Page 10 of Stars Above the Never Sea (The Last Faeyte #1)

A slight exaggeration. It’s early enough that the market is still fairly quiet, only just waking up for the day after running long into the night, but I see her point. And respect her moxie.

The guardia glances in our direction. His eyes flick over Esme, then Leo, before he dismisses them and turns to me. His attention sharpens. “You’re the Caelumnai.”

Not a question. Tugging coins from my pocket, I toss them at the stall keeper. “Give the boy as much as you can with this, with my thanks.”

Leo’s small sound of excitement dies quickly as I glance at Esme. She nods, before I return my attention to the portly male frowning at my lack of response. “Possibly. Why do you ask?”

He shifts in place, chest puffing in self-importance. “Have you seen the girl we’re looking for?”

Caelum save me from idiots with too much power and too little brain. My words are slow. “Perhaps if you gave a description?”

He sniffs. “She’s one of your lot.”

I frown at that. “Caelumnai?”

Not impossible, but unlikely. More than a few of our kind emigrated across the sea in years past, before we had any notion of the Great Shift and what was to come.

But we’ve been to this territory and several others down the coast of Terrosa more than once over the last decade.

I’ve yet to run across a single one of our kind with the exception of a few Travelers.

Our numbers run small these days.

The guardia glances over his shoulder. Several of his colleagues are heading in our direction. “Come with us. I’m sure Johan would like to speak with you.”

Ugh. I keep my face steady. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. We’re leaving this morning.”

The male glances around in irritation. “Not until Johan clears it. Where did the other ones go?”

My lips curl up, just a little, as I glance around. There’s no sign of Esme or Leo. “I didn’t see anyone else here.”

I glance to the stall, but the keeper has wisely vanished too.

I spread out my arms as if in welcome to the group that spreads out around me. A half dozen, with more closing in. “Please tell Johan that I’m sorry to have missed him, but I have to catch the tide.”

A lie. The Guild Master of this territory is an odious, sweating, toad of a man with the bulbous eyes to match. Although it’s truly an insult to toads to lump them together.

“Next time, perhaps.” My words are smooth as I shift on my feet. “I’ll be on my way—”

“There.” The guardia that comes to stand beside the man I’ve been talking to points behind me. “He was with them.”

I turn, catching Esme’s eyes for a split second before she grabs Leo by the hand and vanishes down an alley.

Several guards move to follow, and I hold up my hand. “Wait.”

My voice is soft. A request, not a challenge. “I assure you, we know nothing about your missing girl. What did she do to earn such undivided attention?”

I pity her, whoever she is. Johan’s attention is not something I’d wish on anyone.

“She’s wanted for murder.” The guardia gestures to where Esme and Leo have vanished. “Find them. Perhaps this one will be more inclined to answer our questions then.”

The clicking of my tongue has them hesitating. “Is this how you treat your guests in Terrosa? We came in good faith to trade, you know.”

One of the guards rears back and spits, the gelatinous glob landing barely an inch from my boot. “We don’t need your gold. Maegis scum.”

Well, then.

The trio of guards speed up as they head toward the alley entrance, and my hand twitches. At the rumble that sounds through the air, the guard’s face flashes to mine. “ Don’t —”

A deep, groaning sound echoes from the buildings on each side of the alley as the stone tears from the walls, dropping in huge chunks to the floor and creating a barrier between the guards and Esme and Leo. Cries ring out from the stalls around us.

I slip my hands into my pockets. “Terribly shoddy, the buildings here. Have you noticed?”

The guard pales, backing away even as his hand slips down to his sword. “You will come with us.”

I regard him for a second. He flinches when I lift my fingers, but I only scratch at a non-existent itch on my throat. “Will I, though? Will you make me, then?”

When I turn, another guard stumbles backward. “Or you? No? You look a little unwell, friend. Perhaps you should sit down.”

A box slides across the dirt-packed floor, slamming into the back of his knees and sending him dropping to his ass on the crate.

He blinks rapidly at his change in position. I slide my hands into my pockets, rocking back on my heels. My voice is bored, edged with a single thread of warning. “Are we done?”

“Enough.” The second guard, who seems to be made of stronger stuff than his colleagues, steps forward with a glower. “You will come with us to Johan.”

