“We shall see,” he said again and turned his back on her.
Adara grabbed Dominic’s right hand, jerking him back toward her. Then she pulled the knife from the vambrace on her arm and sliced his palm open.
“What the Hel!” he shouted, yanking his bleeding palm away from her. Furious, his other hand shot down to the hilt of his sword.
“Calm down,” she said before he could unsheathe it. Adara pulled off the glove on her right hand, revealing marred skin beneath. She tried not to think of what had caused those burn scars as she sliced her own palm open. “It’s a blood oath. By doing this, we are promising to protect each other until one of us wins the war. That means we can’t try to kill each other, and if one of us happens to be in danger, the other has to make an effort to help.”
She highly doubted Dominic would kill her. If he did, he’d lose her power and knowledge. But just to be sure, she needed to hear him say it, and she needed to make sure he wouldn’t leave her for dead anywhere during their search for the relics.
His stare was cold, harsh. “Why?”
“To make things more interesting, more fair. If one of us kills the other, then there’s no point to it, same as if we let each other die. Death isn’t the way to win.”
Dominic stood still for a moment, weighing his options. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he finally answered. “Fine,” he said, grudgingly sticking out his bloody hand to her own.
She grasped his hand, shaking it firmly. A strange tingle spread through her palm as their magic collided, immediately healing their hands, leaving only a faint scar behind.
She didn’t know the consequences for breaking a blood oath, but she had no intention of finding out. She would stay true to her word, protecting him until one of them won. Once that time came, there was no stopping the winner from destroying the other.
Footsteps thudded against the deck, drawing near. Adara muttered a curse under her breath, wishing Dominic would give her one moment of peace as she attempted to sift through the rush of events that had happened since she left theValen Wind.
“Adara, right?” She let out a sigh of relief at the unfamiliar voice, the friendly tone a stark contrast to Dominic’s malice. Ocean eyes and a soft smile met her. He ran his fingers through his brown hair, disheveled by the strong gale. Dominic’s magic constantly filled the sails with wind to make their journey quicker. He extended a hand toward her. “I’m—”
“Asher,” Adara finished for him.
His warm smile widened, revealing dimples in his cheeks. “Asher Terence.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He drummed his fingers along the railing, silver glinting around his left ring finger.He has a soulmate.Adara wondered if it was one of the Andreilians or if he’d left his lover behind for the prize of Andreilia’s enchanted water. Or perhaps Asher’s eternal youth had caused him to outlive his soulmate. Considering he’d only just met her, she refrained from asking more.
“For what?” Asher replied.
“For telling Tyson to shove off when you all found me. For stopping the duel.”
Asher glanced out to the sea, side-eyeing her with a knowing smile. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
They both turned at the sound of footsteps loudly approaching. A boy—who looked the same age as Asher—with short, curly blond hair, bounded toward them, blue eyes alight. “Can you believe it?” he asked excitedly, tossing an arm around Asher’s shoulders. “The infamous Andreilians, back at it again, sailing across the Plagued Sea.” He waved his palm in front of them in a flourishing manner. “Except they’re all together this time, not one by one coming for the enchanted water. And with a new face”—he glanced toward Adara—“courageous enough to challenge the King of Keys at his own game. All while they attempt to forge the mythical Realm Fracturer. Will they make it out alive from this perilous journey, or will their luck finally run out?” he rambled on, as if narrating an epic adventure story.
Asher laughed and amicably shoved him. “Would you stop? You know, we all hate this cursed sea. We don’t need you reminding us that we could die in an instant . . . or scaring Adara away.”
Adara scoffed. “Oh, please. I sailed across the Plagued Sea, same as you. One more time isn’t going to scare me away.” She’d proven herself as they had, even more so by bargaining with the notorious Dominic Nite. They would soon learn not to underestimate her.
“Oh, but the hideous beasts lurking beneath the surface will,” the blond said ominously, still grinning like they were all some sort of heroes in a fairytale.
Asher smacked him lightly on the back of the head. “Shut up,” he rebuked jokingly. “If anything, your obnoxious voice will draw their attention. We’ll have to make you walk the plank as bait to satisfy them.”
The blond placed a hand on his heart, feigning hurt. “You would dare betray your best friend?”
“If you put us at risk, yes,” Adara chimed in, ignoring the pang of guilt in her throbbing heart.
His head whipped toward her as if suddenly remembering her presence. “Oh! Where are my manners? Name’s Caleb Moyer! Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Adara,” he said, grasping her hand and bowing. His lips brushed over her gloved knuckles.
Adara quickly pulled her hand away, tucking it within the folds of her cloak. Caleb rose to full height, a lopsided grin on his face. If he took offense to her guarded behavior, there was no sign of it.
“Better quit your useless flirting,” Asher advised with a gesture toward the front of the ship where an Andreilian with olive skin stood, short wavy black hair swaying in the wind, attention turned toward the three of them. Adara guessed he was about twenty-one years old, but the dark stubble on his jaw made him appear older. “You’re going to make Tobias jealous.”
Caleb whirled around, directing his gaze toward the forecastle deck. He shot Tobias a radiant grin and an enthusiastic wave,who returned the gesture. “He knows I’m only his.” Then turned back to Adara. “Anyway, welcome aboardThe Lykren.”
