Chapter Twenty-Six
THE SPY
Dawn, the heinous witch, came too soon. It felt like I had just closed my eyes. I groaned as my guard rapped on the door, yelling that it was time to wake up. I bet the general put him up to that. Heinous brute. I rolled off my bed in a heap of agitation and yanked my scaled leathers on.
The night guard wordlessly led me to the stables where horses were being loaded up.
Saddle bags of food, tents, bed rolls, blankets, and weapons already secured.
Our journey would take us through Yarit, around the outskirts of the city, and to the coast that would deliver us to the depths of the Zephyrus Sea.
Xuri emerged, dressed in her own fine leathers, with books and journals peeking out of leather satchels.
Finn sauntered around inspecting his tall gelding.
Finally, the general arrived with a servant who brought in plates of warm food for us to shovel down before we departed.
Lastly, Bowen entered the stables. He gave a slight, reverent bow to the general before finding his own horse.
Xuri leaned in. “That’s the Premier Elixist, Bowen, the most accomplished student our Prime has trained.
” He glanced toward me, smiling as he confidently mounted his horse, his long, brown hair artfully arranged in a top knot above his head, his arms covered in tattoos.
I tried again to decipher them when I felt the tingling burn of someone staring.
I searched for the source, catching the general’s eye.
He walked over to me, huffing as he proffered a large duffel. Definitely not a morning person.
I accepted his offering, the bag clinking as I grasped it.
“Careful,” he warned. I opened the mouth of the bag to reveal my swords and daggers.
Their hilts mirrored the glitter in my eyes.
A rush of relief surged through me as I sheathed my weapons.
The general’s mouth twitched in a depressing attempt at a smile.
The familiar weight of my blades relaxed me.
I mounted my horse and scanned the area, quickly noting Dom’s absence.
I missed his retreat amidst the bustle of our departure.
I finally caught him genuflecting in the shadows of a distant tree.
I urged my mare in his direction, pretending to carelessly drift toward him rather than an obvious display of nosiness.
I angled my body toward the group, my head tilted slightly to keep Dom’s form in my line of sight.
He kept his head lowered, his arms resting on a propped-up knee as he mouthed silent words.
He finished speaking and made the sign for the god Elyon, a simple drag of the finger from one temple to the other.
The sign established as a symbol of the all-knowing nature of the god.
The same gesture he had placed on my own forehead when we were kids.
I had forgotten he used to do that to me before he departed from the Rivellan Wood. Hardly anyone followed the old ways anymore, and yet Dom continued to do so. I tucked away this curiosity and maneuvered my horse back into the bustle of travel preparation.
My horse stood impatient, much like myself, when Dom finally returned. His presence overpowered the rest of us, and my gaze annoyingly strayed to him.
“Careful!” Bowen hopped backward as Xuri froze in confusion. “That’s my lucky pine cone.”
Xuri cackled. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Bowen cupped the small pine cone in his hands protectively. I peered at him closely, then back to Xuri. My hand clapped over my mouth to suppress my laughter.
“Aw leave him alone, Xuri. You know I have an emotional support rock.” Finn removed a smooth stone from his pocket. Bowen’s face lit up. My jaw dropped.
Dom stopped short, his mouth slightly open. He groaned, wiping his hand down his face. “Foka.”
Finn caught Dom’s muttered curse, his face contorting in offense. “What!? You could use a support rock or two, Scowling Shadow Man.”
Dom rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He hopped onto his horse. “Secure your precious cargo and let’s go.” Still suppressing my laughter, I grabbed my horse’s reins. Our journey beginning before the early morning stars winked out.
We made a brief stop at an apothecary in Lyrae. Bowen emerged with some vials, exchanging a brief look with the general. By nightfall, we had moved through the city of waterways and entered a copse of trees on the outskirts of the Perellian Forest.
An outcropping of rock extended from the earth creating a natural wall nearby.
It was as enclosed as we could hope for.
Tents went up swiftly. I stood by, observing Finn make use of his gravity magic by turning heavy loads into manageable work.
I wasn’t sure how to lend my services, so I held out tools and supplies in meager assistance.
