I paused, blinking at the sight.
Lord Astraeus’s blue coat was slung over a fence, and he lobbed a leather ball into the air. A spotted hound darted after it, and just as the pirate lord began to turn around, a small child leaped onto his back.
Red hair bounced as he reached back for the little girl’s legs and swung her around into his arms, spinning in a circle.
What the actual fuck?
Movement drew my eye to the bales of hay stacked against the stables. Lyvia’s eyes closed as she threw her head back in laughter. Her hands were wrapped around another small hound on her lap. My lips kicked up into a smile.
Gods, when was the last time I’d seen my friend this happy? Had I ever seen her look like that?
I stepped into the light, and the pirate lord whipped around to face me. Lyvia sprang to her feet, the small pup bouncing off as she sprinted toward me. A wave of unobstructed joy slammed into me, the emotions soaring down a mental connection that had, in some ways, always been there. A connection that had formed through years of friendship, now solidified through powerful magic. I sent my own relief at finding her alive and happy back down our Bellator bond, and she crashed into my chest.
Isla slippedher arm through mine and gave my bicep a squeeze. Her nose crinkled as she grinned up at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back at the warmth she emanated. We made our way to the dining room of Eghan House after a few long-awaitedreunions. Lyvia and the others had finished bringing me up to speed and…Holy fuck.
The Vael Lacrima had opened. The Embodied were coming for us. Lyvia had gone to Tynan’s Hell to bring back Astraeus, and the two seemed to have…bonded, to say the least.
My eyes skipped to the smile on Lyvia’s face as we entered the room. The pirate lord lingered near her, his arm brushing hers as he pulled her chair out. While their pairing left me confused—pretty sure she hated the man last I checked—Gods, I was so happy for her.
I stomped out the pang of envy that entered my chest at their union. Not envy of the pirate lord… No, I’d never see Lyvia in that light. She’d always been too close to a sister. But envy at the love so clearly connecting the two.
Isla moved to the window and threw the floor-to-ceiling curtains wide, and a bright line of light cut across the dark table, diffusing my thoughts. I’d divulged everything that had happened in Sultira since, informing them of the massive rubelline Mount Telum had become and detailing the terrifying sand serpents we ran into at the edge of the Harena Desert. And finally, that High Priest Helmar still lived. Lyvia’s eyes had darkened and her olive skin had paled by several shades as I was sure she recalled our harrowing time in Stynguard.
Aeriden’s hand clapped on my shoulder in greeting as he scraped the chair out from next to me and took a seat.
“Wait until you see what we found,” he signed, a wry grin forming on his face. “It’s right up your alley.”
I looked to Lyvia and arched a brow. She rolled her eyes at her brother and shrugged. Lord Astraeus moved forward and rolled a long, strange-looking scroll across the table.
I adjusted my spectacles and leaned forward to examine the material. The raised slices triggered something in my memory.
“Skin,” I signed with certainty.
“You figured it out faster than we did,” Lyvia replied, nodding. “The Lock Scroll, we think.”
“And the key?” I asked, looking to Isla.
Astraeus stood and removed an ornate, crystal decanter from the serving cart in the corner. I raised a brow in confusion.
“You’ll find answers ‘when new life waters ancient hide,’”Lyvia recited Tynan’s instructions.
New life…
I examined the contents once more. The dark, thick liquid coated the sides of the decanter as it shifted.Blood.
“We wanted to wait until you woke up to try this,” Isla continued, nodding to Astraeus.
The pirate lord carefully lifted the decanter of blood, dribbling the smallest amount over the scarred hide. The air in the room stilled, our breaths held, as the blood followed an invisible spell, rivers of it sliding over the hide.
I suppressed a gasp as the scars peppering the ancient skin began to move, shifting and twisting into new patterns. Some changed in size and shape entirely. Astraeus emptied the container, the entire hide now covered in the thick, coagulated liquid.
Patterns twisted and writhed on the hide, the movements becoming faster and the symbols smaller until finally, the scars stilled.
Isla’s hand had clasped over her mouth, and the five of us leaned forward.
Three rows of small script sprawled across the skin, and I blew out a breath of awe as I realized the ancient scars had not only reordered themselves into words buttranslatedthem into three different languages.
Lyvia’s hands moved quickly.
