The command made my toes curl, and something almost like a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth before he hid it.
A flutter of wings caught my attention. Raven shuffled through the grass, pecking at something hidden. He grabbed the object between his beak and lifted off the ground in one sweep of his wings. The bird landed on my shoulder, and I saw what he scrambled to grab. I nearly jolted at the sight, panic flooding in.
An eyeball.
He took off, glancing back as if urging me to follow. Noctis set Jun and Evelyn down in the soft grass before coming to my side, eyes tracking the bird as it led the way.
Shrubs thickened the further we walked away from the facility until we reached a ledge of razor-sharp rocks. It dropped many meters to the ocean’s depths.
Scrambling down the cliff side—blood trailing—was Laziel. He felt around frantically, searching for purchase. His feet slipped endlessly along the sharp rocks as he tried to descend down the steep incline. Blood covered his legs, gashes torn into them from his attempted escape.
Raven cawed loudly, and Laziel faced upward.Gods.I scrambled back in horror.
Gaping holes looked up in reflex, both of his eyes gouged out by the Zephyreon.
“Love, will you check on your sister?” Noctis murmured, rage overwhelming him again.
I knew what Noctis planned. Knew that Laziel would not make it down the cliff on his own free will alive. I turned quickly to return to Evelyn, finding Calvin at my back overlooking the cliff in terror.
“Your pet is ravenous,” he whispered, and Raven swooped down, yanking a chunk of dusty blonde hair from his head.
We had nearly reached Evelyn and Jun when the first screams split thesilence.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
My sad, shriveled sigh was lost in the rushing wind aboard Zahara’s ship as we sailed through the open seas. For six days, I sat at my sister’s side, carefully moving her from place to place—first to the hammock in my quarters, then to the main deck, then the crow’s nest, all with Noctis’s help. Now that I had Evelyn back, I didn’t want to go another second without her, even if she peacefully slept the days away without any hint of awakening.
“There’s so much about our life that I wish I could have made better for you,” I whispered to her, eyes looking out across the choppy waves. “I don’t think they hate us. They just don’t know how to love us.”
I had spent so much of my life forming words to justify the actions of our parents, hoping that when my sister was old enough, I could step in and fill the hole I knew Evelyn kept for our mother and father. Nourishment, clothing, anything tangible—if Evelyn needed it, I would do whatever it took to get it, even if it meant stealing it myself.If she needed an emotionally mature adult, I would make sure I analyzed every decision made in life so my sister would believe it to be me.
“You’ll forgive me, right?” Those words barely made purchase. “I love you.” My voice cracked, sound barely audible. “I’m so sorry.”
I had no tears left to cry, but my body still shook with sobs. My face scrunched in pain—not physical pain anymore with the help of Jun, but mental and emotional. I’d said the same words to her ever since having her back, and every time, I convinced myself that Evelyn would wake up and disown me.
There’s twenty-six seagulls along the front mast. Two of them seem to be eyeing Raven.
Noctis tried many times to pull me from the deep guilt, and it usually worked momentarily. At least enough to collect myself. I knew he could feel my despair through our bond, because I also felt his. His more so hid beneath the surface like the roots of a lily pad, reaching and growing yet covered with a mask.
I hope they poop on you.
A sad smile lifted my cheeks at my retort.
There’s my girl.I swallowed hard, and Noctis laughed in my mind.Can I take Evelyn somewhere more comfortable?
My sister had been laying upon the lacquered deck with me for far too long, but I wanted to be selfish with the time we missed out on.
Is Jun ready for her?
After dinner.
Jun slept his days away, replenishing his powers while the sun spanned the sky, all so he could work to heal Evelyn during the nights. It seemed backwards to me for him to do so, but he did it so I could rest, knowing there were eyes on my sister at all times.
I didn’t deserve my friends. I didn’t deserve much at all, to be honest. The blood on my hands haunted me, reminders that I wasn’t the same person I used to be. Then again, maybe it’s okay to grow and change. Maybe—just maybe—it made me better. The guilt tickled my spine and settled low in my stomach.
Evelyn moved, and I jumped up, searching for any sign of consciousness. My tense posture eased when I realized it wasonly Noctis moving her with his powers back to the hammock below deck. She hovered inches from the flooring along a sturdy breeze, and I moved to follow.
Will you have dinner with me tonight before we arrive at Yundantan Island?
