For his part, Devanhan Fahr pushed up onto his elbows, blinked and blinked again.
“Clearly not a dream,” he said, breathless and new. “But what the suns just happened?”
And every wall I had ever built crumbled to sand as my body broke into shudders, and the tears fell from my eyes like a dam bursting. The captain gathered me in his arms.
The Court of Sand had a mess hall.
Actually, it was more of a grand salon, with ceilings higher than mainmasts, pillars as wide as a capstan, and mosaic floors that would make swabs weep joyful tears to scrub. But the Magisters of the Court had provided a spread, and I watched Fahr dig into his first meal in days. He was calm and clear-eyed, and he chatted amiably with the magisters over grapettes, cheese, and coriander bread.
Me? I was as weak as a baby bird, and I was grateful that Echo stayed with me, his comforting hand on my shoulder. In fact, while a part of me wanted to celebrate what we had achievedtogether, the other part wanted to hide away in a dark corner somewhere, wrap myself in rum and shadows.
I had just brought a man back from the dead.
It was impossible, and yet I had done it.
What the hels was I becoming?
“Join us for wine,” said the minotaur, Tekamorian, but they called him Tek. “The chimeric saps your strength, it is clear.”
“She has a unique and powerful gift,” said the faun named River. “We could train her to wield it here at the Court of Sand.”
“She is like her mother,” said one of the harpiar. His name was Liskeel, and he broke bread with his hands but snatched grapettes with his tongue. “Valor Renn is powerful and feared.”
Fahr threw a glance my way. He’d been unreadable since waking up, or coming back, or whatever the hels he had just done, and I didn’t know what to think. His dark eyes locked with mine.
“Blueispowerful,” he said. “And on theTouchstone, almost as feared as the captain himself.”
“Good, good,” said Liskeel. “Fear is the most powerful magik of all.”
And the mate blinked slowly. I saw clouds gathering behind his eyes before he turned his face away. Once again, I was grateful Echo was there, else I’d be a puddle on the stone.
He looked down at me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“But you do,” Echo said. “You’ve been hiding from it since you were a child.”
I would willingly walk the plank now if Smoke dared ask.
So, I was glad when the captain returned, followed by the rest of the Court. My mother was at his elbow, and I felt my stomach turn. Behind them, robed mages labored with leather trunks and wooden chests.
“Take them to the docks,” said my mother. “The jollies are waiting.”
She looked up at him.
“Isn’t that right, Gavriel?”
His eyes were dark, mouth grim, and I knew a deal had been struck.
“My crew will assist,” he said. “We weigh anchor at Forgedawn.”
My mother’s sweeping gaze fell on me, and she smiled.
“Honor,” she said, and she swept forward, arms extended. “You should eat, regain your strength. The chimeric drains you.”
And she clasped me tightly, leaned in to touch her cheek to mine. I let her. The only other action would have been to hide behind Echo, and that would have been weak.
Not weak, said Echo in my head.Hold out your hand and tell her no.
