Adela stood by the skiff, adjusting a few parcels inside. It struck Eira that the pirate queen was alone. The entire time Eira had known her, Adela had been surrounded by her crew. Right now she seemed…small. Adela had always been a legend, larger than life, surrounded by the mightyStormfrostand a crew ready to kill and die for her. Now, she looked like a woman, as regular and as mortal as any other. Even her clothes were simpler: gone were her mighty coats with oversized cuffs and collars. In their place was a fitted pair of trousers and a sleeveless vest, not unlike what Eira wore.
“If you wanted to ship me off, you could’ve just asked,” Eira said dryly as her boots met the smooth rock of the beach where Adela was making her preparations.
Adela snorted softly. “Girl, you have been a thorn stuck to my side since the first moment I heard of you. If I told you to go, I doubt you’d leave much farther than the quarterdeck of whatever vessel I’m on.”
Eira chuckled softly. Crow held back as Eira continued crossing to Adela.
“Therefore, I’m the one who must leave.” Adela finished securing one of the parcels to the skiff and straightened, meeting Eira’s eyes. Eira came to an immediate halt.
For a breath, there was nothing but the brisk wind and waves. The sea foam churning around their boots. Surprise wasn’t the first emotion that bubbled up within Eira. Rather…disappointment. She’d known what Adela had been planning for longer than the walk Crow had taken her on. If Eira were honest with herself, she’d known for months in the same way she knew a storm was in the distance.
But there was one question she didn’t know…
“When will you be back?”
“Never, I suspect.”
Every muscle in Eira’s body tensed, making it hard to breathe for a moment. Making it hard to swallow down the brief wash of panic and grief that surrounded her.
“This poison that has wrought its decay throughout my body can no longer be ignored.”
“We can find a cure.”
“I fully intend to.” Adela nodded. “But I will not wither away before their eyes as I make that attempt. And, should it come to pass, I will not die for them to see.”
The notion of Adela dying was as foreign as a language Eira had never heard before. It glided right over her mind, not sticking. Not comprehensible.
“You can’t die.” The words slipped out. They twisted in her gut like a venomous snake.She’d just found something like a family, a home…
“I know.” Adela wore a knowing smile. As if she could stare straight through Eira to all of those worries and fears that shekept concealed. The pain she barely knew. “That is why I must leave. And why you must carry on my legacy.”
“But I?—”
Adela’s hand landed on her shoulder, as heavy as the weight of the responsibility she was bestowing. “Fate has brought you to me. Molded you for me—for yourself, for your own destiny. The time for doubt is well past. It no longer suits you.”
Eira finally managed a breath. The tension left her, as if by Adela’s command. She nodded.
“Don’t weep for me, girl. I’m not dead yet, and there’s much more out there for this old pirate.” Adela smirked, looking as invincible as every myth that had ever been spoken about her. “And your legend is only just beginning.”
“I won’t let you down,” Eira vowed with all she was. With all she would become.
“You’d better not. You’ve yet to disappoint me, so I’ll let you live a few more days. But the moment I hear otherwise…”
Eira laughed softly and shook her head. Even though she knew Adela wasn’t one for sentimentality, she couldn’t stop herself. Her words were a whisper on the wind. “Thank you. For everything.”
“You’ve only yourself to thank, and only yourself to let down.” A pause. “Are you ready?”
Eira only suspected what Adela was truly asking. But even being unsure, she nodded. Whatever it was, she’d be ready.
Magic surged around the pirate queen. It swelled, overwhelming. Eira was drowning in the power such that she was left struggling to remember to breathe.
Adela’s eyes shone with intensity and Eira maintained her focus. Endless currents were propelled out from the pirate queen. They swirled around the Isle of Frost, cradled theStormfrost, and stretched farther and farther into lands unknown. Places Eira could now sense, but had no cognitionof what they looked like or what the power was doing in these distant places.
From one hand to the next—one essence to the next—it was transferred. One by one, Adela relaxed her control with a sigh. Eira was right there to push her power through the currents and channels, strengthening the voids left behind. There was nary a drop of the permafrost thawing around them. Not a whisper of warmer winds blustering over the Isle of Frost.
Adela released her and stepped back. She exhaled softly and rolled her shoulders back, as if feeling relief for the first time in years. The drain on Eira’s power was instant and immense. But she found it surprisingly manageable. Easier by the minute. Second nature, even.
The wind picked up, pushing the waves and sea foam between them.
