“I’m well aware,” he whispered as they led him away.
FORTY-SIXRUNE
RUNE LICKED THE SEAsalt from her lips as the unfurled sails of Alex’s boat ballooned overhead. HerGhost Walkerspell kept the craft concealed as they headed out to open sea. The wind was against them at first, making them easy prey for bigger, faster ships. So Rune castTempest—a spell from Seraphine’s repertoire of elemental castings.
It was designed for sailing, and when combined with a compass showing which direction a witch wished to go, the spell summoned a strong wind to fill a boat’s sails, propelling the craft much more quickly toward its destination.
Rune kept expecting to see a ship in pursuit. To find Gideon at the stern, giving the order to subdue her.
But there was only the sea, rising and falling, everywhere around her.
Aurelia didn’t look back once. She sat with her face in the wind, holding Meadow close, shivering in the cold night air. At one point, Rune slid Gideon’s jacket off and handed it to Aurelia, who used it as a blanket to wrap the child in.
The island shrank behind them. As the fear of being caught ebbed, Rune ran her hands along theAria’s polished wood, thinking of Alex. How he was saving her once again. She glanced at the stars, sending out a silent thank-you, wondering if it could reach him beyond the grave.
When they left New Republic waters, Rune finally settled in, glancing back one last time as her home disappeared for good.
If she made it to the Continent, the first thing she’d do was find Seraphine and tell her she was running away. Somewhere neither Cressida nor the Republic’s witch hunters would find her. Perhaps Seraphine would come with her. If not, Rune would get a message to her once she was safe.
The salt spray dampened her hair. The wind stung her cheeks.
Will you miss me, Crimson Moth?
Rune shut her eyes against the memory of his voice.
She should be happy his plot had failed. She’d eluded him; she should be celebrating.
But instead, a chasm had opened inside her.
You are a knife in my heart.
They sailed on.
FORTY-SEVENRUNE
THEY SAILED INTO UMBRIANwaters five days later, assisted by Rune’s enchanted wind. While at sea, Rune taught Aurelia how to sail so they could take turns sleeping. It was morning when she navigated them up the fjord’s dark waters leading to Larkmont, where she dropped anchor near Soren’s estate, keeping out of sight.
Alex’s boat had proved a sturdy escape craft, and Rune intended to use it to take them further south. Right now, though, she needed to sneak inside Larkmont, grab supplies for the rest of the journey, and find Seraphine.
She hoped to do all of this without being seen.
Cressida couldn’t know she was back. The witch queen would expect her to make good on her promise to marry Soren, and Rune didn’t want to think about what Cressida would do to force her hand. Especially after Rune’s last act of defiance.
Before she jumped into the waves, Rune took off her boots so they wouldn’t fill with water and weigh her down.
“You’ll be all right here?” she asked Aurelia. Dropping her boots in the boat, Rune glanced back. Aurelia’s long hair was stiff with sea salt. She wore Gideon’s jacket to keep out the cold and looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
I’ll stay with the boat,Aurelia had told her when they entered the fjord.I have no desire to run into Cressida.
Aurelia, it turned out, vividly remembered Roseblood cruelty and wanted to keep Meadow far away from it.
“We’ll be fine,” Aurelia said, her hand on her daughter’s head as the girl played with the compass she’d found belowdecks.
Rune looked on with a small smile before diving into the dark water.
The icy cold stunned her. It took several moments for her body to recover from the shock. When it did, she swam for the shore.
She was halfway there when thecrackof flapping sails made her pause.
