Kai glanced at Isla. The girl shifted her jaw, irritation at their lack of urgency showing plainly on her face. Her head kept twitching back to the water, like the pull to whatever called her grew stronger. Kai responded before Isla had the chance to lash out. “It’s possible that it was lost at sea when everyone left Iona after the war. I detected a shipwreck below us and, if Isla's feeling is accurate, maybe that’s where the dagger is. I’m going to take Isla under while you all stay up here to defend theMekaisain case we don’t come back quickly enough and the king’s ship catches up.”
A fiery gleam lit Aidan’s eyes, and a grin spread across his face. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Rynn, who smoldered with defiance.
“You expect me to let you take herunderwaterto search for this dagger while we are up here and cannot help if anything goes wrong?” Rynn asked through clenched teeth.
Kai could practically feel the anger radiating from every pore of Isla’s body. Kai hid a chuckle.This should be good.
“I don’t know how many times we have to have this conversation. You arenotmy master, Rynn. You’re notlettingme do anything. You’re going to stay here and follow Kai’s instructions until we get back.” She looked at each of them. “All of you need to start respecting my decisions and understand that my choices are my own, nobody else’s, and I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes if it will give us a chance against our enemy.”
Shock and admiration splashed through Kai’s mind before she said, “Alright, then. If nobody else has any more questions. The Karstos ship is coming from the west, so keep an eye on the starboard side. Rynn’s the best bet for knocking it off course and keeping it away from theMekaisa. Let’s hope we get back before Sebastian gets too close, but if he decides to pay you a little visit…well, just try not to kill each other.”
Aidan’s eyes sparkled. “You’re sexy when you talk strategy.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Spare us, please.” She motioned to the water below them and said, “Be safe down there.”
“We’ll be fine. Do you know who you’re talking to?” Kai flashed Jade a smug smile.
Isla gave Bri what looked like a painfully tight hug. “Promise me you’ll go below deck at the first sign of danger.”
Bri nodded into Isla’s shoulder and pulled away. “Don’t you dare let anything happen to her,” she said to Kai with a glare.
Kai grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
The bravado from a few moments ago seemed to be draining from Isla as she shakily asked, “How exactly are we going to get this dagger, Kai?”
“Oh, that’s the fun part,” Kai responded, still wearing her smile. “Can you swim?”
Isla blinked. “Considering I live in the middle of a land that’s covered in ice for most of the year, not well.”
Kai waved a hand in the air. “You’ll be fine. We’re going to dive under, and I’ll create a bubble of air so you can still breathe. We’ll swim down to the shipwreck and search until you find the dagger.”
Bri scoffed. “I missed where the ‘fun part’ was.”
“How far down is it?” Isla asked, peering apprehensively over the railing.
Kai let her senses flow from her again, feeling beneath the surface for solid ground. “About four hundred feet. There’s a relatively shallow shelf beneath us, which makes sense since we’re getting so close to the island.”
Isla gaped at her. “Four hundred feet? How am I supposed to survive that? The most I’ve swam is in ponds and small creeks!”
“Youdorealize she’s the water elemental, right?” Aidan asked, amused. “It’ll be fine. Trust me, we’ve done much more exciting things far deeper than that, haven’t we, sweetheart?” He threw a suggestive glance at Kai, who smirked back at him.Yes, they had.
“For the love of…” Jade muttered and walked away, calling August’s name.
Kai took Isla’s trembling hands. “You can do this. Do you trust me?” She looked into the girl’s eyes, all too aware of the conversation that had taken place not even an hour ago.
Could they trust one another?
Isla swallowed, then nodded. “I do.”
Kai’s lips split into a mischievous grin. “Then let’s go get that dagger.”
Part Four
Ignite
Chapter Fifty
Isla
