Memories came back slowly. Though she’d never seen the actual ship, she’d seen the designs. Patterns kept in a journal on the top shelf of his office. Models that had been proposed to the Navy and swiftly declined for more war-faring models. It was a hybrid ship. A mix between a brigantine and galleon. Slightly larger but could pick up great speed with the help of a conjuror…or a stormsinger.
Erinna turned to Asher with a lump in her throat. “It was literally built for your Talents.” Though she tried to choke it down, a sadness crept back into her bones. Followed by stoic determination. Now was not the time to get cozy, she needed to find a way to fix things.
“Thank you, for this.” Erinna shoveled the rest of the food into her mouth and downed a healthy gulp of ale before leaving them behind. If anyone protested, she didn’t hear it.
Her feet carriedher to the fort’s entry, landing in the shadow of the gleaming iron bars.
Talent wasn’t working, that was clear from Afton’s fruitless attempts. This was a physical problem. Mechanistic in nature. She could feel it in her bones.
Erinna inched closer, her fingers tracing the air above the metalwork, studying the way it had been set into the stone. The masonry around it tugged at something in her memory—those same careful joints, that particular way the blocks locked together. She’d seen this before, in the tunnels beneath Tarth.
Her breath caught, and she knew with certainty that the same hands that built those tunnels, built this fort.
She pressed her palms flat against the cold stone, feeling for the subtle irregularities she knew must be there. Yes—faint cracks spider-webbed through the wall, so fine they were nearly invisible, yet Erinna knew they outlined the hidden mechanisms that held those bars in place. As she traced one hairline fracture upward, an unnaturally cold wind met the back of her hand, sharp and cold against her skin.
She was moving in the right direction.
Erinna trudged through overgrown vines, moss replacing rock as she continued until it stopped. She peered up, scanning in the dark, nearly passing it, but there, a few feet out of reach, was a divot in the wall.
Heart pounding with renewed hope, she searched for a stick, anything to help her knock the dirt and growth away from where a switch would be. An old, mangled branch would have to suffice.
She raised the bent wood to the divot, trying to knock the dirt and dust away as carefully as possible. It was a fruitless attempt. The mechanism was caked in decades of plant life and detritus. Maybe with a ladder and some fire she could…
Fire.
Kane could wield flame with enough delicacy to singe away the vines and moss in minutes. Once that was gone, she could try to figure out the code and release those bars around the door for good.
Another cold breeze brushed against the back of her neck, and she shivered. There was no time to wait.
She raced back through camp, her feet carrying her to Kane’s small thatched-roof hut. Without a second thought, she pounded against the door, heart racing from both exertion and anticipation. If this worked, they would be one step closer to their goals.
The door swung open, revealing a rather disheveled Kane. He looked as if he was just about to sleep before Erinna came and rudely interrupted his peace. Clearly, he had dressed in haste. His shirt was wrinkled and half tucked into dark trousers. The top buttons remained unused, exposing a hard chest. His pants hung low on his waist.
Erinna swallowed and forced her eyes back to his face.
“This better be good.” Kane glowered, gripping the door handle so hard it groaned.
“I-think-I-know-how-to-release-the-bars.” It all came out in one breath.
Kane didn’t waste any time. He barreled out the door. “Show me,” he demanded, following hot on Erinna’s heels as they wound their way around the fort.
She pressed her fingers to the wall, following the path once more. Her boots kicked through dirt and plant life until she stopped just below the small indent of stone.
“There.” Erinna pointed above her. “Do you see it?”
Kane took a long moment, scanning the wall until he found the area. “Got it,” he confirmed. “Though I’m impressed you can see it so well in the dark.”
Erinna blinked in slow realization. The night sky was littered with stars, the only light coming from slivers of moonlight.
“I’m…perceptive.” Erinna tried to shrug off his observation. This was not what they should be focusing on. “We need to get rid of the moss and plants. I can’t reach it too well, and fire would be the best way to clear it without damaging the switch.”
“Understood.” Fire sparked to life in Kane’s hand. The flames were so bright Erinna winced at the assault on her eyes, but the warmth was inviting and welcomed.
“Careful,” Erinna mumbled as Kane directed the small inferno to the spot, hands moving intricately as he wove threads of arcanum with expert precision.
The smell of smoke and burning organic material invaded her nostrils as the fire made quick work of the vines and dirt. A few stone notches started to appear, and soon Kane had all but cleared it away.
“Perfect.” Erinna reached a hand out to his arm instinctively, offering a small pat of approval.
