“At least she’ll be happy to see you’re up.”Sebastian reached out and pushed open the door.“Come on.”
After a few hobbling steps forward, the scene opened up in front of Kieran, and he froze.Debris from shipping crates littered the deck, scorched at the edges.There was a dusting of ash across the entire deck, and a few smoldering embers winked out in the wind.The air smelled of burnt pine and smoke.
Standing near the crow’s nest was Briar, her eyes glowing blue as she fired off two more plumes of flame at another crate.She was screaming, voice raw and hoarse as if she’d been doing it for hours.As she slammed the crate with another spell, it exploded, spinners of wood and sparks raining down around her.Her knuckles were bruised and bleeding, clearly having punched more than one rigid surface.
“Briar!”Kieran called, having to summon up what felt like half the energy in his body just to yell.
She paused, turning to look at him.In the light from the dying fires around her, Kieran saw the ash coating her skin, and the pale tear tracks that cut through it on her face.The light in her eyesflickered out, leaving the normal blue of her irises.The whites were bloodshot, and her cheeks and nose were red.She was panting, the sound ragged in her scream-raw throat.
“Briar,” Kieran said a little quieter.“I’m so sorry.”
Briar sniffled, her chin trembling.She closed the distance between herself and her brother, then threw her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce hug that made his sore muscles ache even more.Still, Kieran wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as her shoulders began to shake with sobs.
“She’s gone,” Briar said simply, voice choked by tears.“He took her.That motherfuckertook her.”
Kieran rubbed her back.“I know.I’m so, so sorry.”
“I’m gonna kill him,” Briar said, gritting her teeth through the sobs.“He’s drawn his last fucking breath, you hear me?When I get my hands on him, I’m going to shatter every bone in his body one by one and grind him into apaste.I’ll burn him inch byinchuntil there’s nothing left but ash.I’m going to…I’m gonna…”
She broke down, sobbing too hard to speak.
“He’s not getting away with this,” Kieran promised her, holding her tightly.His throat and sinuses burned as tears welled in his eyes; the next time he blinked, two of them rolled down his chin.“I swear it.Iswear it.”
For a moment, Briar simply cried, fingers tight around her twin’s coat.Her entire body shook.It was as if she was going into shock, unable to control the violent sobs.All the while, Kieran just held her, blinking away his own tears.
He’d failed Briar and Delilah both.Thinking about it felt like a spike straight to the heart.
“I can’t lose her,” Briar whispered.
“I know.”Kieran squeezed her tighter.“But we’re not going to.We’re going to find Elias and get Delilah back, okay?”
“And that Crown,” Briar said.She pulled away from Kieran, setting her jaw.Her expression was fierce but firm.Something about it reminded Kieran of a white-hot blade that had just been tempered.“We didn’t come this far not to complete the scepter.”
“It doesn’t matter compared to—”
“It does, though.”Briar met his eyes, unflinching.“Delilah and I swore we were going to help you do this, so we’re going to do it.We’re going to get it, finish your Calling, and make things right.And if Elias winds up in a shallow grave, well, I guess that can’t be helped.”
“I wouldn’t be against that,” Sebastian muttered, having politely stepped aside to let the twins have their moment.“Anything you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
“Any experience with skinning people alive?”Briar asked.
Sebastian held out a hand and wiggled it.“A bit.”
“Fantastic.We’ll need that.”Briar swiped her sleeve across her face, rubbing away the ash and tears.To Kieran, she said, “I’m…I’m relieved you’re okay too.Things didn’t look great back in the ice caves.”
Kieran shrugged.“Another thing to add to the list of things that almost killed me but failed.I’m okay, I swear.Just sore.”
“Good.We’ll need you in fighting shape when we land tomorrow.”Briar cracked her knuckles.“Ariel said that we should be able to get there by sundown.Then we can finish this.”
“Gladly,” Kieran muttered.He asked Sebastian, “You still withus?Even for this?Hélène may well still be working for Elias, and we might have to fight them again.”
“Oh, don’t worry.There’s no way they’re recovering from their injuries enough to fight tomorrow.”At the look of horror on Kieran’s face, Sebastian reached out and gently took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.“But that isn’t important.Where you go, I go.Simple as that.”
Kieran’s eyes flashed to Sebastian’s fingers—the ones that twitched when he was lying.
They remained perfectly still.
“Guess it’s settled,” Briar said.“We save Delilah, then we finish your Calling.Deal?”
