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Chapter 16

Marius

O n the forested island refuge, Marius and Ragewing landed and sprayed black sand into the air. The rest alighted beside them, faces pinched and some bleeding from near misses of crossbow bolts.

“Is anyone seriously injured?”

There was a chorus of negatives, and Marius nodded, his gaze snagging on Tahlia and Lija. His ears were still ringing slightly.

“A bolt glanced across her wing and that bizarre mist magic burst one of her eardrums,” Tahlia said, dismounting.

“Do you have salve? Is she able to keep on?”

Tahlia nodded. “I have it.” She untied one of the bags at her belt, then removed a vial. “Yes, she says she’ll be all right to move again when we need to.”

Rider, Ragewing said, creatures approach under the water.

Marius whirled away from the knights and the other dragons to eye the dark water. Under the moon’s strip of white on the waves, the sea gurgled and churned like a large beast swimming toward them.

Creatures? More than one? Can you tell me anything about it?

Ragewing lifted his head to scent the air. “Only salt water and fish.”

“This could be more of his dark magic,” Marius warned the group.

Tahlia was applying the salve to Lija’s wing and around her hidden ear. Titus and Atticus were tending to minor cuts on their mounts. Maiwenn, Ewan, Enora, and Justus were listening to Claudia describe her run-in with the spear-throwing pirate who had first spotted them.

The knights halted in their conversation and tending of dragons to draw weapons. The dragons rose and positioned themselves to defend their riders. Marius would never stop being enthralled with the way the dragons worked with them—that bond between souls was a true miracle.

The sea foamed and three large eel heads appeared just above the waterline. The one in the center held something in between its jagged teeth.

“What in all the names of all the gods is happening?” Tahlia’s arms dropped to her side and her eyes narrowed.

Ewan spoke first. “The eels in this area are magic-touched. Perhaps from ancient gods’ spells. No one knows. But this is why the pirates are called Eelsmen. They have long worked with the foul beasts to send messages to their fellows on other ships.”

“Humans can work magic like this?” she asked, lifting her weapon again.

Marius walked into the water far enough to take the offered item. “This is only circumstance of power that I’ve seen or heard of.”

It was a thick, glass vial that held a small scroll.

He nodded a thank you at the eels, who then swerved around and retreated into the moonlit sea.

Everyone gathered close as he broke the wax around the cork and removed the missive.

“What’s it say?” Tahlia was practically sitting on his arm.

I had hoped you would leave me to my work for just a day or so, but since you are keen on attacking me and my new ship, I must tell you the truth.

“It’s from the Unseelie. I’ll read it aloud.”

He caught them up on the first line and then continued relaying the words scrawled on the vellum.

“He says he will not harm Lady Fara, but he intends to call on the full moon kraken and act as though she is his sacrifice.”

Tahlia gasped and paled.

Marius was afraid this was his plan. Why was he pretending there would be no harm done to Fara?

“His command to the kraken will be to right all the wrongs done by pirates. He believes the kraken will make the pirates susceptible to us in magical ways. Says we should be ready to fire on any that are exposed to us by the kraken tomorrow night.”

“He’s against the pirates he’s leading?” Titus said, frowning.

“I’m lost,” Enora said.

“He’s lying,” Tahlia said. “Wait, can Unseelie lie? They can’t, right?”

“No, they are like us in that,” Marius said.

“The Unseelie instructs us to fly at moonrise and wait. He swears on the name of the Unseelie king and his queen that he is not our enemy.”

Tahlia turned away, her hands fisting at her sides. “Oh sure, I trust that.”

“We’re still going to try to get Fara back before then,” Marius said. “I don’t know what this new high captain is truly up to, but I don’t trust him any more than you all do. Finish tending wounds. Those who are able, we fly out again in one hour.

As they prepped, a bank of clouds drew down low on the island. Everyone looked up, then one by one, they dropped to the sand and fell into a deep sleep.