Chapter 59
“What is your wish, Kressa?” Terra says.
Her gaze flicks to me, unreadable, and returns to Terra. Leaning in, she whispers something beneath her breath.
Terra hums. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I hold my breath, and the rhodium cuffs hang heavy on my wrists. Kressa never entered the competition to win—only to search for Elias. What could she wish for? To sever our bond? End my life?
The world rumbles, and Terra’s lithe form fades. “It is done.”
Caelus rolls his shoulders, and his chest expands on an inhale, Isolde’s power restoring to its full strength.
He leans to the guard at his right, and says something under his breath.
The guard nods and relays orders to those further along the dock.
They spread across the wooden planks, hands resting on the hilt of their swords.
An uneasy feeling clenches my stomach.
“What is it then, Kressa?” Caelus says. “What did you wish for?”
She turns and drags her fingertips over a rope mooring a ship to the dock, a pirate flag waving from its mast. “You know, Caelus, I’ve imagined this moment for the last decade.
” She strides up the gangplank and boards the ship, resting an elbow on the worn railing.
“At first, I thought it would be best to storm the castle and take you by surprise.”
Caelus stiffens, and frost bites his fingertips.
“But that would be too similar to how you invaded Sarenia. Too cowardly. So instead, I bided my time and infiltrated your court. The Gales was the perfect way to get myself in unchecked, so I thank you for that. It’s amazing how sloppy someone gets when they’re greedy.”
Kressa straightens and tilts her chin, eyes hardening. The look of someone accustomed to royalty. Fierce. Unforgiving.
Powerful.
Guards shift, their sheaths bumping against their thighs.
Kressa’s gaze meets mine. “I have to admit, not everything went to plan.”
I look away, but not before I catch her nod at someone over my shoulder. A key slips into the cuffs and twists, freeing my hands.
Julian.
“That’s why I, Queen Cordelia of the Earth Court, name Briar, Queen of the Sea, captain of this ship.”
My attention shoots to Kressa.
Your freedom, my love.
The surface of the ocean rattles. Salt stings my eyes, and waves churn into riptides—growing in anger. For those lost. For those loved. For those robbed from the depths that call it home.
For me.
The waves buckle and smash over the dock. An iridescent sheen wraps around me, caressing my skin and lapping at the wounds left behind by the last ten years. It heats my chest and boils to a sizzling rage. Red clouds my vision.
And like a dam, the cage around my power shatters. It bursts free. Salt water swirls with my blood, and briny air infiltrates my lungs.
I inhale a breath through my nose—the air sweeter, colors more vibrant. Lifting a hand, I will the ocean into submission and collect a puddle of salt water into my palm. I meet my reflection in the small pool and smile, allowing the water to fall through the cracks in my fingers.
The ocean. My power.
Me.
Lips parted, Kressa’s gaze is trained on me, as if looking away would pain her. The bond between us braids and strengthens, and an overwhelming warmth sweeps over me.
Her nails dig into the rail. Do you feel that?
I nod. Whatever was between us amplifies tenfold. Like she rose the sun for me, and I sprinkled the stars in the night sky for her. The world exists for us.
“Kill them!”
The world slams into focus, and a row of guards charge toward me, swords drawn. I stagger back as a wave of soldiers crests from the harbor onto the docks, each armed with blades and arrows. And behind them—
“Wielders,” I whisper, the power within me shuddering.
Diamond crested battle armor glitters in the sun, and potent sky power swells at their fingertips, crackling like whips. My mouth goes dry.
Nobles and servants and courtesans alike scatter from the harbor. All but two figures not running away, but sprinting toward us.
Elias and Thea.
“Briar!”
A glint of metal slices through the air and arcs toward my chest. A blast of flames cuts across the dock and singes the guard to nothing but ash. I stagger back and whip my head to the bow of the ship.
Kressa blinks at her palms.
I stiffen. You have power from the Fire Court?
Her gaze roams over me, and she swallows. I do.
