“She wants to help,” I explain.
Kezra nods. “I’ve been following you all for years. I know everything.”
Raef’s eyebrows shoot halfway up to his hairline, but he doesn’t look disturbed by the idea, rather… honored. Then his face lights up in a blink. “I knew I saw a fairy that one time! In Wraithmere Forest, remember Sand?”
I nod, smiling. That seems like so long ago now.
“Wraithmere, yes. A place with so much spirit, yet so little life. And Maethrel, determined to right his wrongs, doomed to die alone.”
“You’re fun,” Raef comments with a smirk, shaking his head like he still can’t believe it.
While Raef is thoroughly enthralled with Kezra’s ramblings, Daegan has gone quiet. He’s resumed rowing. And brooding.
“This is longer than you usually linger around other people, Kezra,” I note.
“Ah yes. But when the bonded maroons herself at sea, I’ve no better options than a floating chunk of tree with a couple outcasts for company.”
“You can’t go that far? To land?”
“If I could, I would, but I’m not saying that I should.”
“Right…”
“She’s hilarious,” Raef laughs.
“We’re bonded. I told you we can’t go too far from each other.”
Raef’s jaw drops. Even Daegan looks at me with interest.
“How did you manage that?” Raef asks.
“She asked. She said it will make us more powerful. I don’t really know what that entails yet…”
“It’s so unfair,” Raef whispers with wonder, shaking his head.
“Can I take a turn? You guys can rest.”
Daegan glances at me, then rows again, slowly. “I’m good.”
“I’ll take the break,” Raef says. Daegan shoots him an impatient glare.
“What? She commands water. It’ll be easy for her.”
“Exactly,” I say proudly, crossing my arms and standing. I’m excited to use my powers again.
Daegan sighs, releasing his oar. “Fine.”
I nod in satisfaction, then move past him toward the front of the boat and sit in the middle, facing backwards. It’ll be easier from here. I hold my hands out to my sides—not much, but just enough—and I command the water around the boat to propel us forward. We move with ease, and it feels so good. I close my eyes, almost in a trance as I feel the power flowing, feel the water moving beneath us.
“Nice. Just keep heading south,” Raef says, then moves toward the back of the boat.
It’s now Daegan and me at the front of the boat, with our backs turned on it, and we have a view over everyone inside it. He sits on the bench in front of me. I can just barely see his side profile from this angle.
After a moment of tinkering with something in the bag at his feet, he shifts and sits back against the curved interior of the boat, propping his feet up and tilting his head back against it. I have a full view of his face now. His eyes flutter shut, but I can tell he’s nowhere near sleeping.
I take in the details of his face, how it seems to have aged in just over a year, and I notice more swirling ink traveling from underneath his shirt.
It sort of enrages me. I was trapped on an island with Adrian, and he was out there getting a bunch of tattoos?
