock disappointment, stifling the laughter that threatened to escape.
Momentarily taken aback, Wait, did they just leave?
“She did it,” Akua said breathlessly.
“I mean, we kind of helped,” Kaen groaned, both of them completely ignoring Alyse. When Kaen caught him looking, she skipped over, “That woman of yours is crazier than I am. I don’t care what anyone says.”
Akua, who had a smile painted on his face, followed right behind her. “Don’t call her crazy, Kaen. That title is yours alone.”
“Where is she?” Jayce asked, trying not to sound concerned.
“Above us.” Akua said, pointing straight up.
When Jayce looked up, by the Mother, there Ilkiz was. Her sheer size outstretched the Neptune, and it was a wonder that someone as small as Azahara controlled something that size. There would be no way for her to land, so he wondered what they were doing.
Do you need me to come pick you up? He reached out to her, but only silence met his inquiry.
He was about to pull his wings out and fly up when Ilkiz began to turn to the right and drift downward.
Walking to the side of the ship again, he watched as she swiftly glided to the water’s surface, making sure to stay far enough so that her wings wouldn’t graze the side of the Neptune.
She was staying steady, and when he looked up at his girl, his eyebrows pulled together.
She was covered in blood, from head to toe.
“Is she injured?” His voice was taut.
“No,” Akua responded.
Jayce kept his eyes out towards her, she was leaning forward, and laying down onto Ilkiz. The Dragon’s eyes closed, and he could swear she was beginning to cry.
“She released them,” He turned to see Akua, and to his surprise, Kaen, crying. “The Dragons. We had no idea, nor did Ilkiz.” Akua was choking on his words, and Kaen was wrapping her arms around her brother.
“What?” He was surprised by his own voice breaking.
“There was a rune on the Kraken’s heart, it was keeping us from summoning or breeding them.
We thought it was because Ilkiz was gone,” Akua had always been this strong presence in the wake of his crazed sister.
To see him fighting tears and holding onto his twin as he did, it nearly made him begin to cry.
“But when it called to her for freedom, she dove straight into its mouth, and from within she released them. Released them all!”
“I can hear her Jayce, she won’t hurt me.” Her stunning voice recalled to him, “It’s like a civilization is alive, but under water. It’s calling to me.”
He released a breathy laugh, his eyes teeming with the urge to cry and rejoice.
He turned back to her then and confirmed that Ilkiz was truly in tears. Azahara was hugging her, and it was a sight to see. This tiny girl, comforting a nearly ten-thousand-year-old Dragon.
“They are back.” He said aloud, and with a resounding smile, he leaned onto his forearms and observed her. You are beyond comprehension, Sunshine. She shifted her head to look out at the ship, Come here, I promise I’m not usually needy, but I find myself being so in this moment.
“I could use some neediness from you if I’m honest,” her voice carrying that silky nature in it. He wondered if he was making it that way or was, she purposefully doing it.
What else could you use?
She sat up from Ilkiz, her mouth moved, and for the first time, he couldn’t hear her. The sounds of the ship, the sea below, and Ilkiz herself completely masked it.
“A bath.”
Mhmm, done.
“New clothes…”
Mhmm, or none, but whatever your preference.
She laughed, “Maybe some food.”
Is that all, my sweet girl?
“There is something else.” She resumed talking, and he observed as Ilkiz straightened out her wing, and she stood. The poise and sheer calm she exhibited as she walked across the full length of Ilkiz’s outstretched wing was awe-inspiring.
Approaching the tip as it began to rise, she wobbled slightly but managed to maintain her balance.
As she neared the ledge, he leaned out, extending his arm to her.
She grasped it, positioning one foot at the ship’s edge.
Grinning down at her, he took in the sight of her completely covered in Kraken blood, while she smiled her pearly whites up at him.
Here was this five-foot-something woman who didn’t appear as though she could beat up a training dummy, climbing from the back of the mightiest Dragon to ever roam these lands.
She had just taken down a god-made beast, as if it were just another everyday task.
Cheers erupted behind him, but all he focused on was her. When she stepped up onto the ledge and stood over him, she lifted her gaze out at the crew. The smile on her face was beautiful, but the aura she radiated was Magic. Not the Mothers, but the kind she created.
“The skies belong to us!” Akua bellowed out, and Kaen let out a howl that cracked the space around them.
“As it will be!” he called.
“Be as it will!” Kaen followed.
Azahara was laughing through shed tears that left streaks down her blood covered cheeks.
“On my life, they’ll stay that way,” she whispered under her breath, so quietly that no one would hear her but him.
When she looked down at him, he was blown away by the beauty of her.
It wasn’t just the setting sun behind her that made her seem as though she were on fire, nor was it the sparkle in her eyes that seemed to be its own sunrise. No, it was everything that she was.
“What was the other thing you needed?” He put his hand up, and she took it.
Jumping from the ledge, he guided her feet to the deck.
She stepped to him, only needing to bite her lip in response, and he knew.
He hummed while placing his hand at the side of her neck.
“The things you do to me.” She lifted herself up on her tiptoes as he leaned in and met her lips, bypassing the sour blood and going straight to her sweet, intoxicating taste.