Chapter 39
Lyssa
Libra is the place I most consider my home after the Alastor. It’s where I sought refuge when I so desperately needed it, it’s where I found Epizon, and it’s where I found my ship. It’s a tough place, but mostly a fair one.
I’m not exactly excited to be returning, but my confidence is higher than it might be elsewhere as we glide alongside a long metal pier.
It shudders as Epizon leaps down from the deck of the ship first. He’s wearing his big coat and has his giant knife strapped to his leg.
I haven’t commented on his attire this time.
I rub the back of my neck as I watch Len scramble over the railing, his hooves clicking on the metal as he lands.
He insisted on coming, but I really hope we won’t need a medic.
“Captain.” Lucas nods to me as he scrambles after the other two. Letting him come is perhaps a risk, but he’s keen to prove himself, and honestly—if I’ve let him come this far, who am I to stop him?
“Ladies first,” says Alexios from behind me, then offers his hand to help me over the railing. I roll my eyes, put one hand on the wooden bar, and vault easily over it. I barely make a sound as my boots land on the pier.
“Right,” he says, and throws his own leg over the railing. “I won’t try to be civil again, then.”
“I’m a woman, not an invalid,” I mutter.
“And I’m just trying to be well mannered, unlike you.” He drops down beside me. “And put on a show.”
“You’re ruining my homecoming,” I snap, before remembering to give him a shit-eating smile, and then turning away from him.
The pier juts out a long way from the mass of islands that make up Libra, and I take a beat to enjoy how surreal standing at the end feels.
Ahead of me is a churning mass of activity, glass haulers zipping up and down between the islands, figures hurrying across the intricate glass bridges that link them, the thin, flat islands themselves filled with curved buildings and tall trees.
But behind me and the ship, there’s nothing but sky, just blue and violet streaks breaking up the gentle gray clouds.
There’s a serenity in it that calms the constant hum of energy simmering inside me.
“Do you know where we have to go?” Len asks as we reach him, standing at the other end of the pier.
A breathtakingly delicate glass bridge with railings carved in ancient patterns connects the end of the pier to an island that houses three single-story buildings. They’re made from white stone and are decorated in swirling metal fingers that wrap around the buildings, making odd geometric shapes.
One of the buildings looks like a tavern, with people sitting at small, angular tables in front of the windows.
Not all the buildings on Libra are so beautiful.
The islands around the outside have the most extravagant architecture, to go with the incredible views of the skies.
But the farther into the cluster of islands you get, the thicker the mist grows and the less wealthy the residents become.
“Athena said the monster was deep in the center of Libra. I’ve been in pretty far, but never to the core. How about you, Epizon?”
“No, I just went in as far in as the missionaries took food.” Athena is the only goddess in Olympus who will feed anybody who works, and my first mate lived on the inner islands of Athena’s realm far longer than I did, building the luxurious homes on the outer islands in return for meals.
“I guess we go as far in as we can and work it out from there. Do you think we could be the first ones here?”
“I don’t think so, cap. Theseus and the Virtus will have been closer if they stayed in the Void,” says Len, almost jogging to keep up.
“Huh. Then let’s hope they didn’t.”
There’s no way you can spend time on Libra if you have a fear of heights. It’s impossible to move between islands without looking down to see the endless skies of Olympus below you.
We cross the first bridge and make our way between the buildings to where a glass hauler stands open, attached to a long, thin metal rod that runs up to the island above us.
Nobody pays us any attention, to my relief.
We need to move quickly, and Len is not good at avoiding distractions.
I was never able to memorize all of the islands, but I do know that we have to go up from here before we find some islands that will take us farther into the cluster.
We walk past a long white stone building three or four times the size of the structures on the previous island. It has a huge image of a serpent twisted around a staff painted by every doorway, and I can smell the sharp tang of alcohol as we pass.
“I worked in a medical infirmary like that once,” says Len. “But it wasn’t as big as this one.”
“Oh yeah? How’d you like it?” asks Lucas.
“Too busy. Too many people. Too much work,” the satyr answers, shaking his head slightly.
“Was it here on Libra?” I ask.
“No. No, Libra would be even busier.”
“Well, personally, I’m glad you don’t get much work on the Alastor,” says Epizon, glancing back.
“That makes two of us,” I mutter.
We have to take three more haulers up before we find a bridge heading toward the inner islands.
The homes on each island become progressively bigger as we move up.
On one island I see a three-story building with long balconies that wrap around all the floors, with a satisfying mix of angles and curves everywhere I look.
The iron fingers curl around the stone and the windows, making the building look as though it’s trying to protect itself.
Immaculate gardens with tall, tidy trees surround the house, running all the way to the island’s edge, where a large longboat with a sail that looks almost too white is docked.
“Fancy living there, do you?” says Alexios, coming to a stop beside me as I breathe in the smell of the tiny yellow flowers lining the garden fence.
