Page 30

Bastian

In some ways, the following week is one of the happiest of my life. The days are filled with the intense work that comes with keeping a ship like the Audacity running, and my nights are filled with Siobhan and Nox. I never would have dared dream the three of us could carve out something that felt as natural as breathing.

And yet…

Something is wrong. It’s there in the moments after we collapse onto the sheets, our bodies sweaty and our exhales coming hard. It’s there in the silences that stretch a little too long when we talk about what happens after Lyari.

At first, I think Nox is the source. They’ve been cagey from the moment I came aboard, and though they share their body willingly enough, they hold part of themself in reserve. It makes sense. I’ve hurt them before; they don’t trust me not to hurt them again.

But on the morning we’ll reach Yoth, I wake up to Nox slipping out of bed the same way they do every morning. They pause to press a kiss to my knuckles before padding to the door and out of the room. I lie there, Siobhan curled around me as if she’s afraid she’ll lose me in her sleep, and I have to admit that Nox isn’t the problem.

There’s something wrong with Siobhan.

Her breathing isn’t quite steady enough to pass for sleep. I clear my throat. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

She freezes. I’m pretty sure her heartbeat even stops for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She’s a noble. She was raised from childhood to hide certain truths about herself, the same as I was. That’s why I know her parents taught her to lie from the moment she could talk; it was a matter of survival.

There’s no damn reason for her to be so fucking bad at it.

“Siobhan.” I roll over to face her. She’s got her eyes shut, as if she can avoid this conversation simply by pretending it’s not happening. That won’t work with me. I cup her face. “Talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“If you want me to believe that, you’re going to have to get better at lying.”

Her lips twist in something that isn’t quite a smile. She finally opens her eyes. “I love you. You know that, yeah?”

“I know that. I love you, too,” I say slowly. “But if you’re trying to reassure me, you’re doing a terrible job of it.”

She kisses me then, pressing me back onto the mattress. It would be so easy to let ourselves get carried away, to give in to the body’s need for pleasure with one of the two people I care about most in this world.

But Siobhan isn’t kissing me because she wants me right now. She’s doing it to distract me from questioning her.

I turn my face away, my breath coming hard. “I’m here.”

“Bastian.” She presses her forehead to mine. “I know. And I appreciate it. Even when we don’t agree, I know you have my back.”

The fear curling its roots through me flares. I grip her hips. “Of course I always have your back. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She slips free as easily as smoke through my fingers. Siobhan’s strength has always filled me with awe. There’s little we’ve faced that she can’t manage easily. There’s no reason to think whatever we find in Lyari will change that. And yet I can’t shake the feeling that Siobhan is in the process of a prolonged goodbye.

“Siobhan.” I sit up abruptly, following her with my gaze as she pulls on her clothes. “Please talk to me.”

She smiles sadly. “Some things are better left unsaid. Keep close to Nox. Between the two of you, you can get out of any mess.” She sweeps from the room, her words landing dully behind her.

The two of us. Not three. Two.

I don’t know what Siobhan believes will happen in Lyari, but she doesn’t think she’ll be around afterward. Whether that means she expects she’ll be dead or taken captive…well, it could be anything.

Something happened in the days after we sailed south from Three Sisters. I’m not sure exactly when our lovemaking shifted from pure joy to tinged with grief and desperation. I only know that things did change.

I hurry to pull on my clothes and follow. Nox hasn’t said anything about the shift, but they’re new to us. I don’t know if they would notice it the same way I did, especially when so much of their impressive mind is focused on what comes next and keeping their crew alive.

We’ve seen crimson sails in the distance a few times, but they haven’t seemed to show much interest in what appears to be just another trade ship heading south. It should be cause for relief, but instead it’s only caused tension to ride everyone harder.

It feels like a trap.

I need to talk to Nox. They might have a better idea of what’s going on, or at least a different point of view. But the moment I step through the door, I know there will be no opportunity for conversation. The entire crew buzzes and rushes about the deck to a purpose I can’t begin to guess. I grab Frost’s arm as ne moves past me. “What’s going on?”

Ne grins, fierce and happy. “Sighted Yoth. We’ll be there in a few hours.”

The beginning of the end.

I don’t know where the thought comes from, or why it brings a dread I can’t combat. Yes, this will bring about the end, but that’s the goal: the end of the C?n Annwn as they function today. This particular ending is an opportunity for new growth and a future without fear.

There’s no chance I’ll be able to pull Nox aside. They’ll have their hands full with getting us to Yoth and making arrangements for the ship and crew. Damn it.

I find a spot on the upper deck where I’m mostly out of the way and watch the island approach. It’s small—even smaller than Viedna, the selkie island where Maeve grew up—and so green it looks like a jewel tucked into the rush of waves around it. I’ve never been here before. The locals aren’t fans of visitors, and the currents are even wilder than around First Sister, so most ships aren’t interested in fighting their way to an unreceptive populace.

With the help of elemental magic and Nox’s keen eye, we easily cut through the currents and into a shallow bay with a sandy beach. No docks to speak of; that would invite the aforementioned visitors.

Nox calls out instructions, and even knowing the plan, it still jars me to watch them intentionally run us aground. The ship shudders as it encounters the sandy beach and then shudders again as both air and water elemental users come together to shove it even farther aground, well away from the greedy tide. It leaves us angled in a way that feels dangerous, the deck canting sharply beneath my feet.

Frost grabs me before I can slide more than a foot. “Careful there, Bastian.” Ne grins. “Can’t have you falling and breaking something important.”

