“I will,” Reyla said.
Missy nodded and turned, melting back into the street she’d once helped clear stone by stone.
Reyla slid her hand back into mine as we watched her go.
“She’s still leading,” I said.
“She always was.”
“You have that effect on people,” I said, bringing her hand to my lips. “You make them believe they can be more than they are. You made me believe I was worth saving.”
We walked down the street toward the pier, my heart full and the scent of herbs still clinging to the air.
Tomorrow would bring either salvation or goodbye. But today had given us proof that our love had built something lasting, something that would endure even if I didn't.
Chapter 48
Reyla
The harbor came into view, the curve of the road peeling back to reveal ships tied off at the pier, a few leaving the harbor with their sails unfurled. I shaded my eyes with one hand, squinting into the brightness. One vessel was still far out, only a pale suggestion of sail and hull, its banner too distant to read.
“That’s their ship,” Lore said from beside me. “They’re waiting on the tide but will be here soon.”
I nodded.
A bark rang out behind us, followed by the rapid thump-thump of paws on wooden planking. Farris streaked toward us in a blur of gray and white fluffy fur and wild glee, his tongue lolling, and his tail wagging hard enough to nearly knock a crate off a pile of them as he bounded past it.
“Farris.” I crouched to meet him, and he launched himself into my arms. “Did you escape Faelith and run all the way here?”
He didn’t answer, of course, just pushed his damp nose againstmy collarbone and gave a happy huff that warmed my skin. His fur was tangled with brambles and smudged with dirt in places. I laughed, holding him tighter. “You wicked, wonderful nyxin. You’ll need a bath and a good grooming when we return to the castle.”
“Oh, hey. Gregor!” Lore stroked my shoulder. “I’ll be right back. I see someone I know, and I need to pass him a message.” At my nod, he strode over to speak with a dockhand who was unwinding a thick rope from a post mounted on the pier.
I rubbed behind Farris’s ears and tried to remove the brambles from his coat.
Farris yipped and wriggled free, darting toward the edge of the pier.
“Oh no, you don’t.” I straightened as he leapt down onto the beach, kicking up a spray of sand behind him. “Farris. Come back.”
As he trotted along the waterline, his nose to the sand, he didn’t even glance my way.
I groaned, rolling my eyes as I hitched up the hem of my gown and followed. “Mischief today, is it?”
The wind softened as I descended the slope, salt air brushing my skin. Farris was a gray and white blur ahead of me, weaving between driftwood and leaping over rocks until he skidded to a halt near a shallow pool. Peering back at me, he yipped before returning his attention to the pool.
Something about the way he stood there, perfectly still and focused, made me eager to see what he’d discovered. This wasn't random nyxin mischief. My boots crunched on pebbles as I approached and stopped beside him, latching on his ruff before he could run away again.
The pool gleamed, light bending at an odd angle across the surface, as if the sea had taken a breath and held it, waiting.
Farris sat, tucking his tail along his leg, his ears perked toward the pool.
I knelt beside him.
Beneath the water, the sand had settled into spiraled ridges, like a shell. I hadn’t seen the tide shape anything so deliberately. Small crabs crept through the shade on the edges, not appearing to notice I was there. A single feather floated in the center of the pool, white with a black tip.
“Strange place to bring me, little nyxin.”
The surface rippled and a small whirlpool churned in the center, the feather spinning in circles along with the water. Sunlight flashed on the pool and the whirlpool stilled, the feather along with it. I sucked in a breath.
