“Oh, I know. But I thought… Well, she could have given the order. I wouldn’t blame her for getting rid of someone who openly said he would support the usurper.”
“No, but I doubt she did that.”
Syla shook her head. She most certainly had not. Even if she believedmurderwas a legitimate way to solve problems, Lord Ravoran had been so low on her list of concerns that she wouldn’t have even thought about it.
“Hm,” was Hixun’s noncommittal response.
Syla was tempted to rush in and makesurethe major didn’t believe she’d had anything to do with the murder, but what could she say to convince him otherwise if he already believedit a possibility? Sighing again, Syla headed topside. She was wearier than ever.
“Everything all right?” Teyla asked when she arrived.
Syla remembered that she’d wondered if her cousin might have killed her own father. Given the circumstances of her home arrest, that had seemed plausible, even if Syla had never believed Teyla had it in her heart to murder someone. But it would be an even greater stretch to believe she might have gotten rid of an island lord she barely knew. Besides, Teyla had been with Syla on Harvest Island all night.
“Very little isall right, I’m afraid,” Syla replied. “Very little.”
19
“We’ve got morethan twenty ships with us,” Fel told Syla as they stood on the deck and theFanged Whalesailed away from Harvest Island. “A few more came in during the night to lend their support. If they stay loyal, now that they’ve seen us place the shielder, it may be enough to deter the vessels lurking in Sky Torn Harbor from attacking us. They would be attacking their own allies, after all.”
“It would be ideal if they allow us in unopposed,” Syla murmured.
“Do you have a plan for if they don’t?”
Syla should have been contemplating that and figuring out how she would take back the throne, but as they stood in the stern, she looked toward Harvest Island instead of toward Castle. The dark clouds had not disappeared with the establishment of the barrier. Instead, they had spread, hanging low across the entire island and stretching out over the surrounding waters. Lightning continued to flash in their forbidding depths, and, even from a distance, Syla could sense the two powers clashing, almost as if the magical clouds were trapped and wanted to get out. She still didn’t know whatexactly they were dealing with but feared Teyla was right and those clouds had divine origins. If so, what if they destroyed the barrier and kept spreading?
And what about all those who lived on Harvest Island? In the weeks the barrier had been down, some refugees had transferred to Castle and other nearby islands, but others hadn’t. Some people had hunkered down, determined to defend their orchards and farms and homes. With lightning striking down all over the island now, they weren’t safe.
“Your Majesty?” Fel prompted. “We’re not that far from home.”
“I know. My plan is…” Syla extended a hand toward Wreylith.
She perched next to the wheelhouse instead of on top of it and was rubbing her scaled flank against a corner. A few red scales lay on the deck underneath her. She seemed to be molting or whatever the dragon equivalent was. Syla didn’t know if that was normal for them or had to do with the pregnancy.
“As fearsome as she is…” Fel’s eyebrow twitched as the red dragon shifted to rub her back, like a bear scratching an itch against a tree. “I’m not sure how effective she’ll be for the precision maneuvering you must now do.”
“I thought blunt force might work with Lord Fograth and General Dolok.”
“You’ll have to find them first. Isn’t Fograth lying low?”
“That’s what I’ve heard, yes,” Syla said. “But Dolok can’t be doing the same, not if he’s the one commanding the combined military forces. And if he is, I’ll feel no qualms about unleashing Wreylith on him. Someone has not only been sending out the fleet to hunt down our ships but has also ordered enforcers to capture moon-marked people.”
Syla shifted her attention forward, telling herself that she needed to focus next on Castle Island and freeing those individuals. For now, she would have to leave the clouds ofHarvest Island behind and hope that, whatever the storm god ultimately planned to do, he would kindly keep them from being fully unleashed until after she’d reclaimed the throne.
Captain Vonla walked up with Major Hixun, the megaphone in his hand. He raised his eyebrows and offered it to Syla.
“Do you think I should address the rest of the fleet as soon as we sail into Sky Torn Harbor?” she guessed.
“Before they open fire on us, ideally.”
Syla accepted the megaphone. “I’m hoping that won’t happen since we have so many of their sister ships with us.”
None of them were veering off on the way back, something that bolstered Syla. With luck, she had proven herself to the crews by doing what she’d promised. That didn’t mean they would stay loyal once they were within earshot of their superior officers, but if she could take charge quickly enough, maybe…
“I’m hoping for that as well,” Hixun said, “but we should be ready for conflict.”
“Oh, I’m always ready for that these days.”
“We’re about to sail around the point,” Vonla said. “Will your dragon ally also be ready for conflict? Or is she going to continue… molting?”
