Page 76 of Blackheart

Riven must have been thinking the same, because he grasped my hand before brushing his thumb over my skin. “We walk on together, we walk off together.” His voice was steady and sure. I looked down at my hand—our hands.

No one had ever held my hand before; always too afraid of my poison. But Riven wasn’t scared, or too proud. He didn’t see me as a Blackheart. He saw me.

Chapter 24

Shadows and Goodbye

“Bladebreathers are marvelous winged creatures. Yet, even such a beast cannot keep to the sky long without a Natured rider. For flight, it seems, belongs to them both.”

—A Guide to Beasts and Otherwise, by Dialor Snow

As we approached the ship,several people in black uniforms loaded supplies onto the boat, while others took orders in preparation to set sail. There were even guards.Castivianones. Riven had explained that in Castivian, they had the Brotherhood of Bastards, calling themselves Blademen.

There were no Drakers in sight, only Blademen in their leathers, with swords at their sides, but no hoods or masks. No signs of misery from anyone boarding. No fear.

“Look,” Riven said, tilting my chin up with one hand and pointing to the sky with the other. My jaw opened in awe as the most beautiful creature in existence soared over the ship.

A bladebreather.

Red scales covered its body, and a black feathered tail whipped through the air. On its back, a woman held on with herlegs but moved her arms around with ease, shouting out cheerful reports to workers on the deck below.

Her long blonde hair flowed in the wind as sparkling rosy dust followed them through the air, like she was the fuel and the beast was the machine. The woman was curvy, with breasts I was certainly jealous of filling out her white and red dress. Her cheeks were full, like she’d lived a life to smile about and came from a place where she didn’t have to fight for food.

I had never been so envious of a person in my entire life.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t shit on the ship,” Riven said. I huffed out a laugh, but my mouth was still ajar in admiration of the woman and the beast.

Eyes on the sky for far too long, I bumped right into the back of Riven as we approached the ticket master, coin in hand.

“No gold necessary,” he assured us. His black mustache crinkled with a grin as he waved us on. It seemed too easy. Paranoia spread through me like wildfire. What if this was how they caught the Dark Natured who had escaped? Or what if this ship was setting sail for Lestivia, delivering us right to the Sapphires?

I stood still on the dock while Riven was already halfway up the bridge.

He turned around, locking his eyes on mine. “Together?” he asked softly.

Every fear I had seemed so far away as his gaze melted me.

I nodded. Together it was.

We crossed the windy wooden bridge before stepping onto the busy ship. There were crowds of people aboard, some with luggage and others with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The mixture of tears, laughter, hugs, and celebration was beautiful, chaotic, and overwhelming all at once.

Every moment since leaving the Waywards flashed like lightning before my eyes. I drew in a relieved breath at the sight of my gossipy, tea-loving friend.

“Elora! You made it too!” Trista called through hysterical cackles.

I hurried to embrace her, bumping past a few other groups of somewhat familiar faces.

“I knew you’d gotten out, and I just knew you’d make it, you stubborn girl,” she cried into my shoulder. Her blazing red hair was frizzy, and she desperately needed a bath, but so did I.

Arielle cowered behind her, Beck at her side.

It would be a long time before I forgave Arielle for burning my building down, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Of course, Beck made it out of the Waywards. Sneaky bastard.

Trista and I squealed like children while Riven kept his distance. I couldn’t wait for the first cup of tea that Trista and I could get our hands on. I wanted to hear every story she had to tell. How had she survived when the Sapphires attacked? Were their travels as heinous as mine?

Turning to Arielle, I attempted a smile. Her wild red curls were still there, but something in her eyes was different. Not darkness, but void.

She tilted her head curiously at me. Beck crossed his arms, sizing me up. He noticed the new outfit, the orb at my waist, and Singer at my hip.