Chapter Forty-Two
Skylar Cathal
“Your beta didn’t exaggerate,” Fjorda said, glancing between us. “But what you ask is not outside the realm of possibility.”
“Can you secure other ships to sail with you? Enough to carry all my pack?”
“I have a fleet that docks on Starfall Island,” Fjorda said, the corner of his mouth turning upward with a wink. “Did you really think I only oversaw the Opal?”
I was about to answer when he held up his hand.
“Don’t bother.” He sighed with a half-smile.
I chuckled. “So, you’ll help us then?”
“I see this as a mutual benefit for your people and mine,” Fjorda replied, extending his hand. “Heal the wilt, and you, Alpha of the Solace pack, will have the aid of my ships and the crews to ferry your people across the sea.”
I grasped Fjorda’s hand with a beaming grin. “Thank you.”
“Thank you, Champion,” Fjorda replied.
“But the veil?” Shaw asked. “Won’t it prevent you from sailing through?”
“I believe it will fall after the Heart is unleashed and the wilt is destroyed,” I answered.
“And then my ships will set sail.”
“What if it doesn’t?” Shaw asked.
“So negative,” Fjorda teased. “Do you always have such a dark outlook?”
Shaw frowned. “I’m cautious. Unlike you,” he said, glancing at me. “You’re likely to act on the first thought that enters your head.”
“Which is usually a good idea.”
Shaw sighed. “Uh-huh.”
“Can’t deny it.” I winked.
“Captain!” Fjorda’s first mate called out from across the deck. “The veil. We’re here.”
“The ship awaits your key, Champion,” Fjorda said, sweeping his arm to the side. “You part the way, and I’ll steer us through.”
I nodded and began making my way toward the front of the ship, with Shaw following close behind.
“You ready for this?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at Shaw.
“As I’ll ever be,” he answered. “So, the dagger will cut through its magic?”
“That’s the theory.”
“Theory?”
“A well-tested and proven theory,” I countered. “The second key opened the veil. Why wouldn’t the third?”
“Didn’t it dissolve? Or disappear?”
“Yes,” I said, reaching the front of the ship.
“And don’t you still need this alpha’s dagger to unlock the Heart? What if it—”
“Shaw!” I said, cutting him off. “The alpha’s dagger can cut through anything. And I… am wielding it. I have enough power to do this.”
Shaw stopped and gave me a toothless grin. “As you say, Alpha.”
I didn’t miss the cunning gleam in his eye nor the smugness in his expression.
“Beta,” I said with a firm nod.
Turning to the crisscrossing winds of the open sea and the twinkling ebony sky scattered with stars above our heads, I readied myself to pass through the magical barrier separating our worlds.
It was just as I remembered. Unable to find the veil with my sight alone, I closed my eyes to search for it with my magic.
“This is…” I paused as I felt Shaw come to my side. “Strange.”
“How so?”
“The veil is barely there.”
“You said it was connected to the trials and the Heart, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“But,” Shaw began, “doesn’t it make sense that it’s weaker?”
It did. However, the reality of this fact was more daunting than I had imagined. “I believe anyone with a thread of magic could pass through now. Which means the wilt—”
“The wilt will spread even faster,” Shaw said.
I turned to him and nodded. The fear in my beta’s eyes reflected my own. If I didn’t reach the Heart in time, the wilt might very well destroy our home before we had a chance to fight for it. With the veil gone, the dark magic consuming Valdor would undoubtedly spread like wildfire.
“No turning back now,” I said, steadying myself against the spiraling winds.
Holding out the dagger, I felt the blade pierce through the magic of the veil, creating an opening for Fjorda to sail his ship through.
“It’s beautiful,” Shaw whispered.
“It’s nothing compared to the first time I crossed with Daxton.” My heart ached at the mention of his name. “That’s when I first kissed him.”
“You… kissed him?” Shaw asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“Nothing. Just surprised it took that long.”
“He was being a gentleman.”
Shaw cocked his brow at me. “I don’t need the details to deny that fact. Your scent gives that one away.”
I stuck my tongue at him. “Prude.”
Gods, I was beginning to remind myself of Castor. I smiled to myself at the thought of him and hoped he was all right. I hadn’t received anything in return on the parchment attached to Daxton’s letter before I left, which wasn’t surprising, but it still caused me to worry.
Shaw huffed a laugh, his toothless grin spreading to the corner of his mouth. “Perhaps I’m just a little jealous.”
“Really?” I rasped as we made the final push to pass through the veil.
“Really,” Shaw replied in earnest. “You found your mate, Sky. That’s not a guarantee for us in this life, and I’m happy for you.”
I could see the longing he had to find his own mate one day, not missing the disappointment that he likely felt when Neera wasn’t his.
“Don’t count yourself out just yet. If I can find mine, then—”
“You’re right.” Shaw smacked the railing with a nod. “If you managed to find yours, mine must be just around the corner.”
“Ha-ha-ha.” I bumped his shoulder.
“You’ll find your mate, Shaw.”
“I know.” He winked, forcing a smile.
Shaw turned his attention toward the shoreline, taking in the sight of the Inner Kingdom for the first time. His eyes widened as I sheathed the dagger at my hip, understanding the look of dread on his face all too well.
“Even the sand is black,” Shaw whispered.
“It is,” I answered. “Hard to see, isn’t it?”
“That can’t happen to Solace. That just can’t—”
“It won’t, Shaw.” I reached out to calm his panther’s anxiety spilling over into him. His eyes snapped to meet mine, and I drew a deep breath. “It won’t happen. I swear I will do everything in my power to prevent this. I’m ready. I’m willing.” I said to my beta, my dear friend.
Refusing to allow my nerves take control I grounded myself in the knowledge that once the Heart was unleashed, everyone I loved would be safe. Our world would be free.
Shaw nodded. “Only you can.”
“Fate has guided me to unite our two worlds and bring Valdor together again.”
“I count myself lucky to be on this journey with you, Alpha.”
I smiled at Shaw, thankful to have him with me, for his friendship and unflinching support.
“Let’s go find Fjorda and figure out how we’re getting onto the mainland,” I said. “The Opal is too recognizable, and I fear the queen will have spies watching and waiting.”
“She’ll know you’ve completed the third trial, right?” Shaw asked.
“Yes,” I said as we approached the ship’s wheel. “And Daxton should have the scroll and be somewhere safe right now.”
“Can you feel the bond or his magic now that we’re inside the veil?”
I paused, “It’s weak, almost like a whisper.
Easy to overlook if I wasn’t trying to search for it,” I said, biting my lip.
“And that fact alone terrifies me. Daxton was in the prison cells beneath Aelius... I know she drained his magic, tortured him—” I couldn’t finish the thought, let alone the words.
Shaw placed a hand on my shoulder. “Easy.”
“I know he’s alive,” I whispered, tears threatening to fall from my eyes.
“If he’s your mate, I have no doubt.”
“And then,” I said, straightening my shoulders, “when I find him and make sure he’s in one piece, I’m going to kill him for keeping this whole plan a secret from me.”
“There she is.” Shaw laughed. “Come on, let’s find Captain Fjorda.”