Chapter 40 #2
“It doesn’t matter, Grace. They’re going to call you a princess no matter what,” Amaya said.
“I see.” Grace squinted in Amaya’s direction. “Um, where did you get those clothes?”
Will resisted the urge to follow Grace’s gaze and take note of what Amaya was wearing.
“Vaelstead. We’ll get you some too.”
Amaya stood and moved to Will’s end of the table. She didn’t acknowledge him as she offered her hand to Grace, though Will remained keenly aware of every inch between them.
“C’mon. Let’s give the captain some time to wake up.”
“We’re taking off soon. No one’s allowed off the ship,” Will said, finding his authoritative tone. “Except on urgent errands. That’s an order, Sinclair.”
“Shopping is an urgent errand,” Amaya quipped.
She glanced back at him, and he held her gaze for a beat. Two. The corner of her lips twitched and sent irritation pulsing through Will’s body—both at her and at himself.
He should punish her for her casual defiance.
He wanted to kiss her instead.
The unofficial staring contest ended when Amaya turned away, sighing. “Shopping later, then.” To Mouse, she said, “How’s your reading coming?”
“I’m getting lots better,” Mouse said, drawing Amaya’s smile. It was a beacon of light amidst the dark caverns of Will’s thoughts, gone too soon as she turned.
“Good. Let’s go see.”
“The captain seems upset,” Grace said, her voice annoyingly sweet as the trio of troublemakers walked away.
“He always seems upset,” Amaya said, not missing a beat.
Will watched them go, his gaze lingering in their direction for too long.
“Sorry about the jump scare,” Sebastian said when the group was out of earshot. “Crowe said Westbrook was pursuing them until they got on the skiff, and he wasn’t sure where to offload her inconspicuously.”
Will shook his head, turning back to his breakfast. “It’s fine.”
“You met him then?” Edmund asked.
“Met who?”
“Amaya’s charming fiancé, of course. Westbrook. Maker, even I have better taste in men.”
Rolling her eyes, Serena leaned forward and snatched Edmund’s book from his hands.
“Amaya traded her hand for your stupid life,” she said. “She didn’t exactly get to pick from a lineup. Have you even thought to say thank you?”
Serena’s words stunned Edmund into a brief silence before he looked down at his lap.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Maybe do that.”
An awkward silence settled over the table. Will knew everyone was thinking the same thing, it was just a matter of who spoke up first.
Serena continued to be the one to take initiative.
“So . . .” She leaned across the table, tilting her head toward Will. “Not to be pushy, but when do we get to hear about last night? Is it true Graven has Genesis?”
Will couldn’t avoid the topic much longer. Might as well get it over with. Nodding, he took a long sip of his coffee.
“Yes. He told me he’s had it for eighty-one years.”
Will told them everything—about Graven’s true identity as Westin Cory, about how he’d murdered Ronan Pearce, and how he’d spun lies for decades about Pearce and Genesis being inside the vault.
He shared Graven’s firsthand knowledge that the Skyvault contained a doorway to other worlds, and how his true goal was to use Amaya as his living key to access each one.
“He wants exclusive access to anything these other worlds have to offer,” Will said. “It’s like what we thought, but worse. He might revive the relic industry, but he’ll create interdimensional monopolies as well. And we have no idea what might be in those other worlds.”
That was the scariest part: the unknown. But some things were certain. Graven was more than the ruthless Sky Lord they all knew him as—he’d once started a war rather than negotiate ways to share wealth and resources.
And he’d killed his best friend to keep Genesis.
“Right,” Serena said. “So . . . what’s our plan? If there’s no Pearce, do we really need to find the Skyvault? Or do we just need to figure out a way to kill Graven?”
Will had been turning this over in his mind all morning.
“Both,” he said. “For all we know, he’s impossible to kill.
I tried everything in my arsenal. The only reason I’m still alive is because I .
. .” Will nearly choked on the words, shame bubbling in his gut.
“I fled the scene. But that might not be an option next time.”
No one judged him for running, at least not verbally, but Will was still disgusted with himself for being such a coward. He pressed on before anyone could comment on it.
“We have all the pieces to find the vault, so that will be Plan A. If we can find it first and destroy the doorway, the other worlds will become irrelevant. But I want a backup plan in case that doesn’t work.”
“Captain,” Edmund said, leaning in. “I might have an idea on that front. At Starcrest Peak, we found a wide selection of Pearce’s research. Including his formula for Class Fours.”
“No shit,” Serena whispered.
Will narrowed his gaze on the artificer. “What are you saying?”
“Hellsgate couldn’t damage Genesis on its own, but Graven has three Class Fours against your one.
It’s unbalanced in every way.” Edmund shifted and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“It’s risky, mind you, but if I could siphon a high volume of Aether directly from the storm, I think I might be able to create a new Class Four with the formulas I read.
One that could give you the edge you need. ”
Will’s head spun at the notion. A new Class Four relic coming into the world was unheard of. Only Ronan Pearce himself had ever created them. The implications of Edmund mastering such a skill were enormous and, as he’d said, risky.
“I thought you couldn’t siphon Aether from the storm,” Sebastian said.
“You can, but it’s highly volatile and leads to unpredictable results,” Edmund explained. “It’s not worth the risk ninety-nine percent of the time. But this . . .” He met Will’s eyes. “I think this might be that one percent.”
Will couldn’t agree more.
“Do it.”