Chapter 30
As they pulled into Andel’s harbor, Aeliana’s jaw dropped.
The city seemed to stretch on as far as she could see along the coast as well as inland.
They passed ships at least three times the size of To the Deep and Back, with masts towering high above.
Brightly colored homes dotted the cliffs, the structure surprisingly similar to the fortress in the Myndren Mountains.
The cheerful view made her want to repaint the fortress, perhaps bring back its former glory as a Sungazer, if Orra’s stories of its origin could be believed.
She joined Gaeren at the helm, eager for a better view and curious how he’d maneuver the boat through such congested waters.
“You’re a natural sailor,” Gaeren said.
Aeliana laughed to hide how much that compliment pleased her. “What does it look like to be a natural?”
“Haven’t you noticed Holm has been stuck down in his room, sick as a dog?”
She grimaced. “Fair enough. I wonder if that doesn’t bode well for him when we find the starbridge and travel to Paelen’s waters.”
Gaeren shifted the wheel and called out instructions to the sailors, the change in direction making the wind ruffle his hair. He turned back to her, eyebrows raised. “Do you think it’s likely we’ll find it? The starbridge?”
Doubt niggled at the back of Aeliana’s mind, but she refused to give in to it. “We have to in order to save my mother, so we will.” She ran her hand over the smooth wooden rail separating her from the water. “It will be hard to leave the water for land again.”
“It always is,” Gaeren murmured.
Aeliana hadn’t expected to enjoy sailing as much as she did.
At first, she’d been like a passenger, wandering aimlessly along the deck to enjoy the occasional spray of water from the ship’s edge.
But as they’d progressed down the eastern coast of Vendaras, she’d found herself learning from the sailors.
More than once, Iris had pointed out she was only able to climb the rigging because she’d finally given in to wearing trousers.
It was true, but Aeliana wasn’t going to admit that to Iris.
“Despite being the capital, Elanesse is probably half the size of this city. This is a good place for you to practice pulling back on your access to memories. In crowds you’ll get flooded with glimpses that you have to push away, or they’ll overwhelm you.”
She grimaced, wishing her connection to Durriken hadn’t altered her magic. She still couldn’t heal as much and she hadn’t gotten the strength of her light shields back, and she found that she missed that part of her magic.
“It’s not all bad,” Gaeren said with a smile, misinterpreting her disappointment. “I always wanted to travel through Andel and lose myself in it, but I usually had an entourage that made it impossible not to be recognized. Probably kept me safer, but I would have preferred the anonymity.”
“Are you in danger coming here now?” Aeliana asked.
“Probably not? Larkos claims the southern Recreants aren’t concerned about me after hearing how I left, but I can’t help wondering if there could be a few rogue people who still don’t care for my bloodline.”
Aeliana shuddered. “It would be nice if we found the starbridge quickly, but with a city this size and an artifact being lost for so long, I doubt we can expect it.”
“I don’t have my hopes up either.” He scratched at his bond mark, drawing Aeliana’s attention.
“Is your bondmate bothered by the fact that you haven’t returned?”
Gaeren hesitated, making Aeliana wonder if her question was too personal, but then he shrugged. “Lenda and I have never been as close as we should be for bondmates. My sister actually wanted me to break our bond.”
Aeliana’s eyebrows rose. “Whatever for?”
“I’m starting to wonder if she wanted me to be free to leave again. It’s hard to tell when her advice changes on a whim depending on what visions she sees.”
“I suppose you’ll go back after all this. Continue on as throne warden.” She let her real question hang there, unspoken between them. Was there any chance he’d remain with the Recreants? She didn’t feel like she had a right to the answer, but she wanted it anyway.
“I’m not sure I’ll be welcomed back after the way I left, but I’m determined to go back for Winter Solstice.
Thallahan is getting married, so it’s as good a reason to return as any.
” He stared down at his bond mark, and the sadness and confusion on his face reflected everything Aeliana felt about her own bond.
“If she gave you permission to break it, why haven’t you?”
A rueful smile crossed Gaeren’s face. “Because I’m a coward?”
Aeliana scoffed. “I don’t think anyone could say that about you.”
“I thought Riveran broke his bond with my sister. I found out later, very recently, that it was my parents who forced them to break their bond. Riveran wasn’t good enough for them because he hadn’t earned a starlock.”
