Chapter 67
The farther they got from Elanesse, the less Aeliana felt at ease. It was hard leaving Gaeren behind, but something else nagged at her, a suspicion that they were going in the wrong direction or making a wrong decision.
The weather turned painfully cold as they approached the Western Horn.
True to Gaeren’s prediction, Larkos had insisted it was too dangerous to sail this far north in the winter while Sylmar had insisted it was a warmer year and could be done.
In an effort to appease both men, Aeliana had asked Durriken to fly north and check on the icebergs in the Northern Sea—maybe even melt whichever ones seemed most troublesome.
The old dragon had grumbled but eventually agreed. He insisted it was only to ensure Aeliana’s safety and not to aid any war efforts.
Sylmar continued training her, but she noticed him looking at her differently, eyeing her palms with suspicion.
She wasn’t sure if the cuts on her palms made him suspect her of blood magic or if he’d given in to his fear that she was branded and watched for evidence of that.
Either way, he was no longer trying to hide his suspicion.
His paranoia spread not just to her but to the others aboard the ship as well.
Holm had never seemed to be branded, so really anyone could be the enemy.
A sense of despair clung to everyone aboard the ship like a cloud carrying the weight and preparing to dump it in a torrent of rain at a moment’s notice.
“Everyone is clean,” Kendalyhn insisted while she and Aeliana sparred. While Iris had quietly settled into her grief, the younger woman had begun spending more time with Aeliana, the broken bond having severed whatever distrust lay between them.
“I think Sylmar’s response would be that maybe it’s you who’s branded or that maybe Mayvus erased their memories of it.”
“Sifting the soul is different from tuning in to memories.” Kendalyhn rolled her eyes.
Aeliana used the distraction to knock the other woman to the deck, holding her dagger under Kendalyhn’s chin. “How so?”
Kendalyhn shoved her away before standing and tucking her dagger back into her belt. “Memories can be erased, but motivation can’t be unlearned. The desire to serve a master who’s branded you would still stand out when sifting your past.”
“What did you see when you sifted Holm’s soul?” Aeliana sheathed her own dagger and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Kendalyhn hesitated. “His devotion to Iris. I suppose Mayvus found some way for that motivation to mask anything else I might see.”
Aeliana flinched. “I suspect that’s why Sylmar doesn’t trust it. Not when lives depend on it.”
“How is your somatic training going?”
“It still feels muted,” Aeliana admitted.
“Like the well of energy I once accessed has run dry.” Except even that wasn’t quite true.
She still felt the power surging inside of her and through her starlock.
But now it rejected her efforts to use those somatic skills.
She’d reverted back to being able to heal minor cuts and injuries, but little else.
It shouldn’t have frustrated her. Not after she’d wanted to be rid of her magic for so many years. But now that she’d seen the good it could do, she hated losing access to it. Nori’s glassy eyes flashed in her mind again, a constant reminder of the cost of losing her magic.
“You should train extra with Lukai,” Kendalyhn suggested. “He doesn’t mind. Especially now that things have normalized between you two.”
Aeliana nodded. Things had gone better the last time she’d trained with Lukai.
Her skills seemed to improve faster now that they’d worked through the mess of their bond.
But the sense of wrongness around her grew, and a pain started in her palm that felt strangely reminiscent of her old bond.
But it was in her right hand instead of her left.
She ran a finger over the brand mark connecting her to Durriken.
“I think I might go lie down instead,” she said slowly.
“If you need to talk later, you know where to find me.” Kendalyhn’s offer was both encouraging and strange considering Aeliana knew she’d find the other woman with Lukai.
She made her way to the captain’s quarters, which now had a distinct feminine flair after Iris, Kendalyhn, and Aeliana had filled it with seashells, hair pins, and clothing.
Aeliana set aside the clean garments that needed folding and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and doing her best to reach out through the brand instead of collapsing into an exhausted slumber.
The tether grew taut when she sensed Durriken’s presence, then his memories came forward, revealing waters full of ships as well as icebergs.
Where are we? The question filled her mind more than it came out in words, but Durriken seemed to understand.
I came to the Northern Sea like you asked. But this is what I found. Their words carry on the wind. They speak as if they follow Mayvus’ orders.
