Chapter 27
—Kienna—
When Moira fell asleep, Kienna left her to rest. It was weird, brushing her hair. She only knew it worked well enough for her when Moira would do it. She left the room to find Danek sitting alone at the table. “Tristian and Tislin?” she asked.
Danek shrugged. “Tislin made Tristian leave and then went to bed. I’m not good enough company, apparently.” He said it with a laugh, but Kienna could tell he was struggling.
“Care for a walk?”
She didn’t wait for Danek to answer as she sauntered to the front door, opening it and waiting for him to follow.
Leaving his full plate on the table, he stood and approached the door.
Kienna tried to give him a winning smile, one he’d respond to.
He passed by her without any acknowledgement.
Kienna pursed her lips together and closed the door.
The moon accentuated the silver beads of cobblestone roads as they entered the Dove Port streets.
Musicians paraded, playing a string quartet.
The breeze floated from the sea and nipped Kienna’s shoulders.
She still wore the shirt Danek bought her—at least she was sure it was Danek.
He never said anything about it. Shivering, she lit her hands with a faint warmth pulsing in her veins, hugging her arms to stave away the cold.
She wondered how long she would enjoy her power before either Tristian or Connak finally mentioned it. Everyone knew now. Kienna expected they’d bring a new charm in no time. Until then, she’d reap the benefits of being able to warm herself.
Connak found Ash, in case you were worried, Ruva’s voice pushed through.
What took him so long? Kienna asked, embracing the silence that continued between her and Danek.
He got roped into a card game. Ash has apparently joined a men’s group at the sawmill.
Kienna laughed to herself, which caught Danek’s attention.
She held her half-smirk on her face and glanced at him through the side of her eyes.
It was strange to look up at him instead of eye-level.
He bit his cheek, working his strong jaw.
Her fingers grazed the rings she wore, thinking of something to say that would break the uncomfortable quiet lurking between them.
“Are your hands still in pain? Connak should be returning soon.”
“Where’s your favorite place in this city?” Danek asked.
Kienna jerked back. She never considered it before. She stopped walking to put together a coherent thought. There were so many places she loved. The workshop with Ash. The Brass Knot. The shipyard.
“The Lysiria,” she responded. It was a generic answer. Who wouldn’t love looking at the sea, the great expanse of the unknown? It offered adventures she could dream of now that she knew what Alistile had to offer.
Danek grinned. “Care to see it from the ship?”
Kienna cared nearly too much. She gripped Danek’s arm and let him escort her to the shipyard.
The men had already closed the docks for the evening.
Ships sat beyond Dove Port, rocking steadily with the waves deeper into the sea.
They silhouetted in the moonlight, deep blues shimmering with the stars reflecting off the water.
“Were you able to build the platforms and stairs?” Kienna asked.
“No.” Danek shook his head, staring at his hands and then her. “I want you to see it, though. We can climb.”
Kienna shifted her focus to his hands. The tips bruised with a fading gray. Anyone could have missed it, but now and then, Danek harbored a blue glow in his fingers that went missing when Tislin touched him.
“Let me try, please,” Danek said. His voice came like the edge of a sword that told Kienna not to fight him on it. “For you.”
“Do I let you fall if you give out?” she asked.
“You manage to catch yourself when you’re afraid, right?”
Kienna inhaled and held her breath, rubbing at her shoulder to determine if she’d be strong enough.
She trailed the ship’s height to calculate how far Danek would drop.
It wouldn’t be a big risk climbing the unfinished planks if he fell near the keel.
If he fell further up… She shook her head. Danek knew how to climb.
“Up you go, then,” she teased.
Danek gripped a plank and winced, but he ignored it, taking another plank.
Please don’t fall, Ruva whined.
He’ll fall and save himself, or I fall, and he’ll save me. Either way, his magic comes back. Now that I think about it—
The wolf howled. Don’t you dare.
I thought you liked Danek. You don’t think he’ll catch me?
Ruva huffed and pulled away. As Kienna climbed, the wolf appeared in her eyeline, sitting near the shore as she watched the moon.
Kienna’s arm squeezed in pain, but she pushed through it.
As expected, Danek didn’t appear to struggle.
His fingers hooked the planks with ease.
He’d flex them from time to time, but he took each pull in stride, eventually picking up speed.
Kienna followed slowly, watching as he jumped from each plank, but the blue glow didn’t return to his body.
Kienna knew she’d have to go through with her plan.
True magical strength needed emotional pressure.
Deep down, they all knew this. Danek was far too muted from the attack.
If he wanted his power back, he needed this.
Fuck it. She missed the adrenaline anyway.
Danek reached the top, a giant smile plastered on his face. She almost felt bad for what she was about to do. Almost.
“Hoist yourself up, slowpoke,” he said, holding his hands out.
Kienna studied them, the gray fading even more from his tips. Her eyes went to meet his. Ruva shone in her mind, begging her to be smart for once. She prepared herself to piss off the wolf. It was for Danek after all.
“How are your hands?” she asked.
Danek glanced at them. “They still hurt, but I’ll be okay.”
“Good,” Kienna said, her eyes crinkling as she paused.
She inhaled deeply to slow her heart, then she smiled and said, “I’m sorry.
” Without warning, Kienna kicked herself off the ship.
Danek’s hand reached out to grab her. He wouldn’t be fast enough this time.
He’d have to spark his hands. She made sure of it.
Time slowed as Kienna fell, wondering if it would be to a bone-crumbling demise for placing her trust in someone whose magic broke from shadows…or he’d grab her.
