Page 99 of Wicked Sea and Sky

“You can’t defeat the giant. No one can. But the treasure belongs to those who walk where others dare not.”

“That sounds like a riddle.”

The old woman laughed. “Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s just a myth. My advice? Bring a sword.”

I laughed with her. “Noted. I’ll bring two.”

The old woman narrowed her gaze at me. “Most people who come to the sky are either running from something or searching for something. But you’re doing both.”

“How did you know?”

She smiled wisely. “I can always tell. Unfortunately, there’s no easy path for someone torn in two directions.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered. “I feel like I’m lost all the time.”

“Feeling lost isn’t the same thing as being lost.” She moved closer, water swirling around her shoulders. “You must know that young man you’re with, he looks at you like you’re his horizon. As if nothing else exists above or below.”

Heat prickled the back of my neck. “Do you think so? Sometimes I don’t know what to believe.”

“Back to belief again? What do you know about the horizon?”

“It’s an illusion,” I said without thinking. “You can chase it forever and never reach it.”

She nodded. “That might be true. But it also remains steadfast,never wavering. Those qualities are no illusion.”

I swallowed hard, gripping the stone ledge.

“You’re looking at it the wrong way,” she said gently. “The horizon isn’t something you’re meant to reach. It’s supposed to guide your heart home.”

Just like the stars.

Gavin’s whisper from the alcove filled my mind.Follow the stars home.

“And what if the home you built your life around isn’t what you thought it would be?”

“Then perhaps, it’s time to see where the horizon leads you.”

Chapter 32

Gavin

The sky market stretchedlike a sunken valley at the edge of town, nestled into the island’s lowest point. Clouds drifted thick around our ankles, concealing our boots in the mist. Awning-covered stalls carved through the base of a mountain, and some shops had even been built into its face.

This island was half wonder, half trap. Almost everyone here was escaping something. A warm, remote climate to hide from life, and often, crime. Beauty reigned here, but beneath it was a dark layer of sin.

Smoke from spiced meats mingled with the bite of tanned leather. Anvils cracked, low fires burned, and conversation flowed through the narrow rock crevices.

The grizzled merchant wiped the mist curling around his fingers on his trousers and handed Marin and me each a small leather pouch. Tucked inside were our cloud tokens, coin-sized metal discs that promised access to the giant’s castle.

So long as you didn’t mind walking over open air.

Which I did.

Magic couldn’t be trusted. Ropes, hooks, now those were trusty allies. But neither would get us across, so I grudgingly accepted my token and tucked it into my satchel.

Marin peeked into her pouch. “You’re sure these will work?”She eyed the merchant. “Have you had any complaints?”

He shrugged and picked his teeth with his thumbnail. “Wouldn’t know. A fall like that? You don’t get back up to share your thoughts.”