She swallowed thickly, unsure where the strange tension in the air had come from. As she folded herself back into the pile of blankets, she asked, “In the morning, can we go down to the village to get some more clothes and supplies?”
“Whatever you would like,” he answered.
Her skin flushed. She was beginning to think those might be dangerous words.
Chapter Eighteen
Jade
ThemomentJade,Kai,and Aidan set foot on dry land, they sensed the atmosphere in Evonlea was drastically different from that of north Karstos. The air was colder, the ground hard and unyielding, and the people more nervous. The effects of the attacks and violence among travelers were stronger there than anywhere they had traveled.
Once they docked a little before sunrise in Vyros, the southernmost port in Evonlea, Kai hurried off theHarbinger, found the closest inn, and slipped into a bedroom to be alone. Jade and Aidan had worried about her the rest of the day. Ever since the events on the ship in the middle of the night, Kai had been quiet and closed off, ignoring their attempts at conversation and avoiding all eye contact. When Jade brought her food during the day, she could tell Kai was still not herself—her responses to Jade’s questions were one-worded and tight-lipped, her shoulders sunken and eyes distant.
Jade had to admit she was frightened about what had happened on theHarbinger. She had been sleeping below deck when a huge wave had rocked into the side. Fearful shouts of the crew had awoken her as they scrambled around and above her, trying to quell the monstrous storm that had suddenly appeared on the water. Jade had barely been able to get to the main deck without falling flat on her face several times from the violent tossing of the waves. She had finally made it to Kai and Aidan in time to see the terror on Kai’s face as she halted the sea.
While Jade may not have seen the whole scene play out, shehadseen the aftermath of Kai’s uncontrollable rampage and how badly it had affected the water elemental. Whoever the man was that had caused this, Jade had a feeling he was not done with them.
As they had parted ways with the captain of theHarbingerearlier that day, he had directed them to a merchant who could help them travel north to the mountain range. Jade and Aidan had found this merchant a couple of hours later: a kind, middle-aged man by the name of August from Krill, a town barely north of the Aataran Mountains, who was more than willing to take them with him on his journey home the next day.
They woke early and set off on horseback in the cold autumn morning. The three of them purchased warmer clothes in Vyros and were bundled in layers of soft wool and fleece. Thankfully, it would only take a day to get to Krill from the coast, and August—who insisted they call him Auggie—was a decent riding companion who passed the time by telling stories of his nephew, his home life, and the recent wild adventures he had been on. It helped take Jade’s mind off the threat facing her and her fellow elementals and the anxiety over what awaited them in Aataran.
One of the last stories Auggie told them before they reached Krill greatly piqued their interest.
While Jade’s mind drifted, tired and eager to reach their destination, Auggie described a campsite that had been massacred a few nights back and the ensuing fight that had occurred. He said he could have sworn a man stopped a flying arrow in the middle of the air.
Jade snapped to attention.
“It was dark, and I was distracted helping an injured fellow, but I know what I saw.” The older man tightened his hold on the reins, his speech slower and not as rolling as other Evonleans they had spoken with. “Stopped that arrow dead in its tracks. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Aidan stiffened. “What did this man look like? Where did he go?”
Auggie seemed caught off guard by their sudden interest. “Well, I’m not sure about that. I didn’t get a good look at him, and he disappeared back to the mountains after.”
So, Rynn was at Aataran.Excellent, Jade thought as she rolled her eyes. She knew she was too harsh on the air elemental, but centuries of animosity didn’t simply go away overnight. Or, over thousands of nights, she supposed.
There was not a single reason why Jade disliked Rynn so much. No, there weremany. In her opinion, he was the most arrogant of them all, which was shocking when compared to fiery, willful Aidan. Rynn’s conceitedness was different—it was quiet and shielded, deeply rooted in himself. Others did not often pick up on it, but Jade did. It bothered her more than the boisterous cockiness that Aidan possessed; she knew Aidan simply hid his insecurities behind an overconfident facade.
But Rynn…he was too proud for his own good. He was also volatile and flighty, more unpredictable than the air he commanded, quick to let hotheaded tendencies take over. He was the absolute opposite of Jade in every way, and they had been at odds from the very beginning.
While they had coexisted in peace for quite a time, not wanting to disturb the balance of the kingdoms they had forged and helped grow, she would never forget what he had done.
It had been Rynn’s fault that the humans on Iona went to war. It had beenhisunrelenting need for retribution against an oppressive human regime,hisextreme views of how their world should work, that had eventually ignited the elementals’ collective hunger for control and convinced an army of humans to stand behind them. He had led them to their downfall. While Jade knew that some of the blame rested on Kai’s, Aidan’s, and her own shoulders, she couldn’t forgive Rynn for his part. Not yet.
And here they were, trying to band together again as if nothing had happened. As if they had not set themselves squarely between two opposing factions of humans and then watched as the people slaughtered one another in their names. As if they had not made the conscious decision to remove themselves from the world because of the damage they had caused.
Even hours later, as they lay in their beds at the inn in Krill, Kai seemed to sense the unease and aggression shifting within Jade.
“Is this about Rynn?” Kai asked. They laid under warm blankets, watching the last of the dying embers glow in the fireplace, the soft light casting shadows in the room as the low fire crackled and popped in the night. To Jade and Aidan’s immense relief, their friend had slowly returned to her normal self throughout the day, no longer lost in thought and ignoring the others.
Jade sighed. “It’s about everything. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I get it. And the gods only know there are issues we all need to work through. But Jade, you weren’t there when that man came to me on the ship. You don’t understand what he can do. What it feels like.” Kai’s voice shuddered. “This is bigger than all of us, than any of these grudges we may be holding. We need all the help we can get to stop him, and that includes Rynn.”
Jade gritted her teeth, knowing Kai couldn’t see her. It was amazing how her closest companion knew what troubled her without her saying. “I know.” She paused for a moment, then added, “How can you forgive him?”
Kai’s mattress creaked softly as she turned to face Jade, the firelight casting her form in silhouette. “We all did unforgivable things.”
“Oh, really? Not you, Kai. Besides, have you forgivenAidanfor everything he did?”
