35. The Black Sand Beach
THE BLACK SAND BEACH
Seraphina
Ileave Khali with Az and Reiva at the Mess Hall door, making an excuse about needing to scrub the weapons room off me before I break out in some rash from all the oil.
It’s not a lie, I do want to wash the oil out of my hair and skin, but I have somewhere else to stop by first.
By the time I make it to Silver’s turret door, I’m shaking with anger I don’t fully understand.
All I know is that sometime between the conversation with Khali, and the steps that lead to his door, the desire to talk to him about it all had begun to feel more and more like an urgent need to demand answers.
The door slams open hard enough that it cracks against the stone wall, and the sound echoes up into the vaulted ceiling.
“You didn’t think to mention Khali is Eurya’s half sister.”
Silver doesn’t even flinch.
He’s leaning over the table scattered with maps and parchment, one hand braced against the wood as he studies something by lanternlight. His dark hair falls loosely around his face, and for a moment, I think he might ignore me.
He takes a deep breath in, closing his eyes for a moment, then exhales a quiet laugh. “Hello, Scar.” He finally looks up, and when gray-gold eyes catch the light I swallow, even more frustrated now I’m reminded how unreasonably handsome his face is. “Nice to see you, too.”
He glances at the door I’ve nearly torn off its hinges.
“Come the fuck in, why don’t you.”
My anger flares hotter still as I stride inside, boots striking the stone. “Well?” I press when it becomes clear he isn’t going to answer me.
He straightens slowly then shrugs. “It wasn’t my news to share.” His voice is as infuriatingly calm as ever. “It’s Khali’s, and apparently she trusts you enough now to tell you.”
I cross my arms, my jaw tight. “Fine. But what’s your excuse for not telling me you knew I wasn’t the academy runaway you were looking for in that alley in Virtus?”
He snorts. “Because I can smell you from here to your fucking dormitory,” he says, like it’s obvious.
My brows knit together. “So your excuse is that what, that I stink?”
I’m regretting not washing the oil and chemicals off my skin before storming over here. It’s like I’m helping him make his point.
His gaze slides over me. “To me you do.”
The insult lands strangely. Not sharp enough to bite, but enough to make something uncomfortable twist in my chest.
Before I can snap back, Silver pushes away from the table and begins pacing the space around me like a restless predator. “When you were unconscious in the carriage, we found the girl. Lorelei, wasn’t it?”
The anger mixes with fear for the girl I promised I’d protect. “What did you do to her?” I demand.
A faint smile curves his mouth. “Relax. We let her carry on to Tidecrest, as you intended for her. Isn’t that right?”
Relief hits me so fast it makes me dizzy.
“I assume that’s where you’re from?”
It would be easier if you were.
For a moment I stare at him, and something I somehow missed when I stormed in here suddenly slaps me around the face.
Silver is half dressed, black leathers slung low on his hips.
No shirt.
My eyes betray me before I can stop them.
The lanternlight spills across his body, tracing the sharp cut of muscle over his chest and shoulders. The gray vein-like markings web across his skin, twisting down his ribs and disappearing behind leather into that V between his hips.
They shouldn’t be beautiful, but they are.
And distracting.
My gaze lingers too long, and when I drag my eyes back up, Silver is watching me.
Heat creeps up my neck, but I banish the sinful thoughts with a shake of my head, remembering why I’m here and starting to connect more of the dots.
“Is that why you damn near locked us in the armory together today?” He arches a brow. “For information? Because you knew Eurya had found Khali in Tidecrest too?”
Silver, having stopped pacing, leans back against the table, folding his arms across his chest. His voice is soft, almost amused. “You’re finally letting those towering iron walls of yours down with your allies then. You should give yourself the credit for that, I just moved a few chess pieces.”
I scowl. “I am not your chess piece to move around.”
“It was an enlightening chat, no?”
I sigh. “We found common ground if that’s what you mean.” I step closer without meaning to. “But I have a feeling you knew we would when you told us to polish every sword in Vulcaris today.”
He shrugs one shoulder. “I told you before. She’s a good ally to have. And now you’ve given her a reason to care about you on a deeper level than the surface bullshit you’ve been feeding them.”
My throat tightens. “Y–You orchestrated all of that? Why?”
“Because I can’t help you in the games, and…”
“And?”
“And I’d rather you didn’t die.”
The honesty knocks the breath from my lungs.
“And I figured,” he continues quietly, “if you don’t trust me enough to help you learn to fly, and fast, maybe you’d trust Khali and the others.”
