Chapter 38
It was probably one of the worst plans Gaeren had ever had, but he was counting on the fact that they had two starbridges in their possession for an emergency escape. The longer they swam through the harbor, the more likely it seemed they’d need to use one.
“Where exactly are we going?” Aeliana switched to her back, her quick breaths signaling Gaeren that he should probably slow even more than their already agonizingly slow pace.
With Velden’s unwillingness to let go of his mother’s tail, it was a wonder they’d even made it away from Dreyfus’ ship.
For now, they weaved between boats, utilizing stealth more than speed.
“If we can make it past the main harbor to a beach with fewer observers, we can pause and reassess,” Gaeren said. He felt the skeptical look crossing Velden’s face down to his core. That was still a few miles of swimming. “We’ll need to tap into our starlocks to make it.”
It felt dangerous to use up magic they might need if they were being pursued, but as far as Gaeren had been able to tell, the mob had turned their attention to the conman, letting the lesser threats make their escape.
They’d have to decide if they should risk going back to the tavern for the few things they’d left behind or forge ahead.
He glanced at Velden between strokes, noticing that even his webbed hands weren’t enough to keep him from being dragged down by his mother’s tail. How in Rhystahn were they going to transport that all the way back to their ship?
As they reached the harbor’s edge, all three of them were out of breath and weary despite pulling energy from their starlocks.
Even so, they swam a bit farther until they reached an empty beach, where Gaeren helped Velden drag the tail far enough up the shore that it wasn’t at risk of being pulled back out to sea.
But then the three of them collapsed in the sand.
They stared up at the clouds in the sky, the only sound the waves crashing on the beach and their own deep breaths.
“I’ll admit I’ve been eager for a swim,” Aeliana said, “but that was not the kind I had in mind.”
For some reason, a giddiness bubbled up inside Gaeren, eventually breaking into uncontrollable laughter over the ridiculousness of their situation.
Aeliana chuckled too, and even Velden cracked a smile, though the sadness in his eyes still lingered.
It sobered Gaeren enough for his laughter to fade, but still left a grin that hurt his cheeks.
Now that they were out of immediate danger, Gaeren vowed to do whatever it took to help Velden get his mother’s tail wherever it was Velden felt she deserved it to be.
“I’d give anything to see Gullet swoop in right now,” Gaeren admitted. He hated the bird, but sending Riveran directions would have been ideal.
“What about your ship? Wouldn’t that be better?” Velden sat up, his gaze on the water and one hand resting on his mother’s scales.
Gaeren snorted. “Now you’re asking for a miracle.” He found a cloud shaped almost exactly like a tear, reminding him of the mystery still surrounding his starlock.
“Is it still a miracle if I told Larkos to come?” Velden asked, his voice regaining some of its dry humor. “Because I kind of like the sound of it being a miracle.”
Gaeren sat up, sand sticking to all surfaces of his skin. “You did what?”
“Maybe the real miracle is that he did as I asked.” Velden shielded his eyes from the Sun, and Gaeren followed suit.
In the distance, a black ship angled its way toward Melford’s harbor.
Its profile was both unfamiliar with its pathetic sail and black wood and achingly familiar with its perfect way of cutting through the water.
The reckless angle was Larkos’ tell, and Gaeren felt a fresh surge of energy unrelated to his starlock’s warmth.
He stood with a whoop and waved, even though the sailors were unlikely to see them this far out, not unless one had a spyglass and was randomly searching the beaches.
“I may have also left a note with Cyrus,” Aeliana admitted. “I told him to open it in five days’ time.” She stood beside Gaeren with a sheepish grin.
He swept her up in his arms and spun her around, making her yelp.
“That was brilliant,” he said, setting her down and placing his palms on her shoulders, almost shaking her in his relief. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Where’s my celebratory spin?” Velden’s eyebrows rose, but he remained on the sand, guarding the Sayhleen tail. “Why aren’t you calling me brilliant?”
Gaeren grinned, mostly relieved that a ghost of Velden’s confident smile crossed the older man’s lips. “I’m still in shock. Why Larkos? I’ve never even seen the two of you talk.”
Velden groaned and made a show of rising to his knees and standing. “I knew he wouldn’t tell Sylmar, and that was my only real qualification when looking for someone to confide in. Besides, he’s the only one who could give the command to bring the ship here. That seemed a bit important.”
