I cast my eyes to the last ship. I could hear the screams of the crew from across the bay as she skewed toward the rocky coast as if unawares. Fahr nudged my arm, and I looked to the pier, where Thanavar and the Court of Sand stood side by side, casting.
I shuddered to think of the illusions they’d sent—clearly strong enough and mad enough to send theRhi’Ahrship crashing into the rocks. And crash she did, shattering bowsprit and prow, forecastle then main as she scuppered herself on the cliffs. The bay ships made short work of the wrecked cruiser, and they swarmed over her like ants on a carcass.
And just like that, it was over. All that remained was to douse the fires, rebuild the docks, and mourn the dead. I was glad I wouldn’t be here for that.
I looked up at Fahr. He was alive, and I ached at the thought of almost losing him, swelled with pride at bringing him back. He reached down to take my hand and pulled me up from the water. I fell into him, holding him like a lifeline in the Sheets.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” I said. “I’m so, so glad.”
But he pushed me away.
“You shouldn’t have brought me back, Blue,” he said. “It’s all wrong, and nothing will be right ever again. Ever.”
He released me, turned, and sloshed onto the sand, leaving me in the sea, as hollow as a gutted hull.
It was dawn when we weighed anchor in Port Corvallan, and, as Forge rose sleepy in the hazy sky, Thanavar issued the order to veil. I didn’t know why until Kit spotted the sails of six Navy cruisers approaching the bay. I literally held my breath as theTemplemoreand her fleet swept past us, unawares, and I realized then that Thanavar had known exactly what he was doing when he told Worley the wrong days. He’d lied to the king and not turned me in, and in doing so, he marked us an enemy. I wasn’t sure even the presence of a prince would keep us safe withsix cruisers on our tail.
The wardroom was emptied of officers and made fit for three ironmages from the Court of Sand. I hated this new arrangement, hated this new bargain, and I hated the Court of Sand. The thought that Thanavar would tradeLindurithain—something so important to him—was a notion I couldn’t come to grips with.
And Fahr hadn’t spared a word for me since we left port.
We were traveling east, skirting the Sheets once more, following theMarelethanby her chimeric trail in the hopes that she’d lead us to the Cloudgate Channel. It was possible, however, that she’d also meet up with theEndorathil, so that night, we assembled in the great cabin, poring over maps and discussing strategies about what we’d do if, and when, we met her. She had beaten us soundly twice. There could not be a third.
The second day, the seas were rough, but I’d resumed my post as chaser. It was a long day at the waterline, braced against theTouchstone’s rocking hull, one hand in the water, one hand on the line, but I delighted to hear her voice stronger, her phrases longer, and I knew it was because of theNil’hellyn.
Iron is wicked, iron is sly, Beloved will fall when iron will lie.
I was somehow not surprised that we shared the same view of the ironmages, and it gave me a roguish rush of satisfaction.
At the end of my watch, Echo summoned me to the pit to look at my runescars.
“Hmm,” he said. And again, “Hmm.”
“They’re everywhere,” I said as I pulled the tunic back over my head.
“They are,” he said. “They meet at your shoulder blades and have made a good way past your knees. There are even a few emerging on the small of your back.”
“I need it more often, now,” I said. “It’s like the chimeric fadesand my body just needs more.”
“Well, you are being considerably worked.”
“What happens when there’s no new skin to burn?”
“I’m afraid I have no idea,” he said. “I hope they don’t begin to work their way into your organs. I don’t know how that would affect them.”
I swallowed the fear creeping through my chest.
“That’s a horrible way to die,” I muttered.
“Don’t think like that,” he said. “This ship breathes magik, and now, with the ironmages on board, there will be many more options.”
“I won’t ask the ironmages for help.”
“Even if it means your life?” he asked.
“Even so.”
He laid his hand across mine.