Storm clouds gather overhead, and the temperature plummets.
Caelus turns to me, ice coating his hands. “Do you want to know what your mother said before I killed her?”
The ocean roils at my back, and I breathe it in. Bend it to my will. The hair brushing my shoulders rises and floats as if I’m underwater. I narrow my eyes. “I’m sure you’ll tell me either way.”
He smirks. “She dropped to her knees and begged me to spare her.”
I snarl, and a wave snaps the dock behind me, spilling over my boots. “You’re lying.”
“And before I sank my sword into her chest, I promised I’d find her daughter and kill her, too.” He lifts his hands and draws icicles from the ocean. They slide between the planks, razor sharp, and each blade points at my heart. “I don’t intend to go back on that promise.”
They shoot toward me, and I duck, rolling to the side as they hit the ground and shatter. Another spear aims for my head, and I lunge, but it drags across my shoulder and pain blooms in its path.
I snarl and clench my hands into fists, blasting him with a wave. But before it crests, he throws up his hand and turns it to ice.
He chuckles. “A little out of practice, I see.”
A chunk of ice slams into me and throws me off the dock. I plunge beneath the dark waves, twirling and spinning in the thrashing water.
Pressing my eyes shut, I allow her to consume me—to reacquaint herself. It’s been a decade, and while the waves remain as ancient as ever, I’ve changed. Evolved.
My power thrums through my body and stretches from its slumber. I float until my lungs beg for air. Opening my eyes, I swim toward the surface.
And slam into a sheet of ice.
I bash my fists against the wall and blast it with water, but it only thickens. Air bubbles from my mouth and my lungs scream.
Kressa!
I claw at the ice, and my thoughts fog, air threatening to expire in my lungs. Flames blot out the sky and a hole appears through the ice, warming the water. I grip the edges and heave myself over the top, gasping for air.
Caelus smiles down from the dock. “Your mother would be ashamed.”
I drag myself onto the ice and stand despite my waterlogged clothes. My fingertips tingle at my sides, ready to command the sea, but can’t quite remember how.
It’s been too long.
Flames lick the skies, shooting from Kressa’s hands, but it’s not enough to stave off the soldiers storming the docks. It’s only a matter of time before she burns out, and the wielders are still at the harbor, waiting for Caelus’s orders.
Kressa blasts fire at Caelus, distracting him while I skirt the edge of the ice and climb a rope to the dock. I right myself, and sea water drips down my face, puddling at my feet.
Farther down the dock, Thea and Elias twist around each other, each brandishing a sword as they slice through soldiers. Julian fights beside them, though blood seeps through his clothing, and he winces with each movement.
Marianne and Gemma take up the back, each holding a blade as guards close in on them.
The sky sparks with lightning, and a gust of wind slams into the ship, throwing Kressa onto the deck. Her exhaustion seeps down our bond, and I swallow. She’s burning out too fast.
I glance at the shore, where the remaining soldiers and wielders wait. An entire army.
My stomach clenches. There are too many.
We can’t take all of them.
“Thea!” I scream, voice carrying over the clash of swords.
Caelus hurls a shard of ice at me, and I throw myself down as it skims the top of my head.
Thea appears a heartbeat later. “Yes, captain?”
I swallow a sob, but we don’t have time for a reunion. “Get everyone off the dock and take them to shore.”
Her gaze searches me. “And you?”
“I’m staying here.”
She hesitates, but nods and hands me her sword. “You need this more than I do.”
“Thank you.” I wrap my hand around the leather hilt, testing its weight as frost gathers on the planks.
Without another word, Thea takes a step and vanishes.
She reappears in front of Elias, wraps her arms around him, and they disappear. I bite my cheek. If her power is as weak as mine, it’ll take her longer than usual to get everyone to shore.
I suck in my cheek. Kressa?
Yes?
Her voice comes through with a grunt, and her fatigue seeps into my bones. A pair of guards dart for me, and I lunge, slicing my blade through them. As their bodies fall, more advance.