Gaeren shook his head. “Whether it was your confession to Larkos or Aeliana’s letter to Cyrus, someone had impeccable timing.”
“Or a lot of luck,” Aeliana mumbled.
“If I can’t have it labeled a miracle,” Velden said. “I want it to be called impeccable timing. After as many years of experience at getting into trouble as I have, very little is left to luck.”
By now, the ship was close enough for them to make out individuals on board.
The three of them used their last dregs of energy to jump and wave like children until it was clear they’d been spotted and Larkos had corrected his course.
It didn’t take long for the boat to near the beach and anchor.
By the time Velden, Gaeren, and Aeliana had been collected by rowboats, they were mostly dry but still sandy and exhausted.
Sylmar’s rage kept him mercifully quiet, but Iris had plenty of heated words to fill the silence, her anger directed at Gaeren as she wrapped Aeliana in unnecessary blankets and dragged her to their quarters.
The sailors all eyed the Sayhleen tail warily, though Gaeren noticed a few had guilty expressions, as if this wasn’t the first time they’d seen the beautiful scales.
Gaeren instructed Larkos to sail farther west around the southern coast, aiming for Valorian even though that wasn’t their final destination.
If all went well, half of their party would be headed for Sayhla Island, but gaining distance from Melford’s harbor seemed wise considering how they’d left it.
“I take it your mission was successful?” Riveran asked, following Gaeren below deck.
“Aye,” Gaeren said, “though I think Aeliana and I would have failed without Velden, and he most certainly would have gotten himself killed without us.” Gaeren found his spare set of clothes and changed, shaking off grains of sand from his hair and skin, eager to wash off the remains of his time with Dreyfus.
He would have liked to have seen justice come to a man like that, but in this instance, he had to count on the people to make sure that happened.
He only hoped they had enough power to protect themselves from someone so corrupt.
A nagging fear made him wonder if his family’s soldiers could be bought off by a conman like Dreyfus.
“So now what?” Riveran asked as Gaeren switched the carefully wrapped golden arrow from his damp clothes to his fresh ones. “Are Aeliana and Velden crossing to Paelen’s waters?”
“I think most of us are.” Gaeren paused, taking in Riveran’s nervous expression for the first time. It brought out Gaeren’s own twinge of apprehension. “You don’t think I should go.”
“Do you think you should?” Riveran asked. “I’m still not sure which deal you took from the sprites.”
“Maybe I didn’t take any,” Gaeren said. “They told me I would cross the barrier with Aeliana regardless of any deals. This shouldn’t make a difference.
” The words felt like a lie since he’d been asking himself the same question ever since Larkos had taken him to see the Recreants.
Maybe he should go back to Enla and protect her as throne warden.
Set himself up as a secret ally to Aeliana and the Recreants from afar, waiting for the moment when he could help them while still protecting Enla.
But leaving Aeliana now, in the middle of all this, felt just as wrong.
“What if this is what starts it all?” Riveran asked. “What if by crossing the barrier, you set things in motion that put Enla in danger? What if it puts you on a path to where you need to sacrifice yourself to keep her out of danger?”
Gaeren had no answers for Riveran. If he was honest, he was terrified that his entire family had already gone down a path they couldn’t return from, that Enla was already lost to him even if he still had access to her a bit longer.
His lack of knowledge and control over the situation left him agitated. “If you didn’t want me crossing, why were you so eager for Aeliana and me to go find the starbridge in the first place? You could have let Sylmar and Velden continue with their pointless plan and never said anything at all.”
Riveran scoffed. “Their plan would have caught us all in Dreyfus’ trap. I was pulling us out of one fire, knowing we were likely jumping into another.”
They stared at each other, the tension between them familiar but unwanted. “I may not want the role of throne warden,” Gaeren said, “but I will still protect Enla to my death.”
Riveran sighed. “Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.” His soft words knocked all the fight out of Gaeren.
“You know I have to go,” Gaeren said. “I will protect Enla, but I have to do this first.”
Riveran gave a short nod. “Which is why I’ll go with you.”
The undeserved loyalty left a lump in Gaeren’s throat, and all he could do was clap a hand on Riveran’s shoulder in thanks.