Their eyes met, hers nearly too calm compared to the wide confusion Danek’s held. But they were gold now.
They used to be green, she thought.
She almost missed the surge of blue illuminating the night. A strong breeze dipped beneath her, catching her inches from the ground.
Her heart screamed. As Danek lifted her into the air and back onto the safety of the ship, Kienna was laughing.
“Have you fucking lost your mind? Why would you do that?” Danek turned toward the inside of the ship, squeezing his hands into his hair. When he turned back to her, she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.
“Do it again,” she said.
“You have lost your mind!”
Kienna grinned from ear to ear. She’d apologize for giving him a heart attack later.
She jumped off, diving headfirst into the air and toward the ground. Again, Danek caught her and brought her back. Kienna released another melodious laugh.
“Do you have a death—”
She jumped.
Danek caught her.
Every time.
Ruva expressed her extreme distaste for the whole thing, her whines deafening.
You’re being reckless, thinking of no one but yourself!
Ruva was wrong. Kienna thought of Danek.
They may have been living too deeply in their fear, but Danek needed this.
What else would have sparked his emotional response?
“Kienna,” Danek begged, grasping her hand before she jumped again. “I’m losing energy.”
She let her heart return to her chest and panted. Jumping over the edge was like her own training session. It almost made her wish she had wind abilities, so she could do it herself and fly. She cocked a brow as the corner of her mouth twitched. “How’s your magic?”
“It’s fine,” he scowled. “I can’t say the same for my chest.”
Kienna stepped forward, placing her hand on his chest. His pulse greeted her with a flutter, his skin twitching beneath his shirt.
It could have been the adrenaline from falling, but Kienna heard his heart in her ears.
She steadied her breath and flicked her gaze to his jaw.
Stubble grew, dark and coarse, shadowing his skin with the promise of a beard.
Danek’s shoulders loosened. His hand floated up to meet hers, tracing his finger to her arm, then to her shoulder.
He stopped at the bridge of her jaw, under her ear. Kienna tilted her chin to him.
Danek leaned in. Kienna had never kissed a man before. She’d thought about it only once, and now that she saw Danek’s lips moving toward her, she thought about it more than once in mere seconds. She pressed her body closer to his.
His lips barely brushed against hers while her breath deepened against his. She would have pushed the full weight of her mouth to him right there, but Ruva’s voice jolted her back. Connak’s coming.
Kienna stepped back and cleared her throat.
She tried not to look up, her cheeks warm. Ruva’s warning was well-timed, Connak quick to appear above the ship, helping to ease the tension between them now.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said. He glanced at Danek’s hands, then to Kienna, pursing his lips. I didn’t mean to interrupt. His voice was distant in Kienna’s mind. Ash is doing alright.
To Danek, he said, “We need to go back to the Malintale. Tislin managed to neutralize the threat of the shadow weapons for now, but we need to start preparing for more.” He looked at Kienna as if reading her mind. “No movement from River Storm yet.”
Danek stepped forward, sharing one more glance with Kienna before he fell backward and let the wind carry him down. Kienna struggled to hide the smile playing at her lips. Turning to Connak, her shoulders slumped. “Connak—”
Connak held his hand up. “Let’s sit.”
Kienna leaned against the planks of the ship’s wall.
Connak sat next to her and exhaled. “I’ve been looking for the right time to tell you…
” He looked around the ship, anywhere but her.
His hands battled against each other, drumming on his knee.
“You know, before war made ghosts of everyone, they say the Elvish learned to tie themselves to one another. It wasn’t a ceremony of law or anything like that, but it was a promise of magic. ”
“Really, Connak?” Kienna sighed, tilting her head against the planks. “You Elvish love your folklore.”
“Amuse me?” Connak turned to her, eyes pleading.
“Alright, tell me about it.”
“The Elvish are self-preserving. These bonds…they were built for survival. When one was in danger, the other could feel it. It wasn’t romantic.” He waved his hand when Kienna started to lean forward, assuring her of what she was immediately feeling. “It is binding, though.”
Kienna paused to comprehend what exactly he was trying to tell her. Why now? Why this? She knew why, of course. What he was hinting at, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to acknowledge it. “That’s heavier than love. Surely that’s not… I… Is that another lore you’re making up, or is that real?”
Connak hesitated, then shook his head. “Maybe. Maybe not. As you said, we love our folklore. There are rumors, though. About—”
“Hey!” Danek called up. “Tislin’s waiting!”
Connak leaned his head against the wall and then rolled his neck to look at Kienna. She could feel him staring, but her eyes remained fixed on the walls in front of her. “Do you love him?”
Kienna dipped her head to the side, finally looking at him. “Connak—”
“He loves you.”
Her heart fluttered to hear those words, but it also ached.
Connak complicated matters. He was there, in her mind.
Maybe not all the time, but he was there.
That’s what he was trying to tell her. All feelings aside, he was telling her that their mind link was bound, and he wasn’t going away. She gulped for air.
“And I love you,” he said.
Kienna’s heart stopped.
I didn’t see him admitting that one so quickly, Ruva said.
“You’re on a path now, Kienna. One where who loves whom isn’t going to make a difference. I only needed to be able to say it once before we all go mad.” Connak stood and jumped from the ship, a large breeze blowing Kienna’s hair over her face.
What am I supposed to do with any of that? Kienna asked Ruva.
I think Connak is telling you not to focus on love.
I’m not.
Eh, you’ve been drooling.
Kienna crossed her arms and leaned over the opening of the ship. Danek and Connak were gone from below. I should find Ash, right?
Tomorrow, Little Flame. Moira’s all alone.