“I see your magic has returned.”
Eira nodded.
“I told you I would see it brought back to you.” Adela had an air of smugness that Eira couldn’t help but laugh at.
“I don’t think you did much other than put me in a dire state. Which is what my magic always seems to respond to.”That, and Cullen…
Her attention drifted a moment, landing back on him. A breeze glided across her cheeks, as gentle as his smile. As if he knew without her saying a word. As if he was the one thanking her when she should have been thanking him.
“We’ll work on that.” Adela, oblivious to Eira’s thoughts, sat straighter and Puck shifted to her back. “You will learn to be as in control of your emotions as you are of your powers. So much of our magic is wrapped up in our conscious and subconscious intention that it is natural for many to see it respond to such triggers. But to truly gain the mastery you want—that you can attain—you need to gain a firmer control of it.”
It was surreal to have Adela be talking as plainly as Noelle might about magical theory and application. Part of Eira felt like the young woman she had been, getting a lesson from her uncles, or a tutor in the Tower. The other part was keenly aware that she was still on a boat with the pirate queen, speeding through a rainy night to the vast unknown. Yet…the latter bit didn’t terrify her nearly as much as she felt it otherwise should.
“I’d like that.”
“No doubt. Thank you, Puck,” Adela added as he moved away. Puck gave a bow of his head went to check in with Alyss. “Now that you have regained your powers, we can begin to work with clearer purpose.”
With the help of her cane, Adela rose to her feet. Eira did so as well, keeping an eye on the pirate queen. She still didn’t seem as stable on her feet as Eira would’ve liked, favoring her icy legthat fused with the deck and relying more than normal on her cane.
“Once we get some rest,” Eira agreed.
“TheStormfrostisn’t far now.” Adela looked to the bow of the boat. Eira could feel shifts in the water around them. She was reluctant to give up control to the pirate queen—as exhausted as she looked—but Eira relented. Adela had been at this far, far longer than Eira could imagine. And she no doubt spoke true about having recovered from much worse.
Like a ghost in the night, theStormfrostfaded into view. Its lanterns were the flameless sort, their pale glows illuminating the frosty haze that surrounded the ship and giving it a spectral appearance. The entire vessel was coated in ice. In the rain and lightning, it looked every measure of its namesake.
“I dreamed about seeing it,” Eira said softly.
“That is not something I hear often.” Adela chuckled.
“Seeing it meant I found you.” Eira shifted, meeting Adela’s eyes. The shade of blue that was so much like hers. Something in her expression gave Adela pause, her smile slipping from her lips. But only for a second, then it returned.
“Yet another thing I don’t hear often.”
Eira picked up on the clear clues that Adela didn’t want, or wasn’t ready, to readdress Eira’s questions about her parentage. So, instead, she said, “Isn’t that how you found most of your crew?”
“Are you saying you want to be a more permanent part of my crew now?”
Eira shrugged. “Do I have a choice? I thought I had agreed to as much in exchange for your help getting my magic back.”
Adela merely hummed. The gleam Eira was familiar with was back to Adela’s eye. But it didn’t have the same sinister sharpness as Eira might have once seen in it. Still, she didn’tpress the matter. Being in limbo was better than being shackled again.
The boat slowed to a stop alongsideStormfrost. It towered above them—larger than any boat Eira had ever seen. Larger than she ever thought possible for a vessel. There had to be at least three belowdecks, if not four.
A rope ladder had already been unfurled for them, reaching the railing of their small vessel. Pine went up first, then Fen. After that Adela motioned to eight of them. Ducot squeezed Noelle’s hand before he led her up, then the rest of the pack: Cullen, the two from Qwint, Olivin, Yonlin, until it was just Eira and Alyss.
Alyss stared up at the boat and made no motion for the ladder. She stood, hands limp at her sides.
Eira rested a hand on her back. “It’ll be all right,” she said softly. “I don’t think they’re going to hurt us.”
“Oh, I know.” Alyss glanced over at her. “That’s just a really tall ladder and I am…very tired.” She grinned sheepishly.
Getting her magic back had been a second wind to Eira. She knew the moment she sat, or lay down, it would all catch up to her. But, for now, she was able to keep going.
However, her friends did not have the luxury of regaining lost power to fuel their energy. They were coming off a hard-fought battle and narrow escape. Clothes still stained with blood and sweat, singed and pockmarked with magic. The six of them were slow heading up the ladder.
Eira couldn’t imagine the amount of exhaustion Alyss felt. She had not only helped defend the boat, but also held it together throughout the relentless assault. She had been using her magic to an extraordinary degree for a length of time far greater than anyone could’ve ever expected of her.
“What’s the holdup?” Adela asked as she made her way over.
