“I may be a monster, but I draw the line at killing children,” Tarn said as he sat up. “I wanted Von submissive. I cared not that his woman escaped. I assumed she would die on her own at sea, but I failed to predict what Sai-chuen would do.”
Dyna’s eyes widened. “What did he do?” she asked, her heart racing. “Show me.”
Tarn’s jaw clenched, and an emotion crossed his face. It was only a flicker. There and gone in a blink, but she saw it.
Guilt.
He had that same look on his face when she first contacted him through the water mirror … three months ago.
“Show me!” Dyna shrieked. Yanking out a black feather from her pocket with her free hand, she slapped it over his forehead beneath her palm. Green light flared out, and daylight vanished.
The dream walking spell yanked her away. It moved her through Tarn’s memories with speed, fueled by the maximum force of her power. Dyna knew she found the correct memory when the bitter winter air slammed into her.
She stood on the ship’s deck in the night, watching Von beg at Tarn’s feet to spare Yavi. Dyna’s eyes welled up when he embraced his wife, telling her how much he loved her before throwing Yavi onto therowboat. He fought with everything he had so she could escape, but he was outnumbered. The Raiders quickly subdued him.
“You could have ended her life quickly, Von,” Tarn told him. “Remember that.”
He walked away for the stairs, but his head whipped around to Sai-chuen when he snatched an oil lantern hanging from the mast.
“Stop!” he commanded, but the man didn’t obey.
Sai-chuen threw the oil lantern. Von’s cry tore through the sky, throwing out a hand. Dyna covered her mouth in horror as it sailed through the dark night and shattered at Yavi’s feet.
Dyna screamed.
The smoke ripped her away. She crashed onto the deck so hard the world shook, and her ears rang. Commotion stirred around her as raiders fled. The floor thudded dully against her ear with their running steps. A rumble shook the ship again and a violent hot wind smacked into her. Dyna fought to make her eyes focus.
The sails were in flames.
Fire raged all around the ship. Raiders either fought to put it out or they jumped into the sea. She choked on the smoke as she tried to stand. Her ears were still ringing, and her vision spun. A hand grabbed her arm and hauled her up. She stumbled against Tarn’s chest as he pulled her from the spreading flames.
“What happened?”
“Something blew in the cargo hold,” Tarn said as they made their way through the thick smoke. “The ship is going down.”
“What do you mean?” She needed his ship!
The floor dipped on the port side with a groan. They were sinking. Olsson barked at the men to abandon ship. Sai carried Lumina on his shoulder as he headed for the gangway. Damn that man!
Gritting her teeth, Dyna reached for a knife with every intention of digging it into his back. But a rippling explosion threw her against the steps. She winced at the pain shooting up her back. Sitting up, she choked on the smoke, and it made her eyes water.
“We need to go.” Tarn scrambled up from where he had fallen and hauled her up with him. “Hold on to me.”
“Wait, what about Len!” She turned to the healer’s bay.
“Olssen got her out.”
“But Sorren?—”
Explosions rocked through the ship, and it tossed them down again. Bodies were flung through the air and screams cried out. Fire consumed all around them. Oh Gods. Dyna stumbled to keep up, coughing as her vision continued to water. She needed to get to land.
A knife came spiraling out of the smoke.
Tarn ducked, and it missed him by inches. More came. He shoved her down out of the way and snatched a fallen blade.
A bearded man strode forward out of the flames. Both Dyna and Tarn froze at the sight of him. He was dressed in a dark red coat that flared around him with the rippling wind and smoke. Several glinting knives were strapped to the bandoliers on his chest. He looked very different, but she recognized him all the same.
Von.
