Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Peace would be nice. I don’t think I’ll ever feel it again in this lifetime. Maybe the next.
— From the journal of Violet Andrever
We spun through the ether and landed softly, sand shifting beneath my feet. It was the longest night of the year, light just barely creeping above the horizon. Griff released me and took a few steps away, staring out into the distance, a contemplative look on his face.
I took a slow, deep breath. I had never smelled anything like the wind that blew back some of the loose strands of my hair.
Salty and fresh. I turned for my first sight of the ocean.
I could just barely make it out in the predawn light.
The sound of the waves gently crashing on the beach was nothing like I’d ever heard before, as if nature was making its own music.
I slowly rotated in a circle. We were on a small island, and I could just see the outline of the town across the waves, too far to make out any of the details.
I looked back at Griff, and for once, his mask was nowhere to be found.
His shoulders were relaxed, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths of ocean air.
He looked serene, peaceful even. This had to be the island he had told me about, where he would swim with his father.
He must have felt my gaze on him as he held out his hand.
Taking it, I stepped over to him, and my breath caught.
The sun was rising over the water, painting everything in shades of orange and pink, the water shining in a clear, turquoise blue, with faint darker spots hinting at rocks below.
I had never seen anything so beautiful in nature, never seen colors like these.
Maybe it was the closeness from the night before, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world to lean against his side. His arm snaked around my waist, holding me tightly to him, as we watched the sunrise.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there before he slowly took a step away and faced me, a question in his eyes.
Wordlessly, I stepped into his arms, and he teleported us to the town.
From here, I could just make out the island in the distance.
The ocean flowed gently beyond it into canals, some larger with several boots moored on the sides and still enough room for traffic to fit through while others were barely big enough for one boat.
There were small streets alongside the canals, but most of the painted houses were on stilts built over the water, defying gravity.
Rising two or three stories high, most shared walls with their neighbors.
And the colors… it looked like they had taken their inspiration from the sunrise and the ocean, each more vibrant than the last.
Boats were moored outside most of the houses, some with a very small dock in front of the door, others with larger docks that ran like sidewalks down the canals.
Bridges crisscrossed every which way, forming a labyrinth with the docks and the streets.
The second I set foot in that maze, I was going to be hopelessly lost.
Fishermen were heaving salt-crusted fishing nets into their boats and pushing away from the docks, heading out to sea for their early-morning catches. A few of them looked at Griff in surprise, and then gave respectful nods.
I plucked the back of my leathers away from my neck, sweat dripping everywhere. While there weren’t that many people out this time of morning, everyone was dressed in light, flowing clothes. I was going to need to find something like that if I wasn’t going to melt.
“Welcome to Maraleth,” Griff said softly. Echoes from when he brought me to Valdris rippled through me, but this time, instead of seeing an inscrutable mask, there was trepidation on his face. Was he nervous about showing me his home?
“This is like nothing I’ve ever seen.” I was fixated on a statue just a few feet away from us. Two figures emerged from stone waves, their bodies intertwined as if supporting each other upward. Love was evident in every line of the carving. “Who were they?” I asked softly.
He followed the direction of my stare. “Thalassa and Bren. It’s an old legend. She was Voda’s daughter, he was a sailor. She saved him, and their bond became an eternal beacon. It’s called Anamara, soul of the sea. Something that always guides you home, no matter how lost you are.”
“That’s beautiful,” I whispered. I looked at the lovers’ faces. Someone had carved them with care, etching the loving details in such a way that the two figures appeared about to speak. Or embrace further.
My hand stayed clasped in his as he gently tugged me forward. “This way.”
We walked down a narrow passageway between two rows of houses and crossed a bridge.
There were no railings to be seen anywhere.
Clearly, this place was not built for people who wanted their feet on land.
The bridge ended in a dock, narrow enough that Griff put me in front of him. “Straight ahead and then left.”
I eyed the very narrow dock. “And if I fall in?”
He chuckled against my neck, his breath stirring my hair. I suppressed a shiver. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll save you from the water. Although, with your water channel, it may decide to save you itself.”
With that cryptic remark, I took my first step on the dock. Okay, this wasn’t as narrow as I’d thought… until it narrowed again. Shit. But Griff was right behind me, hand on my waist; I wasn’t sure if he was providing support or just comfort, but either way, I was glad of it.
I crossed as quickly as I could, only slipping once, until the narrow passage opened up into a larger body of land, a mixture of coarse grass and sand. Griff, predictably, walked across the narrow dock as if he was part goat.
He came up alongside me as we walked over the sandy expanse, before he directed me down a wider bridge crossing a canal that ended at a large house, standing away from its neighbors.
It too was on stilts, at least partially, and was three stories tall.
Land surrounding it on one side created a small sandy beach with a few tufts of weedy grass, and a dock led to a small boat tied up.
As with the colors of the others, the home took its inspiration from the ocean, this time the light blue of the tide rolling in, with white shutters.
The windows were open to let in the ocean breeze.
Surprisingly, it was cooler here than it had been where we landed.
A woman came out the front door, shading her eyes against the rising sun at our backs.
She was on the taller side, but very lean, her dark-brown hair pulled back in a low bun and her loose dress more fitting for these tropical temperatures than my leathers.
I couldn’t quite tell what color her eyes were from here, but I was guessing brown.
Her skin was a deep bronze and leathery from being out in the sun her entire life.
The twins must have gotten their coloring from their dad.
“Griffin Narvene, you better have a good reason for being out this early. And looking like you didn’t sleep here last night, young man.”
Griff strode forward and pressed a quick kiss against her cheek. “Just out for an early walk.”
She looked skeptical. Clearly, she knew her son well enough to know when he was lying, but also well enough to know not to push.
Griff continued, “I came across Lexa in the square. Mam, I’d like you to meet Lexa Andrever. Lexa, this is my mam, Everly.”
Pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of times he’d used my name. And he had just used it three times. I ignored the flutter in my stomach and came forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Everly looked back and forth between us. “Lexa Andrever? As in—”
Griff’s hand returned to my lower back in support, rubbing gently. “Lexa has come to stay with us for the holiday, Mam.”
“If that’s alright with you,” I quickly added.
I had to hand it to her—Griff’s mother recovered her composure quickly. “Of course you’re welcome to stay with us.” Her eyes quickly appraised me. “No luggage?”
“It was a quick decision,” I said lamely.
She acknowledged that with a quick shake of her head.
“Well, come in, come in! I’ll find something for you to wear.
You’ll melt if you stay in fighting leathers here.
My things will be too big for you but I think I have some of my sister’s packed away.
You two are of a similar size.” She gave me an appraising look. “Are you hungry?”
True to her word, Everly found me something significantly less sweltering to wear.
The mint-green dress was made of a lightweight material that swirled around my hips as I walked.
The fitted bodice had a sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves that wouldn’t trap the heat.
Small flowers were sprinkled throughout the pattern, and the brown belt that Everly had supplied cinched it perfectly to my waist.
Feeling significantly cooler, I made my way back down to the main level.
“But to abscond with the princess, Griff? Really?” Everly was saying as I entered.
Griff cut off the conversation and stood as I lingered in the doorway.
He had changed, too, trading his usual black for lighter clothes, both in color and material.
It was the first time I’d seen him dressed in anything but black.
I hadn’t realized until now how much he wore that color like a uniform.
The lighter colors softened his features, smoothing away some of those hard lines.
His loose-fitting shirt had flowing sleeves and a wide vee at the throat that revealed a hint of chest hair.
His eyes ran over me, the glint of approval coming through.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a door crashed opened to my right.