Aeliana glanced at Riveran, who sat repairing a net on the other side of the ship.
He’d begun growing out his hair, and while it still had a long way to go to hide the X on his forehead, the thick darkness across his scalp made it stand out a bit less, drawing more attention to his gentle smile.
“Riveran would make an excellent queen’s consort.
What would it matter if he had a starlock or not? ”
“In some ways the royal family is as power-hungry as Mayvus. They might not seek it out with blood magic, but they are determined to keep high concentrations of starblood in the royal line. Enla’s descendants wouldn’t be guaranteed to be progenies if their father wasn’t one.
At least, that was the thinking. No one’s guaranteed to be a progeny regardless of their starblood concentration. Not anymore.”
Aeliana’s hand drifted to her starlock, which she kept tucked under her shirt and out of sight. It warmed against her skin in a reassuring way. “I take it you didn’t enjoy seeing their bond get broken?”
Gaeren’s frown deepened, and Aeliana regretted her question.
“My sister’s pain was excruciating. There was physical pain, but it was more that she was emotionally broken.
Riveran had been the center of her life.
They’d grown up loving each other in a way that Lenda and I never experienced.
I don’t know if it was the bond or if they would have loved each other anyway.
“I tried taking the pain from her by removing the memories and almost broke both of our minds. My mentor at the time was able to rein in my magic. But I’ve been cautious ever since about how much I use my ability to take memories.
It’s one thing to receive them willingly, and it’s another to take them by force.
And removing them completely? Even if I had been ready at that point in my life, that level of magic would have done permanent damage. ”
Aeliana couldn’t help thinking of Marnok. Had someone done the same to him? And yet he’d gotten some of his memories back from her mother. What secrets did he still hold? If he wasn’t an enemy, why hadn’t he shared who he was?
“Your bond doesn’t seem to be taking any better than mine.” Gaeren grinned, enjoying pointing that out far too much.
Before she could respond, Velden leaped onto the helm and dragged Aeliana across the deck.
“There’s the Naval Yard where I trained.
” He pointed out a shipyard that kept its cargo sealed off by stone walls.
“Ludo and Barny still work there, and I have three good guesses of where to find them tonight.”
Aeliana welcomed the distraction. “Barny?”
He grinned. “Short for barnacle. When you see him, you’ll understand why.”
“Who are they?”
“My old naval buddies.” His excitement was contagious.
“I never understood why the navy trained down here to protect the king and queen up north.”
Velden nodded. “It’s become a bit of a farce.
Several Loyalists come down here, expecting to hold on to their ways, but out here the hatred for the royal family runs deep enough that most are converted to Recreants.
It wasn’t as bad when I was a recruit thirty years ago, but Ludo says it’s pretty impossible to support the crown in Andel.
Fewer people are getting starlocks, and the ones who do stay north with the nobility.
It’s widening the economic disparity between the regions and the people enough that it’s a hard split. ”
Aeliana glanced back at Gaeren, her concern for his safety heightening. Larkos had joined him, and they pointed at various docks, arguing over where to berth. “Do we need to encourage him to wear a disguise?”
“In some ways it might be better for him to get his identity out in the open and deal with it as it comes.” Velden leaned over the edge, letting his webbed hands pull in the water’s spray.
“It could be a rough transition, but in the end word will spread faster that he’s a Recreant supporter if he doesn’t hide himself. ”
They continued passing ships at docks, drawing closer to the large buildings that likely made up the center of the city.
The ships they passed in the bay area all held fisherman and lay workers, their tanned skin making even Gaeren look pale.
Most of them stared with narrowed eyes at Cyrus, probably equally confused by his long red hair as they were by his pale and freckled flesh.
The Sun sank lower in the sky, partially blocked by the other half of the city they hadn’t even sailed by yet.
“When did you last visit?” Aeliana asked.
Velden’s gaze hardened. “I don’t visit. I haven’t been here since my mother was killed twenty-five years ago.”
“I’m so sorry, Velden.”
“I stuck around for a few moons to take care of my father, but a lot of him died with her.” He hesitated.
“He never really knew what to make of me. He always wanted a son, but he didn’t know how to share me with the people around him when I was so different.
I think without my mother, there was very little we had in common. ”