“Thank you,” he said, finally.
“You’ve nothing to thank me for.” Eira gripped the railing, ice crackling around her white knuckles. “If I had the resources and time, I would sail along their coast for the rest of my life and show them the meaning of fear.”
“Perhaps once we have taken down Ulvarth.”
“Perhaps,” she echoed.
The future was a blank slate. As unknown as what lay past the horizon at the edge of the storm. But Eira was charging toward it, one way or another. First, they would go to Qwint. They would drop off Lavette and Varren and secure supplies and allies. Then, they would sail back to the large bay of Meru,rejoining with Adela where she darted between the Shattered Isles, wreaking havoc among the Pillar’s ships.
Then, it was to Risen, facing and ending whatever chaos Ulvarth had wrought.
After that…who knew? Survival for all of them, Eira included, wasn’t a foregone conclusion. So Eira kept her focus in the moment. One battle at a time. One enemy. One distant dawn.
2
The horizon had been beckoning them since the sun had first risen. For two long days and nights, they watched it grow closer, until today they could make out details on the distant peninsula. A morning mist had settled upon the sea, gulls wheeling and calling through it, giving Qwint the illusion of rising from the sky, rather than the sea.
Eira crossed the decks, eyes on the distant shore, a strange mixture of emotions swelling on the salty breeze. On one hand, there was relief that they had made it to relative safety, despite their skirmishes and close calls with Carsovia’s navy, four weeks after saying goodbye to Adela and theStormfrost. But on the other hand were all the unanswered questions that now lurked like the churning waves beneath the fog. Would they succeed in soliciting Qwint’s aid? How would Qwint receive them?
As she gazed upon the distant cityscape, it occurred to her that she’d been imagining the coastal city she’d grown up in: Oparium. She’d had no idea what to expect from Qwint, and that had resulted in her filling in the blanks with what she knew best. That realization was tinged with a pang of longing for her former home. Oparium was never the place she had once dreamed it to be; yet, her heart ached for the home it had occupied in hermind. A longing that would always remain unfulfilled as the question of what home was to her—where her final port was—remained unanswered.
Perhaps part of her assumption that Qwint would be more like the quaint harbor of Oparium than, say, Norin, came from the knowledge that it was a relatively young nation. A place just finding its start. She certainly hadn’t conceived it’d be the thriving metropolis that she now laid eyes on.
Great spires reached toward the sky with thin tendrils of smoke curling up between them, dancing with the pennons that fluttered in the breeze and suggesting a bustling populace. Every spot of land was dotted with towering structures and vibrant green inner gardens enclosed by high walls topped by wide stone balustrades. Windows caught the sunlight, winking like daytime stars. Massive breaker barriers stretched up from the sea, protecting against the battering waves and oppositional forces, enclosing the entire peninsula with a patchwork of stone that formed a fortress. So far as Eira could tell, there was only one entrance and exit—a break in the wall framed by two guard towers that were lined in cannons and archer’s slits.
It was impressive, imposing, and nothing like Eira had ever seen before.
“Home.” Lavette’s whisper was barely audible over the sea breezes that were beginning to clear the fog and cries of gulls that swooped therein. Varren stood next to her at the bow, all-consuming relief crumpling his features. He looked as if he was about to weep. Knowing his story, and given all they’d been through, she certainly wouldn’t blame him if he did.
Eira cleared her throat as she approached, drawing their attention to her. “Should I know anything before docking?”
“Shortly, once it’s clear enough that we do intend to enter the city, they’ll send out a guardsman’s vessel,” Lavette explained calmly and methodically. Detailing the processes of her homeseemed to grant her immense comfort. “It’ll be small, but with the finest soldiers currently on duty. They’ll seek to board and guide us into the harbor.”
Eira bristled at the idea of giving over command of her ship. But she bit her tongue and kept her hesitations to herself.
“They’ll take us to a section of dock for visitors and tie the vessel right up, since we’re small enough. The wharf behind the walls is deep enough even for tall ships, but the docks can get cramped…” Lavette continued, detailing how they would be escorted to the high magistrate’s office for questioning, but assured Eira that there was nothing to worry over. “One thing, though… Would it be possible to remove the ice on the side of the ship?”
“Not if you don’t want us to sink.” They had tried to have Alyss patch the hole in the side of the hull. While she was incredibly talented, Alyss wasn’t a miracle worker. She couldn’t conjure wood and earth from nothing, and they’d left the site of the skirmish too quickly for her to collect the pieces that had been blown apart. There wasn’t enough extra material on the ship to properly patch it.
Luckily Adela had prepared Eira for just this type of occurrence by giving her control of theStormfrostmultiple times.
“Sinking wouldn’t be ideal.” Lavette clicked her tongue in thought.
“I’d say not.”
“Can you make the ice less noticeable? I worry over Adela associations…”
“I’ll do my best.” Eira shifted the flow of her power, focusing on the ship for a moment. Frost trailed out from underneath her, giving her a clearer picture of the damage and where the ice needed to be and how it could be adjusted.
“I’d also remove the dagger.” Lavette’s eyes dropped to Eira’s thigh, where the dagger Ulvarth had so kindly gifted to her after she killed Ferro was strapped. “Don’t want them to be more on edge than they already will be.”
“Fine.” Though Eira hated the idea of parting with something that was so integral to her plans. She was going to end Ulvarth with that dagger—completely and utterly.
“One more thing,” Lavette said as Eira’s ice returned to her and the straps of the sheath on her thigh came undone. “When we’re there…let me take the lead. I know this is your vessel but?—”
“This is your home.” Eira gave a respectful tilt of her head. “You know its ways and its people.”
“And she’s well respected,” Varren said with a touch of admiration in his tone and his eyes. Eira had begun to wonder if Lavette’s ignorance of his fondness was willful. It was rather obvious to the rest of them. But if Varren wasn’t saying anything then Eira certainly wouldn’t, either.
