Page 15

Bastian

I’ve been aboard countless ships over the years, but never one as tightly run as the Audacity . We’re sailing into all but certain death, and the crew hasn’t panicked once. Instead, they move about with fierce expressions and determination in their eyes. It’s a testament to Nox’s leadership skills and the community that they have built that no one panics. Personally, I feel like panicking. There’s nothing I can do. I’ve never felt so helpless in my entire life, which is saying something, because my sole purpose as the Dacre spare is to exist should something happen to my elder brother. I don’t know what that could be termed if not helpless.

Siobhan sticks close enough to me that there’s no way it’s coincidence. I wipe the salt spray from my face and turn to her as we finish tying off the last set of supplies. “Did someone tell you to babysit me?” Even as I ask the question, I realize there’s only one person on this ship who would dare give Siobhan an order. “Nox did, didn’t they?”

“I would’ve looked after you even if they hadn’t.” With a frustrated grunt, Siobhan twists her hair back and does something to it to keep it out of her face. “I hate this. If we were on land—”

“I know.” I smile but nothing’s funny. “But we’re in Threshold. Land is in short supply. We always knew that our battles would be fought at sea.”

“Don’t be reasonable at me right now. I don’t appreciate it.” Just like she has dozens of times before, she turns to look in the direction of our wake. I can’t see much in the growing darkness, but Siobhan has never had a problem seeing over long distances. “They’re gaining,” she says shortly.

“But how?” I shift a little closer and lower my voice. The last thing I want to do is accidentally insult any of the crew. “We’re moving faster than we have any right to be. The air-users have been filling our sails for days now, and more so since those ships were spotted. Even if they have their own air-users, they shouldn’t be moving faster than we are.”

“I don’t know.” She looks so grim as she says it that I want to hug her. Only the knowledge that she wouldn’t welcome the embrace keeps my feet planted and my hands at my sides. Siobhan shakes her head. “I know most of who they have crewing those ships. They have maybe four air-users between the three ships. This is something else.”

Unfortunately, in Threshold, “something else” often signifies the kind of trouble that people don’t survive. Fuck. “I suspect part of the problem is that our crew has been working themselves to the bone.” Another gust of wind comes from the north, so strong that it pushes me back half a step and Siobhan has to catch my elbow to keep me steady. I glare into the darkness. It’s far too early in the day for that kind of dark. I don’t like what it signifies.

“It’s the storm.” Nox walks up to us, their expression pinched. “Captains who want to keep their ships stay out of these waters at this time of year. Unfortunately, we don’t have that option.”

I can’t help drinking in the sight of them. Soaked to the bone, with their clothing and hair plastered to their body, looking more tired than I’ve ever seen them, Nox is still so devastating that they take my breath away. It’s possible they’re even more attractive like this, because as worried as they are, they’re still in complete control.

I swallow hard. “We’ve dealt with storms before.”

Nox snorts, the sound almost lost in the howling wind. “Normal storms, yes. But these aren’t normal storms. Can’t you taste it on the wind?”

I almost stick my tongue out to see if I can actually taste what they say, but Siobhan speaks before I have a chance to make a fool of myself. “This is going to be a problem.”

“Welcome to my world.” Nox spreads their arms. Even in the midst of crisis, they are still a showman. “I would love to say that the storm will slow down the ships in pursuit, but there’s no guarantee. This territory is fickle.”

I don’t tell them that territory cannot be fickle. As they said, this is Threshold. We all know better. I’ve done plenty of research over the years on all the little quirks and nightmares that our realm has to offer. Even with that knowledge, I’m coming up blank about this so-called magical storm. I frown. “I’ve never read anything about this.”

Nox gives me a look that I can’t quite define. “You’ve been sailing around Threshold for well over a decade at this point. I would assume you’ve learned that not everything can be found in a book.”

“You’re patronizing me and I don’t appreciate it.” I scrub at my face, but it’s a wasted effort. The salt water is everywhere . “I understand there’s plenty of both good and bad things within Threshold that never make it into books for one reason or another. But that doesn’t negate the fact that if there are ship-killing magical storms in an entire section of the world, someone would’ve written about it by now.”

Nox shrugs. “There are only a handful of islands out here, and most of them are uninhabitable to humanoid beings. Your valued scholars never bothered to come this way once they decided they’d witnessed everything there was to see.”

Siobhan crosses her arms over her chest, her body easily shifting with the shuddering of the ship. “You’re not wrong, but neither is Bastian. This should have been reported.”

Nox rolls their eyes. “You are both too experienced in this world to be so naive. The storms started appearing a few years ago, and anyone who sails close to this route learned quickly to avoid them. There’s no reason they would’ve spoken about that to scholars or even the Council.”

They’re still being patronizing, but at least this argument makes slightly more sense. Most of the books written on Threshold are practically ancient at this point. Some Council long ago invested significant time and effort in mapping all of the permanent islands and shifting ones as well as they could, and cataloging every people, animal, and resource available on said islands. I know that there’s a trio of small islands north and west of our approximate location, but as Nox has said, they’re uninhabitable to anyone who breathes oxygen and likes their gravity to follow the expected rules.

