Chapter 55
Orra stood on the boat’s prow, closing her eyes against the wind and letting her fingers lightly rest on the braid at her wrist. She soaked in the way it hummed with life, an echo of what the starbridges had formerly been. She found herself holding her breath, relishing the strength of it.
Despite the silver fish being farther away now than the onyx stone had been when she’d last sensed it, she sensed the fish more clearly, a sign that her power was returning. She’d feared it wouldn’t, even though she’d been conserving it.
Still, something about the thrum of her power felt off.
Just before, she’d sensed a Star’s presence in Rhystahn and wondered at the connection. But her ability to sense the pinpricks of starlocks being delivered and removed had diminished over the years, and she no longer trusted it. Especially now that the Stars were communing again.
Had she instead sensed one of her own approaching a half-light to commune? An Ahmranan? Or Mayvus?
She shuddered, wishing she could ask Andreas or Reyna. But she’d lost the privilege of that sort of knowledge long ago. And now she no longer knew which of them she could trust.
“Everything all right?” Emeris asked.
Orra opened her eyes at the gentle question, at the reminder that they were berthed in Seaglass Port for the night, almost halfway to Andel. She was not a thousand years in the past, begging for one last chance to reverse her wrongs.
Emeris peeked out from her hooded cloak, which thankfully gave no one pause now that Winter Solstice approached and the weather was so much cooler.
Rildan and Marnok had found passage for them with some fishermen and traders. But Emeris had needed to keep herself hidden, from both Recreants and Loyalists alike since any attention would slow their progress.
“I’ll be fine.” Orra cradled her wrist against her chest as if holding the braid closer to her heart could somehow bring Bryton closer once more. “But I think the others have already returned from Sayhla Island.”
“Isn’t that good?” Emeris craned her neck, looking for Marnok and Rildan. “We should tell the men.”
“We’re still a week outside of Andel,” Orra said. “We’re on the complete opposite side of Vendaras. We could spend the next moon chasing Aeliana’s group all the way back around if Larkos takes them north. They won’t know to avoid the Ahmranans at Ahmranan’s Viewpoint.”
Emeris wilted. “So it’s not good.”
“Perhaps they’ve returned sooner than Larkos expects, and we’ll catch him in Andel.” Orra patted Emeris’ shoulder. “Never lose hope.”
Emeris nodded, then angled her head toward the waning moon. “That will be a new moon in the morning.”
“A fresh start,” Orra murmured.
Had Felk kept the letter? Would he place it in his nest for his next life? Breaking tradition after hundreds of years was difficult. And yet that was the only way things could change.
And it was time for a change. Orra sensed it in every part of her bones.
She knew they were on the cusp of finding the starbridges, not just because she hoped to finally reunite them, but because she sensed the Sun working all around her.
It made it harder to ignore the Sun’s presence, harder to hide behind her own guilt and shame.
Her reckoning was coming, and she hoped she was ready.
She hoped all of Rhystahn would be ready for what was about to come.