Chapter 24 Shadows and Goodbye
Shadows and Goodbye
“Bladebreathers are marvelous winged creatures. Yet, even such a beast cannot keep to the sky long without a Natured rider. For flight, it seems, belongs to them both.”
— A Guide to Beasts and Otherwise, by Dialor Snow
As we approached the ship, several people in black uniforms loaded supplies onto the boat, while others took orders in preparation to set sail. There were even guards. Castivian ones. Riven had explained that in Castivian, they had the Brotherhood of Bastards, calling themselves Blademen.
There were no Drakers in sight, only Blademen in their leathers, with swords at their sides, but no hoods or masks. No signs of misery from anyone boarding. No fear.
“Look,” Riven said, tilting my chin up with one hand and pointing to the sky with the other. My jaw opened in awe as the most beautiful creature in existence soared over the ship.
A bladebreather.
Red scales covered its body, and a black feathered tail whipped through the air. On its back, a woman held on with her legs but moved her arms around with ease, shouting out cheerful reports to workers on the deck below.
Her long blonde hair flowed in the wind as sparkling rosy dust followed them through the air, like she was the fuel and the beast was the machine.
The woman was curvy, with breasts I was certainly jealous of filling out her white and red dress.
Her cheeks were full, like she’d lived a life to smile about and came from a place where she didn’t have to fight for food.
I had never been so envious of a person in my entire life.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t shit on the ship,” Riven said. I huffed out a laugh, but my mouth was still ajar in admiration of the woman and the beast.
Eyes on the sky for far too long, I bumped right into the back of Riven as we approached the ticket master, coin in hand.
“No gold necessary,” he assured us. His black mustache crinkled with a grin as he waved us on.
It seemed too easy. Paranoia spread through me like wildfire.
What if this was how they caught the Dark Natured who had escaped?
Or what if this ship was setting sail for Lestivia, delivering us right to the Sapphires?
I stood still on the dock while Riven was already halfway up the bridge.
He turned around, locking his eyes on mine. “Together?” he asked softly.
Every fear I had seemed so far away as his gaze melted me.
I nodded. Together it was.
We crossed the windy wooden bridge before stepping onto the busy ship. There were crowds of people aboard, some with luggage and others with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The mixture of tears, laughter, hugs, and celebration was beautiful, chaotic, and overwhelming all at once.
Every moment since leaving the Waywards flashed like lightning before my eyes. I drew in a relieved breath at the sight of my gossipy, tea-loving friend.
“Elora! You made it too!” Trista called through hysterical cackles.
I hurried to embrace her, bumping past a few other groups of somewhat familiar faces.
“I knew you’d gotten out, and I just knew you’d make it, you stubborn girl,” she cried into my shoulder. Her blazing red hair was frizzy, and she desperately needed a bath, but so did I.
Arielle cowered behind her, Beck at her side.
It would be a long time before I forgave Arielle for burning my building down, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Of course, Beck made it out of the Waywards. Sneaky bastard.
Trista and I squealed like children while Riven kept his distance. I couldn’t wait for the first cup of tea that Trista and I could get our hands on. I wanted to hear every story she had to tell. How had she survived when the Sapphires attacked? Were their travels as heinous as mine?
Turning to Arielle, I attempted a smile. Her wild red curls were still there, but something in her eyes was different. Not darkness, but void.
She tilted her head curiously at me. Beck crossed his arms, sizing me up. He noticed the new outfit, the orb at my waist, and Singer at my hip.
“I can’t believe any of you are alive,” he finally said, a grin spreading across his face.
I scoffed. I should have known he’d be here the moment Dronis said there was a ship coming. He survived the games with an intensity that almost had me scared of him.
“Did you all travel here together?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Some of the way. I was alone for a bit until I found their group,” he motioned to Trista and the others.
Groups.
“Is Luna here?” I asked.
After every ache and tear, it would be worth it.
This ship would be our fresh start. We could have our fight and be done with it.
I would tell her everything I’d learned, and how I had burned the Blood Prince, killed a Warlock, and been shot not once, but twice.
Even if she could be selfish and hurtful, she was my sister. Not by blood, but by choice.
Trista reached for my hand with solemn eyes. “I haven’t seen her since the Waywards. I thought she’d be… with you.”
I looked at Beck. He shook his head.
Riven squeezed my shoulder. Trista narrowed her eyes at the brief moment of affection. I’d tell her later that it wasn’t like that. I was just an oath to him.
I glanced back at the land. It felt wrong leaving Drakington knowing Luna could still be there, but she’d left me first. By crossing the Sea of Blades, I was helping her, whether or not she would ever know.
There would be a home for the Dark Natured, even if I had to be shot by a thousand arrows to build it.
The voyage began in the evening as planned, and the first night was beyond what I had expected.
Riven was right about me having a room on the ship.
The bed was made with grey covers and fit from wall to wall, leaving little space to walk around when the door was open.
There was no other furniture or private place to relieve myself, but that was fine.
A shared pot was just down the hall, and that was more than I’d had in days. Above the bed was a porthole window that revealed the night sky and noisy waves.
I lay at the foot of the bed, content to watch the bladebreather occasionally pass by.
If anyone on the ship knew I was Xavian Steele’s sister, they hadn’t treated me differently because of it. The room was the only indicator they might have known.
Riven had his own room as well, though, while Trista and Arielle shared one.
