28. Zai
Zai
The wind ruffled Lark’s black bob, lifting the iron-gray strands at her temples as she steered the Skydagger westward. Blightlands stretched below, a patchwork of scarred earth and twisted forests.
Tera had disappeared into the captain’s cabin beneath the quarterdeck, reaching out through her network to pinpoint Brookfalls’ exact location.
Restlessness squirmed in my gut. Like me, Lark never seemed bothered by silence. But at the moment, it made my skin itch. Flashes of burning flesh and broken screams kept clawing their way back into my mind, no matter how hard I tried to suppress them.
“So, Lark,” I said, leaning back against the railing, one leg crossed over the other. “How did you end up in a pirate crew?”
She glanced my way, studying me in that quiet way of hers. “At first, it was just a means to survive. But over time, this ship has become home.”
I raised a brow. “Home” seemed an odd word to use for a moving vessel.
She kept a firm grip on the wheel as the ship plowed through a cloud mass. “I come from a small town in the mountains up north. My husband died from a lung disease many years ago, so I lived alone with my son.”
My throat tightened. Why had I even asked? I had no desire to get close to any of these people. They were just a means to an end.
Her gaze traced the horizon. “Before I was outlawed, I was a scholar. When I brought my research to the noble family of my town, they rewarded me by imprisoning me for crimes against the Sun Kingdom.” Her voice carried no bitterness, just fact.
“My teenage son conducted a rescue mission. He got me out but… he was killed during the rescue.”
Quiet sorrow gleamed in her eyes as she glanced at me. “He would have been about your age now.”
A cold shiver slithered through me. This was too personal. I had to steer the conversation back to more practical matters.
“And what was your research about, exactly?”
Her gaze fixed ahead, jaw set. “I studied prophecies.”
“Prophecies? Plural?”
“Exactly. Prophecies used to be common. There are remnants of them all over the country, if you know where to look. But no one has spoken a new one in ages.”
“And why is that?”
“I’m not sure. But I had a theory that the prophecy about the blight was the last one ever spoken.”
I frowned. “I don’t see how that would get you imprisoned.”
“It wasn’t that. As part of my research, I charted maps of Blightlands and compared them to historical maps. And I stumbled upon what I believe is the true history of the rift. Not the version the Sun Kingdom teaches.”
I raised a brow. “Care to expand?”
“My maps proved that the Moon Queendom has lost as much territory to Blightlands as the Sun Kingdom. Nothing points to them being behind the rift. It affected them just as badly as us.”
I crossed my arms. “I’m sure they never intended to create the rift. It was likely just a byproduct of their failed plan to attack us.”
“Perhaps. But I also researched old trading ledgers, and both domains profited from keeping the peace. There’s no evidence the Moon Queendom wanted to attack.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? They wanted more power and dominance. Just like with the Dual Wielder, their most recent attempt to overtake the Sun Kingdom.”
Lark’s head tilted in that observant way of hers. “Maybe.” She turned back to the horizon. “Or maybe they’re just trying to survive, doing what they can to create a better life.”
A laugh burst from my throat, harsh and incredulous. “I’m starting to understand why the nobles imprisoned you. Didn’t you realize how dangerous your research was?”
The ladder creaked as Tera climbed up to join us, a smirk tugging at her lips. “That’s what I’ve been telling her for years.”
Lark sighed. “I knew the risks, yes.”
I studied her profile. “Then why did you do it?”
She glanced at the clouded sky. “Because you can’t navigate by stars you refuse to look at.”
“Enough of that.” Tera moved to the wheel, taking it from Lark. “My informants came through. I know where Brookfalls is located.” She pulled a folded parchment from her coat and handed it to the navigator.
As Lark crossed to her table, her strange words about refusing to look at the stars lingered in my mind.
She spread the parchment flat, checking the coordinates while her finger traced the map. “Change course three degrees north.”
Tera barked the order to the crew and adjusted the wheel. On deck below, a few crew members stuffed the last of supper into their mouths and sprang into action, working on the rigging.
A round-bellied man panted as he moved to tighten a rope. “Scorchin’ abyss,” he grumbled. “The moment we get a meal worth eatin’, an’ the cap’n starts shoutin’ orders.”
Ever since Kestrel had taken over as cook, the food had improved significantly. He had a knack for coaxing flavor even from the ship’s limited supplies.
Behind the grumbling man, a woman flipped her brown braid over her shoulder and shouted across the deck. “Oy, Kestrel! Yer making the food too crackin’ good. Rafforin’s gonna explode from eatin’ too much if ye keep it up.”
The others cackled around her.
I’d never spoken to the woman, but I was pretty sure her name was Mara. Kestrel had nicknamed her “Mouthy Mara” for her habit of making blunt statements.
Ashes and embers, I shouldn’t keep information like that in my head. But no matter how hard I tried to keep my distance, these people kept burrowing past my defenses.
The captain’s brown curls whipped in the wind beneath her wide-brimmed hat as she turned her sharp eyes on me. “We need to figure out how to capture the Dual Wielder. His powers were beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”
I held on tight to the railing. “What if we wield metal like rope around him? Like you did with that prisoner.”
Lark nodded. “If you can’t control it, contain it.”
Tera smirked. “Worth a shot. But we’ll need to take him by surprise.”
Lark’s gaze returned to the map. “Captain, we’ll likely reach the Moon Queendom border before nightfall. How do you suggest we proceed?”
Tera squinted ahead. “We can’t risk moon guards spotting us. We’ll go as far as we can, then continue on foot.”
Leaning over the railing, I tracked the landscape ahead where desolate Blightlands bled into brighter moon territory.
Soon the Dual Wielder would be in my grasp, and I’d be done with all of this. Done with being exiled. Done with Blightlands. Done with people and their heart-wrenching stories.
Soon, I’d be heading home.