The portal spits me onto the deck of the Silver Crown. Kashran warriors spin toward me with startled shouts, weapons half-drawn before they recognize me.
“Where’s Kahedin?” I demand.
“Here.” He strides from the cabin with charts still in hand. His eyes widen when he sees me. “Vampire?”
I step toward him. “The second wave is coming. Bigger than the first.”
“I know,” he says calmly.
“I can get you out—“
“No.”
Kahedin glances at his warriors. At the other Kashran ships nearby. “You can’t transport everyone. Not from this ship and certainly not from the entire fleet.”
I admit it with a brief nod. “But I can save you.”
“I’m the captain of this ship. These are my crew. I won’t abandon them.” His jaw sets with that same stubborn determination I’ve seen in Rhianelle a thousand times.
Fuck it. Just grab him,Coinneach tells me.This is Nel’s cousin. Her family. She’ll be destroyed if he dies.
I should force him through the shadow path whether he agrees or not. But his eyes make me pause. He has that same iron will that runs in their bloodline.
“Tell my cousin I love her,” he says quietly.
I stare at the brave idiot who’s choosing death over dishonor.
“Tell her yourself,” I grunt.
Darkness swallows me and spits me back onto the shore beside Rhianelle.
She looks at me with hope. “Where’s Kahedin?”
I shake my head. “He won’t leave his crew.”
Her face crumples for just a moment before she forces it back under control. I see the flicker of grief there. The knowledge that she’s about to lose family.
People scream on the cliffs above as they watch the wave approach the distant ships. The second wave is different from the first. A true wall of water that stretches from horizon to horizon, crowned with white foam and filled with debris.
“Gods,” someone whispers.
The Silver Crown turns to face the wave head on. Kahedin stands at the prow, a tiny figure dwarfed by what’s coming. The ship begins to climb, meeting the wall of water at full speed.
“He’s insane,” Red breathes. “They’re going to try to ride through it…”
Most vessels would have capsized at the attempt but Kashran vessels are built differently. They’re made for the wild seas beyond the mapped world. The Silver Crown crests the wave. For a moment it hangs suspended at the peak.
“Come on,” Eyepatch whispers. “Come on, come on...”
I find myself chanting with him. People hold their breath. The ship looks tiny against that mountain of water.
But it’s still intact and it’s still sailing. Then it tips forward and slides down the back of the wave with controlled grace.
“He made it,” Rainer says, disbelief thick in his voice.
One by one, the other ships follow Kahedin’s lead. They turn their prows to face the wave.
Their sails and masts could be shredded under that force. The second ship climbs the wave behind the Silver Crown, followed by the third. Others follow with unwavering determination and their battle hymn can be heard from shore. The smallest vessel starts to slip sideways as the current catches it wrong. I think it’s lost. But ropes fly between ships as the other vessels pull their companion straight.