“Thanks,” I manage.

Things happen quickly after that. Crew, what little supplies we have left, and gifts for the locals are unloaded. By the time everyone has scaled down the side of the ship to the sand, we have an audience.

The Yothians are a small furred people with dangerously long claws, tufted ears like a hunting cat, and oblong eyes in colors ranging from yellow to a deep green. Their fur is brown with dappled darker patterns, the better to camouflage them in the jungle when they hunt. I’m not entirely certain how they define gender, but the group that meets us wears only small cloths tucked around their hips and nothing else.

Nox moves first, stepping forward and bowing deeply. “Honorable Tia, we come bearing gifts and asking for a boon.”

One of the Yothians in the middle, one slightly shorter and rounder than the rest, steps forward on silent paws. “Nox. Captain Nox, I hear. Congratulations on your promotion.” They rise. “Ask your boon.”

“I would offer the supplies we currently have, as well as a selection of gifts I think your people may enjoy.” Nox draws a deep breath. Their tone is perfectly even, but there’s tension in their shoulders. “In return, I would ask for a small ship to get us to Lyari. And for you to house my crew for a short period of time. Two weeks, perhaps three. They will abide by your laws and won’t cause any trouble.”

Tia’s ears flick back and forth, but they don’t otherwise move. “You know we don’t often welcome strangers into our midst.”

“I know.” Nox doesn’t bend in the least. “But I think you have a vested interest in hearing why we need this boon from you.”

Tia studies Nox for a long moment. “Walk with me.”

Nox easily falls into step with Tia, walking down the beach away from us. Both groups eye each other warily but make no move to cause any trouble. A short while later, the leaders have made their way back to us.

Tia steps forward and spreads their short arms. “You’re welcome within our community.” Their ears flick. “However, if any of you breaks our laws, you will be held accountable by the same laws.”

Nox motions the crew forward. “All right, darlings, gather round. Here’s the lay of the land.” They quickly go through the laws the crew needs to know about. It’s pretty standard stuff—don’t fuck with the locals, don’t damage property, don’t make asses of themselves—with a few interesting caveats. All visitors are barred from the center of the island, which is apparently holy ground to the Yothians.

Nox gets agreements all around and then we’re off, filing after the Yothians into the deep green foliage. Each island in Threshold reflects a portion of the world in the realm its portal leads to, right down to the climate—in this case, a heat sticky and dense enough to swipe your fingers through. Insects drone in a buzz I swear I can feel in my bones. The trees around us are alive with small animals and movement that suggests much larger predators exist just out of sight.

I shiver and glance to where Bowen walks next to me. “I prefer wide-open spaces to this.”

He shrugs, expression carefully locked down the way it so often is. “If something comes at us, I’ll stop it.”

What must it be like to move through the world so sure of your power and its ability to protect? My glamour is incredibly useful when I dare to use it, but I can’t stop acid rain or a giant monster or do anything actually helpful. I’ve worked hard to ensure I’m not a liability in a fight, but I’ll never be as good as Bowen or the other heavy hitters on the crew of the Audacity .

We reach the village before too long. At first glance, there is no village, but as I stare, the details start to emerge. The buildings are built into the trees in a seamless way that means I can’t tell if the inhabitants carved into the trees themselves or did some kind of magic to shift things to make room. The escort Yothians break off, each leading a small group of crew members in a different direction to where they’ll be staying as guests of various households.

Nox waits until they’re all gone before bowing deeply to Tia. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Thank you for your sacrifice.” Tia bows just as deeply this time. “Will you share a meal with us before you leave?”

Nox shakes their head slowly. “I wish we could, Tia. Unfortunately, we need to move as quickly as possible. We don’t want to bring the C?n Annwn down upon you and your community.”

“Let them come.” Tia smiles, revealing the sharp teeth of a predator. “They have tried before. They will try again. Still, we maintain.”

“If we’re successful, they will never try again.”

Tia waves that away. “Someone will. Someone always does. We still see and honor your plans. You’ll find a small ship on the west side of the island.” They click their claws together several times in a fast pattern, and two smaller Yothians melt out of the bushes on either side of us. “These are Dao and Cye. They will guide you.”

Nox turns to the small group still left. “Let’s go.” I expected myself and Siobhan, of course, but Bowen and Evelyn remain, as well as Maeve and a put-upon-looking Lizzie. The future of Threshold rests on the shoulders of seven people.

There’s nothing more to say.

We file after the youngsters—and they are youngsters; that boundless energy of youth is consistent across all peoples—and into an even deeper greenery than we experienced on our way to the village.

Behind me, Lizzie sneezes. Without missing a beat, she snarls, “Not a single word.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Maeve says sweetly.

I can’t help looking over my shoulder to see a mask of innocence on Maeve’s face that doesn’t quite conceal the mischief in her green eyes. She catches me watching and winks. I fight down a shudder and turn back to keep my eyes on the path ahead of me. Lizzie may be useful, but I can hardly comprehend the bravery Maeve must possess to go to bed with the vicious vampire.

It’s none of my business. But thinking about bed has me looking up ahead to where Siobhan trudges silently in front of me, her cloak covering her head despite the sticky heat, her shoulders tight in a clear message that she’s not interested in talking. Things have been too rushed for Nox to notice something is wrong yet, and there will be little time or privacy after this.

With that in mind, I veer around Siobhan and pick up my pace until I come even with Nox. “We have to talk,” I say softly. “Now.”