My sigh is loud in the tense silence that follows his statement as they all watch me. If they’re seeking entertainment, they’ve found it.

I grasp that thread in my mind, tugging on the warmth that greets me. I smile widely at the guards as I lean in, as if I’m about to impart some great secret.

I point with a single finger, tasting metal on my lips. “On your left, I think.”

Almost to a man, they all twist their heads to look left as I step back.

Only that one guard keeps his eyes on me, following my lead. A cacophony of cries and grunts come from behind him as more heavy wooden boxes slam into the group. They split open on impact, scattering goods across the floor.

I meet the guard’s eyes. And shrug. “I did warn them.”

He yanks his sword from his belt, his aim steady as he raises it. “ Enough .”

But it is not enough. Not now—not now that I’ve started. And the maegis—it agrees with me, the warmth in my chest growing and spreading until I could sing for the strength of it. The guards’ dark eyes widen at the change on my face.

That metallic taste in my mouth grows stronger. He swallows, throat bobbing as my hand raises. My fingers flick, and his sword is ripped from his sweaty grasp as I reach out and catch the hilt, then turn it over in my hands. “This is a lovely weapon. You really should take better care of it.”

His face is ashen now. “I’m just doing my job.”

If I had a crown for every time an asshole uses that for an excuse.

I meet his gaze. “I don’t know where your murderer is. We’ve seen no other Caelumnai since we’ve been here.”

The sword clatters to the ground at his feet, and I turn. “I have answered your question. This conversation is finished.”

The men around him are gathering, pulling themselves up, shouting to each other. The noise rises in the shocked market. Turning, I catch glimpses of people slowly emerging from where they had ducked out of sight. But there are still eyes watching.

Slipping my hands back into my pocket, I set off for the exit.

Waiting.

And as I walk, the stalls around me shake. Trembling, shifting and sending things tumbling to the floor. A display of scarves. Leather pouches. Thin copper bracelets to ward off the maegis , for those superstitious enough.

Only one stallholder remains in sight, vainly attempting to keep her stock in place on her stall. Pulling the bag of coins from my pocket, I toss the rest to her. “My apologies for any damages.”

Merrick is going to be furious with me.

The shouts are joined by heavy steps, and I blow out a breath as I step underneath the stone arch that acts as the entrance and exit to the market.

Angry movement turns to a scramble when I spin, lifting my arms up.

If they want a show, they can damned-well have one.

And as the dark-eyed guard draws to a stop a few feet away, I lift my arms up in the air.

Just to add to the panic in their faces, I wiggle my fingers for good measure.

The arch above my head begins to shake. Cracks appear down the stone walls that tower above me on either side. One by one, the cracks grow stronger, until thousands of pieces of stone hover in the air, casting shadows across the ground that block out the morning sun.

“ Gods .” A hiss sounds from in front of me.

My smile is twisted. “There are no gods here. Only me.”

It feels good . Like exercising an atrophied muscle, stiff from disuse. It’s all too soon, but there’s no use in worrying over things I can no longer change.

The guardia argue frantically between themselves. Finally, they gather themselves enough to form a line, edging forward.

The stone hovering above us shifts into a line before it drops from the sky in a hail.

A heavy cloud of dust erupts with a crash as the rocks slam into the ground between us, forming a new wall which runs the length of the now broken wall foundations on either side, high enough that it blocks my view of the panicked inritus on the other side completely.

A few pieces linger, moving with me as I turn.

Esme leans against a wall several steps ahead with her arms folded, Leo wide-eyed beside her with the bag over his shoulder bulging. Her expression is one of half-exasperation, half genuine concern. “Did you have to? They’ll remember this when we come back.”

I breathe in slowly, tasting blood at the back of my throat. Unpleasant, but familiar enough that my voice sounds normal. “Gold will make them forget. It usually does.”

Esme nudges Leo forward as they fall into step beside me, our steps quickening. “We’ll need to move fast. Word will spread.”

Shouts sound from behind us, and I poke the bag on Leo’s shoulder. “Can you run with that?”

He nods. “Really fast.”

“Good.”

***

My head has cleared by the time we return.

Leo is laden down with more than a few of his precious bars, with a few smaller parcels tucked between them, courtesy of an over-generous stall keeper.

