Ezra drew the power out of the beads and flung her hand forward, releasing the purple orb into the night.
It flashed through the air, touching down like lightning on the other side of the canyon, away from the fort.
The bright flash illuminated every drop of water in the sky, temporarily blinding him. The blue light glowing from the waves erupted explosively in the tumultuous water.
Ezra handed the empty beads to Meena.
Undoing the knot, Meena tossed the glass beads into the ocean, one by one.
Ezra continued, sending the chaos magic straight into the land around the fort. She never hit it directly, but the strikes caused an astonishing amount of damage around the structure.
Each flash of light revealed tumbling rocks bouncing down the cliff side, landing in flurries of sand, and splashing into the sea.
This, in turn, caused the sea to flare brightly with blue light, just in time for another lightning strike to hit.
Sol clung to Meena, watching in awe as the world exploded around them in chaos and beauty combined.
Chapter 38
Meena held on to the knotted rope ladder as she climbed from the boat to the ship.
Ezra had emptied all the beads.
They had made it safely back to the ship.
Gareth’s secret source of power had been destroyed.
And best of all, she had her arms wrapped around Sol, her husband. At least for the moment.
The sea tossed and turned underneath the ship, pitching it in every direction and throwing them around the slippery deck.
The sailors helped everyone get safely to the lower deck, but Meena nudged Sol toward their small cabin.
Just as they stepped through the door, the ship tossed them forward. They stumbled onto the small bed, laughing and crying and clinging to each other.
Straightening up in the darkness, Meena kept one hand on Sol and used the other to search the dark cabin wall for the handhold which had kept her steady during the last storm. This time, however, as the ship rose and fell beneath her, she managed to laugh at the strange sensations in her stomach. She’d been through a storm before, and Sol would ensure they got through this one as well.
Sol.
At the moment, he was sitting at her side, one arm around her back to keep his hand on the wooden support as well.
“I knew you could do it,” Sol said, his voice tickling her ear.
“Do what?” Meena asked, knowing exactly what he referred to.
“Lead.” Sol kissed the side of her head.
“Then why didn’t you give me more responsibility in the beginning?” Meena asked, half jesting but also half serious.
“I didn’t know you wanted it,” Sol replied.
Meena twisted to the side so she could face him in the darkness. “On the second day I knew you, I literally dragged you around the castle grounds with a hand-drawn treasure map. I think it should have been very clear from the beginning that I would make the best cypher.”
“I guess I will just have to spend the future paying better attention.”
Meena inhaled, trying to find his eyes. “It’s too dark,” she whispered.
She felt Sol move his arm. He stilled for a moment, then exhaled. “My magic store is completely depleted,” he said.
