64. Zai
Zai
Darkness clawed at my edges, whispering for me to stop defending. To surrender to Lora’s assaults. To let her strikes land true and end my miserable excuse of a life. A fitting punishment for all the ruin I’d chiseled into the world, whether I’d meant it or not.
But my destructive thoughts shattered as Lora lunged to protect Erion’s body, and Tera’s eyes narrowed on her, fingers twitching.
Flames alive, the captain was preparing to strike.
In three long strides, I closed the distance between Lora and me, positioning myself between her and my former allies.
I fixed my glare on the captain. “Touch her, and I’ll incinerate you to ash.” My voice dropped to a lethal growl. “I’ll burn away every inch of your flesh and bone until not even your soul remains.”
Behind me, Lora’s breath caught, the sound so faint I might have imagined it. I reinforced her bolster but kept a portion of it flowing through my own body.
Tera’s gaze bore into me, cold and unflinching. “You know, Zai… For a while, I thought I saw potential in you.” A dismissive huff burst from her nostrils. “What a disappointment.”
“You’re the disappointment,” I snarled. “I told you the Dual Wielder’s true goal to seal the rift and save us from the monsters. And you came after him anyway. Are you really that greedy?”
The words were less an accusation against the captain and more a plea meant for Lora. I desperately needed her to understand.
Boots shuffled as the crew exchanged glances, confusion furrowing their brows.
My pulse quickened. They didn’t know.
Of course they didn’t. Tera hadn’t told them a scorching word of what I’d shared with her.
“Seal the rift?” A sharp laugh devoid of humor cracked from Tera’s throat. “You don’t seriously believe that nonsense, do you?” She gestured to the figures around us. “Crew, take them down.”
My hands flowed forward, adjusting the metal shields around Lora and me. I would defend her to my dying breath.
With my back turned, she could easily strike me down, bury her ice spikes straight through my spine. But she must’ve decided to shift her focus to the threatening figures circling us.
This was the second time fate shoved us together like this. Enemies forced into a reluctant alliance. Only this time, I stood beside her willingly, even if she didn’t.
Around us, the crew exchanged uncertain glances. No one widened their stance. No one raised their arms to wield fire or heat.
Tera snarled through gritted teeth, curling her fingers in precise movements. “What a bunch of cinder-hearted cowards.”
Molten metal rose from the scattered debris at her feet, coalescing into glowing spheres above her palms.
“Captain.” Lark’s voice cut through the darkness above as she descended fast on a rope, hands protected with thick leather gloves. Her gray-streaked bob swung along her slender jawline as her boots thumped against the ground.
Despite her delicate frame, she approached the much taller captain with confident strides. “Maybe we should just let it go.”
Relieved murmurs rippled through the crew, heads nodding in agreement.
Tera whirled on them. “What? The Dual Wielder is right there. We’ve spent weeks chasing after him!”
Flint stepped forward. “‘Cause we thought him a threat. A scourge.”
Mouthy Mara’s lips pressed flat. “Aye. What if Zai’s right? What if we’ve been chasin’ a man who’s been tryin’ to save us?”
Tera scoffed. “Do you even hear yourselves? Those are just lies spun by the Dual Wielder and his moon wench.”
A low growl vibrated behind me. I could practically feel the rage emanating from Lora.
Sharp-Eyed Sashiva’s pale eyes darted between the captain and me. “Zai never struck me as a man so easily fooled.”
“Besides.” Jaded Jorgen shifted his weight and spat into the dirt. “The Dual Wielder ain’t worth near as much dead anyway.”
“Yeah.” Ravenous Rafforin patted his rounded belly. “Maybe we should just let the poor sod be. His moon wench—er…” His eyes darted to Lora. “I mean, the moon girl can handle his body.”
My heart swelled, bursting with warmth. These people hadn’t betrayed me, only Tera had. They’d been fed her misguided story. And now, as they learned the truth, they stepped forward to defend me.
“Ash-born traitors.” Frustration bled through Tera’s mutterings. “As useful as shattered shale, the lot of you.”
She flipped her hands and light exploded in a blinding flash. I snapped my eyes shut, but the brightness seared through my vision. The world dissolved into white emptiness.
The heat signature of a molten projectile flooded my awareness. Burning metal soared toward me, fast and lethal. Years of training against blinding attacks surged back, and muscle memory took over.
My fingers twisted through precise patterns. One large chunk of metal reshaped into a shield, intercepting the projectile. The remaining scraps formed into a cloud of darts launching straight back at Tera—a tactic borrowed from Lora’s brutal efficiency moments before.