He shuffles past Merrick, clutching his treasure with his cheeks spread wide with a grin, and I lean against the stained wooden taffrail.

“I hope you’re happy.” I can tell Merrick is trying not to smile, but he can’t quite manage it. “Leo was adamant he wanted to do the same as us.”

“He’s still a child. Let him be one a little longer.” I look out to the dock, see Sol talking to Grim and raise my hand in signal. “And he works hard.”

“As do you,” Merrick murmurs. “Are you sure you can manage this, Cal? The weight came in at two forty. That’s the biggest load we’ve ever run.”

Two hundred and forty tons. Every single one of them needed. I don’t have a choice but to manage it.

“I’ll manage it. I need to sort the taxes with Grim. We have to go.”

A few minutes later, I step back on deck. The others gather around me. “We’re casting off. Everyone’s here?”

“Barely,” Riordan mutters. Esme elbows him.

More than a dozen lurkers spread out across the slimy dock below us, working in small groups to unwrap the ropes holding Volatus in place. The ship shifts beneath my feet, and I spread them out, holding steady.

Leo grips the taffrail beside me, his eyes wide. “The ship feels heavy.”

It does. Behind me, the boxes we’ve strapped down creak as the ship moves, and my brows draw down as I cross the deck to look out on the other side. “We’re going to lose the tide if they don’t hurry. Loosen those ropes. We don’t need the additional weight.”

Sol is already shouting down to the scurrying figures below us. He swears under his breath as he throws up his hands to signal. “If Grim moved any slower he’d be going backward.”

If we miss the tide, we’ll be waiting hours to cast off. I’m surprised the guardia hasn’t caught up with us already.

Merrick is already on the rudder, his hands tightening as I stride up. “No.”

I almost smile, tasting iron at the back of my throat. “Remind me—who’s the captain again?”

“Don’t be a brat. For Caelum’s sake, Callan.” He shoulders in front of the rudder, blocking my way. “You’re not infallible. Let the tide do the work to start.”

The shouting behind us has me raising my eyebrows. “It’s shifting. You want to be stuck on the dock, or you want to get out of here?”

I don’t mention that I’m already drawing on the maegis. Merrick likely already knows, his lips pressed together as he examines my face.

He stays put. “Then we lose a ton. Push it over.”

“No.” My voice is resolute. “We’re taking the full cargo, Merrick. But the longer you stand there, the harder you’re making my job.”

The look he gives me is enough to toss me straight back into my childhood. “ Fine .”

I shoulder past him, gripping the rudder.

I don’t need it, not really. But something about the feel of the smooth, worn wood beneath my hands helps to settle me as I breathe in.

Out.

And again.

This part is not so difficult. Not with the edges of the tide pushing us forward, the ropes slipping free from the lurkers’ hands as Volatus pulls forward.

In fact, it’s almost too easy to draw up another thin line from the well. To focus on it, that brimming, swirling web of power, and coax more of it free.

It calls to me. Enough that the hair on the back of my neck prickles in silent warning as I pull on a little more.

It is never enough. Not at first. Not until it’s too much, and I’m too deep to notice until I’m drowning.

I allow just enough to lighten the load we carry. To slip silent, invisible hands beneath the galleon we’re standing on, and nudge it forward.

The ship leaps beneath my feet, creaking into slow movement. There’s never quite enough wind in Terrosa anyway, the air humid without movement, but a slight breeze cools my forehead as we pick up speed.

Behind us, shouting erupts from the dock. Grinning despite myself, I let just a little more free. My voice carries over the calls from the confused lurkers. “ Mainmast !”

A little more speed. Enough to get us clear of the docks, for Sol and Rio to unfurl the large sail that sits closest to the bowsprit at the other end of the ship.

“Looks clear, at least.” Merrick is steady beside me, his hands clasped behind his back. “No other ships pulling in.”

And there are none that can move like Volatus . Not with me at the helm.

And in this moment, it feels so close to freedom that my lips curve, even as I taste the blood.

My hands tighten on the rudder before I turn it slightly to port, angling the bow toward the narrowed harbor entrance. “To the Never, then.”

“Aye.” Merrick sounds tired. “Let’s hope we make it that far, at least.”