Panic surged in Aeliana, threatening to break her hold on her tether with Durriken. They wouldn’t be able to pass a fleet like that and remain undetected. How could they possibly reach her parents?
Should I destroy the ships? His words came out in a growl, and Aeliana sensed the heat of the fire in his throat, eager to be released.
No. Mayvus could be aboard any of the ships.
All the more reason to get started. Durriken brought his stump against his chest, stroking it with his good set of talons. I have a mind to take her apart piece by piece. Give her a taste of the pain she caused me. It’s messier than fire. But far more satisfying.
No. Aeliana tried to send the word through more firmly. Her life is tied to my mother’s. That’s why she didn’t die when you took her to the cave. Even if you could kill her, it might kill my mother.
Sylmar’s theories about the sisters needing to be together to die felt too impossible to trust. But even worse, if he was right, the curse would keep them both from dying. Any injuries inflicted on Mayvus would cause Emeris to suffer the same fate.
The conflict Aeliana sensed from Durriken left her uneasy. He didn’t have the same affection or interest in Aeliana’s mother’s safety. The only thing holding him back was that he knew it would upset Aeliana. She had to hope that would be enough to stay his fire.
Can you tell what they’re doing? Are they planning to sail to Myndren?
I’m not sure. A memory flashed through Durriken’s mind and in turn Aeliana’s.
A time when Durriken’s perch in a cave brought him close enough to the soldiers to catch bits and pieces of their conversations without his presence being known.
They spoke mostly of the promises they’d been given by Mayvus, their certainty that they could leave the frigid land of Ahmranas and live comfortably under Mayvus’ rule.
We can’t travel through the Northern Sea to get to Myndren. We’ll never get past them.
Aeliana felt more than heard Durriken’s affirmation. What if I just burn most of the boats? His eager offer eased some of the tension that had been growing along their tether.
Not yet. I promise, if there’s a need, you’ll be the first dragon I let use his fire.
He harrumphed. I’m the only dragon. And you couldn’t stop me from burning them if you tried.
But you’ll wait? A strange mixture of remorse and hatred ran through her, feelings from Durriken that weren’t her own.
I’m not eager to kill so many again. Not unless there’s a true need. If you find a need, I will be there.
You’re not a weapon for me to direct. It’s your choice. The confusion she’d sensed gave way to peace.
I know. She let the tether slide through her as she loosened her hold, like a rope gliding through her hands as it lengthened the distance. When the view of the ships in the frigid waters receded to give way to the captain’s quarters of To the Deep and Back, she took in an unsteady breath.
Something about the room felt different. The door was open and light flooded in. Had Iris or Kendalyhn been in?
“What did he see?” The gruff words startled her, and she sat up, whipping around to catch Sylmar sitting at the desk, his staff laid out before him.
“How long have you been here?” she asked.
“Not long.”
“Why are you here?” She glanced between him and the door. She had no reason to fear Sylmar, but the surprise at his presence left her on edge, making her wish someone else was here for this conversation.
“It was time to work on your magic. When you didn’t show, I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”
She winced. “I’m not avoiding you. I’m just—my magic feels like it’s fading.”
“Perhaps it’s finally normalizing,” he muttered. “It’s almost like your magic leeches off of those around you. Healing when you’re near Lukai and Marnok. Tuning in to memories when you’re with Gaeren. I wondered if maybe it would be different now, without Gaeren’s presence.”
“I thought you said the noetic skills came from Durriken.” She frowned. “Leeching magic off others doesn’t sound like any type of magic you’ve described.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Doesn’t it?” It felt like he was insinuating something. Instead of trying to figure out his cryptic comments, she changed the subject.
“We can’t keep traveling this way.”
He stiffened. “Why not?”
“Durriken showed me the Northern Sea. It has icebergs like we feared, but it also has something far worse. Dozens of ships. An entire fleet. They seem to be with Mayvus, although I didn’t see her. We could never get past them. Not by water.”
Sylmar frowned, and she imagined him weighing the few remaining possibilities.
“And this information came from Durriken?”
She nodded.
“Because you’re tethered to him through your brand mark? Are there any other connections you have that we should know about?”
The full weight of his implication sank in, stinging deeper when she realized he suspected she was leeching others’ magic through brands and blood magic.