My shout echoed like thunder. Nellie looked up and met my gaze. A thousand beautiful memories passed between us. I could picture her running through the village on her bare feet. I could smell the apples on her breath and the lake water in her hair. I could feel her arms wrapping around me when I hid in the woods and cried. And I could feel her whispering into my ear, “Fly away from here, like the ravens.”
I sucked in a breath, and the rain nearly choked me. “Fly, Nellie! Fly like the ravens!”
Her eyes widened. The ground quickly approached. My sister curled in on herself, transforming her body into a ball, and then—
Wings exploded from her back. Blood sprayed the air. She screamed from the roaring pain, but she forced the wings to spread. They jerked hard against her back. She careened wildly, arms and legs flailing, a spiral of panic and feathers and kicking limbs.
She caught herself before she hit the ground. I spun toward her with my arms open wide. Shaking, she reached up for me, but then her face went white.
“Tessa, watch out!” she screamed.
I twisted mid-air as the gods descended around me. Andromeda, Orion, and Perseus formed a circle while Sirius swept in below me. I looked up toward the sky, and my stomach dropped.
Caedmon grinned down at me, his black wings a whorl of shadows, his horns glinting from the light of the moon. “Hello, Tessa Baran. Thank you for the vessel.”
Andromeda grabbed me and trapped me against her chest. My wings melted into my skin, abandoning me. The god curled an arm around my throat to hold me in place. Her lips moved against my ear as she dragged a fingernail across my cheek.
“Death,” she whispered.
I squirmed against her, hatred burning through my veins. “Your power doesn’t work against me.”
“It doesn’t? How surprising!” The mocking tone in her voice scattered shivers across my skin. “I suppose that means I’ll have to try something else, then. First, we’ll be taking this.”
Caedmon dropped in front of me, though I supposed he was no longer Caedmon now. He was the essence of Shadow made flesh. He grabbed my fingers and twisted sharply. Bones cracked, and pain lanced through my hands. I ground my teeth to keep from crying out. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
My fingers betrayed me, loosening their grip on my dagger. The Mortal Blade fell into Caedmon’s waiting palm. His eyes flashed as he brought the gemstone up before him. “At last.”
Then he popped the gemstone free and tossed the blade into the storm.
“Thank you, Pollux.” Andromeda tightened her grip on me. “It seems we have everything we need now. It’s a shame, little pet. I would have liked it if you’d joined me, but I can’t allow you to live if you refuse my call. I know who you are.” Her fingernail dug into my neck, and I felt my slick blood trail down my skin. “Daughter of Stars.”
She dragged her nail across my throat. Pain exploded in its wake. I gasped for air, but it eluded me. A wetness coated my skin, soaking the front of me. My vision grew dark almost instantly, and my body spasmed. Dimly, I understood I was dying, though my mind struggled to hold on to more than just the pain.
Nellie’s distant screams were the last things I heard before I could not hear or see or feel anything at all.
Thirty-Six
Niamh
Wood creaked beneath me. A sail fluttered and whipped nearby, breaking through the darkness of my mind. I groaned and rolled to my side, vomiting up salt water. My lungs burned, my body ached, and a thousand angry ants were biting at my face.
A soft hand encircled mine. The pain ebbed.
“Val,” I croaked. I tried opening my eyes, but a bright sun burned through me. Everything was drenched in a horrible, sickening light.
“I’m here, Niamh.” She gently brushed my braids off my forehead, careful not to touch the scrapes on my cheeks. “One of the ships fished us out of the sea. Luckily, the beast only attacked one ship.”
I tried to push up, but my body was too heavy. “Alastair.”
“He’s safe. He went to find some food.” A pause. “Niamh, no one can find the king.”
A splitting headache cracked my skull as I forced my eyes open. Val’s face wavered in and out of view. She looked relieved, but worried. “How long have they been searching the sea for survivors?”
“Hours,” she said quietly. “No one knows quite what to do. Some are saying we should give up and move on. The longer we wait around, the more likely we are to endure another attack. But others can’t bear the thought of leaving their king in the sea. What if he’s still alive and just floating along somewhere…? And then there’s another problem. Half the fleet has turned around to head back to Talaven. They’ve abandoned us here.”
“Someone needs to take charge.” I sat up, and my head spun.
Val clutched my shoulder to keep me steady. “Not you. You need to rest.”
