Page 51 of The Trials of Ophelia
Unite them.
“How long do we have?” I rushed.
“If we leave immediately, we might beat the storm,” Ezalia said.
“We didn’t finish charting our route,” Andrenas commented with the only uneasy swallow I’d seen since meeting them. “But we’ll have to trust in Gaveny now.”
Follow the Angels, to death and dismay, or glory and grace.
“Where’s Santorina?” Tolek asked, and I froze.
“She left with Leo this morning,” Vale responded, braiding back her hair. “They’re riding to a nearby town to work on her human training agenda and said they’d be back tonight.”
“Spirits,” I cursed. “We go without her, then. I’ll leave a note.”
“Nine is a good number,” Ezalia encouraged, whispering something to Andrenas. She sent the warrior on their way to prepare the ship. “Three for each platform.”
“Eight, you mean,” Cypherion said, looking around and counting.
“I’m coming with you,” Vale objected, understanding who he’d intended to leave behind.
Cyph’s jaw ticked. “No, you’re not.”
“You’re not the one who gets to decide that,” the Starsearcher growled.
“It’s not safe.” I didn’t know whether Cyph meant it because he didn’t trust her and didn’t want to have her on our team or if there was something else. He ground his teeth together, hands flexing as if that sentence wasn’t what he’d actually wanted to say.
“For you or for me?” And Vale’s stare—narrowed and daring—was layered with accusations.
“All right, we don’t have time for this,” I interrupted whatever Cypherion was about to snap. He closed his mouth, seeing my reason. “Vale, if you want to come, you may come.”
In that moment, I didn’t care about their feud. I admired her for wanting to help when we were charging into a storm, path uncharted.
“You three grab the rest of your weapons,” Ezalia instructed Cypherion, Tolek, and me as she walked away. “Meet us at the south end of the cliffs as soon as you’re ready.”
Out over the sea, thunder boomed. As the storm rolled from the east, my own fearful clouds formed over my head.
Plumes of deep gray formed on the horizon as we followed the Seawatchers down a set of narrow notches carved into the cliffside and leading to a black sand cove below. A small dock jutted out into the water. Our boots echoed hollowly against worn wood as we dutifully marched to the ship waiting for us.
“This is the only one ready on such short notice that can also withstand a harsher storm,” Ezalia explained as she led us across the dock and up the ramp.
I helped Chorid untie the clean hitch knots securing the boat rocking in the water as tempests brewed across the horizon.
Standing at the bow minutes later, the wind whipped my hair around my face. I breathed steadily over the waves slapping wood below, muscles locked to battle the rolling sea beneath us. Tolek, Cypherion, and Jezebel stood beside me.
“You’re all sure of the plan?” I asked. “We get to those platforms and follow any scorch marks or signs of heat we can detect.” I didn’t know if only the Seawatchers would feel the lingering Angel presence or if we could, too. “Once we find it, we get back to the ship as quickly as possible. All of us. Together.”
It was as straightforward of a plan as we could have, but I couldn’t dissuade the curling of my stomach as those islands rose into view, clouds hanging in the distance. The three land masses appeared made of piled rock, like an Angel’s hand had precariously placed them there, and centuries had melded those boulders together.
“We’ll be fine,” Cypherion assured me. At my stare that argued we’d uttered that phrase so many times now and nearly hadn’t been, he amended, “We’ll be smart.”
I took a deep breath. It was all I could ask when we didn’t even know what we were searching for.
“What about her?” Jez asked, flicking a hesitant gaze at Cyph before tilting her head toward Vale. She stood at the rail, hands white-knuckled and eyes closed.
“She’s reading,” Cypherion muttered, distastefully.
“She’s with you two,” I said. Cyph opened his mouth to argue, but I held up a hand. “Ezalia said she’s with Tolek and me on the center platform given it’s the largest. I need you with her, though, Cypherion.”
