“I get what you’re saying, I do, but I don’t like the idea of listening and allowing another powerful being to meddle with me. If I start being more accepting, I’m opening myself up to them manipulating things for us, and I’m so over that.”
“I understand that, but this isn’t a Beginning God we’re discussing. The Messenger doesn’t benefit whatsoever from your words. They don’t grow more powerful from you. Their desire and goal are the success of the realm. If they were to manipulate things for you, as you put it, it would only set you in the right direction. They gain nothing if you fail in your part of helping the realm right itself once again.”
“And what do they gain if I succeed?”
“Freedom.”
My heart pinches painfully at the longing in his voice. I’m still not even one hundred percent sure what is all wrong in the realm or what exactly it is my Valtrue, and I will be expected to do.
I can pick out a few things right off the top of my head, though, that need to be rectified sooner rather than later.
The straps trapping the Veilatara are big ones.
I sit up straight when the telltale sign of a starshoot spreads across the room. I send what I can of reassurance to Seismet, then narrow my eyes as Lambrit appears with V on his shoulder.
“Next time, you better give me a warning.”
Lambrit at least has the sense to look sorry. “I didn’t want you to tell me no. I know that library like the back of my hand and it was so much faster starshooting than the Veilatara traveling back.”
“I definitely agree but would’ve liked a warning.”
“Sorry, Thay.” He winks, then opens the book on the page his thumb is marking.
He and Amick don’t even have to discuss what the parchment rolled out on the bed is. He holds the book out and their gazes bounce from one another to the next.
“I’ll be damned,” Lambrit mumbles.
“What?” the rest of us ask impatiently.
Amick’s eyes scan all of us until he settles them on me.
“It’d seem this isn’t a mortal love story after all. Someone left us a very creative map.”
The roaring waves that crash into this side of the mountain aren’t nearly as deadly as those that collide with the cliff in Abernie.
I’m not sure if it’s the God of the Sea’s power that keeps the water calm right here at the shore, or if the Gully just traps the water, making it more desperate to escape into this massive body before me.
My gaze tracks Creed, Amick, and Gladian as they walk toward the sea stronghold that I didn’t even know existed until an hour ago. The stone structure is almost carved into the mountain itself, and a long pier stretches from its door, well out into the sea.
Apparently, there are gods whose role is to keep ungodly beings out of the sea. If they’re dumb enough to venture out here, these gods will do what they can to save them, but according to Amick, they more so have to clean up messes at that point.
It was an awful image to paint in my mind.
Plans were made and everything started moving incredibly fast the second Amick decided the map in the book matched that of the Lost Sea. He jumped into action, arranging for Derivius to send a decree requesting we have a ship prepared for us, a guide that doesn’t question us or stand in our way, and for him to notify the God of the Sea to keep the creatures from attacking us.
It was a gut-wrenching shock to learn there are two types of creatures in this water.
Some are as intelligent as V and Seismet, but others…there’re a few species the God of Creatures created himself and they aren’t friendly with beings at all.
God or ungodly. It doesn’t matter to them.
I was really hoping when Amick and Creed went to share with Gladian what we were doing, the overgrown man-child would decide he and his Valtrue were going to carry their asses back to the Godsdawn.
I tried to convince Seismet and Verlet to convince Fausta to take them back anyway.
They laughed but didn’t agree.
I told them not to be surprised if I threw someone off the ship.
