Page 41

ROWAN

I never expected it to be this difficult.

When I decided to travel with Marek, Mev, and Kael north, Marek to deposit me in Estmere en route, Nerys and I knew it was necessary. Neither of us wished to be separated so soon, but I needed to speak with my family. There were big changes afoot, ones they needed to learn about from me directly.

But now, standing on the docks, having said goodbye many times already, I wanted to take her into my arms again and, this time, never let go.

“This is the most miserable I’ve seen you look since we met,” Mev said as the others prepared to board.

“It will be difficult, being separated,” I admitted.

“But maybe good for her too. Caelum said there was a pocket of dissent in Maristhera to the idea of a human king?”

“Some of the queen’s supporters. But thankfully, it seems to be the exception and not the rule.”

“Any word from Nymara?”

“None,” I said, having received a report just the day before. The queen appeared to have peacefully transitioned into a new life, for as long as she would live. Neither Nerys nor I trusted the transition would continue to go so easily, and Caelum had placed men in Nymara to keep watch.

Mev was about to respond when a shout could be heard at the end of the docks. With Nerys in attendance, there were guards everywhere, but she insisted all remain otherwise normal. The activity worried Caelum, and with whatever was currently happening, I was inclined to agree. I was at her side before she could be surrounded, the shouts growing louder.

“You need to listen to him,” I said of Caelum, who had run toward the source of the ruckus.

“I will consider it,” she teased, clearly unconcerned. “Look, he’s speaking to the man in question, who doesn’t appear to be a threat.”

When the man, a Gyorian or human by the look of him, handed Caelum a missive, he did not move off. Instead, he watched as the missive was delivered to… Kael?

“How strange,” Nerys said, echoing my thoughts.

Even stranger was the expression on Kael’s face when he read the missive. He ran to Mev who, in turn, called for Nerys and me. All I knew, as we boarded Marek’s ship, was that a private discussion had been called for, his ship serving its purpose.

With all eyes on us, Nerys, Marek, Mev, Kael, and I huddled on the deck of the ship as it swayed from side to side, the sea rougher than usual this day.

“A message from Adren.” Kael tucked the missive into a leather pouch at his side. “It is a miracle he reached us in time, though was ordered to deliver it to you,” he said to Nerys, “if we’d left Thalassaria already.”

“We need to embed a Whisperer here,” Mev said to Nerys. “So that we might get messages to you more quickly.”

“A good idea.” Kael peered over to the dock, where all eyes were on us. It seemed all activity had come to a stop, the spectacle we made one I was certain would be a topic of conversation for days to come.

“What’s the message?” Mev asked.

“I don’t know how he did it. Or how Adren knows for certain, but…” He paused, his nostrils flaring. I couldn’t discern if the news was good or bad. “He found the Wind Crystal.”

Stares of shock followed his announcement.

“He said that? In a missive?” Mev asked.

“It was coded.”

“Obviously.”

Kael tried not to smile but he was unsuccessful. Looking at Mev like he was unsure what to do with her, a common expression of his but one that amused me, Kael cleared his throat and continued.

“By found, I mean he has discovered its whereabouts but does not have it in his possession.”

I assumed as much but dared to hope.

And that was where the hope ended. As if reminded of the precise contents of a missive that had been moments away from missing him, Kael looked as he had the day he’d been forced to send Mev to Aetheria while he stayed to stop his brother from following her. I understood now, and was grateful for the brief respite to my own separation from Nerys.

“Where is it?” Marek asked, apparently sensing Kael’s dread.

“Interesting you should ask.”

“Why?” Nerys squeezed my hand, clearly worried.

“Have you heard of the Maelstrom Depths?”

Marek winced. “Of course. I’ve avoided them on more than one journey.” He seemed to remember something. “There are rumors of a cavern deep within the Depths.”

Before he even finished, Kael was nodding. “Somehow, though I have no notion how he managed it, my father apparently hid the Wind Crystal in those caverns.”

“What now?” Mev asked. “Start from scratch.” Marek’s puzzled gaze had her amending, “From the beginning.”

“The Maelstrom Depths,” Marek said, “are located off the coast of Gyoria, hidden within its rugged coastline of cliffs and rocky shores. It’s a massive underground network of sea caves extending deep into the earth and only accessible by navigating through treacherous, storm-swept waters. The rumored entrance is hidden in a sea-bound cove. Rumored because no one would be foolish enough to attempt to reach it.”

“Then how did he manage it?” I asked, already knowing Kael didn’t have the answer.

Shaking his head, he looked up to the sky, saying nothing. Then turning to Mev, his expression bleak, he said finally, “I simply don’t know. A few have attempted it. All have perished.”

“Perhaps with a bit of magic…” Mev’s voice trailed off as she likely realized what we all already knew. There was no magic that could calm a maelstrom. Unless?

I looked at Nerys, who shook her head.

“It has been attempted by Thalassarians too,” Nerys said. “Powerful ones lured by the promise of gemstones more powerful than could be found anywhere in Gyoria. But the water is too deep, the maelstrom too powerful. Even with the use of the Tidal Pearl, I cannot drain the sea. Push it back? Aye. But the force of it returning to its natural state would decimate anyone in its path.”

The group was silent.

“There has to be a way.” Mev appeared ill and I understood her anguish. Without that crystal, the Gate would remain closed.

Forever.

No one spoke.

“Sometimes,” Marek said finally, “magic isn’t enough.”

I knew that tone. It wasn’t one of defeat but resignation. All heads turned toward him.

“Thankfully, you’ve enlisted the aid of the most skilled seafarer in all of Thalassaria.”

“And humble too,” I murmured, Marek ignoring me.

“No,” Nerys said, her voice unwavering. “Marek, no. You are immortal, not invincible. Those waters are treacherous. None have survived attempting to navigate them. No one.”

Marek turned serious. “Is that a friend’s suggestion or an order from the queen?”

Mev paled. Kael and I remained silent as we watched Nerys’s expression change from surprise to… sadness. I knew before she responded what her answer would be. It would devastate her to lose Marek. And from what the others said, the chance of that happening if he attempted to reach the caverns of the Maelstrom Depths were high.

“It is a friend’s suggestion. One who loves you and does not wish to see you perish.”

“I don’t intend to perish. But if the Wind Crystal is needed to reopen the Aetherian Gate…” He looked at me. “To reunite humans who never intended Elydor to be their permanent home.” And then toward Mev. “And your parents, who were so rudely torn apart.”

Marek had such a way with words.

“I will navigate the Maelstrom Depths.” He grinned from ear to ear as if he was not facing imminent death. “And retrieve the crystal.”