What if I was wrong, and Lucy was gone for nothing?
Calder settled beside me, Eda Mire’s map in hand. He spread it across our laps, using his knuckles to measure the distancebetween points. “We’re here, roughly. Getting to Sable Deep is half a day’s flight.” His finger traced over the ocean’s name, then moved to the empty space beyond. “Once we cross it, there’s likely an island out there we just can’t see yet. The curvature of the world, distance, whatever. But it’s there.”
His voice was steady, but my nerves were not.
“You would have argued that point with yourself two days ago,” I said.
He stared out over the land before us. “The Oracle hasn’t turned back yet. There’s something out there.”
“You’re using logic to avoid feelings.”
“It’s worked for me so far.” But his hand shook slightly as he refolded the map. “She was just starting to open up. Actually talk about herself instead of just... existing in whatever role people needed her to fill.”
“I know.”
“And now she’s just gone. No body. No trail. Nothing.”
I leaned against his shoulder, offering the only comfort I knew how. “We’ll find her.”
He looked at me with eyes that had seen too much loss already. “Will we? Or are we just telling ourselves that so we can keep moving forward?”
The sun setin the cloudless sky, reflecting a vibrant painting of misery across the black ocean in the distance.
No one slept. With so little room within, Wickett was forced to paceoutsidethe cave, tracking the seconds with each footstep.Corvus had returned, but Silas and Riot still searched, checking back in every so often, just in case Lucy returned on her own.
“We give her one more night,” Wickett said finally. “One more chance to make it back. We can’t see shit out there at night over the ocean anyway.”
No one argued.
Riot returned extremely late, exhausted and empty-handed. Devastated. He lay outside, blocking most of the entrance with his massive form. Nothing was getting past him, not monsters, not threats, nothing that wasn’t Lucette Varrow, and I was confident he hadn’t slept a wink.
I lay awake in the darkness, listening to the sounds of people pretending to sleep, counting the hours until dawn brought decisions none of us wanted to make.
Morning came too quickly and not fast enough.
Silas returned with the sun, landing with a thud that said he’d found nothing worth reporting. His eyes met mine, and I could see the apology buried within them.
“Maybe we should keep looking a little longer,” Pip said into the heavy silence. “Split up. Cover more ground. She could be hurt, could need help?—”
“I agree,” Riot said, perking up. “I could cover more ground. Go farther out. Into the mountains. Iknowshe’s out there.”
Wickett slid one of his blades into the sheath on his back. “If we delay anymore, we’ll never kill the Phoenix in time. And then we’ll all be dead. Including Lucy, if she’s still alive.”
I couldn’t help but notice he’d used the word kill and not hunt.
No one wanted to hear words like that, but the hunter was never guarded with his thoughts once he’d made up his mind about something. He’d always aimed to kill her, but only because he knew no better.
An idea took root as my gaze slid to Aureth. There had been no logical reason for me to present this argument before, not without everyone figuring out I’d lied and always meant to help Vitoria escape. But now... “We need to stop the countdown so we can actually search for Lucy properly without a death sentence hanging over us. Can it be done, Aureth?”
The Oracle turned toward me, lips flattened. For whatever reason, it seemed like she didn’t want to discuss this with the Venatori. “You cannot break a blood oath without a drop of the target’s blood willingly given, or death.”
The hope died.
“Then we press on,” Wickett said, and I could hear the relief.
He desperately wanted to kill the Phoenix. If only he knew he’d been kissing her a day ago.
He stepped away. “We complete the mission. And as soon as it’s done, as soon as the oath releases us, we come back to find Lucette. With all the time in the world to search properly.”