Sleep claimed me early the first night. My body had demanded it. I dreamt of soothing darkness, my mind finally granting me a break. I would have slept an entire day away if thunder hadn’t woken me the next afternoon.
Wrapped in my charmed blanket, I peeked out the porthole. The skies churned with hues of deep grey and blue, lightning flashing in the distance.
By the time I dressed and left my room to seek Trista and food, the boat rocked so wildly that I was running back for the pot.
I flew down the wobbly hallway right as Riven opened his door. I had no time to stop, even as he called out to me.
Just as I could not hold it any longer, I gripped both sides of the pot, retching as the ship swayed. Riven placed a hand on my back.
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped. I heaved again, sweating. Arms shaking.
“Ever?” he asked, lifting his hand off my back.
I didn’t have the capability to answer or dwell on what he meant. Instead, I silently begged the Mother to make the sickness stop.
Only once I was certain I had nothing left to expel, I stood, sighing in relief. I was about to apologize for snapping at Riven when a commotion sounded above deck.
The worst scenarios invaded my mind. A Sapphire attack. Drakers.
I bolted past Riven, running up the stairs as he followed.
On the deck, the commotion continued to grow.
“She’s lost her damn mind!” a man yelled.
I froze.
A group of angry travelers surrounded Arielle. Trista stood nearby, with tears welling in the corners of her eyes and covering her mouth. A body lay on the floor, black poison coating what was left of his skin.
Arielle had killed him, just as she had killed people in the Waywards.
Beck stepped in front of Arielle, blocking her and addressing the growing crowd.
“I think it is best if you all leave for…a few moments, then we'll talk, yes?” he asked, far calmer than I could have been.
There was some protest, but he flicked each of them a coin for their patience, and with that, they scurried off with promises to return.
Arielle stood behind him, holding her inky fingertips by her mouth and talking to herself.
Maybe the Waywards did this to her. Maybe we weren’t meant to hold our poison in forever.
Trista's tears ran through the crinkles around her eyes as she walked away.
Arielle hadn’t always been violent. She was once a breath of fresh air, always noticed for being fearless and outspoken. Now, she had taken the opportunity of a new life away from the man who lay at their feet.
Riven and I backed away, lingering by a shadowed wall of ropes and hooks as Beck turned back to Arielle. My chest burned, knowing that if she tried to hurt him, I would repay the favor I owed him for saving me in the midwinter games. She could not continue on like this.
I held one of the secured ropes as the ship rocked me further into the wall, partially obscuring my view as Beck grabbed Arielle’s slender hand and kissed it.
She smiled, the sorrow disappearing from her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her in a way that said more than words.
I had been so blind. All that time ago at the tavern, Beck hadn’t been nosy for the hell of it. He was in love with Arielle.
As her smile melted away, she tried to hide her face, turning toward the water while holding the ledge of the ship. Beck wasn’t deterred in the slightest, slipping his arms lovingly around her from behind and cradling her as they swayed, both staring out at the sea.
What if the mob were to return while they weren’t looking?
I couldn’t help but walk closer, as if I needed to protect them. I wasn’t sure what the solution would be to the Arielle issues, but Beck loved her.
He combed her wild curls to the side and kissed her shoulder.
“I’m sorry they did this to you,” he said.
“Me too.” Her voice was soft, but not sad. It was empty.
She nodded to him as if he’d asked a question. The ship rocked, and I grabbed onto a nearby barrel, narrowly avoiding falling. Riven still stood back in the shadows, his face unreadable.
Beck held Arielle tighter, but she pushed space between them before turning to face him. She pleaded with her eyes, as if a monster was out to get her.
For the first time, Beck’s breath was unsteady. His eyes were wild with uncertainty.
There was a silent battle between their stares before he nodded back and met her mouth for a kiss. I should have looked away or gone back to my room, but I could not.
He held her in his embrace as the moment went from dream to nightmare.
Fast, thick shadows filled her throat and circled around her body like a storm.
I placed my hand to my mouth, holding back tears as he lowered her to the ground.
Shadows covered her eyes and blanketed her body.
They swarmed into her nose and mouth, and her breathing slowed.
She showed no sign of panic, nor fear. It was Beck who looked afraid as he struggled to conceal the pain, his chest heaving as he wielded his shadows, sending his lover to the darkness she so desired.
My heart shattered.
Beck held Arielle until she was gone, then lovingly closed her eyelids. With unsteady arms, he picked her limp body up, red curls falling like ash. He kissed her forehead for the last time before dropping her over the side of the ship.
At long last, she was free. Not only from the Waywards, but from both her mind and her own Nature.
I scurried off, holding back tears. Trista was going to be a wreck, but I would be there for her, the best I could.
The sail whipped above, and when I glanced up, the blonde woman was perched behind the sail with her beast. If I had been ten steps back, I wouldn’t have been able to see them in the darkness. Her and the bladebreather’s eyes were glued on Beck, who held the ledge of the ship, cursing at the ocean.
The bladebreather lowered its head, quietly whining and large eyes blinking in wonder.
The woman snuggled into the bladebreather’s side, petting his mane. “Bad days always end, as will his,” she said.
The storm raged on for weeks to follow. I spent most of my time spewing up lunch, having tea with Trista, playing cards with Beck and his friends, or lying in bed watching the bladebreather soar. Its rider kept to the sky, rarely ever on deck.
I thought we would never make it to Castivian.
Then the morning came when I didn’t wake up needing the chamber pot. Instead, I woke to the sound of—
“LAND!”