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WE REACHED THE FRACTURED ISLESat dusk just as Gerarda had planned. Our ship was shallow enough to sail into the inner bay between the southern islands, out of sight from the armada that was docked along the southernmost shore.

The same shore that Vrail and Nikolai were certain was the location of the third seal.

We were hiding in the long shadows of the forest that Riven had darkened though there were no soldiers in sight. I glanced at Vrail. “You’re certain that the seal isn’t on the northern island?” That would make our mission much easier.

She bit her lip. “I don’t like to deal in certainties.”

Nikolai nudged her with his elbow. “It’s there, Keera. Water takes the path of least resistance and there are no barriers to magic.”

I nodded like I hadn’t heard this several times in the past week. The other seals had been located at the closest point from where the initial spell was cast. And the royal ports were the closest to the Ruins of Faevra.

The second sun sunk below the horizon and I gave the nod. “Then we proceed.”

I filled the sails with a small braid of gust. Elaran adjusted its size as we slowly cruised through the bay into the small mouth along the top of the southern island. I raised my hands and called the flow of my water magic forward. It churned in my belly until it was pressing against my lungs. I held my breath, closing my eyes, before slowly letting the magic flow through me and into the bay.

A thin mist rose from the water’s surface, creating a natural fog. I extended it in front of our ship and reached for the sea. All the soldiers would see was an evening fog rolling in with the tide. I turned to Riven. He called forth his shadows, covering the fog in a thin gray smoke.

In the darkness, no one on the island would be able to see the shape of our sails through the haze. Syrra stood at the bow of the ship with two faelights, leaving enough light for Gerarda to maneuver us out of the strait.

She raised her hand and closed it into a sharp fist. I held the mist in the air and untangled the braid of wind, letting the sail fall limp. Gerarda and the others moved without speaking. They lowered two slim canoes into the sea with a bag of Nikolai’s inventions between the seats.

I just hoped they worked as well as he promised.

My chest tightened as Vrail and Nikolai dropped into the front of both canoes. They were each traveling with seasoned warriors, but I knew I wouldn’t breathe easily until they were both back on the ship and safe.

Syrra nodded at me and Riven. She pulled a vial from her trouser pocket and shook the pale liquid inside until it turned a deep blue color. “Wait until it is translucent. No matter what you hear.” She looked directly at me.

My neck flexed but I nodded. She hung the vial from one of the pegs in the mast before disappearing over the ledge with Gerarda and Elaran. There was a faint splash of water and then they were gone in the cloak of darkness Riven and I had created.

“They will be okay,diizra,” Riven whispered from behind me.

I gulped and leaned against his chest. “You can’t be certain.”

“Vrail says certainties can’t be trusted.” I could hear the smirk in his voice. Riven stroked my shoulders as I stared at the vial, waiting for it to lighten to cerulean then fade to a pale lapis.

Something exploded in the distance.

I straightened my back, calling my water magic forward and lifting the ship onto its current. Riven grabbed my shoulder. “Wait,diizra.”

He pointed to the vial and I held my breath.

More explosions sounded followed by a loud battle horn.

The liquid was barely tinted now. I lifted my hands but Riven shook his head.

The smell of smoke filled the air as another explosion sounded. This one was close enough that the flash of bright orange flames was visible through the haze, lighting the fog like lightning through clouds.

Finally the last of the blue dye cleared and Riven moved to the front of the ship. He lowered his shadows, navigating through the mist as I called a current underneath the thin hull. We lifted a few inches as we cruised onward with our sail filling backward.

The soldiers’ shouts filled the beach as they loaded rocks from a ready-made pile into the buckets at the front of the catapult. Theirslings were already loaded with sharp projectiles and large stones just as they had been in Koratha.

I watched, unable to do anything as our ship nestled along the shore. One tug and the catapult would fire directly at us.

I slowed our pursuit as the captain lifted his arm and the men stood with the rope between each fist. He slashed it through the air and his soldiers yanked on the trigger lines. But the catapult didn’t budge.

An arrow had sliced through each of the ropes. I smirked proudly and watched as the load crashed to the ground behind the catapult. The soldiers shouted in terror and ran, but not fast enough to save them from being crushed under their own ammunition.

In the chaos, the soldiers along the second catapult pulled their cords too early and sent their rocks tumbling into the empty sea in front of us. I gripped the hold on my magic, causing the ship to lurch. I closed my eyes hoping the others had made it unscathed too.