The general took to setting up a small fire.
“You’re good at that, General. It still takes me at least twelve attempts to get a fire going. Perhaps my water magic fights against my efforts.” His eyes glinted in the flickering flames.
“Dom.”
I paused. “What?”
“My name is not General, it’s Dom.” He held my gaze, his face indecipherable. “And what is yours?”
Why did this matter so much? “You know my name.”
“Ruin is not a name, it’s a title meant to instill fear.”
I scoffed. “I have been Rue since I was taken in by King Nolan. It is my name, Dom.” I resumed setting up the food supplies, moving things around with unnecessary force. Busying myself, I was no longer interested in this conversation. Liora died the day my parents did. Why couldn’t he let this go?
A grin barely ghosted his face, “And what were you before then?”
I stumbled a beat, my anger rising to protect, to destroy. The tips of my fingers frosted, the only sign I felt anything. My expression remained flat as I firmly retorted, “I was nothing.” My magic surged, a roar in my ears, ice chips flaking off my fingers.
Shadows swirled around him. One extended, warm and soft as it gently swept back a lock of hair that had fallen out of my braid.
I tensed. The shadows retreated, gathering in rippled waves toward the fisted hands at his sides.
A sad smile softened his jawline. “Names have meaning, and you are not what they call you, what they have made you believe.”
He turned then, disappearing into the cluster of trees. And I stood there, questioning my understanding of myself, perhaps for the first time.
We rode hard the following day and arrived at the southern coast of the Zephyrus Sea where the Lyraean Shelf extended, and the great underwater trench beckoned.
I had kept to myself, chewing on the words Dom had thrown at me.
I found myself acutely aware of where he was at all times.
His presence irritated even as it calmed.
Xuri informed us that she was staying behind, to await our return and care for the horses. A sense of relief I didn’t dwell on followed her announcement. Finn, Bowen, Dom, and I prepared to enter the frothing deep.
This was my moment.
I had never been to the ocean before and the sight of the sea overcame me. I wished I had more time to savor it, but our mission took precedence. Concern that I could sustain our group crested higher than the waves before me. If my magic slipped, I would lead us all to inglorious deaths.
The ocean’s pulse soothed my apprehension. Waves broke at the shoreline, and I chose to leave the remnants of my doubt with them. I wouldn’t fail.
Dom inspected the horses, then spoke quietly with Xuri. I leaned in, trying to eavesdrop, but couldn’t decipher their words. Agitation crept over me and my mouth went dry. She knew him better than I did, his history with her much less sordid than my own.
Xuri had only been kind to me. There was no reason for me to act on this overwhelming urge to destroy her.
I would leave as soon as this journey was complete and the sooner I accepted that, the easier this would go.
Dom turned and took hold of a vial from Bowen that he downed in one swig.
I forced myself to turn away, glaring into the horizon.
Our little group gathered and I explained my magic, more for my sake than theirs.
“The Prime Chemist taught me how to enclose us in bubbles that will allow for oxygenated air to flow. We will be able to breathe and communicate normally. I won’t let us drown.
I’ll also manipulate water currents to push us deeper, faster.
” I was as prepared as I could be. While my control of the current helped in moving us quicker, it was really to compensate for my weak swimming skills. No one needed that detail, though.
Dom kissed the top of Xuri’s head and my stomach dropped.
“We hope to be back by week’s end,” he said.
“If there’s any way to send a message, we will.
You will likely be too far for us to mind-walk.
” I groped at the vestiges of my dignity and tried to pull them together, shoving my ill-placed possessiveness far below the surface.
There was no future here for me. I knew this.
Whatever I felt for Dom was one-sided and fruitless.
I could not have a divided mind when it came to what I was about to do.
I sucked in a deep breath and reviewed everything Gemma had taught me, slamming any errant thoughts of the general firmly into some dark, crusty corner of my mind.
The weight of our lives rested heavy on my shoulders when the moment finally arrived. It was not a foreign burden, though; I’d carried similar for years with me and Delah. I dipped my toes into the sea, stepping toward the unknown.