“Yarrow can deal with the rest while you’re gone,” said Kane, waving away Brax’s concern.
Erinna’s heart pounded at the prospect of such freedom. She could assess the ship without Lila’s watchful eye, perhaps find a way to secure one of the smaller surveying vessels for when she needed to return home.
Brax took a moment, assessing her. “You up for the task, Yarrow?”
“Y…yes,” she stammered, clutching the bucket tighter to her chest like a lucky totem.
“Good.” Kane turned to leave.
“Wait—” Erinna juggled the bucket in emphasis. “Can you heat this up?” The sap was much easier to work with when warm, and Kane’s Talent would do the trick.
Erinna could see the “no” form on his lips. “It will make this go much faster,” she promised.
Decision made, Kane sauntered a few steps over to her and held out his hands. Erinna plopped the bucket into his arms, one arm still submerged in glue, the other clutching the rim.
“I can burn you,” he cautioned, eyeing her sap-covered hand.
“It’s fine. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
Kane’s hands grew red like embers. A few sparks like the cracking of firewood danced across the bucket, but nothing caught aflame. Erinna stared at the sap, swirling it slowly with her hand, a few strands of hair fell loose from her braid. It wouldn’t take long, just a few more moments.
In her focus, she failed to appreciate the little distance between her and the captain of theHellish Rebuke. The tips of their boots nearly touched. Kane moved his right hand slightly to ensure he didn’t entrap Erinna’s finger in fire.
“Yarrow, this thing is getting too hot.”
“Just a second.” She was used to this. She’d done it on countless ships for her father, and though the heat started to sting her hand, it was bearable.
“Perfect,” she breathed.
Kane released the pail like it had scorched him—but not before their eyes caught and held.
They were close. Close enough for Erinna to notice dark flecks of onyx in his eyes and full lips that were pressed in a thin line. He smelled like woodsmoke and pine. She leaned in, instinctively.
Kane opened his mouth to speak.
“Thank you.” Erinna cut him off and turned to Brax. “You ready?”
Brax grunted in confirmation as Kane slipped from the lower deck without another word.
By the timeErinna made her way from below, the sun was near setting. Her muscles groaned with fatigue as she paced the length of the ship, looking for that heathenous master gunner. Lila was nowhere to be found on the ship, and Erinna counted it as a small blessing.
Her feet faltered as she neared the opening in the trees that led to the cemetery. Perhaps…
Her rational brain used up its energy during boat repair, and without deep consideration she moved up the small hill to the spot that Inez had shown her the day before. It wouldn’t hurt to try, she thought.
Just a few minutes, she told herself. The doors were no closer to being open, and Erinna was running out of time to finalize herdeal with Kane. The odds felt insurmountable. Her hand went to the ring wrapped around her neck. The small band of metal brought some comfort but also a reminder. She would figure something out.
The path leading to the graves was easier to traverse this time. She knew what to expect, when to duck, and how to avoid jutting stones that did their best to make her trip. The clearing rested unchanged. Erinna stepped over a dilapidated wooden fence that once guarded entry.
She strolled through the area, taking note of the gravestones that remained standing, the ones that had fallen and crumbled, and the marks in the ground where the slabs had become nothing but dust. There weren’t many, perhaps less than a hundred from what Erinna could tell. It was no surprise.
A cool breeze drifted through the trees, and the sun’s light had turned a dark orange. Lengthy shadows danced across the earth. Her hands grew clammy with nerves. Erinna had not intentionally accessed her Talent for over a decade. Even then, it had been overwhelming. So overstimulating that the memory remained hidden in the shadow of childhood trauma. It was so very loud.
She gulped and shook the twitchiness from her hands. It had worked that time in the alley, though whatever she felt was different than before. With one long drawn breath, Erinna closed her eyes, searched for an inkling of power, and let her Talent prickle once more to life. It felt different somehow, harder to reach—like she was trying to run through water. Erinna dug harder, ice flooding her system; the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It didn’t feel…right.
Her Talent receded with nothing to latch on to, and Erinna was left standing in a graveyard.
Defeated and fatigued, Erinna took one last walk around the cemetery. She would bring an offering next time if she was goingto be serious. Souls needed something to latch onto if they were going to come back from the Realm Beyond. She would bring a small token when she returned.