Something heavy settles in my chest. “You’re insufferable,” I mutter.
Silver huffs a quiet laugh. “You stormed into my bedroom screaming accusations, Scar.” His gaze flicks past me toward the open window. “If you’re here to prove something, you’re doing a terrible job.”
I follow his gaze. The roof beyond the window slopes out beneath the darkening sky, tiles glinting faintly under the moon.
“Fine.” I turn toward it. “Let’s prove something.”
“What are you doing?”
“You told me to trust you.” I plant my hands on the stone sill.
“You proved every night for almost a week that you couldn’t.”
“A lot has changed since the last time we were out there.” I swing one leg over the window ledge. “If my wings didn’t save me, as you are so sure they will,” I say over my shoulder, “you promised you’d catch me, no?”
His hand closes around my arm before I can climb out. I freeze before warm fingers slide down my skin and wrap firmly around my wrist, pulling me back just enough to stop me.
I turn, and suddenly we’re too close. His other arm is braced against the stone beside me, trapping me between him and the open window. The wind drifts through the space between us, carrying the scent of smoke and salt from the harbor and sea.
Silver isn’t looking at my eyes, he’s looking at my mouth.
My breath catches and I bite my lip, the memory of our kiss flashing through me like the heat and magic coursing through his veins.
The way his wandering hands had been all over me.
The way his hard body pressed into me and stirred something in my core I’d not been prepared for.
The rough edge in his voice when he told me his rule where cadets are concerned.
The air between us thickens, and for a moment neither of us move.
When he finally speaks, his voice is low and rough. “That was before.”
My pulse stumbles. “Before what?”
His gaze lifts to mine and something dangerous flickers there. “Before I realized how much trouble you were going to be.”
“I knew you’d been avoiding me after the… incident.”
He laughs. “An incident is one way of describing slitting someone’s throat without so much as a hair falling out of place.”
“So you won’t catch me?”
He shakes his head and releases my wrist. “I guess you’ll have to trust me and find out.”
The tiles are still warm from the day’s heat as we climb out onto the roof. Night is settling over the Iron Isle and the sea in the distance is a black expanse broken only by streaks of moonlight where the waves crash against cliffs.
The wind is stronger up here. It pulls at my hair, at my clothes, and threatens to lift me off my feet.
When I reach my favorite spot in Vulcaris, I sit on the ledge, legs dangling, trying not to think about how far down the drop is.
Silver sits beside me. “You’re thinking too much.”
I snort. “I’ve barely sat down for a few seconds.”
His gaze drifts over the horizon, then, without warning, he pushes himself over the edge.
My heart leaps violently into my throat as for one terrifying moment he disappears from sight.
Then I hear the wind as wings explode from his back and he’s hovering in the air in front of me.
His wings are huge, and against the night sky, pitch black. They snap open and shut with a rush of air that whips across the rooftop and lifts the little wisps of my hair from my face.
The force of them is breathtaking, powerful enough to stir ash and loose grit from the tiles.
He drops briefly into the darkness below, then rises again, hovering effortlessly in front of the turret.
“Now you're just showing off,” I mutter.
The moon frames him, wings beating slowly as he holds himself suspended in the air.
He’s completely at ease, which is easy when gravity has never held any authority over you.
“Your turn, Scar.”
I stare at him.
His mouth curves.
My gaze flicks downward. The drop is dizzying, the darkness making it look endless.
I shuffle myself forward an inch.
Every instinct in my body recoils, and Silver reads every ounce of hesitation in my face and body.
He glides a little closer, wings shifting smoothly in the air. “You have just over a week, Scar. If you aren’t flying over the Iron Isle by then, the final game will kill you.”
A week?
Surely he means two?
There is one game a week and tomorrow's game is the fifth. That should leave me just over two weeks.
“What do you have to lose?” he sighs, running a hand through his messy hair. “If you don’t do this now, if you don’t try, you’ll be dead soon enough anyway.”
“Perhaps, but falling to my death wasn’t part of the plan either.”
“You’re not going to die.”
“You can’t know that.”
His silver eyes lock onto mine. “Yes, I can.”
The certainty in his voice makes my chest tighten, and I shuffle that bit closer to the edge despite myself.
The wind claws at my clothes. “You promised you’d catch me last time,” I remind him.
“And I meant it. You think I’d let you hit the ground?”
Shaking my head, I draw in a slow breath, letting the wind fill my lungs.
My heart hammers, but before I can lose my nerve, I push myself off the roof.