Page 24

Chapter

Nineteen

Nuo

T he long boughs of the Danuli trees shaded me as I tracked the commotion fifty feet away. My team was reloading our newest airship—now hovering next to the docks—brought to us by one of the many faithful Guardians from the city.

I was failing to keep my mind off what had happened the day before.

It had been there. In the city. Taunting me.

A Guardian was deep in conversation with Falizha, updating her on the Council’s goings-on and passing the new orders to the Captain .

It made my stomach roll.

How could the other Guardians obey her? Falizha had led so many to their death and didn’t lift a finger to help her crew.

She let them all burn. It disgusted me that I was allowing her to live.

But as Kazhi reminded me daily, I needed that ship because there was something else out there I hated more.

Kazhi had made me a promise—when the time is right, Falizha is done. I only had to wait for her nod.

In the meantime, I let all my hate for the Governor’s daughter fester. It paired well with the hatred for the Aethar and the Ikhor … how could I let it get under my skin the way it did? It called me weak . Pathetic.

I searched for the Aspis between the small cracks in the treetops, but the grey above was empty.

“The Aspis wasn’t what we had anticipated.”

I nearly flinched when Kazhi appeared at my side, following my line of sight. She smacked me on the back of the head. A surprising feat with our difference in height.

I rubbed the spot, scowling down at her.

“We were taught of a legend that saves the people,” she continued. “But what we got was a mindless beast that doesn’t recognize friend from foe.”

I didn’t respond. The Aspis had attacked the group of Guardians who brought us supplies.

It had attacked me . If there was a bigger sign that my brother was gone, I wasn’t seeing it.

“Fortunately, the Guardians who witnessed the attack have stayed silent, so the citizens don’t know. I’ve made sure to spread the tales of the Aspis attacking Aethar.”

“But it was only because the Aethar had attacked it first.”

And not for a second had I witnessed it go for the Ikhor. What. The. Fuck. Everything is a mess.

“This one is fast.” Kazhi nodded to the new airship. “The woman who drove it here mentioned that they nearly crashed it during test flights.” It was sleek and meant for speed.

“Think we should do as the Ikhor did and leave Falizha behind without her ship?” I asked, hoping Kazhi would agree. “We could watch her chase us, play a little cat and mouse.”

Kazhi surprised me by considering it. “I hate that we need what they have. But the ships, the supplies, we can’t do it on our own yet. We have to consider taking this fight into Aethar lands. We need more Guardians.”

“And we won’t get any supplies in a land void of life.”

There was a slight shift in Kazhi, but I didn’t meet her gaze, unwilling to see the disappointment or pity there.

“Those crates can go in the back,” Falizha ordered, as Guardians loaded more supplies onto the ship—hopefully, more drink too.

I couldn’t shake the nausea eating at me. No matter what I did or how many I killed, I couldn’t escape it. I no longer slept, but faded off just long enough before my body would jerk me awake, reminding me of the pain, or about what had happened.

“What do you make of the Aethar the Ikhor follows?” I asked. “They hid their scars, making themselves look like they weren’t worshipers.”

“I don’t know what to make of them.” Kazhi squinted at the crates being moved around the airship. “But it’s the ones from Bellum, where Bones first noticed the blue-skinned man.”

Bones.

“Stop using that name.” I tightened a fist, digging my nails into my palms as a distraction. “Makes me want to vomit. We know they’re the same ones who the Ikhor ran into. Do you think it means there are more of them hiding in plain sight, forgoing their scars to blend in?”

Kazhi was quiet, and it pissed me off I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“I don’t know. The Aethar could be hiding things over the borders,” she said.

“I guess we will find out.”

Kazhi backhanded my chest, forcing the air from my lungs. “Let’s head to the inn. We aren’t leaving until tomorrow morning.”

Right. We couldn’t sleep on the airship. Not enough beds.

I followed Kazhi down the docks, passing the ship. We approached the rear doors and a female Guardian with light, shoulder-length hair appeared, grabbing a crate to load.

I jogged forward. “Let me get that,” I said, winking at her.

I got the reaction I was hoping for—she blushed, giving me the look , and I gave her the smile I reserved for all the women whose attention I wanted. When she looked away, it told me I could still put it on. I’d have a distraction tonight.

“You don’t have to do the work, Guard Nuo. I was sent here to assist.” She smiled, and it was enough to forget what the Ikhor had said to me.

But only for a moment.

