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I shook my head and turned to Nikolai. “Do we have a ship that can carry that many?”

He blinked, glancing at Riven who was equally shocked. “Yes.”

“It will need some accommodations for the return journey,” Gerarda interjected.

I pressed my knuckles into the table. “Can you and Gerarda handle those?” I asked Nikolai. “She knows everything that would be needed.”

His brows creased but he nodded.

Syrra pointed to the sailing route Gerarda had marked. “Even with the fastest ship it will take weeks.”

I straightened my stance and scanned the room. “I think we could manage the journey in one.”

Gerarda’s black eyes locked on Riven. “Are you sure she didn’t hit her head?”

Riven grunted but turned to me. “Keera, Elvish ships are fast but even they cannot make the journey that quickly.”

I couldn’t help the smile that tugged along my lips. “They can’t?” I slashed my hand through the room and a strong gust blew across the table, carrying the map with it until it flattened against the root-packed wall.

The wind whipping at their clothes was enough to make my point, but it wasn’t enough for me. I closed my eyes, feeling the wildness of my newfound gift and pulling it taut. The gust of wind grew more powerful, but was now streamlined, creating a tiny whirlwind over the table that had captured every faelight in the room.

I lowered my hand but the swirling gust kept spinning. Syrra smiled widely at the spinning lights. “You can maintain it for the entire journey?”

I nodded. “I’ll need to sleep occasionally.”

Riven blinked at the whirlwind. “Breaking that seal has advanced your control too.” His tone was nothing but awe.

I glanced at Riven sheepishly. “I’ve already shown Feron and Lash and they think I could master a steady gust in less than a week.” Somuch of Riven’s training focused on containing his powers instead of using them, I didn’t think he would be the best tutor.

He smiled proudly. “You can do no better.”

I sighed in relief just as Gerarda reached out to touch the whirlwind in the middle of the table with her sword. My body stiffened and the gusts unwound, tossing Gerarda’s blade through the air and thrashing against the wall.

I turned to the others. “This will be dangerous. No matter how we travel, Damien’s soldiers may find us before we ever make it to the Order. And if the second seal is anything like the first, his men will know when we’ve broken it.”

Collin shifted in his seat. He kept his eyes down toward the map as he spoke. “I don’t think I would make the best seafarer in my current state.” He held his fist to his throat, swallowing the urge to vomit. “But I will do everything I can to help with the preparations.” He glanced at me with no malice or contempt, just a tired and defeated look in his eyes.

I nodded once. “Thank you, Collin. I hope your sickness passes.”

He paled and slumped back in his chair.

Riven crossed his arms and jutted his chin toward his brother. “It would be foolish for all of us to go. On the off chance Damien falls off his balcony, the heir to the throne shouldn’t throw himself into the midst of battle.”

Killian pulled at the collar of his jacket and nodded. “I’m sure Vrail will take my place. She’s become the better swordsman anyway.”

Riven chuckled under his breath and nodded.

Nikolai’s head snapped up. “Five days,” he said, slamming his glass pen on the table. “I can have the ship ready in five days.”

I took a deep breath and stared down at the map of the entire continent. “Then we have five days to create a plan that gets us out alive.”

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

IWOKE TO THE ANNOYING MELODYof birdsong and children’s laughter booming from the groves below my burl. My head ached from the night before. Now that we were preparing a mission into the kingdom, I was terrified that Damien would find out the plan by pulling me into a dream and tormenting the truth from my lips.

But compromised or not, I had to go on this mission. I was the only one who could break the seals. Which is why each night before sleep I drowned out my worries and each morning I woke with a craving stroking my throat.

I peered out the window from my pillow. It was barely morning, which meant I had hours before Nikolai would replenish my rations and I could soothe the ache. The elixirs Riven had given me sat across the room, but I was too exhausted to get them. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head to go back to sleep.