Can you raise the earth on dry land like you did in the water?
Yes.
How high?
Her gaze meets mine from the bow of the ship, where wave after wave of guards smash into her. Nicks cover her face, shirt torn along her arms.
Tell me how high, and I’ll raise it for you.
A high-pitched scream rips through the air, and I turn as a sword pierces Marianne through the chest. Her body goes limp, a flash of red as she falls to the dock.
Isolde watches me as she yanks the blade from Marianne.
Gemma screeches, falling to her knees over her sister as Isolde mumbles something low enough for only Gemma to hear. Her shoulders stiffen, and she glances at me, her eyes swollen with tears.
“What have you done,” I snarl, as water climbs over my skin and coats me in a thin layer of liquid. Waves thrash against the dock, and red floods my vision as I swing my blade through the bodies blocking my path.
The water against my skin heats, nearly scalding.
Let it consume you.
I slam a boiling wave into Isolde, knocking her sideways across the dock. She grapples at her face, skin red and blistering as steam wafts from her.
A guard swings his sword over his head, aimed for Gemma’s neck, and I blast a boiling wave into him. He screams and stumbles off the dock, into the water. Behind him, the wielders file down the dock, closing the distance far too quickly.
I scan the space. Where is Thea?
At the ship, Kressa staggers back, hand clamped over her shoulder. Blood seeps through her fingers, and a group of soldiers advance on her.
Kressa, get down!
She drops to the deck, and I cool the temperature, crashing a wave over the ship. A handful of soldiers tumble over the edge, but not nearly enough.
Wielders reach the gangplank and pause, whispering as they toe the edge. The one closest lifts his hands, and a buzz fills the air, lightning dancing in the clouds overhead.
The water on the deck hasn’t drained. My power stutters.
They’re going to electrocute her.
Thea appears in front of me, panting. Her chest heaves, and sweat coats her brow.
“Get Gemma to the harbor!” I scream, voice scratching my throat.
She nods and falls to her knees, reaching for Gemma’s shoulders.
Gemma grapples for Marianne’s lifeless body. “I’m not leaving her!”
“I promise I’ll come back for her,” Thea whispers, lifting a knowing gaze to me. A lie.
In the next heartbeat, they’re gone.
I sprint to the ship, wildly swinging my blade through soldiers. My heart beats in time with the waves roiling beneath the dock, and I throw myself into the wielder at the gangplank.
A flash pierces the sky, and lightning smashes into a rear mast, sending wood fragments flying in all directions. But it didn’t strike the water. I sink my blade into him, shoving the body over the edge of the dock.
Thea will be here any second, I say. When you reach shore, you need to raise a wall around the entire city.
She heaves herself to the rail. And you’ll meet us there? You can wield the sea from the harbor?
I quiet my thoughts and will my face to remain blank. Yes.
The lie slides out too easy. She would never leave if she knew I was staying here, but my power is too volatile right now. And if she isn’t behind the wall to protect the city from my power, I’ll drown all of Sarenia.
Kressa blasts a sheet of flames over the wielders, but they shield themselves and ready their hands for another strike. I glance to the skies, dancing with lightning.
Swinging my blade, I dart to the edge of the dock and sever the ropes tied to the ship. Thea materializes at the bow and retches over the side. She wipes her sleeve across her mouth and turns to Kressa.
“Kressa?” I say.
She looks down at me from the ship. “Yes?”
I exhale and relinquish every wall I’ve built, every shred I’ve hidden from her. “I’ll find you anywhere.”
She furrows her brows. I nod at Thea, and she swallows, her face grim.
They disappear.
“Very brave of you, this suicide mission.”
Flanked by wielders, Caelus steps closer.
At his shoulder, covered in burns, Isolde bores her gaze into me. “Enough, Briar.”
I smile and retreat a step. “It’s Your Highness to you.”
I dive into the ocean.