“Not a chance,” I say, snorting. When I first came to Libra, I was jealous of the people who lived in these lavish homes, with a view of the unending skies and a way out whenever they liked. Now, though, I know I’m the lucky one. Nothing compares to living on the Alastor.
“Yeah, I can’t really see you shacked up in a home with bars on it,” he says.
“You can’t?”
He smiles at me. “No, my darling. You’ll live in the skies your whole life. Of that, I’m sure.”
Annoyed he’s gotten me so right, I smile back. “And thanks to you, that will probably only be a matter of days.”
He leans forward and gives me a peck on the cheek. He smells infuriatingly like my favorite soap. “Don’t worry. Bassari and I will look after you.”
I pull my hands tight to my sides as he withdraws from my personal space. “I do not need you to look after me,” I grind out.
“I know. I also know how much it annoys you when I act like you do.” He’s beaming, and to anyone watching it likely does look like he’s having a great time.
“Gods above, I hate you.”
“Come on, my love.” He heads toward the bridge after the others.
I force my tense body to relax and follow.
“Why must she make them all glass?” he says, looking reluctantly at the see-through crossing.
“Are you scared of heights?”
“No. But I’m not crazy about them. I usually use a longboat to get around Libra.”
The reminder of his privilege saps any accidental sympathy, and I give him one of my big, fake smiles. “Do you want to hold my hand?” I ask, in a baby voice.
Annoyingly, he grins back, then grabs my outstretched fingers. “You’re so good to me, darling.”
“Shit,” I mutter, then march across the bridge, a now-smug Alexios in tow.
The islands begin to change as we move farther into Libra.
There are fewer white stone buildings and more temporary-looking metal ones.
The green grass and luscious plants are sparser and the mist thickens.
It’s as if the color is slowly draining from our surroundings.
The only constants are the beautiful bridges and the glass haulers.
There are more people, too, of many different races.
Most move busily and purposefully between islands and in and out of buildings, but a few look bored and mean.
A Minotaur leaning on the side of a long, low building that might once have been white calls gruffly to us, and Lucas jumps.
A woman with long blonde hair wearing a very short toga steps out from behind him.
“Dice? We’ve got a great prize today,” she says, her voice low and sultry. Len slows. “Today only. Strawberries.”
The satyr stops completely. “Captain, she said strawberries,” he breathes.
“Len, no way. We don’t have time for dice,” I reply, looking back at him without stopping.
“Well, you probably don’t need me. I could stay here and win some strawberries.”
I sigh and stop walking. “Len, you know we don’t have time for this. And we wouldn’t be stopping to gamble even if we weren’t in a hurry. Come on!”
“Satyrs were created by the god Pan, and he is famous for his luck! If Pan can gamble, I can too.” He nods and turns toward the woman. “I’m in,” he says.
“Len! Seriously? I can’t leave you here!” Anger courses through me. What does the idiot think he’s doing, playing dice now? “Epizon, get him,” I say, turning to my first mate.
“Well, we could just play one quick game,” he says, shrugging. I gape at him.
“Sorry, sweetheart. Some boys just can’t resist a good deal,” says the blonde with a wink. “Are you sure you don’t fancy one game?” she says temptingly.
I feel a pull in my gut and take a step toward the building.
We probably do have time for one game. How long does it take to throw a couple of dice?
And I do love strawberries, all juicy and red and sweet.
I can’t remember the last time I ate one.
For a moment I think I can smell them, and my lips part a little in anticipation.
The blonde woman’s smile widens and the Minotaur grunts a laugh. The laugh filters slowly through the haze of strawberries, followed by Alexios’s deep, clear voice.
“Not today, love. But I do appreciate your powers of persuasion. I haven’t met a siren in a little while, and you are truly lovely.”
“Shit,” I say, my anger redoubling and replacing the desire to play. “Len!” I move quickly, yanking him back by the collar of his small shirt.
“But cap—”
I ignore him, keeping hold as I reach out and catch Lucas’s arm.
Alexios has moved with me and is steering Epizon’s huge shoulders away from the entrance to the building. Epizon allows him to, a slight look of confusion on his face.
The woman smiles at us. “Fair play to you,” she says as I half drag the protesting Len away, Alexios now steering the other two. “Few and far between are those who can resist the call of a siren.”
“She’s right, you know,” I say to Alexios when we’re out of earshot. Len is still babbling about the luck of Pan, and Epizon is looking a little sheepish as he strides ahead of us. “How did you resist her?”
He gives me a sideways look. “Sheer, glorious willpower,” he says, then grins. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone in this world can flash their teeth and… sparkle as often as this infuriating idiot does.
“Horseshit.”
“Yeah. I can’t. But Bassari can.” I roll my eyes. “Maybe you should thank me, publicly and lavishly,” he says, raising his eyebrows at me suggestively.
I turn to him with a smile. “I’m eternally grateful,” I say. He beams back. “For your fox.”
The smile dips, then he shrugs. “I’ll take it.”
Truth is, though, I am grateful for the fox. The gods alone knew how long we’d have spent in the gambling hall if it weren’t for Bassari.