“I don’t build these muscles up for nothing.” I flexed, not really enjoying the attention as I should. “Let me show off a little.”

I had never hated being seen, being recognized as the Guard that I was. I did now. The growing fear of failure fuelled the nausea eating away at me.

“Okay, but don’t let Captain Ravin see me slacking. I don’t want to have to face the Governor.”

“I got you,” I said. “If anyone says anything, you come find me. I’ll be at the Red Door Inn tonight.”

My smile faded as Falizha rounded a corner and opened her nasty mouth, barking orders. “Grab those bags inside there and leave those crates behind. We need to leave as much as we can.” She caught sight of me standing next to the Guardian whose crate I had taken and eyed the girl up and down.

“Jealousy’s not a good look on you, Captain,” I said, hiking the crate up higher and walking toward the end of the ship.

I nodded to the Guardian, giving her a chance to walk away, and she took it, leaving me and Falizha to stare daggers at each other.

Falizha fixed the clasp on her shoulder that held her cloak in place. “Should have figured you would only stop to help if it would get you laid, Nuo. How many of my crew members did you go through the last time we flew together?”

“Why don’t you ask them? Oh wait, you left them to burn.” I hated using the dead to prove a point. The jab affected me more than it did the golden bitch in front of me.

Falizha was part of the reason I wanted to lose the contents of my stomach, part of the reason I wished I could remain unseen.

The others looked at me differently now—with pity and concern, sometimes with skepticism.

I’d received similar looks my entire life.

The poor orphan boy . The sad little Sea-leg whose blood was weak.

No one to love me. No one to protect me.

Did I look fucking weak? Had I ever? I was smarter, stronger and better than most of them. So what in the Endless Night were they seeing?

“Try, Guard. You’re too weak. What a pathetic excuse to defend the beast,” the Ikhor’s voice echoed through my head.

Bastane appeared behind Falizha, and he stopped short when he stood before me.

I shoved the crate into his gut. “You look like you need something to do.”

His mouth twisted, but he didn’t argue with others in earshot. He grabbed the crate and left, taking it aboard.

Kazhi stood next to me, glaring. I had forgotten she was behind me.

“Nice, idiot,” she muttered, leading us away from the airship, then surprised me by adding, “Why don’t you go for a swim before we settle in?”

“So all the girls can see me topless?” I forced a charming smile, taking a peek over my shoulder to see where the Guardian girl had run off to.

“Not to feed your ego. To cool off.”

I dropped the act. “I don’t need to fucking cool off.”

“You do. You need a lot of things, one of which is to smarten up and then pack. I’m not doing your work for you. And stop talking to me like that. Watch your mouth.”

I looked past the airship to the horizon where the river lands ended. I hadn’t gone in the water in weeks. Couldn’t bring myself to go under the surface.

If I did, I wasn’t sure if I’d bother to come back up.

My nighttime terrors were filled with sinking to the bottom of the darkest part of the sea, where my weak blood wouldn’t allow me to survive. And Mayra—my goddess, my mother—would only look upon me with a frown.

“I do my share of work,” I told Kazhi lightheartedly. “Not once have I slacked on my part. I’m the mapper. Very important.” I patted my chest for show.

Then shame hit me—almost as hard as hearing the Ikhor use Olivia’s voice to taunt me. The evil shit had called me Interrogator . The name the Aethar pinned me with. Not that I minded the fear that accompanied the name. That the Ikhor knew it meant the Aethar were in its ear.

My friend , Liv, had not been told what my enemies called me. She hadn’t seen me as a deadly killer or the sad orphan boy.

But she wasn’t your friend. It had lied to you. I reminded myself for the hundredth time.

When had the histories changed? Why hadn’t the scribes mentioned the Ikhor’s other powers? It wasn’t only fire, as I had believed. The fucker could wield water magic, too.

We hit the bridge where the Ikhor had stared me down, and I said nothing to Kazhi as we crossed and made our way down one of the dirt pathways along the river.

Her footsteps were silent. She didn’t pay any attention to the citizens, but I offered warm smiles and friendly waves.

The people always reacted when they saw the Guards. I’d loved the attention once.

“Falizha’s intel confirms the Ikhor didn’t head south,” Kazhi said in a low voice. “With the ship, it shouldn’t take us long to find them.”

“The stories of the Aspis leading us to the final battle made us unprepared,” I noted, and not for the first time. The Guards were convincing themselves as much as the public that they knew what in the goddess's blue seas was going on.