“Juth calt.” Vi pointed up at the entrance to the cave. The earth groaned and split, rumbling as the supports for its frozen mouth caved in. Vi didn’t wait to watch the first rocks collapse with the power of her glyph. Instead, she turned and sprinted through the tunnels on the last bit of adrenaline she had.
Flames birthed with her every footstep, cutting through the darkness and smoldering against the wet, frozen rock. She heard crashes behind her. The island itself was trying to bury her now, chasing her through its frigid bowels. It wanted to punish her for the magic she’d unleashed on it.
Magic she still didn’t fully understand and should’ve never touched.
Vi emerged on the other side just as the cave-in caught up behind her. There’d be no pirates getting through there and Arwin would figure out that she needed to fly around… If Arwin survived at all. Vi swallowed hard.
“Vi!” Taavin’s voice cut through her thoughts.
Her attention jolted to the ship still tied to the thick ice surrounding the island.
“Vi!” Her father echoed, hands cupped around his mouth. “We’re here!”
They’d made it.
She began sprinting once more. She slipped, falling hard, landing with a cry, but pushed herself upward, ignoring the red that smeared the blue ice from where her shirt ripped at her elbow.
Get to the boat. Get away. Get to the boat. Get away.
The mantra was on repeat in her mind. Vi leapt to the rope that dangled down the side of the vessel. With the last of her strength, she pulled herself upward. A strong hand closed around her belt, hauling her over the deck railing.
“Juth calt,” Vi said with a glance at the rope tying down the vessel. It snapped in two. Between heaving breaths, she panted out a soft, “Go.”
“Arwin?” Taavin asked, though he was already stepping away and heading for the ropes connected to the sales.
“She’ll make it back,” Vi murmured, blinking up at the sky above her. She’d never seen a sky so violent. Red lightning crackled overhead like the tentacles of a writhing beast, ready to escape. Dull light, the color of dried blood, seeped over the horizon, staining the sea, staining the sky.
Her father may be saved, but there was still much for her to do. Yet for now… Vi twisted, looking at the man who sat at her side.
Her father was saved.
“Father…” Vi lifted a hand. It felt heavier than lead.
“Daughter.” Aldrik’s fingers clasped hers. Neither had a strong grip. Adela had stolen both of their strength. “You did well.”
Vi pressed her eyes closed, only just now feeling the wetness on her cheeks. Things were only beginning. He didn’t understand what still awaited them.
“You did well,” her father repeated softly.
Even though she knew all that lay before them, three words had never sounded so beautiful.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“May I?”Taavin asked, kneeling down on the other side of Vi. He held out his hands, his intent to heal her obvious. Vi gave a small nod.
But no magic flowed, and no words were said. Taavin looked on in horror.
“What is it?” Vi rasped.
“What happened?” Taavin whispered, reaching for her watch. As his hand drew near it, a spark of red lightning streaked from watch to finger and he pulled away quickly.
“What—” Vi struggled to prop herself up, looking down at her chest. The watch had cracked, half the cover had vanished—a molten line still smoldering in the metal. The glass that had protected the face was shattered and the face itself had been charred completely black. “I… I don’t know.” She looked up to Taavin, frantic. “What does it mean?”
“I have less of an idea than you. What happened out there?”
Vi was about to answer when the cry of a bird overhead stopped her.
Hovering on gusts and gales sweeping over the sea was a bird with a crooked wing. It coasted low before a bloodied Arwin tumbled onto the deck with a pulse of magic. Her eyes were dazed and unfocused, blinking slowly.