I shift to stare north just as a lightning bolt shatters the sky. It’s a deep purple that makes me shudder. “That’s not—” The boom of thunder drowns out whatever I would’ve finished saying. So loud that it rattles my bones. I shudder. “What the fuck?”

Nox opens their mouth to answer, but a call trails down from the crow’s nest. “Captain! Behind us!”

All three of us waste no time sprinting to the upper deck to look where directed. I had seen the trio of ships in the distance, mere specks, when I was up here earlier helping Siobhan lash things down. Before, they’d been so far away that only someone with her eyesight would be able to pick out the details. Now they’re significantly closer. Worse, another trio of ships has appeared in the distance. Still too far away to detect the color of their sails, but I don’t need shifter eyesight in order to understand that it’s Morrigan and the other two ships sailing with her.

They’re gaining as well.

“Better and better.” Nox tilts their head back, closes their eyes, and seems to go to somewhere deep within themselves. It only lasts for a handful of seconds, and then they snap to attention. “I don’t see a way out of this.” They shake their head, expression almost wondering. “This might be the end for us.”

Siobhan grips their shoulder and leans close. “Don’t you dare. There’s always a way out.” She gives them a little shake. “We could turn west and try to shake them as soon as we exit the edges of the storm.”

“Won’t work. The wind will try to drive us south again, right into their tender embrace.” Nox shakes their head even harder. “Okay, that was enough melancholy. You’re right. There’s a way. We just need to figure out what it is.”

Nox turns a slow circle, eyes narrowing. “One of the shifting islands should have shown up within the last week. It’s maybe half a day’s sail from here. Northwest, I think. It will only be there for another week, but if we make port there, we can ride out the worst of the storm.”

Siobhan frowns. “That would be a great idea if we didn’t have six ships wanting to blow us into a thousand pieces. Making port will just trap us.”

“Then it’s time for a bit of trickery.” Nox grins. “I’m sure we can pull something out.”

But Siobhan doesn’t look convinced. “We’re not the only ones who are aware of that island. Morrigan will be as well, and no doubt at least a couple people on the other crews. Even if we could somehow shake their line of sight, that’s exactly where they’ll assume we went. It might take them a little longer to get there, but they’ll still come. And there will still be the storm to reckon with.”

As they argue semantics, a reckless plan forms in my mind. No one’s going to be a fan of this, but it might be the solution to our problems. I clear my throat, but they ignore me, too intent on finding a solution. So I go to them and lean close so they can hear me. “What if they only think we go to that island?”

“What do you mean, Bastian? That’s the only place we can go.” Siobhan motions vaguely in the direction they’d been speaking of. “If we head anywhere else, all it will take is a sharp eye at lookout to find us.”

“Not if they’re already following us.”

The confusion on Siobhan’s face clears, replaced by worry. “You’ve never gone that far before, or created a glamour that large. There’s no telling if it will work. Even beyond that, you are still recovering. You’ll send yourself straight into magical burnout.”

Nox’s brows pull together. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem to be suggesting that Bastian can create a glamour from absolutely nothing. But that’s impossible. You can only alter the perception of what already exists.”

“There’s a reason glamour was outlawed,” I manage past the knot twisting in my throat. When I knew Nox—when I loved Nox—I was still young enough to fear my heritage. I suppose I still am. But I’ve learned a lot since then. Away from Lyari, I’ve had the opportunity to test myself and develop my skills in a way I never would’ve been allowed to by my family. I don’t know if I can do what I’m promising, but I can damn well try. The alternative is too terrible to contemplate.

Nox is no fool, though. They watch me closely. “The concerns Siobhan raises are legitimate.”

“Yes.” There’s no point in arguing. What I’m suggesting is incredibly dangerous. For me. And for everyone else if I fail. “But we don’t have another choice, at least not a good one.”

Siobhan starts to argue, but Nox holds up their hand. “Even if you created a duplicate of the Audacity and sent it in a different direction, they would still see two ships. They’re not foolish enough to throw all of their power into following one and letting the other sail off unmolested. Unless…”

“You can’t seriously be considering letting him do this. It will kill him.”

Nox smiles bitterly. “If he doesn’t do this, we all die.” They turn to me and, for the first time in far too long, there’s actual respect lighting their gray eyes. “I need a little time to coordinate, but I think I can take care of the visibility issue. Go get something to eat and rest. I’ll come find you in about an hour.”

We watch them walk away. Siobhan turns to me and takes my shoulders. “Bastian, please.”

I don’t remind her that there was always a decent chance neither of us would survive our mission to bring a better world to Threshold. I don’t tell her that this is a sacrifice worth making. She knows. It’s a testament to her love for me, even with all the broken words between us, that she would rather save me and risk us all dying than allow me to risk myself. “I love you, too.” I pull her into a tight hug. “But I have to do this.”