A grunt echoed through the white void as my darts connected. The blinding light vanished and my vision returned.
Rage twisted Tera’s features. Her hands jerked through the air and scattered metal rose at her command.
Lora stepped in beside me, and my gaze was drawn to her like an emberwing to a flame. The temperature plummeted until frost crystallized around us and my exhale clouded white.
Water droplets flowed in from the edges of the clearing, molding into an ice spear before her.
With a flick of her wrist, she enveloped the captain in an inky cloud.
Before Tera could dispel the darkness with her light, Lora thrust her hands forward, sending the spear hurtling into the shadows. It connected with a sickening crunch.
The darkness dissolved, revealing the captain with the spear buried in her shoulder. She glared at Lora as the ice melted, water streaming across her coat. Bolstering magic surged beneath her skin, dulling what should have been mortal agony.
The crew shifted around us, but no one moved to help.
Raw fury carved into every line of Lora’s body. Malevolent shadows curled around her, as if drawn by her rage and despair. She was terrifying and breathtakingly beautiful to behold. A vengeful ice queen risen from the abyss itself, wielding power to drown the world.
Tera’s hands rose again, light sparking from her palms. Her desperation to capture the Dual Wielder at any cost seemed almost reckless. Was his dead body really worth all this chaos? Without me as her ally, she had no hope of gaining the King’s pardon.
“That’s enough.” Lark’s voice rang out, calm but firm. “Stop this madness.”
“I’m the captain here.” Tera’s hand lashed out toward her navigator.
Molten droplets soared through the air. Lark threw her arm up to protect her face as the liquid metal splashed across her thin frame.
“No!” The word ripped from my throat as my hands flung out, stopping the last few droplets before they landed on Lark.
Roars of rage rang out around us. Hands flexed, and flames erupted toward the captain. Boots thudded against the forest floor as everyone closed in around her.
Eyes wide, Tera backed away. “No, wait—I didn’t mean to—”
Using the distraction, I sent scorching bindings around her torso, locking her arms against her sides and trapping her fingers in a vice grip.
She thrashed against the restraints. “Let me go!”
Flint seized her shoulders and shoved her down with brutal force. “Attacking yer own now, are ye cap’n?”
A guttural roar tore from her as her knees slammed onto the ground.
Lark’s face twisted in a wince as she lowered her arm, scanning the damage. Large blisters bubbled across her skin where the molten droplets had struck.
“Lark!” Mouthy Mara hurried forward. “Hold on, I’ll bolster you.”
Relief flooded Lark’s face as she patted the younger pirate’s shoulder. “Thank you, dear friend.”
I stalked closer, looming over the captain’s prone form. All my bitterness flooded into my voice. “What’s going on, Tera? Why is this so important to you?”
Her jaw locked, lips pressing into a stubborn line.
Lark stepped forward. “More often than we suspect, the answers we seek are already within our grasp.” Her hand dipped into Tera’s coat pocket and pulled out a rolled parchment. She winked at me. “I watched her tuck this away earlier.”
The Sun King’s emblem blazed across the broken seal, golden rays surrounding a radiant sun. My father’s seal.
Lark unrolled the parchment and scanned the contents, her voice quiet but authoritative as she read aloud.
“Captain Tera, I acknowledge your inquiry with gratitude. Rest assured, should you deliver the Dual Wielder, dead or alive—though alive would be preferable—your pardon shall be granted immediately. You will be reinstated as master trainer within the palace walls, full honors restored. Signed, King Azeron of the Sun Kingdom.”
Pure disbelief carved through me. She’d gone straight to the source and negotiated with my father, cutting the same deal with him as she’d made with me.
She’d told me she never wanted her old life back, only the freedom to roam within the Sun Kingdom without fear of getting caught. But her disgusted sneer as she’d spoken of life as an outcast flitted through my mind. She’d probably nursed a longing for her old life all along.
Flint’s lip curled. “You wrote to that scorching tyrant?” His gaze shifted to me, something apologetic flickering in his hardened eyes. “Sorry, Zai. I meant to say—the Sun King.”
I lifted my shoulders in a faint shrug, a smile tugging at my lips. I hadn’t even batted an eye at him calling Father a tyrant, but the apology afterward still warmed my heart.
“Captain,” Mouthy Mara crossed her arms, her face splitting into a grin. “No offense, but did yer brains got scrambled or somethin’?”
Jaded Jorgen huffed. “Should’ve seen this comin’.”
Tera’s gaze darted between the crew members, impatience bleeding into her features. “Look, I was going to let you share the reward without claiming a single crystal for myself.”