Ice sank into Reid’s veins.
The cold was so stark, so suffocating, it took a moment to realize he was still alive. Black water raged around him, turbulent, the sea roaring with its power. Reid plunged down into the freezing abyss, falling into its unforgiving depths until the world around him went quiet.
Through all that violence, there was a moment of peace. A moment where he was aware of Vaasa’s hand in his, of the fact that she had jumped, that she had never let him go.
And then the tide ripped them apart.
The world sped up, and frigid water broke through his mind’s calm. Reid’s body screamed against the impact of the ocean. Hislungs strained for air. His back slammed against the rocks and arched with the impact.
He broke the surface and sucked down breath but was quickly pulled back under by the waves. He had minutes before the freezing water killed him. Before it killed Vaasa. Before their bodies slowed and stopped, unable to cope with the cold. He had hoped this wasn’t trading one death for another.
Reid launched his body through the water. He kicked and swam, cutting the waves like a razor blade, determination filling him where the peace had been. Water blurred his vision, stung his eyes, but he pushed through the waves with each ounce of strength he still had.
He whipped his head around and found Vaasa clinging to Amalie’s body, whose white eyes had ceased to gleam. She was limp in Vaasa’s arms, and his wife dragged her through the water, both of them struggling to stay afloat. A tender quickly approached them. Panic rose, but then red hair bobbed from the side of it. Members of Sachia’s crew reached into the water and plucked out Vaasa and Amalie.
Reid forced his arms to move even as waves crashed over his head. His hands slammed into wood, and then Jonáš grabbed at his arms and pulled. Reid’s shoulders ached against the pressure. Hands pawed at his legs, then grabbed ahold of the fabric of his stolen breeches in a death grip.
With one more tug, Reid flew up and out, midsection slamming against the lip of the boat and promising a bruise. He tumbled over and into the space between benches, staring up at the sky as he heaved in breaths. Blankets were immediately thrown on him.
Sachia looked to Reid at the same time Vaasa gripped the side of the boat, her knuckles going white. Magic licked the wood around her hands. She stared up at the bridge, at the body standing so close to the edge.
Roman.
Something broke on Vaasa’s face: fear, betrayal, and then… guilt. He didn’t know what happened in that room, how Lord Karev had ended up swinging from ropes in the public square; all he knew was that his wife shook. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from where Roman stood on that bridge.
Reid leaned into her, and she went rigid. Magic dipped over the side of the boat. More blankets were tossed at everyone, an almost useless counter to the ice, but it was just enough. Reid’s gaze roved over Amalie first, who was laid down in the center between two benches, eyes closed, unconscious. It still didn’t make sense to Reid—how long had Veragi been there? What had she done to Amalie? All this uncertainty felt heavier than the water-soddened clothing—he knew nothing.
Vaasa’s magic curled over the lip of the boat and leaked into the water around them, covering the ocean like fog. Reid shivered and rocked, keeping his eyes on it as it extended far past their boat. As it covered the waves in nothing but pitch-black smoke.
“What’s happening?” one of the crew members whispered, eyes caught on the tendrils of magic rolling over the ocean.
“Get us out of this water,” Sachia snarled to the men rowing.
The boat picked up speed, cutting through the magic and waves.
The black mist on the ocean writhed. It was a thick layer, eerie and creeping, spreading all around them. Vaasa’s chest rose and fell. She stared at the bridge, then Amalie, then back to the bridge. Reid placed his hand under her chin to softly turn her face to him.
“Eyes on me, Wild One,” he whispered.
She exhaled, finally looking at him. There was hurt, even vulnerability, on her face, her mask slipping ever so slightly forhim. But she still steeled herself in that infuriating way of hers, and this time he understood it.
This was the only way she knew how to survive.
“Reid,” Sachia snapped.
He whipped his head to where the pirate pointed, to the group of five or so Asteryan naval vessels that plowed through the water toward them.
“Shit,” he cursed.
“Faster,” Sachia said, still rocking back and forth slightly to warm herself.
The ships behind them gained speed. Reid pulled Vaasa closer.The Red Corsaircame into view in front of them, grand and beautiful, red sails billowing in the icy wind. Someone stood on the edge, a silhouette of strong shoulders and a wild mass of blond hair that blew in every direction. A thick cloak draped over her body. She paced in front of the railing, then froze.
His mother.
Their boat bumped against the side of the ship, and a rope ladder careened down the side. Koen peered over the ship, and even in the dark, Reid could see the way his friend’s eyes locked on Amalie. One arm was in a sling, the other holding a spyglass. “More blankets!” Koen yelled the moment he was aboard.
“Go,” Reid said, hauling Vaasa up and forcing her to climb.
